Power management in energy buffered building control unit
First Claim
1. A thermostat, comprising:
- a plurality of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) wire connectors configured to receive a plurality of HVAC control wires corresponding to an HVAC system of a building enclosure;
a display;
a thermostat processing and control circuit configured to at least partially control the operation of the HVAC system of the building enclosure, the thermostat processing and control circuit comprising a main processor having a low-power usage state and a high-power usage state, wherein;
the thermostat processing and control circuit is configured to poll sensors on an ongoing basis, while allowing the main processor to operate in the low-power usage state; and
the main processor and display are selectively operated such that a long-term average power used by the thermostat is less than a first level of electrical power; and
a powering circuit coupled to the HVAC wire connectors and configured to provide an electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit, the powering circuit comprising;
a power extraction circuit configured to extract electrical power from one or more of the plurality of received HVAC control wires up to the first level of electrical power;
a rechargeable battery; and
a power control circuit coupled to the power extraction circuit, the rechargeable battery, and the thermostat processing and control circuit, wherein the power control circuit is configured such that;
(i) during a first time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat processing and control circuit is less than said first level of electrical power, the power control circuit supplies the required electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit and charges the rechargeable battery, if needed, using power from the power extraction circuit; and
(ii) during a second time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat processing and control circuit is greater than said first level of electrical power, the power control circuit discharges the rechargeable battery and supplies the required electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit using a combination of (a) power from the power extraction circuit, and (b) power from the discharging rechargeable battery.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A thermostat includes a plurality of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) wire connectors for receiving a plurality of HVAC control wires corresponding to an HVAC system. The thermostat also includes a thermostat processing and control circuit configured to at least partially control the operation of the HVAC system and a powering circuit coupled to the HVAC wire connectors and configured to provide an electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit. The powering circuit has a power extraction circuit configured to extract electrical power from one or more of the plurality of received HVAC control wires up to a first level of electrical power, a rechargeable battery, and a power control circuit. The power control circuit is configured to provide the electrical load power using power from the power extraction circuit and the rechargeable battery.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A thermostat, comprising:
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a plurality of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) wire connectors configured to receive a plurality of HVAC control wires corresponding to an HVAC system of a building enclosure; a display; a thermostat processing and control circuit configured to at least partially control the operation of the HVAC system of the building enclosure, the thermostat processing and control circuit comprising a main processor having a low-power usage state and a high-power usage state, wherein; the thermostat processing and control circuit is configured to poll sensors on an ongoing basis, while allowing the main processor to operate in the low-power usage state; and the main processor and display are selectively operated such that a long-term average power used by the thermostat is less than a first level of electrical power; and a powering circuit coupled to the HVAC wire connectors and configured to provide an electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit, the powering circuit comprising; a power extraction circuit configured to extract electrical power from one or more of the plurality of received HVAC control wires up to the first level of electrical power; a rechargeable battery; and a power control circuit coupled to the power extraction circuit, the rechargeable battery, and the thermostat processing and control circuit, wherein the power control circuit is configured such that; (i) during a first time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat processing and control circuit is less than said first level of electrical power, the power control circuit supplies the required electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit and charges the rechargeable battery, if needed, using power from the power extraction circuit; and (ii) during a second time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat processing and control circuit is greater than said first level of electrical power, the power control circuit discharges the rechargeable battery and supplies the required electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit using a combination of (a) power from the power extraction circuit, and (b) power from the discharging rechargeable battery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of controlling an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system of a building enclosure, the method comprising:
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connecting one or more HVAC control wires to corresponding HVAC wire connectors in a thermostat, which includes a rechargeable battery and is configured to at least partially control the operation of the HVAC system of the building enclosure; extracting electrical power from the one or more received HVAC control wires up to a first level of electrical power; during a first time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat is less than said first level of electrical power, supplying the required electrical load power to the thermostat and charging the rechargeable battery, if needed, using the extracted power; during a second time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat is greater than said first level of electrical power, discharging the rechargeable battery and supplying the required electrical load power to the thermostat using a combination of the extracted power and power from the discharging rechargeable battery;
wherein;the thermostat includes a main processor and a display, each having a low-power usage state and a high-power usage state, the main processor and display being selectively operated such that a long-term average power used by the thermostat is less than a first level of electrical power, and the thermostat is configured to poll sensors on an ongoing basis while allowing the main processor to operate in the low-power usage state. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A thermostat, comprising:
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a plurality of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) wire connectors configured to receive a plurality of HVAC control wires corresponding to an HVAC system of a building enclosure; a thermostat processing and control circuit configured to at least partially control the operation of the HVAC system of the building enclosure; a main processor and a display, each having a low-power usage state and a high-power usage state, wherein the processor and display are selectively operated such that a long-term average power used by the thermostat is less than a first level of electrical power, wherein the thermostat is configured to poll sensors on an ongoing basis while allowing the main processor to operate in the low-power usage state; and a powering circuit coupled to the HVAC wire connectors and configured to provide an electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit using electrical power extracted from one or more of the plurality of received HVAC control wires and electrical power from a rechargeable battery, wherein the powering circuit comprises; a power extraction circuit configured to extract electrical power from one or more of the plurality of received HVAC control wires UP to a first level of electrical power; the rechargeable battery; and a power control circuit coupled to the power extraction circuit, the rechargeable battery, and the thermostat processing and control circuit, wherein the power control circuit is configured such that; (i) during a first time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat processing and control circuit is less than said first level of electrical power, the power control circuit supplies the required electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit and charges the rechargeable battery, if needed, using power from the power extraction circuit; and (ii) during a second time period in which the electrical load power required by the thermostat processing and control circuit is greater than said first level of electrical power, the power control circuit discharges the rechargeable battery and supplies the required electrical load power to the thermostat processing and control circuit using a combination of (a) power from the power extraction circuit, and (b) power from the discharging rechargeable battery. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification