CONTROLLER SYSTEM USER INTERFACE

• US 20070138308A1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Leen, Cary, Tessier, Patrick, Schultz, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,641,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/1.C
• 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 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time

Abstract

A thermostat system having dedicated informational regions in a display and associated buttons or softkeys for sequential operation. The system may maximize utilization of a sectioned display and buttons for system navigation. The informational, selection and/or action design takes into consideration operational button groupings for straightforward comfort settings as well as editing of the clock, day-of-week, schedules, and so forth. Sections, regions or areas of the display may indicate immediate button operations. The changeable information in the regions associated with the softkeys or buttons may provide sequential operation of the thermostat system. The system may have multiple schedules and setpoints for heating and cooling comfort setting flexibility. A combining of individual schedules may be automatically selected. Also, there may be a system switch mode, for example, between heat and cool, where the schedules may be individually edited. Scheduling may be informational and/or action item and option key driven.

Claims

1. A thermostat comprising:

a user interface including a display screen;

a controller coupled to the user interface and causing a display image to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the display image includes a display image region that forms only part of the display image, and the display image region is defined, at least in part, by one or more boundary lines in the display image, the display image region includes a first portion for displaying a function label for the display image region, and a second portion for displaying a function setting that corresponds to the function label, wherein the first portion and the second portion are divided, at least in part, by a partitioning line segment; and

the controller also monitoring the user interface, and changing the function setting displayed in the second portion of the display image region from a first function setting to a second function setting in response to a predetermined input from a user via the user interface.

2. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein the one or more boundary lines define a boundary of three sides of the display image region.

3. The thermostat of claim 2 wherein a fourth side of the display image region is defined by an edge of the display screen.

4. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein the user interface includes a button that corresponds to the display image region, wherein when the button is depressed, the function setting displayed in second portion of the display image region changes from a first function setting to a second function setting.

5. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein when the button is repeatedly depressed, the function setting displayed in the second portion of the display region cycles in sequence through a number of predefined function settings.

6. The thermostat of claim 5 wherein the number of predefined function settings include a heat mode, a cool mode, an auto mode and an off mode.

7. The thermostat of claim 5 wherein the number of predefined function settings include a fan auto mode and a fan on mode.

8. A thermostat comprising:

a user interface including a display screen;

a controller coupled to the user interface and causing a display image to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the display image includes three distinct display image regions, wherein each display image is defined, at least in part, by one or more boundary lines;

at least one of the three display images includes a function label portion and a function setting portion, wherein the function label portion and the function setting portion are separated, at least in part, by a partitioning line; and

the user interface having three buttons each corresponding to one of the three display image regions, wherein when a selected one of the buttons is pushed, the controller changes the function setting that is displayed in the function setting portion of the corresponding display image region of the at least one of the three display images that includes a function label portion and a function setting portion.

9. The thermostat of claim 8, wherein the function label portion and the function setting portion of the at least one of the three display images that includes a function label portion and a function setting portion are divided, at least in part, by a partitioning line segment.

10. The thermostat of claim 8 wherein for each of the three display image regions, the one or more boundary lines define three sides of the corresponding display image region.

11. The thermostat of claim 10 wherein for each of the three display image regions, a fourth side of the corresponding display image region is defined by an edge of the display screen.

12. The thermostat of claim 11 wherein the number of predefined function settings include a heat mode, a cool mode, an auto mode and an off mode.

13. The thermostat of claim 11 wherein the number of predefined function settings include a fan auto mode and a fan on mode.

14. A thermostat, comprising:

a user interface including a display screen, at least two soft buttons adjacent the display screen, and a hold button;

a controller coupled to the user interface, the controller causing a display image to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the display image includes at least two display image regions each positioned adjacent to a corresponding one of the at least two soft buttons;

the controller having a schedule mode and a hold mode, wherein the controller controls in accordance with a programmed schedule when in the schedule mode, and controls to a hold value when in the hold mode; and

the controller switching from the schedule mode to the hold mode when the hold button is depressed, and returns to the schedule mode when a predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons is depressed.

15. The thermostat of claim 14 further comprising one or more parameter adjustment buttons, wherein once in the hold mode, the one or more parameter adjustment buttons can be used to adjust the hold value to a different value.

16. The thermostat of claim 14 wherein, when the controller is in the hold mode, the display image region that corresponds to the predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons includes a label that indicates that the predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons will return the controller to the schedule mode.

17. The thermostat of claim 16 wherein the label is “

Run Schedule”

.

18. The thermostat of claim 16 wherein the particular label that indicates that the predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons will return the controller to the schedule mode is not displayed when the controller is in the schedule mode.

19. The thermostat of claim 14 wherein the at least two soft buttons are positioned adjacent a bottom of the display screen.

