Thermostat with selectable temperature sensor inputs
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In a thermostat having:
- a switch having a control terminal and a pair of power terminals, and electrically making a connection between the power terminals responsive to presence of a demand signal at the control terminal; and
a control circuit having a sensor signal input terminal and an output terminal providing the demand signal to the switch'"'"'s control terminal responsive to presence of a signal level within a selectable range at the sensor signal input terminal, an improvement comprising;
a) at least first and second temperature sensors each providing a sensor signal representative of the temperature ambient thereto;
b) a sensor selection means receiving i) each sensor signal, and ii) a control input signal having at least two values, each of said values designating a different sensor signal, for providing the one of said sensor signals designated by the control input signal to the sensor signal input terminal of the control circuit; and
c) a countdown timer having an input element providing a time interval value, said timer recording the time interval value, altering the time interval value at a preselected rate, and changing the control input signal provided to the control circuit responsive to the contents of the countdown timer reaching a predetermined value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thermostat has terminals to receive at least two temperature sensor signals, and changes the one of these terminals which provides the feedback signal for temperature control responsive to a detected condition. This condition may be a manual input, expiry of a time interval, reaching a time of day, or the relative magnitudes of the temperatures encoded in the sensor signals.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. In a thermostat having:
- a switch having a control terminal and a pair of power terminals, and electrically making a connection between the power terminals responsive to presence of a demand signal at the control terminal; and
a control circuit having a sensor signal input terminal and an output terminal providing the demand signal to the switch'"'"'s control terminal responsive to presence of a signal level within a selectable range at the sensor signal input terminal, an improvement comprising;a) at least first and second temperature sensors each providing a sensor signal representative of the temperature ambient thereto; b) a sensor selection means receiving i) each sensor signal, and ii) a control input signal having at least two values, each of said values designating a different sensor signal, for providing the one of said sensor signals designated by the control input signal to the sensor signal input terminal of the control circuit; and c) a countdown timer having an input element providing a time interval value, said timer recording the time interval value, altering the time interval value at a preselected rate, and changing the control input signal provided to the control circuit responsive to the contents of the countdown timer reaching a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
- a switch having a control terminal and a pair of power terminals, and electrically making a connection between the power terminals responsive to presence of a demand signal at the control terminal; and
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4. A thermostat for controlling the temperature in an enclosure having at least two separate areas, each area receiving air directly from a HVAC unit, said thermostat including a switch having a control terminal and a pair of power terminals, and electrically making a connection between the power terminals responsive to presence of a demand signal at the control terminal;
- and a control circuit having a sensor signal input terminal and an output terminal providing the demand signal to the switch'"'"'s control terminal responsive to presence of a signal level within a selectable range at the sensor signal input terminal, an improvement comprising;
a) at least first and second temperature sensors each physically located within a different one of the separate areas of the enclosure, and each providing a sensor signal representative of the temperature ambient thereto; and b) a sensor selection means receiving i) each sensor signal, and ii) an externally provided control input signal having at least two values, each designating a different sensor signal, for providing the one of said sensor signals provided by the temperature sensor designated by the control input signal to the sensor signal input terminal of the control circuit. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- and a control circuit having a sensor signal input terminal and an output terminal providing the demand signal to the switch'"'"'s control terminal responsive to presence of a signal level within a selectable range at the sensor signal input terminal, an improvement comprising;
Specification