MULTI-FUNCTION THERMOSTAT WITH CLASSROOM FEATURES

• US 20170123391A1
• Filed: 01/03/2017
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sinha, Sudhi, Ribbich, Joseph R., Ribbich, Michael L., Gaidish, Charles J., Cipolla, John P.
• Application Number:
  US15/397,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123391A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

A multi-function thermostat for a classroom includes one or more occupancy sensors configured to detect an occupancy of the classroom and a processing circuit communicably coupled to the occupancy sensors and a database. The processing circuit is configured to retrieve classroom information for the classroom from the database. The classroom information includes identities of one or more students enrolled in a class. The processing circuit is further configured to receive occupancy data from the one or more occupancy sensors and identify one or more students occupying the classroom based on the occupancy data. Further, the processing circuit is configured to generate a rollcall list including an indication of present students and absent students. The processing circuit is configured to determine the present students and absent students based on the one or more identified students and the identities of the one or more students enrolled in the class.

Claims

1. A multi-function thermostat for a classroom, the thermostat comprising:

one or more occupancy sensors configured to detect an occupancy of the classroom; and

a processing circuit communicably coupled to the one or more occupancy sensors and a database, the processing circuit configured to;

retrieve classroom information for the classroom from the database, wherein the classroom information comprises identities of one or more students enrolled in a class;

receive occupancy data from the one or more occupancy sensors;

identify one or more students occupying the classroom based on the occupancy data; and

generate a rollcall list comprising an indication of present students and absent students, the present students and absent students determined based on the one or more identified students and the identities of the one or more students enrolled in the class.

2. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the occupancy sensors comprise one or more wireless receivers associated with the classroom;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to identify the one or more students occupying the classroom based on device identifiers received by the wireless receivers, the device identifiers associated with user devices of the one or more students.

3. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to retrieve the classroom information by querying the database with a current time and a classroom number.

4. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the classroom information further comprises a start time of the class and a name of the class;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to cause the database to store the rollcall list when a current time is equal to the start time, wherein the rollcall list further comprises the name of the class.

5. The thermostat of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to receive input from a user;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to;

receive an indication of the one or more present students and one or more absent students via the user interface; and

generate the rollcall list based on the indication of the one or more present students and the one or more absent students received via the user interface.

6. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

receive, via the user interface, a command to store the rollcall list in the database; and

store the rollcall list in the database in response to receiving the command to store the rollcall list.

7. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is communicably coupled to classroom equipment and is configured to:

receive one or more control requests for the classroom equipment via the user interface;

generate one or more control signals based on the one or more control requests; and

send the control signals to the classroom equipment.

8. The thermostat of claim 7, wherein the classroom equipment comprises at least one of:

a classroom lighting system;

a projector; and

a security system.

9. The thermostat of claim 9, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

receive emergency information comprising at least one of an evacuation command and a lockdown command;

operate the security system to lock doors and windows associated with the classroom in response to receiving the lockdown command; and

cause the user interface to display an evacuation route in response to receiving an evacuation command.

10. A method for operating a multi-function thermostat in a classroom, the method comprising:

detecting an occupancy of the classroom using one or more occupancy sensors;

retrieving classroom information for the classroom from a database, wherein the classroom information comprises identities of one or more students enrolled in a class;

receiving occupancy data indicating the occupancy of the classroom from the one or more occupancy sensors;

identifying one or more students occupying the classroom based on the occupancy data; and

generating a rollcall list comprising an indication of present students and absent students, the present students and absent students determined based on the one or more identified students and the identities of the one or more students enrolled in the class.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein retrieving the classroom information comprises querying the database with a current time and a classroom number associated with the classroom.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the classroom information further comprises a start time of the class and a name of the class;

wherein the method further comprises causing the database to store the rollcall list when a current time is equal to the start time, wherein the rollcall list further comprises the name of the class.

13. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving an indication of the one or more present students and one or more absent students via a user interface; and

generating the rollcall list based on the indication of the one or more present students and the one or more absent students received via the user interface.

14. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving, via a user interface, a command to store the rollcall list in the database; and

storing the rollcall list in the database in response to receiving the command to store the rollcall list.

15. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving one or more control requests for classroom equipment via a user interface;

generating one or more control signals based on the one or more control requests; and

sending the control signals to the classroom equipment.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the occupancy sensors comprise one or more wireless receivers associated with the classroom;

wherein the method further comprising identifying the one or more students occupying the classroom based on device identifiers received by the wireless receivers, the device identifiers associated with user devices of the one or more students.

17. A controller for a classroom, the controller comprising:

one or more occupancy sensors configured to detect an occupancy of the classroom; and

a processing circuit communicably coupled to the one or more occupancy sensors and a database, the processing circuit configured to;

retrieve classroom information for the classroom from the database, the classroom information comprising a name of a class, a start time associated with the class, and identities of one or more students enrolled in the class;

receive occupancy data from the one or more occupancy sensors and identify one or more students occupying the classroom based on the occupancy data;

generate a rollcall list comprising an indication of present students and absent students, the present students and the absent students determined based on the one or more identified students and the identities of the one or more students enrolled in the class; and

cause the database to store the rollcall list in response to a current time being equal to the start time, wherein the rollcall list further comprises the class name.

18. The controller of claim 17, wherein the controller further comprising a user interface configured to receive input from a user;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to;

receive an indication of the one or more present students and one or more absent students via the user interface; and

generate the rollcall list based on the indication of the one or more present students and the one or more absent students received via the user interface.

19. The controller of claim 18, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

receive, via the user interface, a command to store the rollcall list in the database; and

store the rollcall list in the database in response to receiving the command to store the rollcall list.

20. The thermostat of claim 17, wherein the occupancy sensors comprise one or more wireless receivers associated with the classroom;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to identify the one or more students occupying the classroom based on device identifiers received by the wireless receivers, the device identifiers associated with user devices of the one or more students.