HVAC CONTROLLER WITH CONTEXT SENSITIVE HELP SCREENS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A thermostat configured to control one or more components of a Heating, Ventilation, and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, the thermostat comprising:
- a touch screen display;
a plurality of terminals each for receiving a control wire from an HVAC system;
a controller operatively coupled to the touch screen display and the plurality of terminals, the controller configured to operate a control algorithm that at least partially controls one or more components of an HVAC system by applying one or more control signals to the plurality of terminals, the control algorithm configured to reference a plurality of programmable parameters including a system mode parameter and a fan mode parameter;
the controller further configured to display a navigation bar along the top of the touch screen display, the navigation bar including a system mode button and a fan mode button;
wherein when the system mode button of the navigation bar is selected by a user via the touch screen display, the controller is configured to simultaneously display three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter, and to accept a selection between the three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter via the touch screen display, the three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter including a heat setting, a cool setting and an off setting, the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display three or more textual descriptions, one for each of the three or more selectable settings of the system mode parameter to aid the user in making a selection between the three or more selectable settings of the system mode parameter; and
wherein when the fan mode button of the navigation bar is selected by a user via the touch screen display, the controller is configured to simultaneously display two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter, and to accept a selection between the two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter via the touch screen display, the two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter including an on setting and an automatic setting, the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display two or more textual descriptions, one for each of the two or more selectable settings of the fan mode parameter to aid the user in making a selection between the two or more selectable settings of the fan mode parameter.
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Abstract
An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user.
43 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A thermostat configured to control one or more components of a Heating, Ventilation, and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, the thermostat comprising:
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a touch screen display; a plurality of terminals each for receiving a control wire from an HVAC system; a controller operatively coupled to the touch screen display and the plurality of terminals, the controller configured to operate a control algorithm that at least partially controls one or more components of an HVAC system by applying one or more control signals to the plurality of terminals, the control algorithm configured to reference a plurality of programmable parameters including a system mode parameter and a fan mode parameter; the controller further configured to display a navigation bar along the top of the touch screen display, the navigation bar including a system mode button and a fan mode button; wherein when the system mode button of the navigation bar is selected by a user via the touch screen display, the controller is configured to simultaneously display three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter, and to accept a selection between the three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter via the touch screen display, the three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter including a heat setting, a cool setting and an off setting, the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display three or more textual descriptions, one for each of the three or more selectable settings of the system mode parameter to aid the user in making a selection between the three or more selectable settings of the system mode parameter; and wherein when the fan mode button of the navigation bar is selected by a user via the touch screen display, the controller is configured to simultaneously display two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter, and to accept a selection between the two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter via the touch screen display, the two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter including an on setting and an automatic setting, the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display two or more textual descriptions, one for each of the two or more selectable settings of the fan mode parameter to aid the user in making a selection between the two or more selectable settings of the fan mode parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A thermostat configured to control one or more components of a Heating, Ventilation, and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, the thermostat comprising:
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a touch screen display; a controller operatively coupled to the touch screen display, the controller configured to operate a control algorithm that at least partially controls one or more components of an HVAC system, the control algorithm configured to reference a plurality of programmable parameters including a system mode parameter; and the controller is further configured to simultaneously display three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter, and to accept a selection between the three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter via the touch screen display, the three or more selectable settings for the system mode parameter including a heat setting, a cool setting and an off setting, the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display three or more textual descriptions, one for each of the three or more selectable settings of the system mode parameter to aid a user in making a selection between the three or more selectable settings of the system mode parameter. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A thermostat configured to control one or more components of a Heating, Ventilation, and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, the thermostat comprising:
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a touch screen display; a controller operatively coupled to the touch screen display, the controller configured to operate a control algorithm that at least partially controls one or more components of an HVAC system, the control algorithm configured to reference a plurality of programmable parameters including a fan mode parameter; the controller is further configured to simultaneously display two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter, and to accept a selection between the two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter via the touch screen display, the two or more selectable settings for the fan mode parameter including an on setting and an automatic setting, the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display two or more textual descriptions, one for each of the two or more selectable settings of the fan mode parameter to aid a user in making a selection between the two or more selectable settings of the fan mode parameter. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification