TWI579521B - Thermostat with integrated sensing systems - Google Patents

Description

Thermostat with integrated sensing system

This patent specification relates to system monitoring and control, such as monitoring and control of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. More particularly, this patent specification relates to a monitoring and control device (such as a thermostat) having an integrated sensing system.

This application was filed in the name of Nest Labs, Inc. in the Republic of China (Taiwan), with the names of the inventors Brian HUPPI (US Citizen), John B. FILSON (US Citizen), Fred BOULD (USA) Citizen), David SLOO (US citizenship), Matthew L. ROGERS (US citizenship), and Anthony M. FADELL (US citizenship).

U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/415,771, filed on Nov. 19, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/429,093, filed on Dec. 31, 2010, filed on August 17, 2011 Priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/627,996, filed on Jan. 13, s.

Substantial efforts and attention to the development of newer and more sustainable energy supplies are continuing. Energy savings through increased energy efficiency remain critical to the future of the world's energy. According to a report from the US Department of Energy in October 2010, heating and cooling accounted for 56% of the energy use in typical US homes, making it the largest energy cost for most homes. Together with improvements in power plant machinery associated with housing heating and cooling (eg, improved insulation, higher efficiency furnaces), substantial increases in energy efficiency can be achieved by better control and regulation of the housing heating and cooling equipment. By initiating a heated ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) device for wisely selected time intervals and carefully selected operational levels, substantial energy savings can be achieved while at the same time keeping the living space comfortable for its occupants.

Under the social class and on a per-housing basis, it would be beneficial for a large number of homes to replace their existing older thermostats with newer microprocessor-controlled "smart" thermostats. The type thermostat has a more advanced HVAC control capability that saves energy while also making the occupants comfortable. To this end, such thermostats will require more information from the occupants as well as the environment in which the thermostats are located. The sensors in the home will collect real-time and historical data (such as occupancy rate data) to be used by the thermostat to automate HVAC control. By analyzing this data, the thermostat will make decisions about heating, cooling, and energy savings. For at least this reason, it is important to ensure that accurate data is generated by the sensors used by the thermostat. At the same time, however, there is a tension between each of the following: increasing the number and type of sensors on the thermostat, and on the other hand, supplying the thermostat with a reasonably compact and visually pleasing appearance size, On the one hand, it is used to increase the overall appeal of the smart thermostat to the purchase of the public.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a thermostat having a housing including a forward facing surface, the thermostat including a passive infrared ray disposed within the housing for sensing a dwell rate near the thermostat (PIR) motion sensor. The PIR motion sensor has a radiation receiving surface and is capable of detecting lateral movement of an occupant in front of the forward surface of the housing. The thermostat further includes a barrier member having one or more openings and included along the forward surface of the housing, the barrier member being disposed over the radiation receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The grille member is configured and dimensioned to visually conceal and protect the PIR motion sensor disposed within the housing, the visual concealment promoting a visually desirable quality of one of the thermostats while permitting the PIR motion sense The detector effectively detects the lateral movement of the occupant. In one embodiment, the fence members are open to a slot opening oriented in a substantially horizontal direction.

In one embodiment, a temperature sensor is also positioned behind the grill member, and the temperature sensor is also visually concealed behind the grill member. In one embodiment, the barrier component is formed from a thermally conductive material, such as a metal, and the temperature sensor is placed with the metal, such as by using a thermal paste or the like. The grille is in thermal communication. Advantageously, the metal grille component can be further improved by acting as a "hot antenna" for the temperature sensor, in addition to exposing the temperature sensor to ambient room air by means of the grille openings. Temperature sensing performance.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the <RTIgt;

In addition, all of the conventional features of the implementations described herein are not shown and described for clarity. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation specific decisions may be required to achieve a particular design goal. These design goals will vary with different implementations and different developers. Moreover, it should be appreciated that this development effort can be complex and time consuming, but would still be a routine engineering undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present invention.

It will be appreciated that while one or more implementations are further described herein in the context of a typical HVAC system for a dwelling, such as a single-family dwelling, the scope of the teachings of the present invention is not so limited. More generally, a thermostat according to one or more of the preferred embodiments is suitable for use with a variety of enclosures having one or more HVAC systems including, but not limited to, duplex houses, town houses, multi-unit apartment buildings Things, hotels, retail stores, office buildings and industrial buildings. In addition, it should be understood that the terms "user", "customer", "installer", "housing owner", "occupier", "guest", "tenant", "landlord", "repair" and A similar person may be used to refer to a person interacting with a thermostat or other device or user interface in the context of the context of one or more of the contexts described herein, but such reference should never be considered as a person performing such actions. To limit the scope of the teachings of the present invention.

The subject matter of this patent specification is related to the subject matter of the following co-transfer application, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in U.S. Application No. 12/881,463, filed on Jan. 19, U.S. Provisional Application No. 611,415,771, filed on November 19, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/429,093, filed on December 31, 2010; U.S. Application No. 12/984,602, filed on Jan. 4, U.S. Application Serial No. 12/987,257, filed on Jan. 10, 2011, and U.S. Application Serial No. 13/033,573, filed on Feb. 23, 2011; U.S. Application No. 29/386, 021, filed on Feb. 23, 2011; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/034,666, filed on Feb. 24, 2011; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/034,678, filed on Feb. 24, 2011; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/038,191, filed on March 1, 2011, and U.S. Application Serial No. 13/038,206, filed on March 1, 2011 US application No. 29/399,609 filed on August 16, 2011; US application filed on August 16, 2011 US Application No. 29/399,617, filed on August 16, 2011; US Application No. 29/399,618, filed on August 16, 2011; US application filed on August 16, 2011 Case No. 29/399,621; US Application No. 29/399,623, filed on August 16, 2011; US Application No. 29/399,625, filed on August 16, 2011; Application No. 29/399,627; US Application No. 29/399,630, filed on August 16, 2011; US Application No. 29/399,632, filed on August 16, 2011; application on August 16, 2011 US Application No. 29/399,633; US Application No. 29/399,636, filed on August 16, 2011; US Application No. 29/399,637, filed on August 16, 2011; application on August 17, 2011 U.S. Application Serial No. 13/199,108; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/267,871, filed on Oct. 6, 2011; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/267,877, filed on Oct. 6, 2011; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/269,501, filed on October 14, 2011, and U.S. Application No. 29/404,096, filed on October 14, 2011; Case No. 29/404,097; US Application No. 29/404,098, filed on October 14, 2011; US Application No. 29/404,099, filed on October 14, 2011; Application No. 29/404,101; US Application No. 29/404,103, filed on October 14, 2011; US Application No. 29/404,104, filed on October 14, 2011; application on October 14, 2011 US Application No. 29/404,105; US Application No. 13/275,307, filed on October 17, 2011; US Application No. 13/275,311, filed on October 17, 2011; application on October 17, 2011 US Application No. 13/317,423; U.S. Application Serial No. 13/279,151, filed on October 21, 2011; US Application Serial No. 13/317,557, filed on October 21, 2011; and October 21, 2011 U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/627,996 filed on the Japanese.

1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary enclosure using a thermostat 110 implemented in accordance with the present invention for controlling one or more environmental conditions. For example, enclosing body 100 illustrates a single-family dwelling type enclosure that uses thermostat 110 for controlling heating and cooling provided by HVAC system 120. Alternative embodiments of the present invention can be used with other types of enclosures, including duplex houses, apartments in apartment buildings, light commercial structures such as offices or retail stores, or the like A structure or enclosure of a combination of other types of enclosures.

Some implementations of the thermostat 110 of FIG. 1 incorporate one or more sensors to collect information associated with the enclosure 100 from the environment. The sensors incorporated in the thermostat 110 can detect occupancy, temperature, light, and other environmental conditions and affect the control and operation of the HVAC system 120. The thermostat 110 uses a grilling member (not shown in Fig. 1) implemented in accordance with the present invention to cover the sensor. In part, the grille component of the present invention increases the appeal and attractiveness of the thermostat 110 because the sensor in the thermostat 110 does not protrude or attracts the attention of the occupants of the enclosure 100, and the thermostat 110 works with almost any decoration. Maintaining the sensor within the thermostat 110 also reduces the likelihood of damage and calibration losses during manufacture, delivery, installation or use of the thermostat 110. However, despite covering these sensors, the specialized design of the grill components facilitates accurate collection of occupancy, temperature and other information from the environment. Additional details regarding this design and other aspects of the fence component are also described in detail later herein.

In some implementations, the thermostat 110 can wirelessly communicate with the remote device 112 to gather information at the remote end from the user and from the environment detectable by the remote device 112. For example, remote device 112 can communicate wirelessly with thermostat 110 to provide user input from a remote portion of remote device 112, or remote device 112 can be used to display information to a user, or remotely Device 112 can communicate wirelessly with thermostat 110 to provide user input from a remote portion of remote device 112 and can be used to display information to a user. Similar to thermostat 110, implementation of remote device 112 may also include a sensor to collect data relating to occupancy, temperature, light, and other environmental conditions. A grill member (not shown in FIG. 1) designed in accordance with the present invention can also be used to conceal such sensors to maintain an attractive and desirable appearance of the distal device 112 within the enclosure 100. In an alternate implementation, the distal device 112 can also be positioned external to the enclosure 100.

2 is a schematic illustration of an HVAC system controlled using a thermostat designed in accordance with an implementation of the present invention. The HVAC system 120 provides heating, cooling, ventilation, and/or air disposal for enclosures such as the single-family home 100 depicted in FIG. System 120 depicts a forced air type heating and cooling system, but other types of HVAC systems may be used, such as radiant heat based systems, heat pump based systems, and others, depending on other implementations.

Upon heating, the heating coil or element 242 within the air handler 240 provides a source of heat via line 236 using electricity or gas. Cool air is drawn from the enclosure using the fan 238 through the return air duct 246 through the filter 270, and the cold air is heated by the heating coil or element 242. The heated air flows back to the enclosure via one or more locations via a supply air duct system 252 and a supply air register, such as register 250. Upon cooling, external compressor 230 transfers a gas, such as chlorofluorocarbon, through heat exchanger coil 244 to cool the gas. The gas then passes through line 232 to cooling coil 234 in air handler 240 where the gas expands, cools, and cools the air circulated via fan 238. If desired, a humidifier 254 can be included in various implementations to return moisture to the air prior to passing the air through conduit system 252. Although not shown in FIG. 2, alternative implementations of HVAC system 120 may have other functionality (such as venting air to the outside and venting air from the outside) to control one or more of the air flow within duct system 252. Dampers, and emergency heating units. The overall operation of the HVAC system 120 is selectively actuated by the control electronics 212 in communication with the thermostat 110 via control wires 248.

