Control system for electrical appliances

• US 8,136,738 B1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conectric, LLC
• Original Assignee: Energy Eye Incorporated
• Inventors: Kopp, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman, Marc
• Application Number:
  US12/229,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 236/51, 165/11.1, 165/11.2, 165/237, 621/31
• US Class Current: 236/51
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy

Abstract

A control system for electrical appliances associated with an enclosure comprising a wireless occupancy sensor for monitoring the presence of a human occupant within the enclosure, a wireless receiver for receiving information from the sensor, electricity flow means capable of establishing or interrupting the flow of electricity to an electrical appliance associated with the enclosure in response to a signal from a controller, and a controller in communication with said receiver and said electricity flow means, the controller capable of monitoring environmental conditions in the enclosure and being programmable to drive the operation of the flow means in response to the information obtained by the receiver from the sensor according to a set of pre-established instructions.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit associated with an enclosure, the control system being configured to control the environmental conditions within the enclosure by controlling the operation of the HVAC, the control system comprising:

an occupancy sensor for sensing the presence of an occupant within the sensor'"'"'s field of evaluation in the enclosure and providing such information to a receiver;

an activity sensor capable of sensing a change in status of a means of access to said enclosure and providing such information to a receiver;

a receiver configured for the reception of information from said occupancy sensor and said activity sensor; and

at least one controller in communication with said receiver, said controller capable of monitoring environmental conditions in the enclosure and being programmable to control the environmental conditions by driving the HVAC according to a set of established instructions in response to the information obtained by said receiver from both said occupancy sensor and said activity sensor;

wherein information received from the activity sensor is configured to initiate a time period during which the occupancy sensor is configured to search the enclosure for an occupant, and wherein the controller is configured to take control of the HVAC operation after expiration of the time period when the occupancy does not detect the occupant during the time period.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured not to take control of the HVAC when the occupancy sensor does detect the occupant during the time period.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to take control of the HVAC operation by shutting the HVAC off.

4. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a manual HVAC control configured to allow the occupant to control the HVAC so as to maintain a set temperature, and wherein the controller is configured to control the HVAC operation according to a set of temperature thresholds when the occupancy sensor indicates that the enclosure is unoccupied.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control the operation of the HVAC by turning it on or off when the thresholds are reached or exceeded.

6. The control system of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control the operation of the HVAC by turning it on or off for a certain period of time when the thresholds are reached or exceeded.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the certain period of time can be based at least in part on the environmental conditions.

8. The control system of claim 4, wherein at least some of the temperature thresholds are user settings that can be altered by the user.

9. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a manual HVAC control configured to allow the occupant to control the HVAC so as to maintain a set temperature, and wherein the controller is configured to turn the HVAC off when the activity sensor indicates that the status of the means of access has changed, when the occupancy sensor indicates that the enclosure is unoccupied, or both.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to take control of the HVAC operation after the expiration of a second time period.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to maintain control of the operation of the HVAC until the activity sensor senses that the occupant has returned to the enclosure.

12. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of activity sensors configured to detect when the occupant enter or exits the enclosure through a main entrance as well as when the occupant opens a window, balcony door, or other secondary entrance, and wherein the controller is configured to take control of the operation of the HVAC when one of the plurality of sensors detects that a window, balcony door, or secondary entrance has been opened.

13. The control system of claim 1, wherein detection that a window, balcony door, or secondary entrance has been opened initiates a third time period, and wherein the controller is configured to take control of the HVAC operation upon expiration of the third time period.

14. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a manual HVAC control configured to allow the occupant to control the HVAC so as to maintain a set temperature, and wherein the controller is configured to control the HVAC operation using on and off cycles and temperature thresholds that relate to the set temperature.

15. The control system of claim 1, wherein each of the occupancy sensor and activity sensor are configured to wirelessly transmit their respective information to the receiver using a mathematically randomized transmission pattern.