Low-power home heating or cooling system
First Claim
1. A microprocessor-based, DC powered control system for heating or cooling system comprising an interconnected series of microprocessors, wherein the series of microprocessors comprises at least one of each of:
- thermostat microprocessor;
zone valve microprocessor; and
boiler circuit microprocessor,wherein the at least one thermostat microprocessor quantifies one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone, communicates the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperature to the at least one zone valve microprocessor, and sends the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperature to at least one boiler circuit microprocessor;
wherein the at least one zone valve microprocessor controls position of at least one zone valve based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures, and sends information regarding the at least one zone valve position to the boiler circuit microprocessor; and
wherein the at least one boiler circuit microprocessor operates at least one selected from the group consisting of a stack damper, circulator pump, and gas valve.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a low electric power-consuming heating or cooling system comprising a DC powered microprocessor-based control system and method and a DC powered electrically actuated zone valve. The control system operates on DC power allowing the heating or cooling system to operate independently of electrical utility grid power, without compromising heating system safety. Electric power consumption is minimized by using very energy efficient DC powered devices and circuit components, and a very energy efficient DC powered zone valve. The control system detects and displays errors in the system and transmits audio-visual alarms when errors are detected, and is also capable of communicating with external computers for data storage and error diagnosis. The zone valve actuator uses DC power and DC electrical and electronic components. The position of the valve is indicated by a sensing system, and valve position is known a priori without rotating the valve. A microprocessor connected to the sensing system controls power delivery to the zone valve actuator based on the output of the sensor system.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A microprocessor-based, DC powered control system for heating or cooling system comprising an interconnected series of microprocessors, wherein the series of microprocessors comprises at least one of each of:
- thermostat microprocessor;
zone valve microprocessor; and
boiler circuit microprocessor,wherein the at least one thermostat microprocessor quantifies one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone, communicates the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperature to the at least one zone valve microprocessor, and sends the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperature to at least one boiler circuit microprocessor;
wherein the at least one zone valve microprocessor controls position of at least one zone valve based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures, and sends information regarding the at least one zone valve position to the boiler circuit microprocessor; and
wherein the at least one boiler circuit microprocessor operates at least one selected from the group consisting of a stack damper, circulator pump, and gas valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- thermostat microprocessor;
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11. A microprocessor-based, DC powered control system for heating or cooling system comprising an interconnected series of microprocessors, wherein the series of microprocessors comprises at least one of each of:
- thermostat microprocessor;
zone damper microprocessor; and
furnace circuit microprocessor,wherein the at least one thermostat microprocessor quantifies one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone, communicates the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperature to the at least one zone damper microprocessor, and sends the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperature to at least one furnace circuit microprocessor;
wherein the at least one zone damper microprocessor controls position of at least one zone damper based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures, and sends information regarding the at least one zone damper position to the furnace circuit microprocessor; and
wherein the at least one furnace circuit microprocessor operates at least one selected from the group consisting of a stack damper, blower, and gas valve. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- thermostat microprocessor;
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21. A method of controlling a heating system comprising:
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quantifying one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone through at least one thermostat microprocessor;
communicating the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one separate zone valve microprocessor;
sending the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one boiler circuit microprocessor;
controlling at least one zone valve position based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures;
sending information regarding the at least one zone valve position to the boiler circuit microprocessor; and
operating stack damper, circulator pump, and gas valve.- View Dependent Claims (23)
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22. A method of controlling a heating system comprising:
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quantifying one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone through at least one thermostat microprocessor;
communicating the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one separate zone valve microprocessor;
sending the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one boiler circuit microprocessor;
controlling at least one zone valve position based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures;
sending information regarding the at least one zone valve position to the boiler circuit microprocessor;
operating stack damper, circulator pump, and gas valve;
saving data of the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures;
detecting errors in one or more boiler components;
detecting errors in one or more zone valves;
displaying errors on one or more boiler audio-visual displays; and
transmitting data to a computer.
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24. A method of controlling a heating system comprising:
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quantifying one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone through at least one thermostat microprocessor;
communicating the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one separate zone damper microprocessor;
sending the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one furnace circuit microprocessor;
controlling at least one zone damper position based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures;
sending information regarding the at least one zone damper position to the furnace circuit microprocessor; and
operating stack damper, blower, and gas valve. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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25. A method of controlling a heating system comprising:
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quantifying one or more room temperatures and one or more user-defined set temperatures in a zone through at least one thermostat microprocessor;
communicating the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one separate zone damper microprocessor;
sending the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures to at least one furnace circuit microprocessor;
controlling at least one zone damper position based on the one or more room temperatures and the one or more user-defined set temperatures;
sending information regarding the at least one zone damper position to the furnace circuit microprocessor;
operating stack damper, blower, and gas valve;
saving data of the one or more room temperature and the one or more user-defined set temperatures;
detecting errors in one or more furnace components;
detecting errors in one or more zone dampers;
displaying errors on one or more furnace audio-visual displays; and
transmitting data to a computer.
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Specification