Energy conservation moderating system

• US 6,662,866 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ENCON International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ENCON International, Inc.
• Inventors: Heath, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WAYNER, WILLIAM E
• Application Number:
  US09/806,843
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 236/47, 236/46.R, 165/267
• US Class Current: 165/267
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2223/08 Microprocessor; Microcomputer
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2223/30 Switches
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/203 using electronic means

Abstract

An energy conservation moderating system has a DPDT switch (16) in switching communication intermediate a micro controller (8) and a temperature-difference generator (7). The micro controller is in switching control of the temperature-difference generator programmably through the DPDT switch in option to switching control of the temperature-difference generator by a conventional thermostat (1). The micro controller is preferably a Z 8 micro controller having a memory into which an application-specific program in the microcontroller is loaded for programmably plural-cycle short-time on-and-off switching for savings run times intermediate temperature-band on-call extremes and temperature-band mediums of a temperature-band fluctuation selectively. A timing controller (60) of on-and-off switching by the micro controller overrides switching control by the conventional thermostat with short-time cycling of on-and-off switching and returns switching control to the conventional thermostat automatically by delay of timing of on-switching to proximate on-switching timing by the conventional thermostat. This is a failsafe control circuitry (12) in event of failure of or intentional overriding of the energy conservation moderating system.

Claims

1. An energy conservation moderating system comprising:

a switch in switching communication intermediate a micro controller and a temperature-difference generator;

the micro controller being in switching control of the temperature-difference generator programmably in-place of switching control of the temperature-difference generator by a conventional thermostat through the switch;

the micro controller having a selectively application-specific program and a timing controller in predetermined switching control of the temperature-difference generator through the switch; and

the conventional thermostat being in switching control of the temperature-difference generator by programmably predetermined on-switching by the timing controller to proximate on-switching by the conventional thermostat as a failsafe default in event of failure or intentional overriding of the energy conservation moderating system,

wherein the micro controller is a predetermined micro controller into which one or more application-specific programs are loadable; and

the application-specific programs include a pre-determinedly regulated on-and-off switching of the temperature-difference generator by the micro controller through the switch.

2. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 1 wherein:

the micro controller includes a first section and a second section;

the first section contains an operating system having operating routines; and

the second section is receivable of application-specific programming for execution of predetermined savings-mode operation of the micro controller in accordance with the operating system.

3. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 2, wherein:

the operating system of the first section is read-only fixable;

the application-specific programming of the second section is programmable pre-determinedly for specific classes and applications of the temperature-difference generators.

4. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 2, wherein:

the operating system is read-only fixable for programming of routine including temperature-difference switching, failsafe resetting of the conventional thermostat, application-specific override of switching, and acquisition of temperature-difference data selectively.

5. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 1 wherein:

the timing controller is a single 555 timer in a one-shot mode.

6. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 1 wherein:

the switch is a DPDT switch bifurcated with a first output connection through the micro controller from a power supply and a second output connection through the conventional thermostat from the power supply to the temperature-difference generator programmably, and

off-switching of the micro controller is on-switching of the conventional thermostat for switching control of the temperature-difference generator.

7. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 1 wherein:

the temperature-difference generator is a cooler;

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of the cooler plurally between temperature-band highs and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching of the cooler by the conventional thermostat.

8. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 1 wherein:

the temperature-difference generator is a heater;

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of the heater plurally between temperature-band lows and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching of the heater by the conventional thermostat.

9. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 1 and further comprising:

the temperature-difference generator has a cooling mode and a heating mode that are operable selectively;

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of operation of the cooling mode plurally between temperature-band highs and temperature-band, mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching of the cooling mode of the temperature-difference generator by the conventional thermostat; and

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of operation of the heating mode plurally between temperature-band lows and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching of the heating mode of the temperature-difference generator by the conventional thermostat.

10. The energy conservation moderating system comprising:

a switch in switching communication intermediate a micro controller and a temperature-difference generator;

the micro controller being in switching control of the temperature-difference generator programmably in place of switching control of the temperature-difference generator by a conventional thermostat through the switch;

the micro controller having a selectively application-specific program and a timing controller in predetermined switching control of the temperature-difference generator through the switch; and

the conventional thermostat being in switching control of the temperature-difference generator by programmably predetermined on-switching by the timing controller to proximate on-switching by the conventional thermostat as a failsafe default in event of failure or intentional overriding of the energy conservation moderating system,

wherein the micro controller is a predetermined micro controller into which one or more application-specific programs are loadable; and

the application-specific programs include a pre-determinedly regulated plurality of cycles of on-and-off switching for savings run times which in total have a shorter time length than a single cycle of a conventional run time of on-and-off switching of the temperature-difference generator by the conventional thermostat.

11. An energy conservation moderating system comprising:

a switch in switching communication intermediate a micro controller and a temperature-difference generator;

the micro controller being in switching control of the temperature-difference generator programmably in place of switching control of the temperature-difference generator by a conventional thermostat through the switch;

the micro controller having an application-specific program with a timing controller in predetermined switching control of the temperature-difference generator through the switch;

the conventional thermostat being in switching control of the temperature-difference generator by programmably predetermined on-switching by the timing controller to proximate on-switching by the conventional thermostat as a failsafe default in event of failure or intentional overriding of the energy conservation moderating system;

the micro controller being a predetermined micro controller into which one or more application-specific programs are loadable;

the application-specific programs include a pre-determinedly regulated on-and-off switching of the temperature-difference generator by the micro controller through the switch;

the micro controller includes a first section and a second section;

the first section contains an operating system having operating routines;

the second section being receivable of application-specific programming for execution of predetermined savings-mode operation of the micro controller in accordance with the operating system;

the operating system being read-only fixable for programming of routine including temperature-difference switching, failsafe resetting of the conventional thermostat, application-specific override of switching, and acquisition of temperature-difference data selectively;

the application-specific programming of the second section being programmable pre-determinedly for specific classes and applications of the temperature-difference generator; and

the application-specific programs include a pre-determinedly regulated plurality of cycles of on-and-off switching which in total have a shorter time length than a single cycle of on-and-off switching of the temperature-difference generator by the conventional thermostat.

12. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 11 wherein:

the temperature-difference generator is a cooler;

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of the cooler plurally between temperature-band highs and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching the cooler by the conventional thermostat.

13. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 11 wherein:

the temperature-difference generator is a heater;

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of the cooler plurally between temperature-band lows and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined fork on-and-off switching of the heater by the conventional thermostat.

14. The energy conservation moderating system of claim 11 and further comprising:

the temperature-difference generator has a cooling mode and a heating mode that are operable selectively;

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of operation of the cooling mode plurally between temperature-band highs and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching of the cooling mode of the temperature-difference generator by the conventional thermostat; and

the application-specific program of the micro controller with the timing controller includes predetermined limited-time on-switching of operation of the heating mode plurally between temperature-band lows and temperature-band mediums of temperature intermediate temperature-band fluctuation predetermined for on-and-off switching of the heating mode of the temperature-difference generator by the conventional thermostat.