HVAC controller with wireless network based occupancy detection and control

• US 10,613,555 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2018
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bergman, Gabriel A., Liu, Neo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatti, Hashim S
• Application Number:
  US16/154,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20190041881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 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 11/58 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 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/66 Sleep mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• 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: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1927 using a plurality of sensors G05D23/1902, G05D23/1917, and G05D23/1919 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 : indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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 12/282 : based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 : Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

An HVAC controller that can detect if a user'"'"'s mobile wireless device is currently connected to and recognized by a building'"'"'s wireless local area network is disclosed. Depending on whether or not the user'"'"'s mobile wireless device is currently connected to and recognized by the building'"'"'s wireless local area network, the HVAC controller basis its control on unoccupied or occupied settings.

Claims

1. An HVAC controller for controlling one or more components of an HVAC system of a building, the HVAC controller comprising:

a wireless transceiver for wirelessly communicating over a wireless local area network for the building, wherein the wireless local area network for the building is hosted by a network host device that is separate from the HVAC controller; and

a controller configured to provide control signals to the one or more components of the HVAC system and to connect the HVAC controller to the wireless local area network of the building via the wireless transceiver, the controller further configured to monitor the wireless local area network for the building via the wireless transceiver and determine if a mobile wireless device assigned a unique identifier known by the HVAC controller to be associated with a known user is currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network or not, wherein, to determine if the mobile wireless device assigned the unique identifier is currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network or not, the controller is configured to broadcast onto the wireless local area network a query requesting a response from the mobile wireless device assigned the unique identifier, and wherein;

in response to determining the mobile wireless device assigned the unique identifier known by the HVAC controller to be associated with the known user is currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, the controller is configured to access a user profile associated with the known user and operate the HVAC system in accordance with an occupied operational setting specified by the user profile;

and

in response to determining the mobile wireless device assigned the unique identifier known by the HVAC controller to be associated with the known user is currently not wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, the controller is configured to operate the HVAC system in accordance with an unoccupied temperature setpoint.

2. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless device assigned the unique identifier known by the HVAC controller to be associated with the known user comprises a smart phone.

3. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless device assigned the unique identifier known by the HVAC controller to be associated with the known user comprises a fob.

4. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network comprises a WiFi network.

5. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network operates according the Bluetooth protocol.

6. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network operates according the Zigbee, IrDa, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), EnOcean, or Redlink protocol.

7. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the unoccupied temperature setpoint is specified by the user profile.

8. The HVAC controller of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network comprises a WiFi network or a Bluetooth network.

9. An HVAC controller for controlling one or more components of an HVAC system of a building, the HVAC controller comprising:

a wireless transceiver for wirelessly communicating over a wireless local area network for the building, wherein the wireless local area network for the building is hosted by a network host device that is separate from the HVAC controller; and

a controller configured to provide control signals to the one or more components of the HVAC system and to connect the HVAC controller to the wireless local area network of the building via the wireless transceiver, the controller further configured to monitor the wireless local area network for the building via the wireless transceiver and determine which, if any, of a plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network or not, wherein each one of the plurality of mobile wireless devices is assigned a respective unique identifier of a plurality of unique identifiers, wherein, to determine which, if any, of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network or not, the controller is configured to broadcast onto the wireless local area network a query requesting a response from a mobile wireless device of the plurality of mobile wireless devices that is assigned a particular unique identifier of the plurality of unique identifiers, and wherein;

in response to determining one or more of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, the controller is configured to operate the HVAC system in accordance with an occupied temperature setting; and

in response to determining none of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller are currently not wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, the controller is configured to operate the HVAC system in accordance with an unoccupied temperature setpoint.

10. The HVAC controller of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller has a corresponding user profile, and wherein when only one of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller is currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, the controller is configured to operate the HVAC system in accordance with the occupied temperature setting specified in the user profile that corresponds to the mobile wireless device that is currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network.

11. The HVAC controller of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller has a corresponding user profile, and wherein when two or more of the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, the controller is configured to operate the HVAC system in accordance with the occupied temperature setting specified in the user profile that corresponds to a highest priority mobile wireless device of the two or more of the plurality of mobile wireless devices that are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network.

12. The HVAC controller of claim 11, wherein the highest priority mobile wireless device is determined by applying one or more rules.

13. The HVAC controller of claim 9, wherein the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller comprises one or more smart phones.

14. The HVAC controller of claim 9, wherein the plurality of mobile wireless devices known to the HVAC controller comprises one or more fobs.

15. A method for controlling one or more components of an HVAC system of a building, the method comprising:

connecting an HVAC controller to a wireless local area network of the building, wherein the wireless local area network for the building is hosted by a network host device that is separate from the HVAC controller;

monitoring the wireless local area network;

determining which, if any, of one or more known mobile wireless devices are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network or not, wherein each one of the one or more known mobile wireless devices is assigned a respective unique identifier of a plurality of unique identifiers, wherein determining which, if any, of the one or more known mobile wireless devices are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network or not comprises broadcasting onto the wireless local area network a query requesting a response from a mobile wireless device of the one or more known mobile wireless devices that is assigned a particular unique identifier of the plurality of unique identifiers;

in response to determining one or more of the one or more known mobile wireless devices are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, operate the HVAC system in accordance with an occupied temperature setting; and

in response to determining none of the one or more known mobile wireless devices are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, operate the HVAC system in accordance with an unoccupied temperature setpoint.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more known mobile wireless devices comprises a plurality of mobile wireless devices, the method further comprising:

in response to determining two or more known mobile wireless devices of the plurality of known mobile wireless devices are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network, operate the HVAC system in accordance with the occupied temperature setting specified in a user profile that corresponds to a highest ranking mobile wireless device of the two or more known mobile wireless devices that are currently wirelessly connected to the wireless local area network.