WIRELESS ZONE CONTROL VIA MECHANICALLY ADJUSTABLE AIRFLOW ELEMENTS
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Accused Products
Abstract
An Electronically-Controlled Register vent (ECRV) that can be easily installed by a homeowner or general handyman is disclosed. The ECRV can be used to convert a non-zoned HVAC system into a zoned system. The ECRV can also be used in connection with a conventional zoned HVAC system to provide additional control and additional zones not provided by the conventional zoned HVAC system. In one embodiment, the ECRV is configured have a size and form-factor that conforms to a standard manually-controlled register vent. In one embodiment, a zone thermostat is configured to provide thermostat information to the ECRV. In one embodiment, the zone thermostat communicates with a central monitoring system that coordinates operation of the heating and cooling zones.
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Citations
21 Claims
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2. A system for facilitating control of a zone temperature in a building, comprising:
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a remote unit, comprising; an input element configured to receive a user-defined set point temperature; a first wireless communication interface configured to send information via wireless signals to an electronically-controllable register vent (ECRV); and the ECRV, comprising; one or more airflow elements configured to restrict or ease airflow through the ECRV; a mechanical actuator coupled to the one or more airflow elements to adjust the restriction or easement of the airflow through the ECRV; a second wireless communication interface configured to receive the information from the remote unit; and a processor configured to instruct the mechanical actuator to adjust the one or more airflow elements based on a comparison of the set point temperature to a sensed temperature. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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13. A method for controlling zone temperature in a building, comprising:
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receiving, by an electronic control unit, a set point temperature from a user; comparing, by the electronic control unit, the set point temperature to a sensed temperature; wirelessly controlling, by the electronic control unit, an electronically-controllable register vent (ECRV) remote from the electronic control unit to restrict or ease airflow through the ECRV based on the comparison of the set point temperature to the sensed temperature, wherein wirelessly controlling the ECRV comprises; instructing a mechanical actuator coupled to one or more airflow elements of the ECRV to adjust the one or more airflow elements based on the comparison of the set point temperature to the sensed temperature performed by the electronic control unit.
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18. An electronically-controllable register vent (ECRV), comprising:
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one or more airflow elements configured to restrict or ease airflow through the ECRV; a mechanical actuator coupled to the one or more airflow elements to adjust the restriction or easement of the airflow through the ECRV; a wireless communication interface configured to receive the information from a remote unit indicative of a comparison between a sensed temperature and a user-defined setpoint; and a processor configured to instruct the mechanical actuator to adjust the one or more airflow elements based on the comparison of the set point temperature to the sensed temperature.
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Specification