System for determining ambient temperature

• US 8,949,066 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Aljabari, Mohammad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, TOAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/434,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20120181011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 702/130, 702/57, 702/60, 702 64- 65, 702/81, 702/84, 702/127, 702/131, 702/133, 702182-183, 702/189, 374 10- 11, 374/15, 374100-104, 374109-112, 374/115, 374132-134, 374/137, 374/163, 374/166, 374/186, 374/E3.001, 374/E13.001, 236/91.D, 236/91.E, 236/91.F, 236/91.R, 700/12, 700275-278, 700299-300
• US Class Current: 702/130
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/20 Compensating for effects of temperature changes other than those to be measured, e.g. changes in ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/427 Temperature calculation based on spatial modeling, e.g. spatial inter- or extrapolation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/02 Automatic switching arrangements specially adapted to apparatus ; Control of heating devices thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00

Abstract

A mechanism for indicating ambient temperature of an enclosure from temperatures determined within the enclosure. The temperatures may be obtained from two or more sensors at each of two or more locations within the enclosure. The enclosure may include an apparatus inside such as electronics of which power consumption may be determined. Data including temperatures of two locations within the enclosure at various electronics power consumption levels may be entered into a 2-D plot. An approximation of the 2-D plot may be effected with an appropriate equation to be solved for ambient temperature. The data of the 2-D plot plus temperatures of a third location and air flow levels in the enclosure may be entered into a 3-D plot. An approximation of the 3-D plot may be effected with an appropriate equation to be solved for ambient temperature.

Claims

1. A thermostat that functions to provide control signals to temperature control equipment to maintain a desired temperature in a space, the thermostat comprising:

a housing;

one or more heat generating elements within the housing, wherein during operation of the thermostat, the one or more heat generating elements cause a first region within the housing to be at a different temperature than a second region within the housing;

a first temperature sensor within the housing for reporting a measure that is related to the temperature in the first region;

a second temperature sensor within the housing for reporting a measure that is related to the temperature in the second region;

a controller in communication with the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, the controller determining a measure related to an ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on;

the measure that is related to the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor;

the measure that is related to the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor;

a first constant, wherein the first constant is multiplied by the measure that is related to the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor, but is not multiplied by a difference between the measure that is related to the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor and the measure that is related to the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor; and

the thermostat using the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing to determine one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment.

2. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the thermostat is powered, at least in part, by electrical energy, and wherein the one or more heat generating components generate heat by consuming the electrical energy.

3. The thermostat of claim 2, wherein a level of the electrical energy needed to power the thermostat changes over time.

4. The thermostat of claim 3, wherein the measure related to the ambient temperature determined by the controller is relatively independent of the level of the electrical energy needed to power the thermostat.

5. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on a predetermined relationship between the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing, the measure related to the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor, the measure related to the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor, the first constant and a second constant.

6. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the thermostat is powered by a level of electrical energy that changes over time, and wherein the measure related to the ambient temperature determined by the controller is relatively independent of the level of the electrical energy powering the thermostat.

7. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a linear relationship.

8. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a non-linear relationship.

9. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a two-dimensional relationship.

10. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a three dimensional relationship.

11. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the thermostat is powered by a level of electrical energy that changes over time, and wherein the thermostat includes one or more sense elements for sensing a measure that is related to the level of electrical energy powering the thermostat.

12. The thermostat of claim 11, wherein the controller determines the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on a predetermined relationship between the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing, the measure related to the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor, the measure related to the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor, the first constant, and the measure related to the level of electrical energy powering the thermostat.

13. The thermostat of claim 1 further comprising:

a third temperature sensor for reporting a measure that is related to the temperature in a third region within the housing;

the controller determining a measure related to an air flow direction and/or air flow magnitude about the housing that is based, at least in part, on the measure related to the temperature in the third region reported by the third temperature sensor; and

the controller using the measure related to the air flow direction and/or air flow magnitude about the housing when determining the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing.