3A-3B illustrate a grilling member incorporated in a thermostat designed in accordance with an implementation of the present invention. Thermostat 110 includes a control circuit and is electrically coupled to an HVAC system (such as HVAC system 120 shown in Figures 1 and 2). The design of the grill member 324 is complementary to the smooth, simple, clean and elegant design of the thermostat 110 while facilitating the integration and operation of the sensors positioned within the housing 346 of the thermostat. In the illustrated embodiment, the thermostat 110 is enclosed by a housing 346 having a forward facing surface that includes a cover 314 and a grill member 324. Some implementations of the outer casing 346 include a backing plate 340 and a head unit 310. The outer casing 346 provides an attractive and durable configuration for use by the thermostat 110 and containing one or more integrated sensors therein. In some implementations, the grill member 324 can be flush with the cover 314 on the forward facing surface of the outer casing 346. Simultaneously, the grill member 324, as incorporated into the outer casing 346, does not detract from the housing or commercial trim, and may actually serve as a visually pleasing centerpiece for positioning adjacent portions of the grill member.

The central display area 316 of the cover 314 allows for the display of information relating to the operation of the thermostat, while the outer region 326 of the cover 314 can be opaque using paint or smoke trimming. For example, the central display area 316 can be used to display the current temperature, as illustrated in Figure 3A, where the number "75" indicates 75 degrees.

The fence member 324 is designed to conceal the sensor from being viewed, thereby promoting the visually desirable quality of the thermostat, but still permitting the sensor to receive its respective signals. The opening 318 in the fence member 324 along the forward facing surface of the outer casing allows for signal transmission that would otherwise not pass through the cover 314. For example, glass, polycarbonate, or other similar materials used for cover 314 are capable of transmitting visible light, but are highly attenuated for infrared energy systems having longer wavelengths in the range of 10 microns, which is used for Many passive infrared (PIR) occupancy rate sensors operate in the radiated band. Notably, included in the thermostat according to some preferred implementations are ambient light sensors (not shown) and active proximity sensors that are positioned only near the top of the thermostat behind the cover 314 ( Not shown). Unlike PIR sensors, ambient light sensors and active proximity sensors are configured to detect electromagnetic energy in the visible and shorter infrared spectral bands having wavelengths less than 1 micrometer, cover 314 Glass or polycarbonate materials are not highly attenuated for these spectral bands. In some implementations, the fence member 324 includes an opening 318 in accordance with one or more implementations that allows longer wavelength infrared radiation to pass through the openings toward the passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor 330 as illustrated. Because the fence member 324 is mounted over the radiation receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor 330, the PIR motion sensor 330 continues to receive longer wavelength infrared radiation through the opening 318 and detects the occupancy rate in the enclosure.

Additional implementation of the fence component 324 also facilitates additional sensors to detect other environmental conditions. In some implementations, the grill member 324 assists the temperature sensor 334 positioned inside the outer casing 346 to measure the ambient temperature of the air. The opening 318 in the grill member 324 facilitates air flow toward the temperature sensor 334 positioned below the grill member 324, thereby transferring the external temperature to the interior of the outer casing 346. In other implementations, the fence member 324 can be thermally coupled to the temperature sensor 334 to facilitate thermal transfer from outside the outer casing 346. Details regarding the operation of the fence member 324 and these and other sensors are described in further detail later herein.

The thermostat 110 is embodied in a circular shape and has a ring 312 for receiving user input. The side view of the thermostat 110 of FIG. 3B further emphasizes the curved spherical shape of the cover 314 and the grill member 324 that is gently curved outwardly to match the corresponding surface portion of the outer ring 312. In some implementations, the curvature of the cover 314 can tend to enlarge the information displayed in the central display area 316, thus making the information more readable by the user. The shape of the thermostat 110 not only provides a visually appealing feature when the thermostat 110 is mounted on the wall, but also provides a natural shape for the user to touch and adjust with his or her hand. Thus, the thermostat 110 can have a diameter of about 80 mm or can easily fit another diameter of the hand. In various implementations, rotating the outer ring 312 will allow the user to make adjustments, such as selecting a new target temperature. For example, the target temperature can be increased by rotating the outer ring 312 clockwise, and the target temperature can be reduced by rotating the outer ring 312 counterclockwise.

Preferably, the outer ring 312 is mechanically assembled in a manner that provides a smooth and viscous feel to the user for further promoting overall elegance while also reducing blending or unwanted rotational input. According to various implementations, the outer ring 312 rotates over the plastic bearing and an optical digital encoder is used to measure the rotational movement and/or rotational position of the outer ring 312. According to alternative implementations, other techniques may be used, such as fitting the outer ring 312 to the central shaft member.

In accordance with an implementation of the present invention, the vent 342 facilitates ventilation through a gap 332 between the outer ring 312 and the body of the head unit 310; through a gap 344 between the head unit 310 and the backing plate 340, and via the vent 342 And enter the backplane 340. Some of this air flow may also pass through the opening 318 and be transmitted over the sensor concealed by the grill member 324. In general, air circulation through the gaps 332, 344, opening 318, and vent 342 provides at least two purposes. First, the air circulation allows ambient air to reach one or more sensors positioned inside the thermostat. Second, the air circulation allows the electronics in the thermostat 110 to cool so that heat from the electronic device does not significantly affect the sensing of ambient air characteristics. In addition to the opening 318, other inlet areas for air circulation, such as the gap 332, the gap 344, and the vent 342, are also visually hidden from the user (as shown in Figures 3A-3B), thus allowing for facilitation by the user. Easy to use, simple visually neat design. Alternative implementations of the invention further include a locking mechanism that engages by rotating the screw head 322 for a quarter turn.

4A-4B illustrate the use of a user's hand to control a thermostat designed in accordance with the practice of the present invention. As illustrated, the thermostat 100 is wall mounted, has a circular shape, and has a rotatable outer ring 312 for receiving user input. The cover 314 on the thermostat 110 includes a central display area 316 for providing information and feedback to the user before, during, and after operation of the thermostat 110. In some implementations, the outer region 326 of the cover 314 is scored for the user to push or otherwise manipulate the area of the thermostat 110, and thus the outer region 326 is opaque with paint or smoke trim. In accordance with the present invention, the grille member 324 provides an additional area for the user to rest their hands when viewing or operating the thermostat 110. It can be appreciated that the fence member 324 protects the sensor from the user's hand, but allows the sensor to receive signals and gather information about the environment.

The head unit 310 of the thermostat 110 slides onto a backing plate (not shown) and further includes a head unit front portion 402 and a head unit frame 404. The head unit front portion 402 includes an outer ring 312, a central display region 316 of the cover 314, and an outer region 326, and a grill member 324 designed in accordance with the practice of the present invention. Portions of the electronics and sensors (not shown) in the thermostat 110 are also included in the front portion 402 of the head unit.

According to some implementations, the thermostat 110 is controlled by only two types of user inputs for the purpose of encouraging the user's trust and further facilitating the combination of visual and functional elegance, the first type being the outer ring as illustrated in Figure 4A. 312 (also referred to as a "rotating ring"), and the second type is pushed inwardly on the front portion 402 of the head unit as illustrated in Figure 4B until an audible and/or tactile "click" occurs. "until. According to some implementations, the inward push illustrated in Figure 4B only causes the outer ring 312 to move forward, while in other implementations, the entire head unit front 402 moves inward together when pushed. In some implementations, the cover 314 and the grill member 324 do not rotate with the outer ring 312.

Depending on the implementation, multiple types of user input may be generated depending on the manner in which the inward push of the head unit front 402 is performed. In some implementations, a single short inward push of the head unit front 402 following the release (single click) prior to the occurrence of an audible and/or tactile click can be interpreted as a type of user input. (Also known as "inward card"). In other implementations, pushing the head unit front portion 402 with inward pressure and holding the head unit front portion 402 with inward pressure for an amount of time (such as 1 second to 3 seconds) may be interpreted as another type. User input (also known as "press and hold"). According to some additional implementations, other types of user inputs may be implemented by the user, such as dual cassettes and/or multiple cassettes, as well as pressing and holding for a longer and/or shorter time period. According to other implementations, a speed sensitive or acceleration sensitive rotational input can also be implemented to generate another type of user input (eg, a very large and fast leftward rotation specifying an "Away" living state, with a very large and fast rightward rotation. It is stipulated that "Occupied" residence status).

Figures 5A through 5G illustrate thermostats in various disassembled states, and the position of the grill member 324 designed in accordance with the present invention when the thermostat is associated with the sensor and other components. The disassembled view of thermostat 110 in Figure 5A illustrates head unit 310 that is slidably removed from backing plate 340. In accordance with some implementations, in this configuration, it can be appreciated that the backplane 340 can act as a balanced wall connector for the thermostat 110 contained in the head unit 310, thereby facilitating ease of installation, configuration, and upgrades. . For example, in such implementations, a new upgraded or re-refreshed head unit 310 can be placed over the existing backplane 340 without rewiring or reassembling the thermostat 110 on the wall.

As previously explained and described, the thermostat 110 is wall mounted having a circular shape and a rotatable ring 312 for receiving user input. The thermostat 110 has a cover 314 that includes a central display area 316 and an outer area 326. The head unit 310 of the thermostat 110 is partially slid onto the backing plate 340 and attached to the backing plate 340. According to some implementations, the head can be implemented using magnets, bayonet, latches and latches, tabs or ribs with matching indentations, or simply friction on the mating portions of head unit 310 and backing plate 340. The connection of unit 310 to backplane 340.

In accordance with some implementations, a locking mechanism is provided as desired, wherein the post 502 on the backing plate 340 is engaged by a quarter turn of the latch using a grub screw head or other type of screw head that is coupled to the latch. For example, when the thermostat 110 is installed in a common location, a less common type of screw head (such as a hexagonal or quincunx shape) can be used to provide greater security and prevent removal of the head unit 310. According to some implementations, the head unit 310 includes a processing system 504, a display driver 508, and a wireless communication system 510. Processing system 504 is adapted to cause display driver 508 and central display area 316 to display information to the user and to receive user input via rotating ring 312. According to some implementations, the processing system 504 can maintain and update a thermodynamic model for the enclosure that is installed with the HVAC system. For additional details regarding thermodynamic modeling, see U.S. Patent No. 12/881,463, filed on Sep. 14, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference. According to some implementations, the wireless communication system 510 is configured to communicate with a combination of devices such as personal computers, other thermostats or remote devices and/or HVAC system components.

Electronic device 512 and temperature sensor 514 are vented via vents 342 in backing plate 340. A bubble level 516 is provided to assist in properly orienting the thermostat 110 when the thermostat 110 is mounted on the wall. A wire connector 518 is provided to allow wire connection to the HVAC system. The connection terminal 520 provides an electrical connection between the head unit 310 and the backing plate 340.

5B-5C illustrate top and bottom views of a thermostat backsheet in accordance with an implementation of the present invention. The backing plate 340 is assembled to the wall by screws through the following two openings: a circular hole 522 and a slot-shaped hole 524. By using the slotted apertures 524, the user or installer can make small adjustments in the assembly angle of the backplane 340. As shown in FIG. 5B, the backing plate 340 includes a bubble level 516 that includes a window 526 through which the user can inspect and perform a step assembly of the backing plate 340 on the wall. The HVAC system wires pass through the large rectangular opening 528 and are connected to the wire connector 518. According to some implementations, eight wire connectors are provided (as shown in Figure 5B) and the wire connectors are labeled with a common HVAC system wire name.

Figure 5C illustrates the back side of the backing plate 340 facing the wall when the thermostat 110 is wall mounted. In one implementation, the temperature sensor 514 (generally, it may have a coarser accuracy than the head unit temperature sensor 334, but the scope of the teachings of the present invention is not so limited) is included in the backplane In 340, temperature sensor 514 allows backplane 340 to operate as a functioning thermostat even when head unit 310 has been removed. For example, electronics 512 in backplane 340 includes a microcontroller (MCU) processor and driver circuitry for opening and closing the HVAC control circuitry. For example, such control circuits can be used to turn one or more HVAC functions (such as heating and cooling) on and off. The electronic device 512 also includes flash memory for storing a programmed set of settings that are effective at different times of the day. For example, even when the head unit 310 in FIG. 5A is not attached to the backplane 340, a preset set of programmed setpoint changes of the flash memory can be performed. According to some implementations, the electronic device 512 also includes a power harvesting circuit to obtain power from the HVAC control circuit even when the HVAC common power line is unavailable.

5D-5E illustrate perspective views of portions of head unit 310 of thermostat 110 assembled into a single component and disassembled into a plurality of subassemblies. In the assembled single assembly illustrated in FIG. 5D, the head unit 310 includes a head unit front portion 402 and a head unit frame 404. The head unit 310 of Figure 5D is conveniently designed to be separated from the backplane (not shown) and facilitates easy repair, replacement or upgrade of the electronics, firmware and software in the head unit 310. For example, the thermostat can be upgraded by removing the head unit 310 from the backplane and replacing it with the upgraded or new head unit 310.

As illustrated in Figure 5E, the head unit front portion 402 can be further disassembled into a fence member 324, a cover 314, a head unit front assembly 530, and an outer ring 312. The head unit front assembly 530 is slidably assembled and fastened to the head unit frame 404 to urge the outer ring 312 to be retained between the head unit front assembly 530 and the head unit frame 404. In some implementations, the outer ring 312 can be rotated and receive user input via clockwise or counterclockwise rotation while the head unit front assembly 530 remains fixed in position.

The cover 314 is coupled to the display module 532 and protects the display module 532. The display module 532 is configured to display information to the user viewing the thermostat. As an example, the information displayed by display module 532 can include the current temperature, such as the temperature of 75 degrees displayed by display module 532 in center display area 316 in FIG. 3A. In other implementations, the display module 532 can also display various other information to the user, including set points, configuration information, diagnostics, and thermostat programming details. According to some implementations, display module 532 is a dot matrix layout (individually addressable) such that an arbitrary shape can be produced instead of a segmented layout. According to other implementations, the combination of the dot matrix layout and the segment layout can also be used by the display module 532.

In accordance with the present invention, display module 532 can be implemented using a backlit color liquid crystal display (LCD). According to other implementations, display module 532 can use display technologies such as passive and/or monochrome LCDs, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), or electronic ink display technologies. Electronic ink is a particularly suitable display technique for some implementations because it continues to reflect light without drawing power and energy. In addition, the electronic ink display technology implemented in accordance with the present invention also saves energy because it does not require a particularly short renewed time.

In accordance with the present invention, the fence member 324 can be used to conceal and protect a plurality of different sensors. In some implementations, the sensors can include a temperature sensor 334 and a PIR motion sensor 330 that are integrated with the thermostat. In the implementation illustrated in FIG. 5E, the PIR motion sensor 330 includes a Fresnel lens 534 to assist in directing infrared radiation to the infrared sensitive elements of the PIR motion sensor 330 (not shown in FIG. 5E). . The grill member 324 acts as a cover but transmits substantial amount of infrared radiation through the Fresnel lens 534 and to the infrared sensitive element. As will be described in detail later herein, the design of the fence member 324 allows the PIR motion sensor 330 to detect occupants across a wide range of angles in the vicinity of the thermostat (even when covered by the grill member 324) mobile.

Likewise, the fence member 324 can also conceal the temperature sensor 334 positioned near the bottom of the edge of the Fresnel lens 534 as indicated in Figure 5E. The grill member 324 helps protect the temperature sensor 334 from damage and contributes to the overall streamlined appeal of the thermostat. Additionally, constructing the grill member 324 from a thermally conductive material, such as a metal or metal alloy, can help absorb heat around the thermostat and deliver heat to the temperature sensor 334 for more accurate measurement.

5F-5G illustrate perspective views of a head unit front assembly 530 that behaves as an assembled assembly and that is disassembled into a plurality of subassemblies. In some implementations, the head unit front assembly 530 includes at least three sub-assemblies: a display module 532, a head unit front panel 536, and a head unit circuit board 538. Display module 532 is used to display information to the user and can be separated from head unit front panel 536 as illustrated.

According to some implementations, the head unit front panel 536 is positioned to receive the temperature sensor 334 in the temperature sensor slot 540. Temperature sensor 334 is attached to the planar surface of head unit circuit board 538 and extends generally perpendicular to the planar surface. In contrast, PIR motion sensor 330 is coplanar with the surface of head unit circuit board 538 and thus also perpendicular to temperature sensor 334. When the head unit circuit board 538 is slidably assembled to the back side of the head unit front panel 536, the temperature sensor 334 is caused to follow the normal to the head unit circuit board 538 and the temperature sensor 334 is inserted into the temperature sense. In the detector slot 540. Similarly, slidably fitting the head unit circuit board 538 into the back side of the head unit front panel 536 positions the infrared sensitive element 331 behind the Fresnel lens 534 and is constructed as previously in Figures 5E and 3A. The illustrated PIR motion sensor 330.

The perspective view of the partially assembled head unit front portion 402 of Figure 6 shows the positioning of the fence member 324 designed in accordance with aspects of the present invention relative to several sensors used by the thermostat. In some implementations, the head unit front portion 402 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes an outer ring 312, a grill member 324 positioned on the head unit front assembly 530, wherein the cover 314 is removed as illustrated. . The head unit front portion 402 forms part of the head unit 310 and housing 346 illustrated in Figure 3B for enclosing the thermostat.

In some implementations, the fence member 324 covers one or more sensors used by the thermostat and is attached to the front surface of the housing by the head unit front assembly 530. The design and position of the grill member 324 provides a smooth, smooth, and visually pleasing impression to the user while also improving the durability and functionality of one or more of the concealed sensors. In some implementations, the benefit from the fence member 324 can be attributed to the shape of the opening 318, the material used to fabricate the fence member 324, or the positioning of the fence member 324 relative to one or more sensors, and combination.

In some implementations, the placement of the fence member 324 (as illustrated in Figure 6) over the PIR motion sensor 334 conceals and protects the sensor. For example, the grill component 324 can protect the PIR motion sensor 334 during manufacture, transport, installation, or use of a user's hand operating the thermostat (as illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B). Concealment not only protects the PIR motion sensor 334, but also facilitates a visually pleasing thermostat suitable for use in a variety of residential and commercial applications.

In accordance with an implementation of the present invention, one or more openings 318 in the design of the fence member 324 allow the PIR motion sensor 334 (although concealed) to detect lateral motion of an occupant in a room or area. Positioning the PIR motion sensor 334 along the front of the head unit front assembly 530 to the surface allows the radiation receiving element of the sensor to continue to detect infrared radiation emitted by the occupant near the thermostat. As described in further detail later herein, the PIR motion sensor 334 can detect laterally moving occupants due to the shape of the opening 318, which is slit and elongated along a substantially horizontal direction. In some implementations, the Fresnel lens 534 helps focus the radiation from such occupants onto the infrared sensitive sensor elements (not shown in Figure 6) of the PIR motion sensor 334. For example, the fence member 324 has one or more openings that are placed over the radiation receiving elements of the PIR motion sensor 334 and the Fresnel lens 534. Although the grill member 324 can be constructed from a variety of materials including metals, plastics, glass, carbon composites, and metal alloys, it is generally preferred to have a high thermal conductivity for the purpose of increasing temperature sensing accuracy. Made of materials such as metals or metal alloys.

The grill member 324 can also enhance the operation of the sensor in the thermostat. In some implementations, not only the temperature sensor 334 is protected, but the detection of the ambient temperature is enhanced by the placement of the fence member 324. For example, where the fence member 324 is made of a thermally conductive material, such as a metal or metal alloy, it operates as a "hot antenna" and is more likely to be sampled than the temperature sensor 334 would otherwise sample. The wide area absorbs the ambient temperature. Temperature sensor 334 positioned substantially perpendicular to head unit circuit board 538 toward guard member 324 may be sufficiently close to receive heat absorbed by grill member 324.

In some implementations, applying a thermally conductive material 542 (such as a paste, thermal adhesive, or thermal grease) between the temperature sensor 334 and the gate member 324 to the surface will improve the heat between the two components. Accuracy of conductivity and temperature measurement. Thermally coupling the grill member 324 to the temperature sensor 334 assists the temperature sensor 334 in measuring the ambient air temperature outside of the housing that holds the thermostat rather than inside.

Some implementations of temperature sensor 330 may use a pair of thermal sensors to more accurately measure ambient temperature. The first or upper thermal sensor 330a associated with the temperature sensor 330 tends to collect temperature data that is closer to an area external to or external to the thermostat, while the second or lower thermal sensor 330b It tends to collect temperature data that is more closely related to the interior of the outer casing. In one implementation, each of temperature sensors 330a and 330b includes a Texas Instruments TMP112 digital temperature sensor wafer. In order to determine the ambient temperature more accurately, the temperature taken from the lower thermal sensor 330b is considered in view of the temperature measured by the upper thermal sensor 330a and when the effective ambient temperature is determined. This configuration can advantageously be used to compensate for the effects of heat generated in the thermostat by the microprocessor and/or other electronic components in the thermostat, thereby preventing or minimizing temperature measurement errors that would otherwise be encountered. In some implementations, the accuracy of the ambient temperature measurement can be further enhanced by thermally coupling the thermal sensor 330a above the temperature sensor 330 to the grill component 324, as compared to the upper thermal sensor 330a. The lower thermal sensor 334b preferably reflects the ambient temperature. The use of a pair of thermal sensors to determine the details of the effective ambient temperature is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,741,476, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Patents are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Illustratively referring to FIGS. 5F to 5G and FIG. 6, the mutual positioning and configuration of the fence member 324, the Fresnel lens 534, the PIR sensor 330, the upper thermal sensor 330a, and the lower thermal sensor 330b are provided. An advantageous and synergistic combination of physical tightness and visual sensor concealment, along with promoting ambient temperature sensor accuracy and maintaining PIR occupancy rate sensing functionality. In some ways, this situation can be seen as a beneficial result of the "dual use" of the critical volume of the space between the Fresnel lens 534 and the surface of the PIR sensor 334, where the Fresnel lens 534 and PIR The necessary spacing between the surfaces of the sensors 334 also serves as a space across which the temperature gradient between the lower thermal sensor 330b and the upper thermal sensor 330a is formed and sensed, which is sufficient Utilize to provide better ambient temperature sensing than ambient temperature sensing to be provided by a single point thermal sensor. Again, the tightness promoted by the configuration of elements 534/334/330a/330b allows it to be placed behind the grille 324 without substantially increasing the need for outward protrusion of the overall outer casing. At the same time, for the preferred implementation of the barrier component 324 being metal and thermally coupled to the upper thermal sensor 330a, the high thermal conductivity of the barrier component 324 further enhances the accuracy of the temperature measurement by acting as a "thermal antenna." This is added to its hidden and ambient air access.

Figures 7A-7B illustrate in detail how the source of infrared light interacts with a slit-like opening in a fence component designed in accordance with the present invention. To emphasize the interaction, Figure 7A illustrates a fence member 324 having an opening 318 and a PIR motion sensor 530 positioned behind the fence member 324 (when it will be in a thermostat designed in accordance with the present invention). According to some implementations, the opening 318 is slotted along a substantially horizontal direction as illustrated. Infrared sources can be viewed across a wide range of angular angles, such as lateral movements by occupants moving across a room or other area. To illustrate this range, FIG. 7A has arrows representing left infrared source 702, central infrared source 706, and right infrared source 704. For example, an occupant who walks across the room in front of a thermostat having a grill member 324 may first emit radiation that appears as a left infrared source 702, then gradually emits radiation that appears as a central infrared source 706, and then gradually The ground emission is the radiation of the right infrared source 704.

As schematically shown in FIG. 7A, the slit-like opening 318 of the fence member 324 allows a wide range of infrared sources to pass through toward the PIR motion sensor 330. Both the left infrared source 702 and the right infrared source 704 can be transmitted along the elongated horizontal opening 318 as indicated by the arrows of such sources. The central infrared source 706 is also passed through the opening 318 in the grill member 324, as permitted by the vertical height of one or more slits. Thus, it can also be appreciated that the opening 318 from the fence member 324 having a slot-like shape allows the PIR motion sensor 330 to detect radiation emitted by an occupant that moves laterally across a wide range of angles near the thermostat. . For example, the grill member 324 can detect an occupant moving to the left of the grill member 324 as the left infrared source 702, or an occupant moving to the right of the grill member 324 as the right infrared source 704. A person moving generally at the center of the grill member 324 will appear as a central infrared source 706 and also pass through the opening 318 toward the PIR motion sensor 330. In effect, the fence member 324 will also pass many other sources of infrared light through the opening 318 at an angle between the left infrared source 702, the central infrared source 706, and the right infrared source 704 toward the PIR motion sensor 330.

Figure 7B illustrates the effect of the occupant moving through the PIR motion sensor in the thermostat covered by the grill member of the present invention. A PIR motion sensor (not shown in Figure 7B) is located behind the grill member 324, much like the PIR motion sensor 330 of Figure 7A. The PIR motion sensor is capable of detecting lateral changes in the radiation 710 caused by laterally moving sources of infrared radiation, such as people walking around in a room. In order for the occupancy rate detector to function properly, such lateral changes in radiation 710 caused by the occupants must be distinguished from the overall change in infrared radiation caused by daylight and ambient heat (sometimes referred to as a common mode signal).

In some implementations, the PIR motion sensor has a pair of differential sensing elements that are arranged to have opposite polarities to reject common mode signals generated by radiation 710. When the occupant 708 is absent or not moving, a sudden overall change in the radiation 710 caused by daylight, heat or vibration produces a complementary signal from the pair of differential sensing elements simultaneously. Complementary signals from the pair of differential sensing elements immediately cancel out such false positive or common mode signals.

In comparison, the occupant 708 that moves laterally across the room or other space near the thermostat 110 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 7B produces a localized change in the radiation 710. The localized change in radiation 710 is detected and partially offset by the common mode signal of radiation 710 because the sensing elements are arranged along the horizontal axis and are triggered sequentially, rather than simultaneously, by lateral movement. Because the opening 318 in the grill member 324 is slotted, the radiation 710 enters the thermostat 110 and is detected by the PIR motion sensor, regardless of whether the occupant 708 moves laterally from the extreme right near the thermostat, Move laterally at the extreme left or laterally near the central region.

8A-8D illustrate changing the opening of the fence member along a vertical distance to change the sensitivity of the PIR motion sensor in accordance with aspects of the present invention. In general, the sensitivity of the PIR motion sensor to the height of the occupant can be varied by varying the vertical span of the opening in the grill component. According to some implementations, the fence member 802 illustrated in Figure 8A is positioned on the forward surface of the thermostat 810 that is mounted to the wall. Thermostat 810 is partially shown in FIG. 8B for convenience, but is similar to thermostat 110 described and illustrated in FIG. 3A. The fence member 802 of Figure 8A has a plurality of rows of openings 806, each of which has a slot-like shape and is organized along a vertical span 804. Thus, the PIR motion sensor (not shown in Figures 8A-8D) behind the grill member 802 is used with the thermostat 810 of Figure 8B and has a sensitive angle 808 or θ ₁ . If the height of the occupant is within the sensitive angle 808, the PIR motion sensor in the thermostat 810 of Figure 8B should be capable of detecting the radiation emitted by the lateral movement of the occupant. Conversely, an occupant whose height drops below the sensitive angle 808 cannot be detected by the PIR motion sensor in the thermostat 810 of FIG. 8B.

According to an alternative implementation, the sensitivity to height can be reduced as illustrated in Figure 8C by reducing the number of columns or openings across the vertical span. The number of rows of openings 816 in the fence member 812 illustrated in FIG. 8C is less than the number of openings 806 compared to the fence member 802. Moreover, the opening 816 in the grill member 812 extends over the vertical span 814, which is narrower and positioned higher than the vertical span 804 in the grill member 802. Thus, the use of the fence member 812 in the thermostat 810 of Figure 8D can result in a narrower sensitivity angle 818 or θ ₂ than the previously described sensitive angle 808 or θ ₁ . For example, the PIR motion sensor behind the grill component 812 on the thermostat 810 of Figure 8D will not detect occupants whose height is outside the sensitive angle 818 or θ ₂ . As a result, the same occupant detected by the thermostat 810 having the grill member 802 may not be high enough to be detected by the thermostat 810 using the grill member 812. Depending on the installation, it may be more desirable to use a grill member that is more similar to the grill member 812 in order to limit the detection of occupants that are higher in height. In order to detect occupants that may be shorter in height, it may be more desirable to use the grill member 802 in the thermostat 810.

Because FIGS. 8A-8D are illustrative, the shape, number, size, organization, and location of the openings in the fence members 802 and 812 are merely exemplary and for comparison purposes. In fact, the design of the grille component of the present invention should not be limited by the particular size, number of openings, particular shape, or absolute or relative position of such or other features.

In some implementations, different fence components can be fabricated with a different number of openings having slit-like dimensions configured in one or more columns. For example, depending on the desired sensitivity to the height of the occupant and the location of the thermostat 810 on the wall or other location, the person installing the thermostat 810 can select and install different grill components. In other implementations, the installer can use a masking component attached to the back opening in the grille component to modify the opening and adjust for sensitivity to height. Instead of making different grill components, a shroud component can be used to cover or expose the desired number of openings in the grill component to modify one grill component. For example, the masking component can be a plastic or metal fitting having a slot-like dimension applied to the back side of the grille component 802 that fills one or more of the openings 806. These fittings of the masking member can be trimmed with the same hue or color as the surface of the grilling member 802 to modulate the overall appearance of the grilling member 802. Thus, the sensitivity to the height of the occupant may vary depending on the coverage of the substantially horizontal gap-like opening by the masking member, which is used to transmit the emitted radiation to the PIR motion sensing. The receiving surface of the device.

Referring to Figure 9, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a flow chart outlines the operations associated with integrating sensor capabilities with thermostats and grill components. In some implementations, the integrating operation includes providing a housing for the thermostat that is designed to provide an attractive and durable configuration (902) for one or more integrated sensors. The housing for the thermostat can be housing 346 and thermostat 110 as illustrated in Figure 3B as previously described. The thermostat is enclosed by an outer casing having a front face for the cover and the fence member for use in accordance with the present invention. One or more integrated sensors protected by the housing may include occupancy sensors, such as PIR motion detectors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, proximity sensors, or may be used to operate the thermostat Other sensors of the device. Placing these and other sensors inside the housing protects the sensors from accidental shock or breakage during manufacture, shipping, installation or use. Because the sensor is protected inside the housing, the sensor is more likely to maintain its calibration and provide accurate measurements for the thermostat.

In addition, the integration operation may also provide a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor (904) disposed within the housing and for sensing the occupancy rate in the vicinity of the thermostat. In some implementations, the PIR motion sensor has a radiation receiving surface that is capable of detecting radiation emitted toward the surface by the lateral movement of a nearby occupant toward the outer casing. The occupancy rate information detected by the PIR motion sensor can be used by the thermostat to better adjust the heating or cooling operation of the HVAC in the enclosure (such as a residential building). In some implementations, the thermostat can use the occupancy rate information to turn on the HVAC when the occupancy rate is detected, and turn off the HVAC when the no occupancy rate is detected by the PIR motion sensor. In an alternate implementation, the thermostat may use the occupancy rate information generated by the PIR motion sensor as part of a heuristic that learns when the enclosure is likely to be inhabited or uninhabited and is expected to be heated or cooled. This temptation may use real-time and historical geographical weather trends and other factors combined with the learned residential patterns to Determine when the enclosure needs to be cooled or heated. A temperature sensor disposed inside the casing may also be provided to detect the ambient temperature near the thermostat. The PIR motion sensor and temperature sensor can be similar to the PIR motion sensor 330 and temperature sensor 334 illustrated in FIG. 6, respectively, as previously described.

In accordance with the present invention, the integrating operation can further attach a grill member (906) along the forward facing surface of the housing and over the radiation receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. As previously described, the grill member can substantially conceal and protect the PIR motion sensor disposed within the housing. The concealed PIR motion sensor promotes the visually desirable quality of the thermostat and protects the PIR motion sensor during manufacturing, shipping, installation, and use. In some implementations, the grille component can be similar to the grille component 324 previously described and illustrated with respect to FIG. 3A. Thus, the grill component can be made from one or more materials selected from the group consisting of metals, plastics, glass, carbon composites, metal-carbon composites, and metal alloys. The grille component can be a thermally conductive material such as a metal or metal alloy and can be thermally coupled to a temperature sensor that is also disposed within the outer casing of the thermostat. In some implementations, thermally coupling the temperature sensor to the grill component assists the temperature sensor in measuring the temperature of the ambient temperature of the air measured outside of the enclosure rather than inside the enclosure.

10A-10B illustrate a visually constrained thermostat 1800 having a user affinity interface, in accordance with some embodiments. The thermostat 1800 of Figures 10A-10B is generally similar to the thermostat 110 of Figures 3A-3B described above, with additional and/or alternative aspects of the thermostat being described below. The term "thermostat" is used hereinafter to refer to the specific type of multi-function sensing described in the above-mentioned commonly-assigned U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/429,093. And the control unit (VSCU), which is particularly suitable for HVAC control in enclosures. Although the "thermostat" and "VSCU unit" can be considered interchangeable for the context of the HVAC control of the enclosure, each of the above and below embodiments of the VSCU unit to be applied to such VSCU units One is within the scope of the teachings of the present invention, the VSCU units having measurable characteristics other than temperature (eg, pressure, flow rate, altitude, position, velocity, acceleration, capacity, power, loudness, brightness) Control functionality for any of a variety of different control systems involving the control of one or more of the one or more physical systems, and/or other energy or resource consuming systems (such as water) Control of the use of systems, air use systems, systems involving the use of other natural resources, and systems involving the use of various other forms of energy. Unlike many prior art thermostats, the thermostat 1800 preferably has a smooth, simple, neat, and elegant design that does not detract from the décor of the home, and can actually serve as an adjacent location for mounting the thermostat. Visually agree with the centerpiece. In addition, user interaction with the thermostat 1800 is facilitated and greatly enhanced by the design of the thermostat 1800 as compared to known conventional thermostats. Thermostat 1800 includes a control circuit and is electrically coupled to an HVAC system, such as an HVAC system shown as having the thermostat of Figures 1 and 2 above. The thermostat 1800 is wall mounted, has a circular shape, and has an outer rotatable ring 1812 for receiving user input. The thermostat 1800 has a circular shape in that it exhibits a substantially disk-like object when assembled on a wall. The thermostat 1800 has a large front face located inside the outer ring 1812. According to some embodiments, the thermostat 1800 has a diameter of approximately 80 mm. External rotatable ring 1812 allows the user to tune Integer, for example, to select a new target temperature. For example, by rotating the outer ring 1812 clockwise, the target temperature can be increased, and by rotating the outer ring 1812 counterclockwise, the target temperature can be reduced. The front face of the thermostat 1800 includes a transparent cover 1814, which in accordance with some embodiments, is a polycarbonate; and a metal portion 1824, which preferably has a plurality of slots formed therein as shown. According to some embodiments, the surface of the cover 1814 and the metal portion 1824 form a generally outwardly curved or spherical shape that is gently curved outwardly, and this relaxed arcuate shape continues by the outer ring 1812.

Although formed from a single lens-like material piece, such as polycarbonate, the cover 1814 has two distinct zones or portions including an outer portion 1814o and a central portion 1814i. According to some embodiments, the cover 1814 is painted or smoked around the outer portion 1814o, but the central portion 1814i is visibly transparent to facilitate inspection of the electronic display 1816 disposed thereunder. According to some embodiments, the curved cover 1814 acts as a lens that tends to expand the information displayed to the user in the electronic display 1816. According to some embodiments, the central electronic display 1816 is a dot matrix layout (individually addressable) such that an arbitrary shape can be produced instead of a segmented layout. According to some embodiments, a combination of a dot matrix layout and a segmentation layout is used. According to some embodiments, the center display 1816 is a backlit color liquid crystal display (LCD). An example of information displayed on electronic display 1816 is illustrated in Figure 10A and includes a central value 1820 representing the current set point temperature. According to some embodiments, the metal portion 1824 has a plurality of slot-like openings to facilitate use of the passive infrared motion sensor 1830 mounted thereunder. Alternatively, metal portion 1824 can be referred to as a metal front grill portion. Metal part / A further description of the front grille portion is provided in the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/199,108. Thermostat 1800 is preferably constructed such that electronic display 1816 is in a fixed orientation and does not rotate with outer ring 1812, such that electronic display 1816 remains readily readable by the user. For some embodiments, the cover 1814 and the metal portion 1824 are also maintained in a fixed orientation and do not rotate with the outer ring 1812. According to one embodiment in which the diameter of the thermostat 1800 is about 80 mm, the diameter of the electronic display 1816 is about 45 mm. According to some embodiments, LED indicator 1880 is positioned below portion 1824 to serve as a low power consumption indicator for a particular state condition. For example, when the rechargeable battery of the thermostat (see FIG. 4A, below) is extremely low and recharged, the LED indicator 1880 can be used to display a flashing red color. More generally, the LED indicator 1880 can be used to communicate one or more status codes or error codes depending on various combinations of red, green, red, and green, various blinking rates, and the like, which may be useful for troubleshooting purposes.

Motion sensing and other techniques can be used for the detection and/or prediction of the occupancy rate, as further described in the above-referenced U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/881,430. According to some embodiments, the occupancy rate information is used to generate an efficient and efficient scheduling program. Preferably, an active proximity sensor 1870A is provided to detect an approaching user by infrared light reflection and a ambient light sensor 1870B is provided to sense visible light. The proximity sensor 1870A can be used to detect the proximity within a range of about one meter, such that the thermostat 1800 can initiate a "wake up" when the user is approaching the thermostat and before the user touches the thermostat. "." The use of proximity sensing is used to "ready" or be ready for the user when the user is ready to interact with the thermostat. Extremely "ready" interactions with the thermostat to enhance the user experience. In addition, the functionality of wake-up on proximity also allows for energy savings in the thermostat by "sleeping" when no user interaction occurs or is about to occur. The ambient light sensor 1870B can be used for a variety of intelligent gathering purposes, such as for facilitating confirmation of occupancy rates when detecting sharply rising or falling edges (because there is likely to be an occupant to turn the lights on and off), and for example for detecting A long-term (eg, 24 hour) pattern of ambient light intensity is measured for confirmation and/or automatic establishment of the time of day.

According to some embodiments, the thermostat 1800 is controlled by only two types of user inputs for the purpose of encouraging the user's trust and further facilitating the combination of visual and functional elegance, the first type being rotated as illustrated in Figure 10A. Ring 1812 (hereinafter referred to as "rotary ring" or "ring rotation" input), and the second type is pushed inwardly on the outer top cover 1808 (see Figure 10B) until an audible and/or tactile sensation occurs. It is called "inward card" or simply "card" in the following). For the embodiment of Figures 10A-10B, the outer cap 1808 is an assembly that includes all of the outer ring 1812, the cover 1814, the electronic display 1816, and the metal portion 1824. When pressed by the user inwardly, the outer cap 1808 is inwardly advanced by a small amount (such as 0.5 mm) against the inner metal hemispherical switch (not shown), and then can be released when the inward pressure is released The spring mode returns outwardly for the same amount, thereby providing the user's hand with a satisfactory tactile "click" feel, along with a correspondingly audible click sound. Thus, for the embodiment of Figures 10A-10B, the inward latch can be achieved by pressing directly onto the outer ring 1812 itself, or by relying on the cover 1814, metal Inward pressure is provided on portion 1814 to indirectly press the outer ring, or by various combinations thereof. For other embodiments, the thermostat 1800 can be mechanically configured such that only the outer ring 1812 travels inward for input to the inner cassette, while the cover 1814 and the metal portion 1824 remain stationary. It will be appreciated that a variety of different options and combinations of particular mechanical components that are inwardly advanced to achieve an "inward click" are within the scope of the teachings of the present invention, whether it be the outer ring 1812 itself or the cover 1814 Part or a combination thereof. However, it has been found to be particularly advantageous to provide the user with the ability to quickly and repeatedly travel between "ring rotation" and "inward click" with a single hand and with the minimum amount of time and effort involved. And, therefore, it has been found to be particularly advantageous to provide the ability to snap inwardly by pressing the outer ring 1812, since the user's fingers do not need to be lifted to contact the device or slide along its surface, so that The ring rotates and runs between the inward latches. Moreover, relying on the strategic placement of the electronic display 1816 at the center of the rotatable ring 1812 provides an additional advantage in that the user can naturally focus their attention on the electronic display throughout the input program, just as the hand is The middle of where the function of the electronic display is performed. Intuitive outer ring rotation (especially as applied to, but not limited to, changes in the set point temperature of the thermostat, conveniently spliced together with a satisfactory inward clicker entity) along with the center of the activity of the finger The combination of natural concentration of electronic displays significantly increases the intuitive, seamless and entertaining user experience. An advantageous mechanical user interface and related design for use in accordance with some embodiments can be found in the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/033,573, the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 29/ 386, 021, and the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/199,108. .

Figure 10C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the shell portion 1809 of the frame of the thermostat of Figures 10A through 10B, which has been found to be inspected against a variety of different wall colors and wall textures in a variety of different housing environments and housing settings. Portion 1809 provides a particularly desirable and adaptable visual appearance of the overall thermostat 1800. While the thermostat itself will be functionally adapted to the user's schedule as described herein and in one or more of the above-mentioned co-transfer application, the outer shell portion 1809 is specifically grouped In order to convey the "chameleon" quality or characteristics, the overall device appears to be naturally blended visually and decoratively in many of the most common wall colors and wall textures found in residential and commercial environments. This is at least in part because the device appears to have a surrounding color and a uniform texture when viewed from many different angles. The shell portion 1809 has the shape of a gently curved frustum when viewed in cross section and includes sidewalls 1876 made of a transparent solid material such as polycarbonate plastic. The sidewall 1876 is back painted with a substantially matte silver or nickel colored paint that is applied to the interior surface 1878 of the sidewall 1876 but not to its exterior surface 1877. The outer surface 1877 is smooth and shiny but not painted. The side wall 1876 can have a thickness T of about 1.5 mm, a diameter d1 of about 78.8 mm closer to the first end of the wall when assembled, and a diameter d2 of about 81.2 mm at a second end that is farther from the wall when assembled. The change in diameter occurs across an outward width dimension "h" of about 22.5 mm, which occurs in a linear manner or better in a slightly non-linear manner, with a slightly non-linear way of increasing the outward distance to form A slightly curved shape when viewed in a cross section, as shown in Fig. 10C. The outer top cover 1808 outer ring 1812 is preferably constructed to Matching to the diameter d2, which is disposed adjacent to the second end of the shell portion 1809 across the equal gap gap g1 from the second end of the shell portion 1809, and then returns to the inwardly gently curved shape to traverse the small The gap g2 merges with the cover 1814. Of course, it should be understood that FIG. 10C illustrates only the outer shell portion 1809 of the thermostat 1800, and that there are many electronic components within the thermostat 1800 that are omitted from FIG. 10C for clarity of presentation, and such electronic components are further The other is described in the following and/or the co-transfer of the incorporated application (such as the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/199,108).

The thermostat 1800 includes a processing system 1860, a display driver 1864, and a wireless communication system 1866, in accordance with some embodiments. Processing system 1860 is adapted to cause display driver 1864 and display area 1816 to display information to the user and to receive user input via rotatable ring 1812. According to some embodiments, the processing system 1860 is capable of performing a control of the operation of the thermostat 1800 including the user interface features described herein. The processing system 1860 is further programmed and configured to perform other operations as further described below in the remainder of the incorporated application. For example, the processing system 1860 is further programmed and configured to maintain and update a thermodynamic model for an enclosure that is mounted with an HVAC system, such as described in the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 12/881,463. In accordance with some embodiments, the wireless communication system 1866 is configured to communicate with devices such as personal computers and/or other thermostats or HVAC system components, which may be peer-to-peer communication, via one or more servos located on a private network. Communication of the device, and/or communication via cloud-based services.

11A to 11B illustrate the thermostat 1800 with respect to its two main components, respectively. An exploded front and rear perspective view of the assembly, which is head unit 1900 and back panel 2000. Additional technical and/or functional descriptions of each of the electrical and mechanical components described hereinafter may be found in one or more of the co-transfer application (such as the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/199,108) )in. In the illustrated pattern, the "z" direction is outward from the wall, the "y" direction is relative to the head-to-toe direction of the user moving forward, and the "x" direction is the user's left-to-right direction.

12A-12B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views, respectively, of the head unit 1900 relative to its main components. The head unit 1900 includes a head unit frame 1910, an outer ring 1920 (which is manipulated for ring rotation), a head unit front assembly 1930, a front lens 1980, and a front grille 1990. The electrical components on the head unit front assembly 1930 can be connected to the electrical components on the backplane 2000 by means of ribbon cables and/or other receptacle type electrical connectors.

Figures 13A-13B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views, respectively, of the head unit front assembly 1930 relative to its main components. The head unit front assembly 1930 includes a head unit circuit board 1940, a head unit front panel 1950, and an LCD module 1960. The components on the front side of the head unit circuit board 1940 are hidden behind the RF shield in Figure 13A, but are discussed in more detail below with respect to Figure 16. On the back of the head unit circuit board 1940 is a rechargeable lithium ion battery 1944. For a preferred embodiment, the rechargeable lithium ion battery 1944 has a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts and a nominal capacity of 560 mAh. However, to extend battery life, battery 1944 is typically not charged over 450 mAh by a thermostat battery charging circuit. In addition, although it is determined that the battery 1944 can be charged to 4.2 volts, the thermostat battery charging circuit usually does not charge it. The electricity exceeds 3.95 volts. Also visible in FIG. 13B is an optical hand guide module 1942 that is configured and positioned to sense rotation of the outer ring 1920. Module 1942 uses a method similar to that of an optical computer mouse to sense movement of the texturable surface on the opposite perimeter of outer ring 1920. Notably, module 1942 is one of the few sensors that are controlled by a relatively strong power head unit microprocessor rather than a relatively low power backplane microprocessor. This situation can be achieved without excessive power depletion, because when the user manually turns the dial, the head unit microprocessor will not wake up unchanged, so there is no excessive wakeup anyway. The power is exhausted. Advantageously, a very fast response can also be provided by the head unit microprocessor. Also visible in Figure 13A is a Fresnel lens 1957 that operates in conjunction with a PIR motion sensor disposed thereunder.

14A-14B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views, respectively, of the backplate unit 2000 relative to its main components. The backplane unit 2000 includes a backplane rear panel 2010, a backplane circuit board 2020, and a backplane cover 2080. What can be seen in FIG. 14A is a HVAC wire connector 2022 that includes an integrated wire insertion sensing circuit, and two relatively large capacitors 2024 that are powered by a power stealing circuit that is mounted on the back side of the backplane circuit board 2020. Some of these are used and are discussed further below with respect to FIG.

Figure 15 illustrates a perspective view of a partially assembled head unit front portion 1900 showing the positioning of the fence member 1990 designed in accordance with aspects of the present invention relative to several sensors used by the thermostat. In some implementations, as described further in the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/199,108, the placement of the fence member 1990 over the Fresnel lens 1957 and associated PIR motion sensor 334 The PIR sensing elements are concealed and protected, while the horizontal slots in the fence component 1990 allow the PIR motion sensing hardware (although concealed) to detect lateral motion of the occupants in the room or area. The temperature sensor 330 uses a pair of thermal sensors to more accurately measure the ambient temperature. The first or upper thermal sensor 330a associated with the temperature sensor 330 tends to collect temperature data that is closer to an area external to or external to the thermostat, while the second or lower thermal sensor 330b It tends to collect temperature data that is more closely related to the interior of the outer casing. In one implementation, each of temperature sensors 330a and 330b includes a Texas Instruments TMP112 digital temperature sensor wafer, and PIR motion sensor 334 includes a PerkinElmer DigiPyro PYD 1998 dual element pyrodetector. ).

In order to determine the ambient temperature more accurately, the temperature taken from the lower thermal sensor 330b is considered in view of the temperature measured by the upper thermal sensor 330a and when the effective ambient temperature is determined. This configuration can advantageously be used to compensate for the effects of heat generated in the thermostat by the microprocessor and/or other electronic components in the thermostat, thereby preventing or minimizing temperature measurement errors that would otherwise be encountered. In some implementations, the accuracy of the ambient temperature measurement can be further enhanced by thermally coupling the thermal sensor 330a above the temperature sensor 330 to the grill component 1990, as compared to the upper thermal sensor 330a. The lower thermal sensor 334b preferably reflects the ambient temperature. Details regarding the use of a pair of thermal sensors to determine the effective ambient temperature are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,741,476, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Figure 16 illustrates a front view of a head unit circuit board 1940 that includes a head unit microprocessor 2402 (such as Texas) Instruments AM3703 wafer) and associated oscillator 2404, along with DDR SDRAM memory 2406, and bulk NAND memory 2408. For Wi-Fi capabilities, a Wi-Fi module 2410 is provided in a separate compartment of the RF shield 2434, such as the Murata Wireless Solutions LBWA19XSLZ module, which is based on the Texas Instruments WL1270 chipset supporting the 802.11 b/g/n WLAN standard. . For the Wi-Fi module 2410, a support circuit 2412 including an oscillator 2414 is provided. For ZigBee capabilities, a ZigBee module 2416 is also provided in the split shielded RF compartment, which can be, for example, a C2530F256 module from Texas Instruments. For the ZigBee module 2416, a support circuit 2418 including an oscillator 2419 and a low noise amplifier 2420 is provided. A display backlight voltage conversion circuit 2422, a piezoelectric drive circuit 2424, and a power management circuit 2426 (local power rail, etc.) are also provided. A proximity and ambient light sensor (PROX/ALS) is provided on the flex circuit 2428 attached to the back of the head unit circuit board by the flex circuit connector 2430, and more particularly, has an I2C interface Silicon Labs SI1142 proximity/surrounding light sensor. A battery charging supervisory disconnect circuit 2432 and a spring/RF antenna 2436 are also provided. A temperature sensor 2438 is also provided (rising perpendicular to the board in the +z direction, containing two separate temperature sensing elements at different distances from the board) and a PIR motion sensor 2440. Notably, even though the PROX/ALS and temperature sensor 2438 and the PIR motion sensor 2440 are physically positioned on the head unit circuit board 1940, all of these sensors are on the backplane circuit board. The low power backplane microcontroller polls and controls the electrical connections to the backplane circuit board.

Figure 17 illustrates a rear view of the backplane circuit board 2020, the backplane circuit board 2020 package A backplane processor/microcontroller 2502, such as a Texas Instruments MSP430F system single chip microcontroller including onboard memory 2503. Backplane circuit board 2020 further includes power supply circuitry 2504 (which includes power stealing circuitry), and switching circuitry 2506 for each HVAC individual HVAC function. For each such function, switching circuit 2506 includes an isolation transformer 2508 and a back-to-back NFET package 2510. The use of FETs in the switching circuit allows for "active power stealing", that is, by briefly diverting power from the HVAC relay circuit to the reservoir capacitor for a very small time interval (such as 100 during the HVAC "on" cycle. Get electricity in microseconds). This time is small enough not to trip the HVAC relay to the "off" state, but is sufficient to charge the reservoir capacitor. The use of FETs allows for this fast switching time (100 microseconds), which would be difficult to achieve with relays that continue to stay for tens of milliseconds. Again, such relays will tend to degrade such fast switching and will also produce audible noise. In contrast, FETs operate with substantially no audible noise. A combined temperature/humidity sensor module 2512, such as the Sensirion SHT21 module, is also provided. The backplane microcontroller 2502 performs polling of various sensors, sensing for mechanical wire insertion during installation, changing head units with respect to current relative to set point temperature conditions, and correspondingly actuating switches, and others Function (such as finding the appropriate signal on the inserted wire during installation).

