Intelligent thermostat control system

• US 9,574,786 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Daubman, Michael S., Doherty, Jessica P., Li, Jenny S., Schoonmaker, Maura K., Tarquinio, Tina M.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US15/068,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20160178226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/56 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 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• 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: G05B 13/0265 the criterion being a learning criterion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 : for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 : for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

An intelligent thermostat control system for a building, such as a residential home, that automatically adjusts a thermostat setting in the home based on real-time data continually received from mobile devices and/or social media files associated with the residents. This allows the thermostat controller to override the explicit programmed settings with implicit settings based on activity analysis taking the actual locations and schedules of the residents into account. The intelligent thermostat controller may control different zones differently to take into account the schedules and locations of specific residents associated with specific zones. The temperature controller may also adaptively learn a number of parameters based on monitored data, such as travel times and heating/cooling times for the zones based, to determine times for adjusting the thermostats.

Claims

1. A thermostat control system, comprising:

an intelligent thermostat controller associated with a building operative to adjust at least one thermostat within the building; and

a thermostat control application associated with a mobile unit configured to communicate first location information and first schedule to the thermostat controller indicating a location of the mobile unit on a periodic basis via a mobile data network;

wherein the thermostat controller is operative to;

receive schedule information from a social media file associated with a resident of the building via a first network, the social media file including a second location and second schedule information;

receive a first location and first schedule information from the mobile unit via the mobile data network;

access the social media file and the mobile unit in a priority order;

access the social media file based on the first location and first schedule information not being received on a periodic basis;

adaptively learn a predicted heating/cooling time for the building based on experience monitoring heating/cooling times;

adjust the thermostat based on the adaptively learned heating/cooling time, on the first location information and first schedule information and on the second location information and second schedule information; and

record historical data files for a plurality of parameters including explicit thermostat setting data, which is related to preprogrammed settings entered into the thermostat, implicit thermostat setting data, which is determined from analyses of users locations and schedules, direct thermostat setting data, the first location data, the first schedule data, the second location data, the second schedule data, resident occupancy data and zone occupancy data.