HVAC controller having a parameter adjustment element with a qualitative indicator

• US 8,731,723 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Boll, Jeffrey, Amundson, John, Erickson, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAUGHLIN, NATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US12/323,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20090143916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 700276-278, 700/17, 700/83, 700/299, 700/300
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• 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 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user.

Claims

1. An HVAC controller configured to control one or more components of an HVAC system, the HVAC controller comprising:

a touch screen display;

a controller in communication with the touch screen display, the controller configured to operate an algorithm that at least partially controls the one or more components of the HVAC system, the algorithm including a humidity setpoint value; and

the controller configured to display on the touch screen display a parameter adjustment element for use in directly adjusting the humidity setpoint value along a range of available humidity setpoint values, the parameter adjustment element including an indicator that displays two or more distinct sub-ranges, each of the sub-ranges defined by visually identifiable first and second end points within the range of available humidity setpoint values, wherein each of the two or more distinct sub-ranges includes at least one descriptive word that provides a qualitative indication for humidity setpoint values that fall within that sub-range, wherein an adjustment of the parameter adjustment element causes a corresponding and direct change to the humidity setpoint value.

2. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two or more sub-ranges corresponds to a predetermined comfort zone setting range for the humidity setpoint value.

3. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the parameter adjustment element further displays a quantitative value for a current setting of the humidity setpoint value.

4. The HVAC controller of claim 3, wherein the range of available humidity setpoint values corresponds to an allowed range for the humidity setpoint value.

5. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the range of available humidity setpoint values corresponds to an allowed range for the humidity setpoint value.

6. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the parameter adjustment element further displays a numerical value for a current setting of the humidity setpoint value.

7. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the parameter adjustment element includes a slider control that permits a user to alter the humidity setpoint value along the range of available humidity setpoint values by moving a slider button between a first end and a second end of the slider control.

8. The HVAC controller of claim 7, wherein the slider control includes a horizontal bar, and wherein the slider button is slideable along the horizontal bar.

9. The HVAC controller of claim 8, wherein a user may lower the humidity setpoint value by moving the slider button to the left, and raise the humidity setpoint value by moving the slider button to the right.

10. The HVAC controller of claim 9, wherein the slider button may be moved left and right by a user touching the slider button on the touch screen display and dragging the slider button to the left and to the right.

11. The HVAC controller of claim 9, wherein the slider control further comprises a left arrow disposed near the left end of the slider control and a right arrow disposed near the right end of the slider control, and the slider button may be moved right by a user pressing the right arrow and left by the user pressing the left arrow.

12. The HVAC controller of claim 8, wherein slider button displays a quantitative value of the humidity setpoint value.

13. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises at least three distinct sub-ranges including a first sub-range of humidity setpoint values, a second sub-range of humidity setpoint values, and a third sub-range of humidity setpoint values and wherein the indicator further includes a first label “

Dry”

for the first sub-range of humidity setpoint values, a second label “

Comfort Zone”

for the second sub-range of humidity setpoint values and a third label “

Wet”

for the third sub-range of humidity setpoint values.

14. The HVAC controller of claim 13, wherein the second label is located near the center of the slider control, the first label is located to the left of the second label, and the third label is located to the right of the second label.

15. An HVAC controller configured to control one or more components of an HVAC system, the HVAC controller comprising:

a touch screen dot matrix display;

a controller in communication with the touch screen dot matrix display, the controller configured to operate an algorithm that at least partially controls the one or more components of the HVAC system, the algorithm including a humidity setpoint value; and

the controller configured to display on the touch screen dot matrix display a parameter adjustment element for use in adjusting the humidity setpoint value along a range of available humidity setpoint values, the parameter adjustment element including a first indicator that includes a numerical value for a current setting of the humidity setpoint value, and a second indicator that displays at least three distinct sub-ranges along the range of available humidity setpoint values, wherein each of the at least three distinct sub-ranges includes at least one descriptive word that provides a qualitative indication for humidity setpoint values that fall within that sub-range, and wherein at least one of the at least three distinct sub ranges includes a comfort setting zone range bounded by a lower setting zone range and a higher setting zone range.

16. The HVAC controller of claim 15, wherein each of the descriptive words provide a different qualitative indication for the corresponding sub-range than the other descriptive words.

17. A method for aiding in adjusting a humidity setpoint of an HVAC controller, comprising:

displaying a parameter adjustment element on a display, the parameter adjustment element allowing a user to directly adjust a current setting of humidity setpoint value within an allowed range, wherein the allowed range includes a first distinct sub-range and a second distinct sub-range, each of the distinct sub-ranges defined by visually identifiable first and second end points within the allowed range; and

displaying an indicator on the display that provides a qualitative indication to the user for the current setting of the humidity setpoint value, the indicator distinctly associating at least one first descriptive word to the current setting of the humidity setpoint value when the current setting falls within the first sub-range, and distinctly associating at least one second descriptive word to the current setting of the humidity setpoint value when the current setting falls within the second sub-range.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

displaying a quantitative value of the current setting of the humidity setpoint value on the display.

19. A system, comprising:

an HVAC controller configured to operate an algorithm that at least partially controls one or more components of an HVAC system, the algorithm including humidity setpoint value;

a user interface that includes a display, the user interface configured to display on the display a parameter adjustment element for use in directly adjusting the humidity setpoint value, the parameter adjustment element including a first indicator that includes a numerical value for a current setting of the humidity setpoint value, and a second indicator that defines at least three distinct sub-ranges, each of the at least three distinct sub-ranges defined by visually identifiable first and second end points, wherein each sub-range includes at least one descriptive word that provides a qualitative indication for humidity setpoint values that fall within that sub-range, wherein the first and second indicators are displayed simultaneously on the display; and

the HVAC controller configured to receive an adjusted humidity setpoint value from the user interface.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the two or more sub-ranges corresponds to a predetermined comfort zone setting range for the humidity setpoint value.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the parameter adjustment element includes a slider control that permits a user to alter the humidity setpoint value by moving a slider button of the slider control.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the slider control includes a horizontal bar, and wherein the slider button is movable relative to the horizontal bar.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein a user may lower the humidity setpoint value by moving the slider button to the left, and raise the humidity setpoint value by moving the slider button to the right.

24. The system of 22, wherein the slider button includes the first indicator that displays the numerical value for the current setting of the humidity setpoint value.

25. An HVAC controller configured to control one or more components of an HVAC system, the HVAC controller comprising:

a touch screen display;

a controller in communication with the touch screen display, the controller configured to operate an algorithm that at least partially controls the one or more components of the HVAC system, the algorithm including a window frost protection setting that is based at least in part on a window energy efficiency value; and

the controller configured to display on the touch screen display a parameter adjustment element for use in adjusting the window frost protection setting along a range of available window frost protection settings, the parameter adjustment element including an indicator that displays at least one descriptive word that provides a qualitative indication for at least a current setting of the window frost protection setting and a quantitative value for the current setting of the window frost protection setting.