The thermostat 1800 represents advanced in accordance with the above-mentioned teachings of the United States Application No. 13/269, 501, the aforementioned co-transfer of U.S. Application Serial No. 13/275,307, and the entire disclosure of the co-transfer application. Multi-sensing microprocessor-controlled smart or "learning" thermostat A rich combination of processing power, intuitive and visually pleasing user interface, network connectivity and energy saving capabilities (including the automatic departure/auto-arrival algorithms described so far) without the need for so-called "C" from HVAC systems Wire" or line power from a household wall outlet (even if such advanced functionality may require safer delivery than a "power stealing" option (ie, extracting a smaller amount of power from one or more HVAC call relays) The instantaneous power draws a larger instantaneous power draw). By way of example, head unit microprocessor 2402 can draw approximately 250 mW during wake-up and processing, and LCD module 1960 can draw approximately 250 mW while active. In addition, the Wi-Fi module 2410 can draw 250 mW while active and needs to be active on a consistent basis, such as a consistent 2% duty cycle in a common scenario. However, in order to avoid erroneously jumping off HVAC relays for a large number of commercially used HVAC systems, power stealing circuits are often limited to power supply capabilities of approximately 100 mW to 200 mW, which would not be sufficient for supply in many common scenarios. Required power.

The thermostat 1800 relies at least on the use of a rechargeable battery 1944 (or equivalently capable of onboard power storage media) to address such issues, and the rechargeable battery 1944 will be safely available in hardware power usage less than power theft. The hardware power is recharged during the time interval of use and will be discharged during the time interval in which the hard power usage is greater than the hard power safely available for power stealing to provide the required additional power. In order to operate in a battery-aware manner that promotes reduced power usage and extended life of rechargeable batteries, thermostat 1800 has two of the following: (i) enables faster execution of more complex functions (such as driving a visually pleasing user interface) Display, and perform various Mechanically learning type) a relatively powerful and relatively powerful first processor (such as the Texas Instruments AM3703 microprocessor), and (ii) for performing less powerful tasks (including driving and controlling the occupancy rate sensor) A relatively less powerful and less powerful second processor (such as the Texas Instruments MSP430 microcontroller). In order to save valuable power, the first processor is maintained in the "sleep" state for an extended period of time and only "wakes up" at the time when it is required, so that the second processor continues more or less continuously (although The particular internal clock is preferably slowed or deactivated for a short periodic time interval to conserve power to perform its relatively low power task. The first processor and the second processor are configured to each other such that the second processor can "wake up" the first processor when a particular event occurs, which can be referred to as a "wake-on" facility . These wake-up devices can be turned on and off as part of the different functions and/or power saving goals to be achieved. For example, a "wake-up on PROX" facility can be provided, by which the second processor is relying on an active proximity sensor (PROX, such as by the Silicon Labs SI1142 proximity/surrounding with an I2C interface) The light sensor provides that the user is "awakened" by the first processor when the user's hand is approaching the thermostat dial, so that the first processor can provide a visual display to the user and is ready for the user's hand. Touch the dial more quickly. As another example, a "wake-up PIR" facility can be provided, by which the second processor will rely on a passive infrared motion sensor (PIR, such as the PerkinElmer DigiPyro PYD 1998 dual-element high-temperature detector) Providing) waking up the first processor while detecting motion somewhere near the thermostat. Notably, wake up to PIR is not Synonymous with auto-arrival, this is because the N consecutive buckets of the sensed PIR activity will be required to invoke auto-arrival, and only a single sufficient motion event can trigger the wake-up PIR wake-up.

18A-18C illustrate a conceptual example of sleep-wake timing dynamics in a stepwise large time scale that can be micro-controlled in the head unit (HU) microprocessor and backplane (BP) Achieved between the devices, which advantageously provides an excellent balance between performance, responsiveness, intelligence and power usage. Each of the higher plot values represents a "wake up" state (or equivalent higher power state) and each of the lower plot values represents a "sleep" state (or equivalent lower power state). As illustrated, backplane microcontrollers are more often active for polling sensors and similar relatively low power tasks, while head unit microprocessors are more often kept asleep for "important" moments (such as , user interface connection, network communication and learning algorithm calculations, etc.) are awakened. A variety of different strategies for optimizing sleep versus arousal contexts may be achieved by the disclosed architecture and are within the scope of the teachings of the present invention. For example, U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/275,307, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference to the entire entire entire entire entire entire entire----- Cloud-based thermostats manage efficient and timely communication of servers.

19 illustrates a self-descriptive overview of the functional software, firmware, and/or programming architecture of the head unit microprocessor 2402 for achieving the described functionality of the head unit microprocessor 2402. 20 illustrates the functional software of the backplane microcontroller 2502 for achieving the described functionality of the backplane microcontroller 2502, A self-descriptive overview of the firmware and/or programming architecture.

Figure 21 illustrates a view of a wiring terminal presented to a user as the backsheet is exposed. As described in the above-mentioned commonly assigned U.S. Application Serial No. 13/034,666, each of the wiring terminals is configured such that the insertion of the detection wire into each of the wiring terminals is enabled and inserted into the backplane microcontroller and ultimately The head unit microprocessor is obvious. According to a preferred embodiment, if the insertion of a particular wire is detected, a further check is automatically performed by the thermostat to ensure that there is a signal suitable for the particular wire. For a preferred embodiment, the voltage waveform is automatically measured between the wiring node and the "local ground" of the thermostat. The measured waveform should have an RMS-type voltage measure above a predetermined threshold, and if the predetermined value is not reached, the wiring error condition is indicated to the user. The predetermined thresholds that may vary with different circuit designs depending on the particular choice of local grounding may be empirically determined using data from a typical HVAC system population to statistically determine the appropriate threshold. For some embodiments, "local grounding" or "system grounding" may be generated from either: (i) the _Rh line and/or the _Rc terminal, and (ii) any of the G, Y or W terminals, Power theft is performed from the G, Y or W terminals, which enter a half bridge rectifier (FWR) with local ground as one of its outputs.

Although the examples and implementations have been described, they should not be used to limit any aspect of the invention. Therefore, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Indeed, although the occupancy rate sensor positioned behind the grille component is characterized as a PIR sensor in one or more of the above embodiments (the above configuration is particularly advantageous for PIR sensor systems), the present invention Teaching The scope of the display is not subject to such restrictions. In addition, it will be appreciated that although the grill member is characterized in a generally forward direction in one or more of the above embodiments (this is more common for the thermostat to be easily mounted to the wall above the floor height) The context is useful, but the scope of the teachings of the present invention is not so limited. By way of example, in some additional embodiments a thermostat comprising a housing comprising a facing zone of interest (ROI facing surface), wherein the ROI corresponds to an associated area or volume of the house (or other enclosure) is provided Events related to occupancy rate or occupancy rate will be sensed for the house (or other enclosure). The thermostat further includes a occupancy rate sensor disposed within the housing and for sensing a residence rate in the ROI, the occupancy rate sensor having at least one receiving surface and capable of detecting the presence and/or movement of an occupant in the ROI. The thermostat further includes a grilling member having one or more openings and including a juxtaposed surface on one or more receiving surfaces of the occupancy rate sensor along the ROI opposing surface of the housing, the barrier member being substantially concealed and Protecting the occupancy rate sensor disposed inside the casing, thereby promoting the visually agreeable quality of the thermostat by the concealment of the barrier component to the occupancy rate sensor, but permitting the occupancy rate sensor to effectively detect the ROI residence The existence and / or movement of the person. The ROI facing surface may be a forward facing surface for a conventional wall mounted portion, or may be a downward facing surface (including a diagonal outward downward angle) for use at an assembly location above the doorway, for example, to enable sensing People entering and leaving the room. The occupancy rate sensor can include, for example, one or more of a PIR sensor, an active transmission proximity sensor, a ambient light sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor. In the condition of the PIR sensor and the assembly site above the doorway, the slotted opening in the fence member can be oriented in a direction perpendicular to the door opening such that the orientation is optimally sensed And move away from the door. It should be further appreciated that, as used above and in the following, the term "thermostat" can include a thermostat having a direct control wire to the HVAC system, and can further include not directly coupled to the HVAC system but sensed in the enclosure. a thermostat cooperatively communicating with the ambient temperature at one of the locations and by a wired or wireless data connection to a separate thermostat unit located elsewhere in the enclosure, wherein the separation thermostat unit has direct access to the HVAC system Control wire. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Enclosed/single family home

