Auto-configuring time-of-day for building control unit

• US 10,030,884 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Yoky
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US15/214,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20160341437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• 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 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/20 Sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1928 sensing the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/142 Fast Fourier transforms, e.g. using a Cooley-Tukey type algorithm

Abstract

Provided according to some embodiments is a thermostat is capable of discerning the time-of-day without external input. Should the user fail to set the time, the thermostat uses one or more sensors to determine the time-of-day through a variety of techniques. In one example, a light sensor can monitor natural light to understand the cycle of sun with respect to the installation location. From the cycle of natural light a latitude, time-of-year, time-of-day, etc. can be estimated through processing sensor information over time. Should the thermostat have its time manually set or gathered from the network, it would override the estimated time-of-day. Techniques can be used to filter input from the one or more sensors to avoid confusion from other inputs, for example, man-made lighting.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a power source;

a housing;

a clock function for tracking a time-of-day;

a sensor that performs measurements of an environmental condition that varies with the time-of-day;

a processor configured to;

receive the measurements from the sensor,

perform a transform to convert the received measurements to the frequency domain;

identify a component of the received measurements in the frequency domain having a period of approximately 24 hours;

determine when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed a predefined threshold;

modify programming of the clock function to reverse an AM/PM setting based on determining when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed the predefined threshold; and

operate the electronic device using the clock function according to the modified programming of the clock function.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a thermostat and the thermostat further comprises:

a plurality of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) wire connectors to communicatively couple the processor with an HVAC system, the HVAC system being controlled by the processor at least partially based on the modified programming of the clock function.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

prompt a user for the programming of the clock function during an initial setup of the electronic device, wherein the user is prompted to input an indication of AM or PM.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an electronic display configured to display information to a user, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the electronic device to display the modified programming of the clock function for the user to confirm the modified programming.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to estimate the time-of-day using the determination of when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours crossed the predefined threshold.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor comprising a filter to accentuate wavelengths of sunlight over man-made light.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a light transducer,

a temperature transducer,

an infra-red transducer,

a video capture array,

a sound transducer, and

an radio frequency transducer.

8. A thermostat, comprising:

a housing;

a clock function for tracking a time-of-day;

a sensor that performs measurements of an environmental condition that varies with the time-of-day;

a plurality of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) wire connectors; and

a processor configured to;

receive the measurements of the environmental condition from the sensor,

perform a transform to convert the received measurements to the frequency domain;

identify a component of the received measurements in the frequency domain having a period of approximately 24 hours;

determine when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed a predefined threshold;

program the clock function based on determining when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed the predefined threshold; and

control an HVAC system, via the plurality of HVAC wire connectors, at least partially based on the programming of the clock function.

9. The thermostat of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to develop one or more relationships between the programmed clock function and climate control.

10. The thermostat of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to control the HVAC system via the plurality of HVAC wire connectors based on the developed one or more relationships.

11. The thermostat of claim 8, further comprising an electronic display configured to display information wherein the processor is further configured to prompt a user to provide a zip code during a setup process of the thermostat.

12. The thermostat of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to program the clock function based on determining when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed the predefined threshold and the zip code provided during the setup process.

13. The thermostat of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor filtered to accentuate wavelengths of sunlight over man-made light.

14. The thermostat of claim 11, further comprising an electronic display configured to display information to the user, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the thermostat to display a time based on the programmed clock function for the user to confirm the time.

15. A method for programming a clock function of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving sensor measurements from a sensor;

performing a transform to convert the received sensor measurements to the frequency domain;

identifying a component of the received sensor measurements in the frequency domain having a period of approximately 24 hours;

determining when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed a predefined threshold;

modifying programming of the clock function to reverse an AM/PM setting based on determining when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours has crossed the predefined threshold; and

operating the electronic device using the clock function according to the modified programming of the clock function.

16. The method for programming the clock function of the electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system at least partially based on the modified programming of the clock function.

17. The method for programming the clock function of the electronic device of claim 15, further comprising prompting a user to program the clock function during an initial setup of the electronic device.

18. The method for programming the clock function of the electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying an interface via an electronic display of the electronic device, the interface requesting a user to confirm the modified programming of the clock function.

19. The method for programming the clock function of the electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

estimating a time-of-day using the determination of when the component having the period of approximately 24 hours crossed the predefined threshold.

20. The method for programming the clock function of the electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

filtering light that is to be received by the sensor to accentuate wavelengths of natural light over artificial light, wherein the sensor is a light sensor.