THERMOSTAT SYSTEM WITH SOFTWARE-REPURPOSABLE WIRING TERMINALS ADAPTABLE FOR HVAC SYSTEMS OF DIFFERENT RANGES OF COMPLEXITY
First Claim
1. A thermostat comprising:
- a plurality of wiring terminals adapted to make electrical connections with a first plurality of wires running between a first location where the thermostat is installed and a second location where a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is installed; and
a processor coupled to the plurality of wiring terminals and programmed to;
determine whether an intermediate HVAC control unit is installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals to the intermediate HVAC control unit, or whether the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals directly to the HVAC system;
operate in a first mode to control the HVAC system directly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed; and
operate in a second mode to control the HVAC system indirectly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is installed, such that the thermostat communicates with the intermediate HVAC control unit, and the intermediate HVAC control unit communicates with the HVAC system.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An auxiliary hardware box is described that can be installed at or near the HVAC system. The auxiliary box includes a large number of wiring terminals, for example 16 or more, for connecting to a relatively large number of HVAC control wires. The auxiliary box can include a “train map” type graphic display that is visible to the installer and provides a graphical indication as to which relays or switches are currently open and which are currently closed. A small sleek visually pleasing thermostat is also described that can be connected either directly to an HVAC system or to the auxiliary box, and can automatically detect an purpose the connected wires according to which it is connected to.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermostat comprising:
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a plurality of wiring terminals adapted to make electrical connections with a first plurality of wires running between a first location where the thermostat is installed and a second location where a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is installed; and a processor coupled to the plurality of wiring terminals and programmed to; determine whether an intermediate HVAC control unit is installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals to the intermediate HVAC control unit, or whether the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals directly to the HVAC system; operate in a first mode to control the HVAC system directly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed; and operate in a second mode to control the HVAC system indirectly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is installed, such that the thermostat communicates with the intermediate HVAC control unit, and the intermediate HVAC control unit communicates with the HVAC system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method comprising:
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detecting, at a plurality of wiring terminals of the thermostat, a first plurality of wires, wherein the first plurality of wires runs between a first location where the thermostat is installed and a second location where a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is installed; determining, at the thermostat, whether an intermediate HVAC control unit is installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals to the intermediate HVAC control unit, or whether the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals directly to the HVAC system; operating the thermostat in a first mode to control the HVAC system directly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed; and operating the thermostat in a second mode to control the HVAC system indirectly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is installed, such that the thermostat communicates with the intermediate HVAC control unit and the intermediate HVAC control unit communicates with the HVAC system. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An intermediate Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control unit comprising:
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a first plurality of wiring terminals adapted to make electrical connections with a first plurality of wires running between a first location where a thermostat is installed and the intermediate HVAC control unit; a second plurality of wiring terminals adapted to make electrical connections with a second plurality of wires running between the intermediate HVAC control unit and the HVAC system, wherein the thermostat is installed at a first location, and the intermediate HVAC control unit and the HVAC system are installed at a second location; connection circuitry configured to selectively connect ones of the first plurality of wiring terminals to ones of the second plurality of wiring terminals; a processor programmed to receive communications from the thermostat, wherein the connection circuitry connects the ones of the first plurality of wiring terminals to the ones of the second plurality of wiring terminals according to the communications from the thermostat. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification