Zone control panel with saving changes feature

• US 10,612,802 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoglund, Steven R., Schwendinger, Paul G., Huang, Jian, Arneson, David, Paine, Brad
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman, Marc E
• Application Number:
  US15/845,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20180106493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 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 11/50 characterised by user interfaces or communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• 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 11/80 for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A zone control panel that is easy and intuitive to use and to program. In some embodiments, a zone control panel may be configured to have an easy to use, single level menu structure with, for example, a configuration mode and/or a checkout mode. The configuration mode may, if present, include a number of menu screens sometimes without any sub-menu levels. Likewise, the checkout mode may, if present, include a number of menu screens sometimes without any sub-menu levels. A mode selector may be provided to select a particular mode, after which, the menu screens that correspond to the selected mode may be sequentially displayed to the user. Other features and aspects are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A zone control panel for controlling a multi-zone HVAC system, the zone control panel comprising:

a mode selector for selecting a menu mode from two or more menu modes, the two or more menu modes including at least a configuration menu mode for use in configuring the zone control panel and a checkout menu mode for use in testing the zone control panel;

a display for displaying to a user a selected menu that corresponds to one of the two or more menu modes, the selected menu having three or more menu screens, wherein a selected menu corresponding to the configuration menu mode has a single level menu structure with branches but no submenu levels, and wherein a selected menu corresponding to the checkout menu mode has a single level menu structure with branches but no submenu levels;

two or more buttons for interacting with the selected menu, wherein at least one of the two or more buttons are configured to be used to move about the selected menu, and at least one other of the two or more buttons are configured to be used to make one or more changes to one or more programmable parameters identified by the selected menu, wherein in response to one or more changes being made to the one or more programmable parameters, the zone control panel is configured to cause a query to be displayed, on the display, querying the user to specify whether the one or more changes made to the one or more programmable parameters are to be saved or discarded; and

wherein the zone control panel is configured to save the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters in response to receiving an indication from the user via one or more of the buttons that the changes should be saved, and configured to discard the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters in response to receiving an indication from the user that the changes are to be discarded.

2. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the menu corresponding to the configuration menu mode comprises three or more menu screens that are configured to be traversed sequentially between a first menu screen and a last menu screen by sequentially activating a next button of the two or more buttons.

3. The zone control panel of claim 2, wherein the three or more menu screens of the configuration menu mode comprise, in sequence, an equipment type menu screen, followed by a number of cooling stages menu screen, followed by a number of heating stages menu screen.

4. The zone control panel of claim 2, wherein the three or more menu screens comprise a purge time menu screen for changing a purge time programmable parameter, wherein the purge time menu screen is configured to allow selection of a purge time value from two or more predetermined purge time values that are displayed on the display.

5. The zone control panel of claim 2, wherein the three or more menu screens comprise a discharge air temperature sensor menu screen for changing a discharge air temperature sensor programmable parameter that indicates whether a discharge air temperature sensor is connected to the zone control panel or not, wherein the discharge air temperature sensor menu screen is configured to allow a user to specify whether a discharge air temperature sensor is connected to the zone control panel or not.

6. The zone control panel of claim 5, wherein in response to a discharge air temperature sensor indicated as being connected to the zone control panel, the three or more menu screens comprise a discharge air temperature high limit menu screen configured to allow the user to change a discharge air temperature high limit programmable parameter.

7. The zone control panel of claim 5, wherein in response to a discharge air temperature sensor indicated as being installed, the three or more menu screens comprise a discharge air temperature low limit menu screen configured to allow the user to change a discharge air temperature low limit programmable parameter.

8. The zone control panel of claim 2, wherein the zone control panel is configured such that selected ones of the two or more buttons are used to traverse the three or more menu screens sequentially between the first menu screen and the last menu screen.

9. The zone control panel of claim 8, wherein the zone control panel is configured to permit a user to exit the selected menu mode before reaching the last menu screen of the selected menu.

10. The zone control panel of claim 8, wherein the zone control panel is configured to exit the selected menu mode if no activity is detected after a predetermined length of time.

11. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the menu corresponding to the checkout menu mode comprises three or more menu screens that are configured to be traversed sequentially between a first menu screen and a last menu screen by sequentially activating a next button of the two or more buttons.

12. The zone control panel of claim 11, wherein the three or more menu screens of the checkout menu mode comprise a turn stage 1 heat on/off menu screen.

13. The zone control panel of claim 11, wherein the three or more menu screens of the checkout menu mode comprise a turn stage 1 cool on/off menu screen.

14. The zone control panel of claim 11, wherein the three or more menu screens of the checkout menu mode comprise a turn fan on/off menu screen.

15. The zone control panel of claim 11, wherein the three or more menu screens of the checkout menu mode comprise a zone 1 damper open/close menu screen.

16. The zone control panel of claim 11, wherein the three or more menu screens of the checkout menu mode comprise a zone 2 damper open/close menu screen.

17. A zone control panel for controlling a multi-zone HVAC system, the zone control panel comprising:

a display for displaying to a user menus for each of two or more menu modes, wherein a menu for a first menu mode has a plurality of menu screens arranged in a single level menu structure;

a mode selector for selecting a menu mode from the two or more menu modes;

two or more buttons for interacting with a menu of the selected menu mode, wherein in response to the first menu mode being selected via the mode selector, at least one of the two or more buttons configured to be used to move about the menu of the first menu mode, and at least one other of the two or more buttons configured to be used to make one or more changes to one or more programmable parameters identified by one or more of the plurality of menu screens of the menu of the first menu mode, wherein in response to one or more changes being made to the one or more programmable parameters, the zone control panel is configured to eventually reach and display a menu screen that displays a query that queries the user to specify whether the one or more changes made to the one or more programmable parameters are to be saved;

wherein the zone control panel is configured to save the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters in response to an indication being received, from the user via one or more of the buttons and in response to the query, indicating that the changes are to be saved; and

wherein the zone control panel is configured to automatically save the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters in response to the first menu mode being exited before the zone control panel reaches and displays the menu screen that displays the query.

18. The zone control panel of claim 17, wherein the zone control panel is configured to permit a user to exit the first menu mode by interacting with one or more of the two or more buttons, and in response to the user exiting the first menu mode by interacting with the one or more of the two or more buttons, the zone control panel is configured to cause the query to be displayed on the display querying the user to specify whether the one or more changes made to the one or more programmable parameters are to be saved or discarded.

19. The zone control panel of claim 17, wherein in response to the zone control panel saving the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters, the zone control panel is configured to display a confirmation message on the display.

20. A zone control panel for controlling a multi-zone HVAC system, the zone control panel comprising:

two or more buttons;

a display for displaying to a user menus for each of two or more menu modes, wherein a menu for a first menu mode has three or more menu screens that are configured to be traversed sequentially between a first menu screen and a last menu screen by sequentially activating a next button of the two or more buttons;

a mode selector for selecting one of the two or more menu modes;

wherein;

in response to the first menu mode being selected via the mode selector, at least one of the two or more buttons are configured to be used to move about the menu and make one or more changes to one or more programmable parameters identified by one or more of the three or more menu screens of the menu,

in response to one or more changes being made to the one or more programmable parameters, the zone control panel is configured to eventually reach and display a menu screen that displays a query that queries the user to specify whether the one or more changes made to the one or more programmable parameters are to be saved or discarded;

the zone control panel is configured to save the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters in response to an indication being received, from the user via one or more of the buttons in response to the query, indicating that the changes are to be saved, and is configured to discard the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters in response to an indication being received from the user in response to the query, indicating that the changes are to be discarded; and

wherein the zone control panel is configured to automatically save the changes made to the one or more programmable parameters when the first menu mode is exited before the zone control panel reaches and displays the menu screen that displays the query.