HVAC system with visitor presence sensor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
- a visitor presence sensor associated with a location;
an HVAC system controller comprising a visitor presence indicator, the HVAC system controller associated with a first zone conditioned by the HVAC system; and
an HVAC zone device comprising a visitor presence indicator, the HVAC device associated with a second zone conditioned by the HVAC system;
wherein the HVAC system controller is configured to control operation of the HVAC system, wherein the HVAC zone device is configured to communicate with the HVAC system controller to provide feedback to the HVAC system controller regarding environmental conditions of the second zone, wherein the visitor presence sensor is located remotely from each of the visitor presence indicators of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device, and wherein each of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device is configured to display at least one of a visual image and a video on the visitor presence indicators of each of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device in response to receiving a signal from the visitor presence sensor that a visitor is present at the location associated with the visitor presence sensor.
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Abstract
A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system may include a visitor presence sensor and a visitor presence indicator. The visitor presence sensor may detect the presence of a visitor at a residence and communicate the presence of the visitor to the visitor presence indicator, which may audibly and/or visually alert a homeowner of the presence of the visitor at the residence.
31 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
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a visitor presence sensor associated with a location; an HVAC system controller comprising a visitor presence indicator, the HVAC system controller associated with a first zone conditioned by the HVAC system; and an HVAC zone device comprising a visitor presence indicator, the HVAC device associated with a second zone conditioned by the HVAC system; wherein the HVAC system controller is configured to control operation of the HVAC system, wherein the HVAC zone device is configured to communicate with the HVAC system controller to provide feedback to the HVAC system controller regarding environmental conditions of the second zone, wherein the visitor presence sensor is located remotely from each of the visitor presence indicators of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device, and wherein each of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device is configured to display at least one of a visual image and a video on the visitor presence indicators of each of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device in response to receiving a signal from the visitor presence sensor that a visitor is present at the location associated with the visitor presence sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
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providing an HVAC system comprising a visitor presence sensor, an HVAC system controller associated with a first zone conditioned by the HVAC system and configured to control operation of the HVAC system, and an HVAC zone device associated with a second zone conditioned by the HVAC system and configured to communicate with the HVAC system controller to provide feedback to the HVAC system controller regarding environmental conditions of the second zone, wherein the visitor presence sensor is located remotely from each of the visitor presence indicators of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device; operating, by the HVAC system controller, the HVAC system in at least one of a cooling mode and a heating mode; communicating information regarding a visitor presence sensed by the visitor presence sensor to each of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device; and displaying at least one of a visual image and a video on each of the HVAC system controller and the HVAC zone device in response to the HVAC system controller receiving information from the visitor presence sensor indicating the visitor presence sensed by the visitor presence sensor. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification