HVAC SYSTEM REMOTE MONITORING AND DIAGNOSIS

• US 20140074730A1
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emersub Cxiii Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: ARENSMEIER, Jeffrey N., COX, Steven A. Jr., LAYTON, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/305
• 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 11/38 Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/49 ensuring correct operation, e.g. by trial operation or configuration checks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A method of operating a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) monitoring service is described. The method includes: providing a local device for installation in an HVAC system of a residential or commercial building; periodically receiving data from the local device across a wide area network, wherein the received data includes electrical sensor data including at least one of current or power; and storing the received data. The method further includes: analyzing the stored data to selectively identify problems and selectively predict faults of the HVAC system; receiving a subscription fee corresponding to the building, the subscription fee applying to a calendar period; and during the calendar period, providing information on the identified problems and the predicted faults to a customer corresponding to the building.

Claims

1. A method of operating a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) monitoring service, the method comprising:

providing a local device for installation in an HVAC system of a residential or commercial building;

periodically receiving data from the local device across a wide area network, wherein the received data includes electrical sensor data including at least one of current or power;

storing the received data;

analyzing the stored data to selectively identify problems and selectively predict faults of the HVAC system;

receiving a subscription fee corresponding to the building, the subscription fee applying to a calendar period; and

during the calendar period, providing information on the identified problems and the predicted faults to a customer corresponding to the building.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising selling the local device, wherein a price of the local device includes the subscription fee, and wherein the calendar period begins when the local device is activated.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the price of the local device includes a lifetime subscription and the calendar period has no end date.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the building is a residence and the customer is a homeowner of the residence.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the local device is installed by a first HVAC contractor.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the subscription fee is received from the first HVAC contractor.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the customer pays the first HVAC contractor a service fee for a maintenance plan, and wherein the subscription fee is paid by the first HVAC contractor from the service fee.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the information on the identified problems and the predicted faults is also provided to the first HVAC contractor.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein additional information on the identified problems and the predicted faults is provided to the first HVAC contractor.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing part information to the first HVAC contractor, wherein the part information includes a list of one or more parts expected to be used in remedying the identified problems and predicted faults.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing skill information to the first HVAC contractor for use in selecting a technician, wherein the skill information includes a list of skills expected to be needed in remedying the identified problems and predicted faults.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a second local device for installation at the building.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the local device is located proximate to an air handler unit of the HVAC system and wherein the second local device is located proximate to a condensing unit of the HVAC system.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the received data includes electrical sensor data of the air handler unit measured by the local device and includes electrical sensor data of the condensing unit measured by the second local device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein providing information includes sending an alert message to the customer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the alert message includes at least one of a voicemail message, a text message, or an email message.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the alert message includes contact information for an HVAC contractor.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein providing information includes calling the customer.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively identifying problems includes selectively identifying a reduced efficiency of the HVAC system in response to the stored data.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising waiting to send information regarding the reduced efficiency to the customer until the reduced efficiency falls below a threshold.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining the threshold based on a make and model number of the HVAC system.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining the threshold based on an initial efficiency determination performed on the HVAC system.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the wide area network includes the Internet.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising aperiodically receiving data over the wide area network in response to events in the HVAC system.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the events include at least one of (i) a request for heating from a thermostat of the HVAC system and (ii) a request for cooling from the thermostat.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical sensor data includes current and voltage.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the electrical sensor data includes power and power factor.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical sensor data includes frequency domain current data.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the electrical sensor data includes time domain current data having a first resolution, and wherein the frequency domain current data was generated by the local device based on time domain current data having a second resolution higher than the first resolution.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes air temperature sensor data and refrigerant temperature sensor data.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes air pressure sensor data.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes refrigerant pressure sensor data.

33. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing aggregated and anonymized data to original equipment manufacturers of HVAC equipment.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the aggregated and anonymized data includes system efficiency data.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the aggregated and anonymized data includes repair data.

36. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing received sensor data from before a repair was performed with received sensor data from after the repair was performed.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising informing the customer of a result of the comparison.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising providing a graph of operating parameters of the HVAC system including a time period before the repair was performed and a time period after the repair was performed.

39. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying a technician of the identified problems and the predicted faults, wherein the technician analyzes the identified problems and the predicted faults before information is provided to the customer.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising providing contact information for the technician to an HVAC contractor to allow the HVAC contractor to discuss the identified problems and the predicted faults with the technician.

41. The method of claim 1 further comprising selectively providing, to the customer, a recommendation to replace a consumable of the HVAC system.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the consumable is an air filter.

43. The method of claim 41 further comprising shipping the consumable to the building.

44. The method of claim 41 further comprising directing an HVAC contractor to deliver the consumable to the building.

45. The method of claim 1 further comprising selectively providing, to at least one of an HVAC contractor or the customer, a recommendation to perform preventative maintenance.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the preventative maintenance includes one or more of cleaning evaporator coils of the HVAC system and cleaning condenser coils of the HVAC system.

47. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to identified problems and predicted faults:

identifying faulty elements most likely to cause the identified problems and predicted faults;

estimating a repair cost for the faulty elements;

estimating a replacement cost for at least a subsystem of the HVAC system; and

providing a graphical interface to the customer including the repair cost and the replacement cost.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein the graphical interface includes a repair history of the HVAC system.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein the graphical interface includes an estimation of utility costs (i) after repairing the HVAC system and (ii) after replacing the HVAC system.

50. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a graphical interface to the customer; and

in the graphical interface, displaying a timeline of operating parameters of the HVAC system,

wherein the operating parameters are obtained from the stored data.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the operating parameters are calculated from the stored data using one or more mathematical functions.

52. The method of claim 50 further comprising, in the graphical interface, displaying the timeline with graphical data.

53. The method of claim 50 further comprising, in the graphical interface, displaying the timeline with textual data.

54. The method of claim 50 further comprising, in the graphical interface, displaying raw numbers from the stored data.

55. The method of claim 50 wherein the local device was installed in the HVAC system at a first point in time, and wherein the stored data covers from the first point in time to a present point in time.

56. The method of claim 55 further comprising allowing the customer to zoom in on a selected time period of the stored data.