HVAC CONTROL WITH COMFORT/ECONOMY MANAGEMENT
First Claim
1. A programmable thermostat configured to control one or more pieces of HVAC equipment in accordance with a programmable schedule, the HVAC equipment capable of modifying a temperature of an inside space with at least a primary stage and an auxiliary stage, the programmable thermostat comprising:
- a memory for storing operating parameters of the programmable thermostat, including one or more droop values;
a user interface configured to accept modification of one or more operating parameters; and
a controller coupled to the memory and the user interface, the controller programmed to activate the HVAC equipment to attempt to control the temperature of the inside space under one or more of at least three conditions, including a steady state condition, a programmed recovery condition, and a manual setpoint change condition;
wherein;
the controller is programmed to attempt to control the temperature of the inside space with the primary stage of the HVAC equipment; and
the controller is programmed to activate the auxiliary stage if the temperature of the inside space deviates from a desired setpoint temperature value by more than or equal to an amount related to an applicable droop value in one or more of the programmed recovery condition and the manual setpoint change condition.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A programmable thermostat may be configured to control one or more pieces of HVAC equipment in accordance with a programmable schedule. The HVAC equipment may be capable of modifying a temperature of an inside space with at least a primary stage and an auxiliary stage. The programmable thermostat may include a memory for storing operating parameters of the programmable thermostat, a user interface configured to accept modification of operating parameters, including one or more droop values, and a controller coupled to the memory and the user interface. The controller attempts to control the temperature of the inside space with the primary stage of the HVAC equipment, but if the temperature of the inside space deviates from a desired setpoint temperature value by more than or equal to a programmed droop value, the controller may activate the auxiliary stage. In some instances, the user interface of the programmable thermostat may be configured to allow a user to selectively override one or more of the applicable droop values. In some instances, the droop value that is used may depend on the current operation condition of the controller.
93 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A programmable thermostat configured to control one or more pieces of HVAC equipment in accordance with a programmable schedule, the HVAC equipment capable of modifying a temperature of an inside space with at least a primary stage and an auxiliary stage, the programmable thermostat comprising:
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a memory for storing operating parameters of the programmable thermostat, including one or more droop values; a user interface configured to accept modification of one or more operating parameters; and a controller coupled to the memory and the user interface, the controller programmed to activate the HVAC equipment to attempt to control the temperature of the inside space under one or more of at least three conditions, including a steady state condition, a programmed recovery condition, and a manual setpoint change condition; wherein; the controller is programmed to attempt to control the temperature of the inside space with the primary stage of the HVAC equipment; and the controller is programmed to activate the auxiliary stage if the temperature of the inside space deviates from a desired setpoint temperature value by more than or equal to an amount related to an applicable droop value in one or more of the programmed recovery condition and the manual setpoint change condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for operating an HVAC system, the HVAC system having one or more HVAC units with at least a primary stage and an auxiliary stage for modifying a temperature of an inside space, the HVAC system having an HVAC controller for controlling the one or more HVAC units in accordance with a programmable schedule under at least three conditions including a steady state condition, a programmed recovery condition, and a manual setpoint change condition, the method comprising:
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maintaining in a memory of the HVAC controller one or more installer droop values; optionally receiving manual input via a user interface of the HVAC controller, including accepting modification of the one or more installer droop values; the controller attempting to control the temperature of the inside space with the primary stage; and the controller activating the auxiliary stage if the temperature of the inside space deviates from a desired setpoint temperature value by more than or equal to an amount that is related to an applicable droop value in any of the steady state condition, the programmed recovery condition, and the manual setpoint change condition; wherein, in the absence of an override, the applicable droop value has the value of one of the one or more installer droop values. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for controlling an HVAC system having a heat pump and an auxiliary heater configured to modify a temperature of an inside space, the HVAC system including a thermostat with an installer setup mode and a user interface, the thermostat configured to control the HVAC system in one or more of a steady-state condition, a programmed recovery condition, and a manual setpoint change condition, the method comprising:
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maintaining in a memory of the thermostat at least one nominal droop value; allowing modification of the at least one nominal droop value in the installer setup mode; optionally invoking at least one override droop value via the user interface; the thermostat attempting to control the temperature of the inside space with the heat pump; and in at least two of the steady-state condition, the programmed recovery condition, and the manual setpoint change condition, the thermostat activating the auxiliary heater if the temperature deviates from a desired setpoint temperature value by a measure related to an appropriate one of the at least one nominal droop value and the at least one override droop value. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification