System and method for zone heating and cooling
First Claim
1. A system for zoned temperature control comprising:
- a first zone thermostat to measure a temperature of a first zone;
a second zone thermostat to measure a temperature of a second zone;
a first ECRV configured to vent air from a duct into said first zone;
a second ECRV configured to vent air from said duct into said second zone; and
a central system;
said central system configured to obtain a first setpoint temperature and a first current zone temperature from said first zone thermostat, to obtain a second setpoint temperature and a second current zone temperature from said second zone thermostat, and to compute a first vent opening amount for said first ECRV and a second vent opening amount for said second ECRV according to said first and second current zone temperatures, said first and second setpoint temperatures, an amount of available air from said duct, a temperature of air in said duct, and a priority of said first zone relative to said second zone.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An Electronically-Controlled Register vent (ECRV) that can be easily installed by a homeowner or general handyman is disclosed. The ECRV can be used to convert a non-zoned HVAC system into a zoned system. The ECRV can also be used in connection with a conventional zoned HVAC system to provide additional control and additional zones not provided by the conventional zoned HVAC system. In one embodiment, the ECRV is configured have a size and form-factor that conforms to a standard manually-controlled register vent. In one embodiment, a zone thermostat is configured to provide thermostat information to the ECRV. In one embodiment, the zone thermostat communicates with a central monitoring system that coordinates operation of the heating and cooling zones.
228 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A system for zoned temperature control comprising:
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a first zone thermostat to measure a temperature of a first zone; a second zone thermostat to measure a temperature of a second zone; a first ECRV configured to vent air from a duct into said first zone; a second ECRV configured to vent air from said duct into said second zone; and a central system;
said central system configured to obtain a first setpoint temperature and a first current zone temperature from said first zone thermostat, to obtain a second setpoint temperature and a second current zone temperature from said second zone thermostat, and to compute a first vent opening amount for said first ECRV and a second vent opening amount for said second ECRV according to said first and second current zone temperatures, said first and second setpoint temperatures, an amount of available air from said duct, a temperature of air in said duct, and a priority of said first zone relative to said second zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification