Mounting stand for multi-sensing environmental control device

• US 9,581,342 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniels, Eric B., Dong, William R., Chamberlain, Jason C., Warren, Daniel A., Vo, Helen, Srinivasan, Shyam R., Fadell, Anthony M., Rogers, Matthew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton, Jennifer L
• Application Number:
  US14/229,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20150276237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1009 for central heating
• 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 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control

Abstract

A thermostat stand for a thermostat device may include a base and a mounting fixture configured to receive a thermostat device. The thermostat stand may additionally include an opening configured to allow one or more wires to pass through the opening to connect to the thermostat device, the one or more wires originating from either a power supply or from the boiler control device. The thermostat stand may further include a reflective horizontal surface positioned such that motion detection of energy-emitting objects is enhanced by virtue of reflections of energy emissions off of the reflective horizontal surface into the occupancy sensor.

Claims

1. A control system flexibly adapted for retrofit use with multiple types of pre-existing boiler-based heating systems, the control system comprising:

a thermostat device comprising a user interface, a processor, a memory, a temperature sensor, an occupancy sensor, and one or more radios, wherein the thermostat device is configured to transmit control signals for controlling activation of a boiler system;

a boiler control device configured to selectively couple mains AC voltage wires to wiring terminals that are coupled to a boiler system according to control signals received from the thermostat device and thereby selectively control activation of the boiler system; and

a thermostat stand configured to be mechanically coupled to the thermostat device;

the thermostat stand comprising a reflective horizontal surface such that motion detection of energy-emitting objects is enhanced by virtue of reflections of energy emissions off of said reflective horizontal surface into said occupancy sensor.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the occupancy sensor comprises a infrared (IR) sensor, and the reflective horizontal surface comprises an IR-reflective surface.

3. The control system of claim 1 wherein the thermostat device comprises a head unit and a backplate.

4. The control system of claim 3 wherein the backplate is configured to receive the head unit, and wherein the back plate is configured to be received by the thermostat stand.

5. The control system of claim 1 wherein the thermostat stand comprises one or more mechanical alignment protrusions and/or cavities configured to receive corresponding mechanical alignment protrusions and/or cavities on a backplate of the thermostat device such that the user interface of the thermostat device can be correctly oriented when mating the thermostat device to the thermostat stand.

6. The control system of claim 1 wherein the thermostat stand further comprises an opening configured to allow one or more wires to pass through the opening to connect to the thermostat device, the one or more wires originating from either a power supply or from the boiler control device.

7. The control system of claim 1 wherein the reflective horizontal surface comprises a metallic finish.

8. The control system of claim 7 wherein the metallic finish comprises a sheet of stainless steel.

9. The control system of claim 1 wherein the thermostat stand is configured to orient the thermostat device upwards at an angle of greater than 90°

relative to a surface on which the thermostat stand is placed within the enclosure.

10. The control system of claim 1 wherein the thermostat device further comprises:

a first radio of a first type for relatively high data rate communications, and a second radio of a second type for relatively low data rate communications;

first wiring terminals for receiving, if available, wires from the boiler control device, and second wiring terminals for receiving, if available, wires from an external power supply; and

signal encoding circuitry coupled to said first wiring terminals and said processor for applying coded control signals to said first wiring terminals.

11. A thermostat stand for a thermostat device facilitating relocation of the thermostat device within an enclosure while in communication with a boiler control device, the thermostat stand comprising:

a base configured to rest on an approximately flat surface;

a mounting fixture configured to receive a thermostat device comprising a user interface, a processor, a memory, a temperature sensor, and an occupancy sensor, wherein the thermostat device is configured to transmit control signals for controlling activation of a boiler-based heating system to a boiler control device that is configured to receive the control signals from the thermostat device and thereby selectively control activation of the boiler-based heating system;

an opening configured to allow one or more wires to pass through the opening to connect to the thermostat device, the one or more wires originating from either a power supply or from the boiler control device; and

a reflective horizontal surface positioned such that motion detection of energy-emitting objects is enhanced by virtue of reflections of energy emissions off of said reflective horizontal surface into said occupancy sensor.

12. The thermostat stand of claim 11 wherein the occupancy sensor of the thermostat device comprises a infrared (IR) sensor, and the reflective horizontal surface comprises an IR-reflective surface.

13. The thermostat stand of claim 11 wherein the thermostat device comprises a head unit and a backplate, and the mounting fixture is configured to receive the backplate of the thermostat device before the backplate receives the head unit of the thermostat device.

14. The thermostat stand of claim 11 wherein the thermostat stand further comprises one or more mechanical alignment protrusions and/or cavities configured to receive corresponding mechanical alignment protrusions and/or cavities on a backplate of the thermostat device such that the user interface of the thermostat device can be correctly oriented when mating the thermostat device to the thermostat stand.

15. The thermostat stand of claim 11 wherein the reflective horizontal surface comprises a metallic finish.

16. The thermostat stand of claim 11 wherein the thermostat stand is configured to orient the thermostat device upwards at an angle of greater than 90°

relative to a surface on which the thermostat stand is placed within the enclosure.

17. A thermostat device that facilitates relocation within an enclosure while in communication with a boiler control device, the thermostat device comprising:

a head unit comprising a user interface, a processor, a memory, a temperature sensor, and an occupancy sensor, wherein the thermostat device is configured to transmit control signals to the boiler control device for controlling activation of a boiler-based heating system; and

a backplate, wherein the backplate is configured to receive the head unit, and wherein the back plate is configured to be received by a thermostat stand, the thermostat stand comprising a reflective horizontal surface positioned such that motion detection of energy-emitting objects is enhanced by virtue of reflections of energy emissions off of said reflective horizontal surface into said occupancy sensor.

18. The thermostat device of claim 17 wherein the occupancy sensor comprises a infrared (IR) sensor, and the reflective horizontal surface comprises an IR-reflective surface.

19. The thermostat device of claim 17 wherein the backplate comprises one or more mechanical alignment protrusions and/or cavities configured to receive corresponding mechanical alignment protrusions and/or cavities on the thermostat stand such that the user interface of the thermostat device can be correctly oriented when mating be thermostat device to the thermostat stand.

20. The thermostat device of claim 17 wherein the backplate comprises a wiring terminal configured to receive one or more wires that pass through an opening of the thermostat stand, the one or more wires originating from either a power supply or from the boiler control device.