Illuminating thermostat

• US 6,726,112 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whiterock Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whiterock Corporation
• Inventors: Ho, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US10/383,394
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 236/94, 621/25, 621/26, 621/27, 621/29, 621/30, 165/11.1
• US Class Current: 236/94
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/30 Artificial light
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value

Abstract

A thermostat for a HVAC system with visual display of status and operating condition. The thermostat has a power switch to select one of Heater and Cooler for the HVAC system, a light sensor (200) to sense ambient lighting, a temperature sensor (210) to sense ambient temperature, a manual temperature switch (260) to set a desired temperature for the room, a control circuit (220) to select a preferred temperature based on selection of the power switch, an illuminating outer cover (110), which at least partially covers the outside of the thermostat, which displays one of Blue and Red colors according to selection of the power switch and the ambient lighting, and a plurality of LED displays (140) arranged on a display face of the thermostat, to display one arrangement of the LEDs based on a difference between the preferred temperature and the ambient lighting.

Claims

1. A thermostat for a HVAC system, comprising:

a power switch (225), disposed to selectively operate one of Heater and Cooler for said HVAC system;

a light sensor (200), disposed to sense ambient lighting;

a temperature sensor (210), disposed to sense ambient temperature;

a manual temperature switch (260), disposed to control operation of said one of Heater and Cooler of said HVAC system;

a control circuit (220), adapted to select one preferred temperature based on selection of said power switch;

an illuminating outer cover (110), disposed to cover at least partially an exterior of said thermostat, said illuminating outer cover disposed to illuminate one of a plurality of colors based on selection of said power switch;

a plurality of LED displays (140) arranged on a display face of said thermostat, disposed to display one arrangement of the LEDs based on a difference between said preferred temperature and said ambient temperature.

2. A thermostat of claim 1, wherein said one arrangement of the LEDs comprises displaying at least one of the LEDs corresponding to the difference between the preferred temperature and the room temperature.

3. A thermostat of claim 1, wherein said control circuit further comprises a compare circuit adapted to compare said ambient temperature with said preferred temperature.

4. A thermostat of claim 3, wherein said illuminating outer cover further comprises an amplifier adapted to amplify or dim said cover based on said ambient lighting as sensed by said light sensor, such that said illuminating outer cover remains visible in any ambient lighting.

5. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein amplifier is adapted to selectively turn on:

at least one of a plurality of blue LEDs, based on said light sensor and said power switch;

at least one of a plurality of red LEDs, on based on said light sensor and said power switch.

6. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein amplifier is adapted to selectively turn on:

at least one bi-color LED within said illuminating cover, disposed to selectively turn on one of its colors, corresponding to said light sensor and said power switch.

7. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein said illuminating cover further comprises:

a plurality of blue LEDs, at least one of which is selectively turned on, corresponding to said light sensor and said power switch;

a plurality of red LEDs, at least one of which is selectively turned on corresponding to said light sensor and said power switch.

8. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein said illuminating cover further comprises:

at least one bi-color LED within said illuminating cover, disposed to selectively turn on one of its colors, corresponding to said light sensor and said power switch.

9. A thermostat for a HVAC system, comprising:

a mode selector, disposed to select one of Heater and Cooler mode of said HVAC;

a light sensor, disposed to sense ambient lighting;

a temperature sensor, disposed to sense ambient temperature;

an automatic temperature control, disposed to select one of two preferred temperatures based on said mode selector;

an illuminating cover, disposed to partially cover said thermostat, and to provide one of a plurality of colors;

a first amplifier, disposed to control said illuminating cover'"'"'s intensity based on said mode selector, wherein red is displayed when Heater mode is selected and blue is displayed when Cooler mode is selected;

a variable LED display, disposed to display an arrangement of said LED display;

a second amplifier, disposed to control said variable LED display based on a difference between said ambient temperature and said preferred temperature.

10. The thermostat of claim 9, wherein said second amplifier causes said variable LED display to display red when the ambient temperature is higher than the preferred temperature, and to display blue when the ambient temperature is lower than the preferred temperature.

11. The thermostat of claim 10, wherein said first amplifier varies the intensity based on the ambient lighting detected by the light sensor, such that the cover remains visible in the ambient lighting.

12. The thermostat of claim 11, where said illuminating cover further comprises a plurality of blue and red LEDs underneath, said blue LEDs being selectively turned on based on the ambient lighting in said Cooler mode, said red LEDs being selectively turned on based on the ambient lighting in said Heater mode.

13. The thermostat of claim 11, where said illuminating cover further comprises at least one bi-color LED within said illuminating cover for selectively turning on one of its colors, a first color being turned on based on the ambient lighting in said Cooler mode, a second color being turned on based on the ambient lighting in said Heater mode.

14. A thermostat for a HVAC system, said HVAC having a heater element, a cooler element and a fan element, comprising:

a housing, disposed to house said thermostat, said housing having a generally square-shaped bottom plate, a generally square-shaped top plate and four sidewalls between the top and bottom plates;

a power switch, protruding from one of the sidewalls, for controlling operation of said HVAC;

a fan switch, protruding from another one of the sidewalls, for controlling operation of said fan element of said HVAC;

wherein said top plate of said housing further comprises;

an illuminating cover on the outside of said top plate, disposed to display one of a plurality of colors in response to the selection of one of said heater element and said cooler element,

said thermostat further comprising;

a plurality of LED displays;

a temperature sensor, disposed to detect room temperature;

a light sensor, disposed to detect room illumination;

a manual temperature control, disposed to set a temperature desired for said HVAC;

a control circuit, disposed to select a preferred temperature based on selection of said heater and cooler elements;

a compare circuit, disposed to compare said room temperature with said preferred temperature and generate a control signal, reflective of a difference between said room temperature and said preferred temperature;

a decoder circuit, disposed to decode said control signal;

an amplifier circuit, disposed to turn on a predetermined arrangement of said LED displays to represent said difference.

15. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein said amplifier circuit turns on a predetermined one of said LED displays corresponding to the magnitude of said difference.

16. The thermostat of claim 15, further comprising a color plate covering said LED displays, said color plate having a plurality of colors of different shades of blue and red to filter said LED displays.

17. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein said plurality of LED displays is arranged in a spectrum of LED lights, at least one of which is turned on corresponding to magnitude of said difference.