14. A thermostat for controlling temperature control equipment, comprising:

a housing;

one or more heat generating elements within the housing, the one or more heat generating elements causing a first region within the housing to be at a different temperature than a second region within the housing;

a first temperature sensor within the housing for reporting a measure that is related to the temperature in the first region;

a second temperature sensor within the housing for reporting a measure that is related to the temperature in the second region;

a controller for receiving the measure related to the temperature in the first region and the measure related to the temperature in the second region, and for determining a measure related to an ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on the measure related to the temperature in the first region, the measure that is related to the temperature in the second region, a first constant and a second constant; and

the controller reporting the measure related to the ambient temperature to a thermostat control algorithm.

15. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein the thermostat control algorithm uses the measure related to the ambient temperature determined by the controller to determine one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment.

16. A method for controlling temperature control equipment, including determining a measure related to an ambient temperature outside of a housing by using temperature sensors within the housing, wherein the housing includes one or more heat generating elements within the housing, the method comprising:

obtaining a measure related to the temperature in a first region within the housing using a first temperature sensor;

obtaining a measure related to the temperature in a second region within the housing using a second temperature sensor, wherein the first region is at a different temperature than the second region;

determining the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based on;

the obtained measure related to the temperature in the first region;

the obtained measure related to the temperature in the second region; and

a relationship between the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing and the obtained measure related to the temperature in the first region, the obtained measure related to the temperature in the second region, a first constant and a second constant, wherein the relationship is defined at least in part by the first constant and the second constant; and

providing one or more control signals for controlling the temperature control equipment, which control signals are based at least in part on the indication of ambient temperature outside of the housing.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

obtaining a measure related to the temperature in a third region within the housing using a third temperature sensor; and

determining the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on the obtained measure related to the temperature in the first region, the obtained measure related to the temperature in the second region, and the obtained measure related to the temperature in a third region.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment based, at least in part, on the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing.

19. A method for determining a measure related to an ambient temperature outside of a housing of a device by using two or more temperature sensors within the housing, wherein the housing includes one or more heat generating elements within the housing, the method comprising:

obtaining measures related to the temperatures in each of two or more regions within the housing using two or more temperature sensors, wherein the heat generating elements within the housing cause each of the two or more regions to be at a different temperature; and

determining the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on;

the obtained measures related to the temperatures in each of two or more regions within the housing;

a relationship between the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing, the obtained measures related to the temperature in each of two or more regions within the housing, and two or more constants, wherein the relationship is defined at least in part by the two or more constants; and

reporting the measure related to the ambient temperature to a control algorithm that is used to control temperature control equipment.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment based, at least in part, on the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a measure related to an air flow direction and/or air flow magnitude about the housing based, at least in part, on the temperature in one or more of the two or more regions within the housing.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on the measure related to the air flow direction and/or air flow magnitude about the housing.

23. A device for use in a thermostat application, comprising:

a first temperature sensor situated at a first location in a housing;

a second temperature sensor situated at a second location in the housing;

a controller receiving a first temperature from the first temperature sensor and a second temperature from the second temperature sensor;

wherein the controller determines an indication of ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on;

the first temperature, the second temperature, and a predetermined relationship between the ambient temperature, the first temperature, the second temperature, and two or more constants, wherein the predetermined relationship is defined at least in part by the two or more constants; and

the controller provides one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment, which control signals are based at least in part on the indication of ambient temperature outside of the housing.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a two-dimensional relationship.

25. A device for use in a thermostat application, comprising:

a first temperature sensor situated at a first location in a housing for measuring a first temperature at the first location;

a second temperature sensor situated at a second location in the housing for measuring a second temperature at the second location;

a third temperature sensor situated at a third location in the housing for measuring a third temperature at the third location;

wherein the first temperature, the second temperature and the third temperature are at different temperatures during operation of the device;

a controller receiving the first temperature from the first temperature sensor, the second temperature from the second temperature sensor, and the third temperature from the third temperature sensor;

wherein the controller determines an indication of ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on;

the first temperature, the second temperature, the third temperature, and a predetermined relationship between the ambient temperature and each of the first temperature, the second temperature and the third temperature; and

wherein the controller provides one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment, which control signals are base at least in part on the indication of ambient temperature outside of the housing.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a three-dimensional relationship.