INTEGRATING SENSING SYSTEMS INTO THERMOSTAT HOUSING IN MANNERS FACILITATING COMPACT AND VISUALLY PLEASING PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THEREOF
First Claim
1. An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat comprising:
- a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface;
a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface;
a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy;
a shaped Fresnel lens member having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member being shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member including at least one Fresnel lens portion comprising a plurality of facets formed on an interior surface of the Fresnel lens member to focus infrared energy onto the passive infrared sensor;
a first temperature sensor positioned behind the Fresnel lens member, for making temperature measurements used for a calculation of ambient temperature;
a second temperature sensor positioned within the thermostat body in a location closer than the first temperature sensor to one or more heat generating components within the thermostat body, wherein the calculation of ambient temperature is based at least in part on a comparison between measurements from the first and second temperature sensors; and
a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based at least in part on measurements made by the passive infrared sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat is described that includes a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface, a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy and a shaped Fresnel lens having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body. The Fresnel lens is shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body. A second downwardly directed passive infrared sensor can also be provided to aid in the detection of an approaching user who intends to interact with the thermostat.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat comprising:
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a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface; a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface; a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy; a shaped Fresnel lens member having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member being shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member including at least one Fresnel lens portion comprising a plurality of facets formed on an interior surface of the Fresnel lens member to focus infrared energy onto the passive infrared sensor; a first temperature sensor positioned behind the Fresnel lens member, for making temperature measurements used for a calculation of ambient temperature; a second temperature sensor positioned within the thermostat body in a location closer than the first temperature sensor to one or more heat generating components within the thermostat body, wherein the calculation of ambient temperature is based at least in part on a comparison between measurements from the first and second temperature sensors; and a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based at least in part on measurements made by the passive infrared sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13)
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6. An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat comprising:
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a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface; a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface; a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy; a shaped Fresnel lens member having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member being shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member including at least one Fresnel lens portion comprising a plurality of facets formed on an interior surface of the Fresnel lens member to focus infrared energy onto the passive infrared sensor; a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based at least in part on measurements made by the passive infrared sensor; and a mechanically rotatable annular ring surrounding the display and the Fresnel lens member, the annual ring being rotatable around a front-to-back axis of the thermostat, and said annular ring is inwardly pressable along a direction of the front-to-back axis.
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8. An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat comprising:
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a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface; a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface; a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy; a shaped Fresnel lens member having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member being shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member including at least one Fresnel lens portion comprising a plurality of facets formed on an interior surface of the Fresnel lens member to focus infrared energy onto the passive infrared sensor; a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based at least in part on measurements made by the passive infrared sensor and; a second passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy, the Fresnel lens member being shaped and the second passive infrared sensor being positioned such that it is provided with a substantially downwardly directed field of view when the thermostat is wall mounted, and the microprocessor being further programmed to detect an approaching user that will likely directly interact with thermostat based at least in part on the measurements made by the second passive infrared sensor. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11-12. -12. (canceled)
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14. An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat for controlling an HVAC system within an enclosure, the thermostat comprising:
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a first passive infrared sensor mounted within the thermostat so as to measure infrared energy tending to indicate occupancy within the enclosure; a second passive infrared sensor mounted within the thermostat so as to measure infrared energy tending to indicate a user is likely to interact with the thermostat; and one or more energy consuming thermostat components that have active and inactive states, the one or more components consuming less energy the inactive states than the active states, wherein the transition from inactive to active states is based at least in part on measurements from the second passive infrared sensor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat comprising:
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a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface; a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface; a first passive infrared sensor mounted within the thermostat so as to measure infrared energy tending to indicate occupancy within the enclosure; a second passive infrared sensor mounted within the thermostat so as to measure infrared energy tending to indicate a user is likely to interact with the thermostat; a shaped Fresnel lens member having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member being shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body, the Fresnel lens member including a plurality of Fresnel lens portions each comprising a plurality of facets formed on an interior surface of the Fresnel lens member to focus infrared energy onto the first and second passive infrared sensors; and one or more energy consuming thermostat components that have active and inactive states, the one or more components consuming less energy the inactive states than the active states, wherein the transition from inactive to active states is based at least in part on measurements from the second passive infrared sensor.
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Specification