Battery powered thermostat
First Claim
1. A battery powered thermostat including:
- a sensor for providing a signal representative of the actual temperature within a space;
a microcomputer connected to said sensor and intermittently utilizing power at a first level when in an operating state for controlling an isolating interface relay in response to said temperature signal;
a voltage sensing circuit connected to said microcomputer and including a temperature indicating resistor, said sensing circuit and said microcomputer being adaptable to periodically compare a voltage across said resistor with the voltage of a battery and generate a signal when said resistor voltage is equal to a predetermined percentage of said battery voltage, and;
a network connected to said microcomputer for permitting the conversion of said thermostat between Fahrenheit and centigrade control modes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The thermostat of the present invention includes a sensor for providing a signal representative of the actual temperature within a space. A microcomputer is coupled to the sensor and intermittently utilizes power at a first level when in an operating state for controllably generating output signals in response to the temperature signal. The microcomputer is adapted to be connected to a battery as a sole power source therefor. An isolating interface device such as an electromagnetic relay is coupled to the microcomputer and is adapted for connection to temperature-affecting equipment such as a heating or cooling system controller. The relay actuates the equipment in response to output signals from the microcomputer. A voltage detection circuit may optionally be provided for signalling a low battery voltage condition.
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Citations
4 Claims
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1. A battery powered thermostat including:
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a sensor for providing a signal representative of the actual temperature within a space; a microcomputer connected to said sensor and intermittently utilizing power at a first level when in an operating state for controlling an isolating interface relay in response to said temperature signal; a voltage sensing circuit connected to said microcomputer and including a temperature indicating resistor, said sensing circuit and said microcomputer being adaptable to periodically compare a voltage across said resistor with the voltage of a battery and generate a signal when said resistor voltage is equal to a predetermined percentage of said battery voltage, and; a network connected to said microcomputer for permitting the conversion of said thermostat between Fahrenheit and centigrade control modes. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A battery powered thermostat including:
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a sensor for providing a signal representative of the actual temperature within a space; a microcomputer connected to said sensor and intermittently utilizing power at a first level when in an operating state for controlling an isolating interface relay in response to said temperature signal; a network connected to said microcomputer for permitting the conversion of said thermostat between Fahrenheit and centigrade control modes; a network connected to said microcomputer for permitting a user to select a thermostat cycle rate corresponding to the type of heating equipment to be controlled by said thermostat; a plurality of switches connected to said microcomputer and operable by a user, at least one of said switches being operable for permitting said user to select any combination of clock times between which said thermostat may alternately function in a setback mode or in a comfort mode.
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4. A battery powered thermostat including:
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a sensor for providing a signal representative of the actual temperature within a space; a microcomputer connected to said sensor and intermittently utilizing power at a first level when in an operating state for controlling an isolating interface relay in response to said temperature signal; a voltage sensing circuit connected to said microcomputer and including a temperature indicating resistor, said sensing circuit and said microcomputer being adaptable to periodically compare a voltage across said resistor with the voltage of a battery and generate a signal when said resistor voltage is equal to a predetermined percentage of said battery voltage; a network connected to said microcomputer for permitting the conversion of said thermostat between Fahrenheit and centigrade control modes; a network connected to said microcomputer for permitting a user to select a thermostat cycle rate corresponding to the type of heating equipment to be controlled by said thermostat; a housing for enclosing said sensor, said microcomputer, said sensing circuit and said networks, said housing including a window for permitting the display of visual signals representative of time and temperature and a cover pivotably mounted for permitting the selective exposure and actuation of switches operable by a user.
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Specification