Prospective determination of processor wake-up conditions in energy buffered HVAC control unit

• US 8,532,827 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nest Labs Incorporated (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stefanski, Mark D., Fadell, Anthony Michael, Rogers, Matthew Lee, Satterthwaite, Edwin H., Mucignat, Andrea, Ruff, Joseph Adam, Fiennes, Hugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US13/632,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 345 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 700/17, 700/83, 700/82, 263/93, 263/91.R
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/00 Control or safety arrangements
• 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 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/50 characterised by user interfaces or communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/89 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/14 Activity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0025 Living bodies ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/041 : Mountings in enclosures or in a particular environment
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/02 : Means for indicating or recording specially adapted for thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/26 : Testing of individual semiconductor devices testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment H01L22/00; testing of photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 : electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 : characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 : characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1919 : characterised by the type of controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 : to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 : the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/2454 : using photoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/27 : with sensing element responsive to radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/275 : with sensing element expanding, contracting, or fusing in response to changes of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 : Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 : Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 : by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 : Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 : Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 : Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 : Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 : with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 : by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 : using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 : Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/06 : Operating part movable both angularly and rectilinearly, the rectilinear movement being along the axis of angular movement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 : Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems

Abstract

A thermostat includes at least a housing, a user interface, a memory, an environmental sensor, and a processing system. The processing system may be configured to operate in a wake state and a sleep state by determining wake-up conditions upon which the processor is to enter into the wake state from the sleep state that includes a threshold value associated with an environmental condition sensed by the environmental sensor, causing the wake-up conditions to be stored in the memory, operating in the sleep state during a time interval subsequent to causing the wake-up conditions to be stored in the memory, determining whether at least one of the wake-up conditions has been met, and operating in the wake state upon a determination that the at least one wake-up condition has been met.

Claims

1. A thermostat, comprising:

a housing and a user interface coupled to said housing;

a memory disposed within the housing;

one or more sensing systems configured to sense at least one environmental condition;

a processing system disposed within the housing and coupled to said user interface, the processing system being configured to be in operative communication with the one or more sensing systems, in operative communication with one or more input devices including said user interface for determining a setpoint temperature value, and in still further operative communication with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to control the HVAC system based at least in part on a comparison of a measured ambient temperature and the setpoint temperature value, the processing system including a processor coupled to said memory, the processor having a relatively low power-consuming sleep state and a relatively high power-consuming wake state, wherein the processing system operates by;

determining a set of wake-up conditions upon which said processor is to enter into said wake state from said sleep state, said set of wake-up conditions including at least one threshold value associated with at least one of the environmental conditions sensed by said at least one sensing system;

causing the set of wake-up conditions to be stored in said memory;

operating in a first mode in which said processor is in said sleep state during a time interval subsequent to said causing the set of wake-up conditions to be stored in said memory;

determining, while said processor is in said sleep state, whether at least one of the set of wake-up conditions including said at least one threshold value has been met; and

operating in a second mode in which said processor is in said wake state upon a determination that the at least one of the set of wake-up conditions has been met, the processing system being configured to control the HVAC system while operating in the second operating mode.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the processor comprises a first processor, and wherein the processing system comprises:

a second processor that performs said determining whether at least one of the set of wake-up conditions has been met.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said memory is physically integrated with said second processor.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said processing system uses more than 100 mW of average power when said first processor is operating in the second mode, and wherein said processing system uses less than 10 mW when said first processor is operating in the first mode, and wherein said second processor uses less than 10 mW of instantaneous power.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one environmental condition comprises a temperature value.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of wake-up conditions comprises a time-wise profile of temperature values, which if met or exceeded, causes said processor to operate in the second mode in which said processor is in said wake state.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said wake-up conditions are selected from the group consisting of:

detected occupancy, a detected hazard condition, a humidity threshold and a noise threshold.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of wake-up conditions comprises pairs of (i) time values, and (ii) environmental condition thresholds.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of wake-up conditions is generated based on a preconditioning criteria information (PCI), said PCI being based on an evaluation of a setpoint target temperature and an amount of time relative to a target time, said PCI being representative of conditions under which a preconditioning operation should be performed.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of wake-up conditions is generated using an output from an HVAC control module, said HVAC control module being configured to generate HVAC control signals based on a set of state variables, a current time, and current environmental conditions.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said HVAC control module is configured to operate in a simulation mode wherein said set of wake-up conditions is generated without affecting said set of state variables or said HVAC system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said processing system generates a set of critical environmental conditions, wherein each of said set of critical environmental conditions is provided as an input to said HVAC control module, wherein each of said set of wake-up conditions is based on an output from said HVAC control module operating in said simulation mode using at least one of said set of critical environmental conditions as an input.

13. The method of claim 1 said set of weight-of conditions comprises a safety temperature selected to prevent damage to the HVAC system or an enclosure in which the thermostat is installed.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a power-stealing circuit providing a first instantaneous power; and

a rechargeable battery, wherein when said processing system is operating in the second mode in which said processor is in said wake state, said processing system consumes an average power that is greater than said first instantaneous power, wherein a difference between said average power and said first instantaneous power is provided by said rechargeable battery.

15. A method of reducing an amount of power used by a thermostat, the thermostat including a housing and a user interface coupled to the housing, the method comprising:

providing power to a processing system disposed within said housing and coupled to said user interface, the processing system being configured to be in operative communication with one or more sensing systems configured to sense at least one environmental condition, in operative communication with one or more input devices including said user interface for determining a setpoint temperature value, and in still further operative communication with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to control the HVAC system based at least in part on a comparison of a measured ambient temperature and the setpoint temperature value, the processing system including a processor coupled to a memory, the processor having a relatively low power-consuming sleep state and a relatively high power-consuming wake state;

determining a set of wake-up conditions upon which said processor is to enter into said wake state from said sleep state, said set of wake-up conditions including at least one threshold value associated with at least one of the environmental conditions sensed by said at least one sensing system;

causing the set of wake-up conditions to be stored in said memory;

operating in a first mode in which said processor is in said sleep state during a time interval subsequent to said causing the set of wake-up conditions to be stored in said memory;

determining, while said processor is in said sleep state, whether at least one of the set of wake-up conditions including said at least one threshold value has been met; and

operating in a second mode in which said processor is in said wake state upon a determination that the at least one of the set of wake-up conditions has been met, the processing system being configured to control the HVAC system while operating in the second operating mode.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the processor comprises a first processor, and wherein the processing system comprises:

a second processor that performs said determining whether at least one of the set of wake-up conditions has been met.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said set of wake-up conditions comprises a time-wise profile of temperature values, which if met or exceeded, causes said processor to operate in the second mode in which said processor is in said wake state.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said set of wake-up conditions is generated using an output from an HVAC control module, said HVAC control module being configured to generate HVAC control signals based on a set of state variables, a current time, and current environmental conditions.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said HVAC control module is configured to operate in a simulation mode wherein said set of wake-up conditions is generated without affecting said set of state variables or said HVAC system.

20. A thermostat comprising:

a housing comprising a user interface;

a memory disposed within the housing;

a temperature sensor disposed within the housing and configured to sense an ambient temperature;

a processing system disposed within the housing, wherein the processing system comprises a first processor and a second processor, wherein;

the first processor is configured to;

determine a wake-up temperature threshold for determining when the first processor should transition from a low-power state to a high-power state;

send the wake-up temperature threshold to the second processor; and

transition from the high-power state to the low-power state after the wake-up temperature threshold is sent to the second processor; and

the second processor is configured to;

receive a measurement of the ambient temperature from the temperature sensor;

determine whether the ambient temperature violates the wake-up temperature threshold; and

cause the first processor to transition from the low-power state to the high-power state if the ambient temperature violates the wake-up temperature threshold.