Environmental control system
First Claim
1. An environmental control system for a structure having a plurality of rooms and means for modifying an environmental parameter within said structure comprising:
- an occupancy sensor in each room of at least two rooms of said plurality of rooms providing exclusively a first output signal when said room is occupied and a second output signal when said room is unoccupied;
a second sensor in each room of at least two rooms of said plurality of rooms for providing an output signal responsive to the level of said environmental parameter in said room;
control means for receiving the output signals of each and every of said occupancy sensors and said second sensors and for controlling said means for modifying responsively to a composite function of said output signals of said occupancy sensors and said sensors; and
wherein said control means more particularly includes means for receiving the output signals of said occupancy sensors and said second sensors and for providing a control output signal, said control output signal being a composite function of said output signals of said occupancy sensor and said second sensor; and
means for receiving said control output signal and controlling said means for modifying responsively to said control output signal; and
wherein further said environmental parameter is temperature, and said means for modifying comprises an energy conversion unit and means for conveying a fluid from said energy conversion unit to said rooms.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An environmental control system for improving the energy efficiency of structures is disclosed. A structure having a heating and/or cooling plant, of any conventional type, is improved by providing, in each subdivision of the structure, such as a room, a temperature sensor, and an occupancy sensor. The outputs of the temperature and occupancy sensors are received by a control subsystem whose output is a composite function of the output signals of the occupancy and temperature sensors and which controls the heating and/or cooling system of the structure to maintain each room at a first temperature when the room is occupied, and at a second temperature when the room is unoccupied.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An environmental control system for a structure having a plurality of rooms and means for modifying an environmental parameter within said structure comprising:
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an occupancy sensor in each room of at least two rooms of said plurality of rooms providing exclusively a first output signal when said room is occupied and a second output signal when said room is unoccupied; a second sensor in each room of at least two rooms of said plurality of rooms for providing an output signal responsive to the level of said environmental parameter in said room; control means for receiving the output signals of each and every of said occupancy sensors and said second sensors and for controlling said means for modifying responsively to a composite function of said output signals of said occupancy sensors and said sensors; and wherein said control means more particularly includes means for receiving the output signals of said occupancy sensors and said second sensors and for providing a control output signal, said control output signal being a composite function of said output signals of said occupancy sensor and said second sensor; and means for receiving said control output signal and controlling said means for modifying responsively to said control output signal; and wherein further said environmental parameter is temperature, and said means for modifying comprises an energy conversion unit and means for conveying a fluid from said energy conversion unit to said rooms. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification