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Apparatus and method for automatic climate control

  • US 5,395,042 A
  • Filed: 02/17/1994
  • Issued: 03/07/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for governing levels of an environmental attribute of a room by controlling operation of an environmental control unit for affecting said levels of said attribute of the room, said apparatus including an interface coupled to said environmental control unit to controlling the operation thereof by control signals, the apparatus comprising:

  • a controller including a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing an environmental control program including program instructions for controlling said operation of said environmental control unit by generating said control signals and further storing data including a first drift relationship, a first drive relationship, a predetermined set point representing a predetermined level of said attribute, a predetermined maximum range relative to said set point, a predetermined minimum range relative to said set point and a predetermined maximum recovery time, the controller further including a timer coupled to said processor for timing events related to said environmental control, said events including generation of said control signals and reception of signals representing said levels within said room;

    an input device coupled to said controller for inputting at least one of said predetermined set point, maximum range, minimum range and recovery time;

    an environmental attribute sensor coupled to said controller for providing, at any given time, one said signal representing the level of said attribute within the room; and

    an occupancy sensor coupled to said controller for determining whether the room is occupied, and for sending a said control signal to the controller to take one of a first action and a second action, the first action being taken if the room is unoccupied to allow said level in the room to drift towards an ambient level of said attribute in a region adjacent the room and the second action being taken if the room is occupied to operate said environmental control unit to drive said attribute level in the room away from said ambient level;

    wherein the environmental control program includes instructions to allow said drift only to said maximum range when the space is unoccupied, and then, when reoccupied, to activate the environmental control unit for driving the attribute level in the room towards a target level of said attribute within said minimum range of said set point; and

    wherein said maximum range is limited such that an amount of drive time for said environmental control unit to drive said attribute level in the room from said maximum range to said target level of said attribute is no greater than said predetermined maximum recovery time.

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