20. The thermostat of claim 19 wherein the hold button is positioned adjacent a side of the display screen.

21. The thermostat of claim 20 further comprising a pair of parameter adjustment buttons, wherein the pair of parameter adjustment buttons are positioned adjacent a side of the display screen.

22. The thermostat of claim 21 wherein the pair of parameter adjustment buttons are positioned on the same side of the display screen as the hold button.

23. The thermostat of claim 14 wherein each of the at least two display image regions is defined, at least in part, by one or more boundary lines in the display image.

24. The thermostat of claim 23 wherein for each of the at least two display image regions, the one or more boundary lines define a boundary of three sides of the corresponding display image region.

25. The thermostat of claim 24 wherein a fourth side of each of the display image regions is defined by an edge of the display screen.

26. A thermostat, comprising:

a user interface including a display screen, at least two soft buttons adjacent the display screen, and one or more parameter adjustment buttons;

a controller coupled to the user interface, the controller causing a display image to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the display image includes at least two display image regions each positioned adjacent to a corresponding one of the at least two soft buttons;

the controller having a schedule mode, wherein the controller controls in accordance with a programmed schedule when in the schedule mode, the programmed schedule having a number of periods each having an associated set point value; and

wherein, when a predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons is depressed a predetermined number of times, the controller displays on the display screen a set point value for a next one of the number of periods of the programmed schedule.

27. The thermostat of claim 26 wherein, when the predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons is again depressed one or more times, a set point value for another one of the number of periods is displayed.

28. The thermostat of claim 26 wherein, when a set point value for a one of the number of periods is displayed, the one or more parameter adjustment buttons can be used to adjust the corresponding set point value.

29. The thermostat of claim 26 wherein, when the controller is displaying a set point value for one of the number of periods of the programmed schedule on the display screen, and if one of the at least two soft buttons that is different from the predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons is depressed, the controller enters the schedule mode.

30. The thermostat of claim 26 wherein each of the at least two display image regions is defined, at least in part, by one or more boundary lines in the display image.

31. The thermostat of claim 30 wherein for each of the at least two display image regions, the one or more boundary lines define a boundary of three sides of the corresponding display image region.

32. The thermostat of claim 31 wherein a fourth side of each of the display image regions is defined by an edge of the display screen.

33. A thermostat, comprising:

a user interface including a display screen, at least three soft buttons adjacent the display screen, and a pair of parameter adjustment buttons;

a controller coupled to the user interface, the controller causing a display image to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the display image includes at least three display image regions each positioned adjacent to a corresponding one of the at least three soft buttons; and

wherein, when a predetermined one of the at least three soft buttons is depressed, the controller enters a set clock mode, wherein the pair of parameter adjustment buttons can be used to set, at least in part, a clock value.

34. The thermostat of claim 33 wherein, once in the set clock mode, when a predetermined one of the at least three soft buttons is depressed, the controller exits the set clock mode.

35. A thermostat, comprising:

a user interface including a display screen, at least two soft buttons adjacent the display screen, and one or more parameter adjustment buttons;

a controller coupled to the user interface, the controller causing a display image to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the display image includes at least two display image regions each positioned adjacent to a corresponding one of the at least two soft buttons; and

wherein, when a predetermined one or more of the at least two soft buttons is depressed and held down for an extended period of time, the controller enters a configuration mode.

36. The thermostat according to claim 35 wherein the period of time exceeds 1 second.

37. The thermostat according to claim 35 wherein the period of time exceeds 3 second.

38. The thermostat according to claim 35 wherein, the controller enters the configuration mode when a predetermined one or more of the at least two soft buttons is depressed in conjunction with one or more of the parameter adjustment buttons for a period of time that exceeds 1 second.

39. The thermostat according to claim 35 wherein, the controller exits the configuration mode when a different predetermined one or more of the at least two soft buttons is depressed.

40. The thermostat according to claim 35 wherein, when in the configuration mode, the controller displays a category label that corresponds to a configuration category on the display screen, and if applicable, an option label that corresponds to a category option setting for the displayed configuration category.

41. The thermostat according to claim 40 wherein, when in the configuration mode, the controller displays a category label that corresponds to a different configuration category on the display screen when a predetermined one of the at least two soft buttons is depressed.

42. The thermostat according to claim 41 wherein, when in the configuration mode, the controller displays an option label that corresponds to another category option setting for the displayed configuration category when a predetermined one of the one or more parameter adjustment buttons is depressed.

43. The thermostat according to claim 40 wherein, when in the configuration mode, the controller displays an option label that corresponds to another category option setting for the displayed configuration category when a predetermined one of the one or more parameter adjustment buttons is depressed.