Auto-adaptable energy management apparatus

• US 9,874,891 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Imes, Kevin R., Hollister, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US14/671,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20150204563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 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 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• 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 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/75 for maintaining constant air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/88 Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/00 Control inputs relating to environmental factors not covered by group F24F2110/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/00 Control of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 : variable in time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 : using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 : Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 : Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 : Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 : Home automation networks
• 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 12/2818 : from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 : Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 : Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 : Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 : Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 : Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 : Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 : Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 : Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems

Abstract

An apparatus includes a housing including an LCD screen capable of displaying settings information and an energy savings settings icon, and a processor configured to detect multiple inputs with the housing including settings information provided by a user in response to an interaction with the housing. The processor is further configured to initiate a suggestion of a setting resulting in a display of the energy savings settings icon, and process the multiple inputs and determine a schedule and determine whether to display the energy savings settings icon based on the determined schedule. A wireless communication module is configured to access a hosted web service and a mobile device, each of which receive multiple inputs such that the settings information can be provided remotely. The multiple inputs include detecting a presence in proximity to the housing over a period of time and providing a presence status to determine the settings information.

Claims

1. A temperature controlling apparatus, comprising:

a housing configured to detect a user in a vicinity of the housing and including;

an LCD screen, upon detecting the user in the vicinity of the housing, configured to display settings information and an energy savings settings icon, wherein said energy savings settings icon is indicative of a level of energy savings based on either a current settings or a suggested settings, and

a scannable code displayed on at least one of the portion of the housing and a display on the LCD screen, upon being scanned by the user configured to authenticate at least one device provided settings information by the temperature controlling apparatus;

at least one memory storing instructions;

at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the at least one memory that cause the following to be performed;

detect multiple inputs to the housing from multiple sources including settings information provided by a user interacting with the housing,

initiate a suggestion of a setting that results in a display on the LCD screen of the energy savings settings icon associated with the suggested setting,

process the multiple inputs and determine a settings schedule based on the multiple inputs and to determine whether to display the energy savings settings icon based on the determined schedule; and

a wireless communication module configured to access a hosted web service and a mobile device,

wherein each of the hosted web service and the mobile device configured to receive a plurality of multiple inputs such that the settings information used by the processor to determine the schedule can be provided remotely by the web service and the mobile device based on the received plurality of multiple inputs, and

wherein the multiple inputs to the housing further include detecting a distance and a direction of the user relative to the housing over a predetermined period of time and providing a location status of the user as one of the multiple inputs to determine the settings information and to set at least one device based on the settings information.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the stored instructions to further:

detect the multiple inputs to the housing subsequent to the determination of the schedule, and

update the schedule in response to the multiple inputs to the housing subsequent to the determination of the schedule.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the temperature controlling apparatus is a thermostat.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the LCD screen includes a touch screen interface.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the multiple inputs are an increase or decrease in a temperature set-point of the temperature controlling apparatus.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the schedule includes a first profile having a first schedule to operate the apparatus and a second profile having a second schedule to operate the apparatus.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first profile is a home profile and the second profile is an away profile.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

a proximity detection module accessible by the at least one processor and to determine the direction and the distance the user is relative to the housing and wherein the processor executes the stored instructions to further automatically implement the away profile in response to the determined direction and distance from the housing.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the LCD display includes a current readings section to indicate use of the home profile or away profile and to display a current set-point.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the LCD display includes an energy history section to display how much energy has been used daily by an HVAC system.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication module enables communication with a WIFI network.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the wireless communication module is configured to connect with a weather provider to receive a report of the weather surrounding the location of the housing and wherein the weather report is one of a the multiple inputs used by the at least one processor to determine a settings schedule surrounding weather of the housing location.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the wireless communication module is configured to communicate with at least one of a laptop, smart phone or tablet.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the wireless communication module is configured to receive adjustments to control a set-point of the apparatus in or about real-time from the laptop, smart phone or tablet disposed remotely.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the wireless communication module is configured to receive automatic software updates.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor executes the stored instructions to further enable access using an encryption key-based security.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including a Zigbee communication device to enable communication with a Zigbee network.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including an internal power supply.

19. A temperature controlling apparatus, comprising:

a housing configured to detect a user in a vicinity of the housing and including;

an LCD screen, upon detecting the user in the vicinity of the housing, configured to display settings information and an energy savings settings icon, wherein said energy savings settings icon is indicative of a level of energy savings based on either a current settings or a suggested settings, and

a scannable code displayed on at least one of the portion of the housing and a display on the LCD screen, upon being scanned by the user configured to authenticate at least one device provided settings information by the temperature controlling apparatus;

at least one memory storing instructions;

at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the at least one memory that cause the following to be performed;

detect multiple inputs to the housing from multiple sources including settings information provided by a user interacting with the house,

initiate a suggestion of a setting that results in a display on the LCD screen of the energy savings settings icon associated with the suggested setting, and

process the multiple inputs and determine a settings schedule based on the multiple inputs and to determine whether to display the energy savings settings icon based on the determined schedule;

said apparatus further comprising a wireless communication module configured to access a hosted web service and a mobile device, wherein each of the hosted web service and the mobile device and configured to receive a plurality of multiple inputs such that the settings information used by the at least one processor to determine the schedule can be provided remotely by the web service and the mobile device based on the received plurality of inputs;

wherein the multiple inputs to the housing can further include detecting a distance and a direction of the user relative to the housing over a predetermined period of time and providing a location status of the user as one of the multiple inputs to determine the settings information; and

wherein the at least one processor executes the stored instructions to further initiate display of the energy savings settings icon on a graphical user interface of the mobile device to allow the user to alter the settings information based on the displayed energy sayings settings icon.

20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein the schedule includes a first profile having a first schedule to operate the apparatus and a second profile having a second schedule to operate the apparatus.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the first profile is a home profile and the second profile is an away profile.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 21, further comprising:

a proximity detection module accessible by the at least one processor and configured to sense the distance and the direction the user is relative to the housing, and

wherein the at least one processor executes the stored instructions to further automatically implement the away profile in response to the sensed distance and direction of the user relative to the housing.