HVAC controls or controllers including alphanumeric displays

• US 9,412,328 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Comfort Control LP (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Inventors: Vie, David L., Moran, Michael J., Heller, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US14/156,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20150187050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0065 Control members, e.g. levers or knobs B60H1/00985 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00985 Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• 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: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/32 with means for controlling the display position see provisionally G09G5/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of controls for heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning systems. In an exemplary embodiment, a control for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning system includes an alphanumeric display and one or more input device. A processor of the control is configured to receive a user input through the input device(s), and in response to the user input, reorient a display of a message relative to the alphanumeric display.

Claims

1. A HVAC appliance control comprising:

a microcontroller having a processor and memory configured to control an HVAC appliance using operational parameters stored in the memory;

an alphanumeric display connected with the microcontroller; and

one or more input devices operable by a user to input one or more of the operational parameters in response to one or more of a plurality of menu options;

the microcontroller configured to;

display the plurality of menu options on the alphanumeric display, the menu options including an option to rotate a message on the display;

receive through the one or more input devices a user input indicating the option to rotate a message; and

in response to the user input, reorient a display of a message, from a first message orientation relative to the alphanumeric display, to a second message orientation relative to the alphanumeric display.

2. The control of claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric display comprises a multiple-segment LED display.

3. The control of claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric display comprises a LED dot matrix display.

4. The control of claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric display comprises (a) three seven-segment light-emitting diode (LED) displays or (b) a 64-dot LED dot matrix display.

5. The control of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more input devices comprise one or more push buttons; and

the microcontroller is configured to rotate the display of the message by an angle of rotation selected via at least one of the one or more push buttons.

6. The control of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to reorient the display of the message by 180 degrees relative to the alphanumeric display.

7. The control of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to rotate the message for display on the alphanumeric display by one or more angle increments.

8. The control of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to control the HVAC appliance in response to commands from another HVAC controller.

9. The control of claim 1, comprised by one or more of the following:

a furnace control, an air conditioning control, a heat pump control, an air handler control, an integrated control, and a unitary control.

10. The control of claim 1, wherein the one or more input devices comprises a two-position switch user-activatable to select a menu option displayed on the display and to select a change of display orientation.

11. A HVAC appliance control comprising:

a microcontroller having a processor and memory configured to control an HVAC appliance using operational parameters stored in the memory;

one or more light-emitting diode (LED) displays connected with the microcontroller and operable for displaying alphanumeric characters; and

a plurality of two-position switches configured to be operable by a user to input one or more of the operational parameters in response to one or more of a plurality of menu options;

the microcontroller configured to display the plurality of menu options on the alphanumeric display, the menu options including an option to rotate a message on the one or more LED displays;

the two-position switches operable to select the option to rotate the message on the one or more LED displays from a first message orientation relative to the one or more LED displays, to a second message orientation relative to the one or more LED displays.

12. The control of claim 11, wherein:

the one or more light-emitting diode (LED) displays comprises at least two multiple-segment light-emitting diode (LED) displays and/or a dot matrix display; and

/or

the plurality of two-position switches comprises at least two momentary push buttons.

13. The control of claim 11, comprised by one or more of the following:

a furnace control, an air conditioning control, a heat pump control, an air handler control, an integrated control, and a unitary control.

14. The control of claim 11, wherein the one or more light-emitting diode (LED) displays comprises at least two multiple-segment LED displays, and wherein the orientation of the message for display on the multiple-segment LED displays is changeable in accordance with user input.