System for supplying communications and power to a thermostat over a two-wire system

• US 7,841,542 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosen Technologies LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Howard Rosen
• Inventors: Rosen, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen; Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cox; Alexis K
• Application Number:
  US11/557,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 236/51, 236/1.C, 236/91.D, 236/91.E, 236/91.G, 700/276
• US Class Current: 236/51
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention discloses a system for supplying power and data to and receiving data from a thermostat over a two-wire system. The invention allows modern thermostats that feature digital communications to be installed in two-wire systems, such as conventional older technology thermostat systems. In this manner, one or more embodiments of the invention disclose systems for simplifying and reducing costs associated with upgrading conventional older technology HVAC systems to accommodate modern thermostat technologies.

Claims

1. A system for supplying operational power to and receiving data from a thermostat, comprising:

a controller unit, said controller unit supplying operational DC-power to said thermostat and including a first microprocessor,

said thermostat being connected for receiving the operational DC-power from said controller unit,

said thermostat including a second microprocessor operably connected for supplying data to said controller unit by interrupting the operational DC-power supplied from said controller unit, and

said thermostat supplying data from the second microprocessor to said controller unit through interruptions in the operational DC-power that produce modulations at the thermostat which are demodulated at the controller unit and received at the first microprocessor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller unit comprises an HVAC-controller unit.

3. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a PNP-transistor at said thermostat, said PNP-transistor including a collector, emitter, and base terminal, said collector and emitter terminals being connected to said operational DC-power supplied from said controller unit and placed in series with the operational DC-power supplied from said controller unit enabling the transistor to act as a switch,

said base terminal being connected to a data bus included in said second microprocessor enabling,

data from said data bus in said second microprocessor to create interruptions in conductance between the collector and emitter terminals of said DC-power such that data being applied to the base terminal is modulated as interruptions in current of said operational DC-power.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data is transmitted a plurality of times and, further, wherein the controller as recipient of said plurality of data transmissions further includes an error correction system that enables the data transmissions to be only acted upon when a majority of the received transmissions dictates a given command.

4. A system for supplying power to and receiving data from a thermostat over two wires, comprising:

an HVAC-controller unit, said HVAC-controller unit supplying operational DC-power to said thermostat over the two wires and including a first microprocessor,

said thermostat being connected for receiving operational DC-power over the two wires from said controller unit,

said thermostat including a second microprocessor operably connected for supplying data over the two wires to said controller unit by interrupting the operational DC-power supplied from said controller unit,

said thermostat supplying data from the second microprocessor to said controller unit on said operational DC-power through interruptions in the operational DC-power that produce modulations at the thermostat which are demodulated at the controller unit and received at the first microprocessor,

a PNP-transistor at said thermostat, said PNP-transistor featuring a collector, an emitter, and a base terminal, said collector and emitter terminals being connected to said operational DC-power source and placed in series to act as a switch, and said base terminal being connected to a data bus of said second microprocessor,

such that data from said data bus in said second microprocessor is modulated through interruptions in the conductance to said operational DC-power source such that data is modulated as interruptions in the current of said operational DC-power.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein said data is transmitted a plurality of times and, further, wherein the recipient of said plurality of data transmissions employs an error correction system such that data transmissions are acted upon only when a majority of the received data transmissions dictates a given command.