HVAC CONTROLLER WITH FAULT SENSITIVITY

• US 20130158718A1
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Barton, Eric, Leen, Cary, Zywicki, Stan
• Granted Patent: US 10,533,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/32 Responding to malfunctions or emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/38 Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays

Abstract

An HVAC controller may be programmed to identify one or more faults with respect to the operation of a connected HVAC system. In some cases, the HVAC controller may record a fault to a fault log and/or display an alert on the display of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of faults of the same fault type have been identified by the HVAC controller, sometime within a predetermined number of cycles of the HVAC system or within a predetermined amount of time.

Claims

1. An HVAC controller configured to control one or more components of an HVAC system, the HVAC controller comprising:

a user interface including a display;

a memory; and

a controller coupled to the user interface and the memory, the controller configured to identify one or more faults with respect to the operation of the HVAC system, each of the faults having a fault type, the controller recording a fault to a fault log stored in the memory of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of faults of the same fault type have been identified by the controller.

2. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a number for the predetermined number of faults from a user via the user interface of the HVAC controller.

3. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to displaying an alert on the display of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of faults of the same fault type are identified within a predetermined number of operating cycles of the HVAC system.

4. The HVAC controller according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to receive a number for the predetermined number of faults of the same fault type, and a number for the predetermined number of operating cycles from a user via the user interface of the HVAC controller.

5. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein the one or more faults include a delta T fault.

6. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein a fault of a first fault type includes a delta T fault for a first heating stage of the HVAC system, and a fault of a second fault type includes a delta T fault for a second heating stage of the HVAC system.

7. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein a fault of a first fault type includes a delta T fault for a heating stage of the HVAC system, and a fault of a second fault type includes a delta T fault for a cooling stage of the HVAC system.

8. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller does not record a fault to the fault log if the fault occurred during one or more user specified conditions.

9. The HVAC controller according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more user specified conditions relate to an indoor air temperature.

10. The HVAC controller according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more user specified conditions relates to an indoor humidity level.

11. The HVAC controller according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more user specified conditions relates to an outdoor temperature.

12. The HVAC controller according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more user specified conditions relates to a call for humidification.

13. The HVAC controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to receive an alert sensitivity level selection along an alert sensitivity scale ranging from least sensitive to most sensitive from a user via the user interface.

14. The HVAC controller according to claim 13, wherein the alert sensitive scale ranges from 1 to 5 with 1 being least sensitive and 5 being most sensitive.

15. The HVAC controller according to claim 13, wherein the alert sensitivity level selection received by the controller corresponds to more than one set of alert sensitivity criteria.

16. An HVAC controller configured to control one or more components of an HVAC system, the HVAC controller comprising:

a user interface including a display;

a memory; and

a controller coupled to the user interface and the memory, the controller configured to identify one or more faults with respect to the operation of the HVAC system, the controller displaying an alert on the display of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of faults are identified within a predetermined number of cycles of the HVAC system.

17. The HVAC controller of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to recording a fault to a fault log stored in the memory of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of faults of a same fault type have been identified by the controller.

18. The HVAC controller of claim 16, wherein the one or more faults include a delta T fault.

19. The HVAC controller of claim 18, wherein a fault of a first fault type includes a delta T fault for a first heating stage of the HVAC system, and a fault of a second fault type includes a delta T fault for a second heating stage of the HVAC system.

20. The HVAC controller of claim 18, wherein a fault of a first fault type includes a delta T fault for a heating stage of the HVAC system, and a fault of a second fault type includes a delta T fault for a cooling stage of the HVAC system.

21. A method of monitoring an HVAC system, the HVAC system including one or more HVAC components that are controlled, at least in part, by an HVAC controller having a user interface including a display, a memory, and a controller, the method comprising:

the controller receiving information indicative of a measured delta T for at least one stage or stage combination of the HVAC system;

the controller determining a delta T fault for the at least one stage or stage combination of the HVAC system; and

recording the delta T fault in a fault log stored in the memory of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of delta T faults for the at least one stage or stage combination exceeds a predetermined delta T fault limit.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving the predetermined delta T fault limit from a user via the user interface of the HVAC controller.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying an alert on the display of the HVAC controller only after a predetermined number of delta T faults for the at least one stage or stage combination are identified within a predetermined number of operating cycles of the HVAC system.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving a number for the predetermined number of delta T fault for the at least one stage or stage combination and a number for the predetermined number of operating cycles from a user via the user interface of the HVAC controller.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the delta T fault for the at least one stage or stage combination includes a delta T fault while operating a first heating stage of the HVAC system.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the delta T fault for the at least one stage or stage combination includes a delta T fault while operating a first heating stage and a second heating stage of the HVAC system.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the delta T fault is recorded in the fault log when a predetermined number of a same fault type for the at least one stage or stage combination exceeds a predetermined delta T fault limit for that fault type.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the delta T fault is indicative of an over fault type, under fault type, or off fault type.