ACTIVE POWER STEALING
First Claim
1. A thermostat comprising:
- a switching circuit for controlling a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) function of an HVAC system, wherein closing the switching circuit activates the HVAC function; and
power harvesting circuitry adapted and arranged to harvest power from the HVAC system, wherein during times when the HVAC function is active, the switching circuit opens for a time interval, wherein;
the power harvesting circuitry harvests power from the HVAC system during the time interval; and
the time interval is short enough that the HVAC function remains activated without interruption during the time interval.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thermostat and related methods are described for controlling one or more functions, such as heating and cooling in an HVAC. According to some embodiments the thermostat includes a switching circuit for controlling an HVAC function, where closing the switching circuit activates the HVAC function. The thermostat may also include power harvesting circuitry adapted and arranged to harvest power from the HVAC system, where during times when the HVAC function is active the switching circuit opens for a time interval. The power harvesting circuitry may harvest power from the HVAC system during the time interval, and the time interval may be short enough that the HVAC function remains activated without interruption during the time interval.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermostat comprising:
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a switching circuit for controlling a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) function of an HVAC system, wherein closing the switching circuit activates the HVAC function; and power harvesting circuitry adapted and arranged to harvest power from the HVAC system, wherein during times when the HVAC function is active, the switching circuit opens for a time interval, wherein; the power harvesting circuitry harvests power from the HVAC system during the time interval; and the time interval is short enough that the HVAC function remains activated without interruption during the time interval. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising:
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closing a switching circuit for controlling a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) function of an HVAC system, wherein closing the switching circuit activates the HVAC function; and opening the switching circuit for a time interval, wherein; power is harvested from the HVAC system during the time interval by power harvesting circuitry; and the time interval is short enough that the HVAC function remains activated without interruption during the time interval. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification