Configurable thermostat for controlling HVAC system

• US 9,471,069 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Amundson, John B., Finch, Heidi J., Vick, Brent D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shechtman, Sean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven
• Application Number:
  US14/671,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A thermostat including a controller operates to provide a guided programming sequence of two or more screens to a display. The guided sequence of screens prompts the user to provide system configuration information for updating the system configuration and providing a system summary screen.

Claims

1. A thermostat for controlling one or more HVAC components of an HVAC system, the thermostat comprising:

a housing;

a user interface housed by the housing, user interface including a touch screen display;

a temperature sensor housed by the housing;

a memory for storing configuration information, the memory housed by the housing; and

a controller operative coupled to the memory, the temperature sensor, the touch screen display, the controller housed by the housing and programming to;

provide a guided programming sequence of two or more screens on the touch screen display of the thermostat from a first screen to a last screen, the particular sequence of two or more screens is determined by the controller, at least two of the two more screens prompting a user to provide configuration information that is related to one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system that is to be controlled by the thermostat,

wherein one of the two more screens prompting the user to provide configuration information that is used to identify whether the HVAC system has a conventional heating unit, and includes two or more selectable icons concurrently displayed on the touch screen display with each of the two or more selectable icons displayed as a separate touch button, wherein each touch button includes a descriptive indicator of the corresponding selectable icon displayed inside an outer perimeter of the touch button;

wherein another one of the two more screens is a configuration screen that prompts the user to provide further configuration information, the configuration screen includes two or more touch buttons concurrently displayed on the touch screen display with each of the selectable touch buttons having a descriptive indicator displayed inside a perimeter of the corresponding touch button;

accept user selections via the two more screens;

determine updated configuration information based at least in part on the accepted user selections, the updated configuration information including whether the HVAC system has a conventional heating unit and if so an updated number of heating stages of the conventional heating unit;

provide a summary screen that displays a summary of the configuration information; and

use the updated configuration information when subsequently controlling the HVAC system.

2. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein one of the two or more screens comprises a touch button, that when selected, indicates two heating stages.

3. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein one of the two or more screens comprises a touch button, that when selected, indicates two cooling stages.

4. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises a speaker.

5. A thermostat for controlling one or more HVAC components of an HVAC system, the thermostat comprising:

a housing;

a user interface housed by the housing, user interface including a touch screen display;

a temperature sensor housed by the housing;

a memory for storing configuration information, the memory housed by the housing; and

a controller operative coupled to the memory, the temperature sensor, the touch screen display, the controller housed by the housing and programming to;

provide a guided programming sequence of two or more screens on the touch screen display of the thermostat from a first screen to a last screen, the particular sequence of two or more screens is determined by the controller, at least two of the two more screens prompting a user to provide configuration information via one or more user selections that is related to one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system that is to be controlled by the thermostat, wherein one of the two more screens prompting the user to provide configuration information that is used to determine whether the HVAC system has a conventional heating unit, and includes two or more selectable icons concurrently displayed on the touch screen display with each of the two or more selectable icons displayed as a separate touch button, wherein each touch button includes a descriptive indicator of the corresponding selectable icon displayed inside an outer perimeter of the touch button;

accept user responses via the two or more screens;

determine updated configuration information based at least in part on the accepted user responses including whether the HVAC system has a conventional heating unit and if so an updated number of heating stages of the conventional heating unit;

update configuration information in the memory based, at least in part, on the accepted user responses;

provide a summary screen that displays a summary of the configuration information including the updated configuration information, wherein the summary screen is one of the two or more screens of the guided programming sequence; and

use the updated configuration information when subsequently controlling the HVAC system.

6. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein a message is displayed that directs the user to select one of the selectable icons.

7. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein at least one of the two or more selectable icons corresponds to a heat pump.

8. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the controller is programmed to determine a number of heating stages of the conventional heating unit based at least in part on a user selection of one or more selectable touch button on one of the two or more screens.

9. The thermostat of claim 8, further comprising a touch button, that when selected, indicates two heating stages.

10. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the controller is programmed to determine a number of cooling stages of the HVAC system based at least in part on a user selection of one or more selectable touch button on one of the two or more screens.

11. The thermostat of claim 10, further comprising a touch button, that when selected, indicates two cooling stages.

12. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein at least one of the two or more screens concurrently displays on the touch screen display a first touch button that if selected exits the guided programming sequence of two or more screens and a second touch button that if selected displays a previous screen of the two or more screens in the guided programming sequence of two or more screens.

13. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the user interface further comprises a speaker.

14. A thermostat for controlling one or more HVAC components of an HVAC system, the thermostat comprising:

a housing;

a user interface housed by the housing, user interface including a touch screen display;

a temperature sensor housed by the housing;

a memory for storing configuration information, the memory housed by the housing; and

a controller operative coupled to the memory, the temperature sensor, the touch screen display, the controller housed by the housing and programming to;

provide a guided programming sequence of two or more screens on the touch screen display of the thermostat from a first screen to a last screen, the particular sequence of two or more screens is determined by the controller, at least two of the two more screens prompting a user to provide configuration information via one or more user selections that is related to one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system that is to be controlled by the thermostat, wherein at least one of the screens that prompt the user to provide configuration information includes two or more selectable touch buttons concurrently displayed on the touch screen display with each of the selectable touch buttons having a descriptive indicator displayed inside a perimeter of the corresponding touch button;

accept user responses via the two or more screens;

determine whether the HVAC system has a conventional heating unit based at least in part on a user selection of one or more of the selectable touch buttons;

determine an updated number of heating stages, an updated number of cooling stages based at least in part on the user responses accepted via the two or more screens;

updating configuration information in the memory including the updated number of heating stages, the updated number of cooling stages and/or whether the HVAC system has a conventional heating unit;

provide a summary screen that displays a summary of the configuration information; and

use the updated configuration information when subsequently controlling the HVAC system.

15. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein one of the two or more screens comprises a touch button, that when selected, indicates two heating stages.

16. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein one of the two or more screens comprises a touch button, that when selected, indicates two cooling stages.

17. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to determine the number of heating stages based at least in part on a user selection of one or more of the selectable touch buttons.

18. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to determine the number of cooling stages based at least in part on a user selection of one or more of the selectable touch buttons.

19. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to determine a cycles per hour configuration parameter based at least in part on a user selection of one or more of the selectable touch buttons.

20. The thermostat of claim 19, wherein the cycles per hour configuration parameter corresponds to a first stage of a conventional heating unit.

21. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein at least one of the two or more selectable touch buttons indicates that the HVAC system has the conventional heating unit and another one of the two or more selectable buttons indicates that the HVAC system has a heat pump.

22. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein the summary screen is one of the two or more screens of the guided programming sequence.

23. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein the user interface further comprises a speaker.