COMPUTATIONAL LOAD DISTRIBUTION IN A CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING PLURAL SENSING MICROSYSTEMS

• US 20120130548A1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nest Labs Incorporated (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: FADELL, Anthony Michael, MATSUOKA, Yoky, ROGERS, Matthew Lee, SLOO, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• 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 11/32 Responding to malfunctions or emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/39 Monitoring filter performance
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• 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 11/89 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/40 Noise
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/00 Control inputs relating to system states
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 : Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0265 : the criterion being a learning criterion
• 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 23/1917 : using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2416 : Means for guiding or retaining wires or cables connected to terminal blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/20 : Solar thermal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/70 : Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

Systems, methods, and related computer program products for controlling one or more HVAC systems using a distributed arrangement of wirelessly connected sensing microsystems are described. A plurality of wirelessly communicating sensing microsystems is provided, each sensing microsystem including a temperature sensor and a processor, at least one of the sensing microsystems being coupled to an HVAC unit for control thereof. The plurality of sensing microsystems is configured to jointly carry out at least one shared computational task associated with control of the HVAC unit. Each sensing microsystem includes a power management circuit configured to determine an amount of electrical power available for dedication to the at least one shared computational task. The at least one shared computational task is apportioned among respective ones of the plurality of sensing microsystems according to the amount of electrical power determined to be available for dedication thereto at each respective sensing microsystem.

Claims

1. A climate control system, comprising:

a plurality of wirelessly communicating sensing microsystems, each said sensing microsystem including a temperature sensor and a processor, at least one of said sensing microsystems being coupled to an HVAC unit for control thereof, said plurality of sensing microsystems being configured to jointly carry out at least one shared computational task associated with the control of the HVAC unit; and

for each said sensing microsystem, a power management circuit configured to determine an amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task;

wherein said at least one shared computational task is apportioned among respective ones of said plurality of sensing microsystems according to the amount of electrical power determined to be available for dedication thereto at each said respective sensing microsystem.

2. The climate control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one shared computational task is apportioned such that each of said sensing microsystems having a greater amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task is assigned a heavier associated computational load than each of said sensing microsystems having a lesser amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task.

3. The climate control system of claim 2, said at least one shared computational task being characterized by an overall computational load, said plurality of sensing microsystems having an overall amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task, wherein each said sensing microsystem is assigned to carry out a percentage of said overall computation load that is proportional to a percentage of said overall amount of electrical power determined to be available at that sensing microsystem.

4. The climate control system of claim 2, said at least one shared computational task being characterized by an overall computational load, said plurality of sensing microsystems including a first sensing microsystem coupled to the HVAC unit and powered by a call relay power-stealing circuit, said plurality of sensing microsystems including a second sensing microsystem powered from a continuous line power source, wherein the at least one shared computational task is apportioned such that a majority of the overall computational load is assigned to said second sensing microsystem.

5. The climate control system of claim 4, wherein substantially all of said overall computational load is assigned to said second sensing microsystem.

6. The climate control system of claim 1 wherein, for each of said sensing microsystems, said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task is expressed as an analog value in physical units representative of an electrical power and/or electrical energy level.

7. The climate control system of claim 1, wherein, for each of said sensing microsystems, said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication is expressed as a logical value representative of one of a predetermined plurality of categories generally characteristic of an electrical power availability for dedication to said at least one shared computational task.

8. The climate control system of claim 7, wherein said predetermined plurality of categories is selected from the group consisting of:

available/not available;

high availability/low availability/no availability; and

high availability/medium availability/30 low availability/not available.

9. The climate control system of claim 1, wherein said power management circuit of each said sensing microsystem is configured to determine said amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task according to the steps of:

determining a total amount of electrical power available to the sensing microsystem;

determining an amount of electrical power required for a core functionality of the sensing microsystem that is distinct from said at least one shared computational task, said core functionality including at least one temperature sensing task and at least one wireless communication task; and

determining the amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task based on a difference between said total available power and said required core functionality power.

10. The climate control system of claim 7, wherein said determining the amount of electrical power available for dedication further comprises:

estimating a maximum marginal power beyond said required core functionality power that can be consumed by said sensing microsystem without introducing unacceptable error into thermal readings acquired by said temperature sensor; and

limiting said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication to said maximum marginal power if said maximum marginal power is less than said difference between said total available power and said required core functionality power.

11. The climate control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one shared computational task is selected from the group consisting of:

environmental system characterization based on historical control signals applied to the HVAC system and thermal responses thereto as measured by said temperature sensors;

environmental system simulation; and

computation of one or more optimal HVAC control strategies based on environmental system characterization and simulation.

12. A method of operation for a plurality of wirelessly communicating sensing microsystems of a distributed climate control system, each sensing microsystem including a temperature sensor and a processor, at least one of the sensing microsystems being coupled to an HVAC unit for control thereof, the plurality of sensing microsystems cooperating to control the HVAC unit based at least in part on temperature readings acquired by the plurality of temperature sensors, the plurality of sensing microsystems being configured to jointly carry out at least one shared computational task associated with the control of the HVAC unit, the method comprising:

at each sensing microsystem, determining an amount of electrical power available for dedication to the at least one shared computational task;

allocating among the sensing microsystems respective portions of the least one shared computational task according to the amount of electrical power determined to be available for dedication thereto at each respective sensing microsystem; and

at each sensing microsystem, carrying out the respective portion of the least one shared computational task allocated thereto.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one shared computational task is allocated such that each of said sensing microsystems having a greater amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task is assigned a heavier associated computational load than each of said sensing microsystems having a lesser amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task.

14. The method of claim 13, said at least one shared computational task being characterized by an overall computational load, said plurality of sensing microsystems including a first sensing microsystem coupled to the HVAC unit and powered by a call relay power-stealing circuit, said plurality of sensing microsystems including a second sensing microsystem powered from a continuous line power source, wherein the at least one shared computational task is allocated such that a majority of the overall computational load is assigned to said second sensing microsystem.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein, for each of said sensing microsystems, said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task is expressed as an analog value in physical units representative of an electrical power and/or electrical energy level.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein, for each of said sensing microsystems, said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication is expressed as a logical value representative of one of a predetermined plurality of categories generally characteristic of an electrical power availability for dedication to said at least one shared computational task.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said predetermined plurality of categories is selected from the group consisting of:

available/not available;

high availability/low availability/no availability; and

high availability/medium availability/low availability/not available.

18. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying one or more sequences of instructions wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by a plurality of processors contained in a respective plurality of wirelessly communicating sensing microsystems of a distributed climate control system causes the plurality of sensing microsystems to:

cooperatively control an HVAC unit based at least in part on temperature readings acquired by a plurality of temperature sensors located respectively in said plurality of sensing microsystems; and

carry out at least one shared computational task associated with said cooperative control of the HVAC unit, comprising;

at each sensing microsystem, determining an amount of electrical power available for dedication to the at least one shared computational task; and

allocating among the sensing microsystems respective portions of the least one shared computational task according to the amount of electrical power determined to be available for dedication thereto at each respective sensing microsystem.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein said at least one shared computational task is selected from the group consisting of:

environmental system characterization based on historical control signals applied to the HVAC system and thermal responses thereto as measured by said temperature sensors;

environmental system simulation; and

computation of one or more optimal HVAC control strategies based on environmental system characterization and simulation.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein said at least one shared computational task is allocated such that each of said sensing microsystems having a greater amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task is assigned a heavier associated computational load than each of said sensing microsystems having a lesser amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, said at least one shared computational task being characterized by an overall computational load, said plurality of sensing microsystems including a first sensing microsystem coupled to the HVAC unit and powered by a call relay power-stealing circuit, said plurality of sensing microsystems including a second sensing microsystem powered from a continuous line power source, wherein the at least one shared computational task is allocated such that a majority of the overall computational load is assigned to said second sensing microsystem.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein, for each of said sensing microsystems, said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication to said at least one shared computational task is expressed as an analog value in physical units representative of an electrical power and/or electrical energy level.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein, for each of said sensing microsystems, said determined amount of electrical power available for dedication is expressed as a logical value representative of one of a predetermined plurality of categories generally characteristic of an electrical power availability for dedication to said at least one shared computational task.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein said predetermined plurality of categories is selected from the group consisting of:

available/not available;

high availability/low availability/no availability; and

high availability/medium availability/low availability/not available.