110‧‧‧ thermostat

112‧‧‧ Remote device

120‧‧‧HVAC system

212‧‧‧Control electronics

230‧‧‧External compressor

232‧‧‧ pipeline

234‧‧‧Cooling coil

236‧‧‧ pipeline

238‧‧‧Fan

240‧‧ Air handler

242‧‧‧heating coils or components

244‧‧‧Heat exchanger coil

246‧‧‧Return air duct

248. . . Control wire

250. . . Supply air register

252. . . Supply air duct system

254. . . Humidifier

270. . . filter

310. . . Head unit

312. . . Outer ring

314. . . Cover

316. . . Center display area

318. . . Opening

322. . . Screw head

324. . . Guard component

326. . . External area

330. . . Passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor

330a. . . First or upper thermal sensor / temperature sensor

330b. . . Second or lower thermal sensor / temperature sensor

331. . . Radiation receiving element

332. . . gap

334. . . Temperature sensor

340. . . Backplane

342. . . Vent

344. . . gap

346. . . shell

402. . . Head unit front

404. . . Head unit frame

502. . . pillar

504. . . Processing system

508. . . Display driver

510. . . Wireless communication system

512. . . Electronic device

514. . . Temperature sensor

516. . . Bubble level

518. . . Wire connector

520. . . Connection terminal

522. . . Round hole

524. . . Slotted hole

526. . . window

528. . . Large rectangular opening

530. . . Head unit front assembly

532. . . Display module

534. . . Fresnel lens

536. . . Head unit front panel

538. . . Head unit board

540. . . Temperature sensor slot

542. . . Thermal material

702. . . Left infrared source

704. . . Right infrared source

706. . . Central infrared source

708. . . Resident

710. . . radiation

802. . . Guard component

804. . . Vertical span

806. . . Opening

808. . . Sensitive angle

810. . . Thermostat

812. . . Guard component

814. . . Vertical span

816. . . Opening

818. . . Sensitive angle

1800. . . Thermostat

1808. . . External top cover

1809. . . Shell part

1812. . . External rotatable ring

1814. . . Transparent cover

1814i. . . Central part

1814o. . . External part

1816. . . Electronic display / display area

1820. . . Central value

1824. . . Metal part

1830. . . Passive infrared motion sensor

1860. . . Processing system

1864. . . Display driver

1866. . . Wireless communication system

1870A. . . Active proximity sensor

1870B. . . Ambient light sensor

1876. . . Side wall

1877. . . External surface

1878. . . Internal surface

1880. . . LED indicator

1900. . . Head unit / head unit front

1910. . . Head unit frame

1920. . . Outer ring

1930. . . Head unit front assembly

1940. . . Head unit board

1942. . . Optical hand guide module

1944. . . Lithium Ion Battery

1950. . . Head unit front panel

1957. . . Fresnel lens

1960. . . LCD module

1980. . . Front lens

1990. . . Front grill

2000. . . Backplane

2010. . . Back plate rear plate

2020. . . Backplane board

2022. . . HVAC wire connector

2024. . . Capacitor

2080. . . Back cover

2402. . . Head unit microprocessor

2404. . . Oscillator

2406. . . DDR SDRAM memory

2408. . . NAND memory

2410. . . Wi-Fi module

2412. . . Support circuit

2414. . . Oscillator

2416. . . ZigBee module

2418. . . Support circuit

2419. . . Oscillator

2420. . . Low noise amplifier

2422. . . Display backlight voltage conversion circuit

2424. . . Piezoelectric drive circuit

2426. . . Power management circuit

2428. . . Deflection circuit

2430. . . Flex circuit connector

2432. . . Battery charging supervision disconnect circuit

2434. . . RF shielding

2436. . . Spring/RF antenna

2438. . . Temperature sensor

2440. . . PIR motion sensor

2502. . . Processor/microcontroller

2503. . . Onboard memory

2504. . . Power supply circuit

2506. . . Switch circuit

2508. . . Isolation transformer

2510. . . Back-to-back NFET package

2512. . . Combined temperature/humidity sensor module

1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary enclosure using a thermostat implemented in accordance with aspects of the present invention for controlling one or more environmental conditions; FIG. 2 is a thermostat designed using an implementation in accordance with the present invention. Schematic diagram of a controlled HVAC system; FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate a grilling member attached to a front surface of a thermostat designed in accordance with an implementation of the present invention; FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate user hand control in accordance with the practice of the present invention And a thermostat designed; FIGS. 5A-5G illustrate the thermostat in various disassembled states, and the position of the grille component designed in accordance with the present invention relative to the sensor and other components associated with the thermostat; FIG. a perspective view of the front portion of the partially assembled head unit from the thermostat showing the positioning of the sensor relative to the fence member designed in accordance with aspects of the present invention; 7A-7B illustrate the interaction of the source of infrared light with the slit-like opening in the fence member designed in accordance with the present invention; FIGS. 8A-8D illustrate the modification of the opening of the fence member along a vertical distance in accordance with aspects of the present invention. To change the sensitivity of the PIR motion sensor; Figure 9 is a flow diagram summarizing the operation associated with integrating the sensor capabilities with the thermostat and the fence components in accordance with aspects of the present invention; Figures 10A through 10B, respectively A front view and a perspective view of a visually appealing thermostat having a user affinity interface in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; FIG. 10C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the thermostat of FIGS. 10A-10B; FIGS. 11A-11B, respectively 10A to 10C are exploded front and rear perspective views of the head unit and the back plate of FIGS. 10A to 10C; FIGS. 12A to 12B are respectively an exploded front view and a rear perspective view of the head unit of FIGS. 11A to 11B. 13A to 13B are respectively an exploded front and rear perspective views of the assembly of the head unit of Figs. 12A to 12B; and Figs. 14A to 14B respectively illustrate the exploded front view of the back panel of Figs. 11A to 11B. And a rear perspective view; Figure 15 illustrates Figure 11A through Figure 11 An exploded perspective bottom view of the head unit of B; FIG. 16 is a front view of the head unit circuit board of the head unit of FIGS. 11A to 11B; and FIG. 17 illustrates a back board circuit board of the back board of FIGS. 11A to 11B. Rear view; FIG. 18A to FIG. 18C illustrate the phase in the thermostat according to aspects of the present invention. Example of a sleep-wake timing dynamics between a relatively low-powered backplane microcontroller of a high-powered head unit microprocessor and a thermostat; Figure 19 illustrates a thermostat head unit micro in accordance with aspects of the present invention An overview of the functional software, firmware, and/or programming architecture of the processor; FIG. 20 illustrates an overview of the functional software, firmware, and/or programming architecture of the thermostat backplane microcontroller in accordance with aspects of the present invention. And FIG. 21 illustrates a front view of a wiring terminal of a thermostat backplane according to aspects of the present invention.

110. . . Thermostat

120. . . Heated Air Conditioning (HVAC) System

212. . . Control electronics

230. . . External compressor

232. . . Pipeline

234. . . Cooling coil

236. . . Pipeline

238. . . fan

240. . . Air handler

242. . . Heating coil or component

244. . . Heat exchanger coil

246. . . Return air duct

248. . . Control wire

250. . . Supply air register

252. . . Supply air duct system

254. . . Humidifier

270. . . filter

Claims (26)

A thermostat comprising: a housing comprising a forward facing surface, a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor disposed within the housing and for sensing a dwell rate near the thermostat, the PIR The motion sensor has a radiation receiving surface and is capable of detecting lateral movement of an occupant in front of the forward surface of the housing; one or more temperature sensors disposed within the housing; and a grill member Having one or more elongate features above the radiation receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor, wherein: at least one temperature sensor is thermally coupled to the grill member, the grill member occupies the forward surface One of the holes, and the grill member substantially conceals and protects both the PIR motion sensor and the at least one temperature sensor disposed inside the housing, whereby the PIR is moved by the grill member This concealment of the sensor promotes visually agreeable quality of one of the thermostats, but permits the PIR motion sensor to effectively detect the lateral movement of the occupant. A thermostat according to claim 1, wherein the narrow feature of the fence members is a slot opening oriented along a substantially horizontal direction, the substantially horizontal direction corresponding to the lateral movement of the occupant. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the barrier component comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: metal, plastic, glass, carbon composite, and metal alloy. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the grill member facilitates the at least one temperature The degree sensor measures the ability to temperature around one of the air outside the enclosure. A thermostat according to claim 1, wherein the barrier member comprises a material having a high thermal conductivity. The thermostat of claim 3, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is thermally coupled to the grill using a thermal paste applied to the at least one temperature sensor and one of the grill members surface. A thermostat according to claim 1, wherein the barrier member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing is operable to control the PIR by varying a vertical span of one or more of the elongated features on the grill member The sensitivity of the motion sensor to the height of the occupant, the one or more openings transmitting the emitted radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The thermostat of claim 7, wherein the barrier member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing is operable to control the PIR motion sensor to the occupant by changing the number of one of the elongated features Highly sensitive, these elongated features deliver infrared radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. A thermostat according to claim 1, wherein the barrier member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing further comprises a mask member attached to a back portion of the grill member, wherein the occupant The sensitivity of the height may vary depending on the coverage of the elongate features of the masking member, the elongate features for transmitting the emitted radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein at least one of the elongated features has There is an optical property different from one of the remainder of the barrier member. A method of integrating occupancy rate sensing capability into a thermostat, comprising: providing a housing for the thermostat, the housing including a forward surface; providing one or more temperature sensations disposed within the housing a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor disposed inside the housing for sensing a dwell rate near the thermostat, the PIR motion sensor having a radiation receiving surface And capable of detecting lateral movement of an occupant in front of the forward surface of the outer casing; and attaching a cover member to occupy a hole in the forward surface of the outer casing and placed in the PIR motion sense Above the radiation receiving surface of the detector, wherein: at least one temperature sensor is thermally coupled to the cover member, the cover member substantially concealing and protecting the PIR motion sensor disposed within the housing and the at least a temperature sensor that promotes visually desirable quality of one of the thermostats, and whereby one or more of the elongated features of the cover member enable the PIR motion sensor to be detected at the thermostat The outer casing The front of the occupant is moved to a front lateral surface. The method of claim 11, wherein the cover member comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: metal, plastic, glass, carbon composite, metal-carbon composite, and metal alloy. The method of claim 11, wherein the cover member facilitates the ability of the at least one temperature sensor to measure the temperature around one of the air measured outside of the housing rather than inside the housing. The method of claim 12, wherein the cover member comprises a material having a high thermal conductivity. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one temperature sensor contacts an inward surface of the cover member by a thermal paste. The method of claim 11, wherein the cover member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing is operable to control the pair of PIR motion sensors by varying a number of ones of the plurality of substantially horizontal elongated features The sensitivity of the occupant's height, which transmits infrared radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The method of claim 11, wherein the cover member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing further comprises a mask member attached to a back side portion of the cover member, wherein the occupant The sensitivity of the height may vary depending on the coverage of the plurality of substantially horizontal elongate features of the masking member for transmitting infrared radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the elongate features has an optical property different from one of the remainder of the cover member. A thermostat comprising: a housing for the thermostat comprising a forward surface; a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor coplanar with the forward surface of the housing and for sensing Measuring the occupancy rate near the thermostat, The PIR motion sensor has a Fresnel lens on one surface of the PIR motion sensor that directs infrared radiation toward an infrared sensitive sensor element below the surface of the PIR motion sensor The infrared sensitive sensor element detects the infrared radiation emitted by the lateral movement of an occupant in front of the forward surface of the outer casing toward the forward surface; a temperature sensor is disposed Inside the housing and further comprising an upper thermal sensor and a lower thermal sensor positioned substantially perpendicular to and adjacent to a plane of the PIR motion sensor, wherein the upper thermal sensor is inclined Collecting temperature data associated with an area external to the thermostat, and the lower thermal sensor tends to collect temperature data associated with the interior of one of the housings for the thermostat, and is determined around The temperature data from the lower thermal sensor is considered in view of the temperature data from the upper thermal sensor; and a cover member occupies one of the forward surfaces of the outer casing And disposed on the surface of the PIR motion sensor, wherein: the cover member has a plurality of slits that enable the PIR motion sensor to detect infrared radiation emitted by the lateral movement of the occupant Characteristic that the cover member comprises a thermally conductive material and is also placed in a thermal antenna that is in close proximity to the temperature sensor and acts as at least one thermal sensor associated with the temperature sensor, thereby enhancing the The temperature sensor collects temperature data external to the housing and detects the temperature around one of the environments, and the upper thermal sensor is coupled to the cover member with the thermally conductive material. The thermostat of claim 19, wherein the plurality of elongate features of the cover member are positioned along a substantially horizontal direction that facilitates detection of the PIR motion sensor before the outer casing The ability to move laterally to an occupant in front of the surface. The thermostat of claim 19, wherein the cover member comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: metal, plastic, glass, carbon composite, and metal alloy. The thermostat of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature sensors is thermally coupled to the cover using a thermal paste applied along an inward facing surface of the cover member To the at least one thermal sensor associated with the temperature sensor. A thermostat according to claim 19, wherein the cover member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing is operable to control the PIR movement by varying a vertical span of one or more of the openings on the cover member Sensitivity of the sensor to the height of the occupant, the one or more openings transmitting the emitted radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The thermostat of claim 19, wherein the cover member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing is operable to control the PIR motion sensing by varying a number of the plurality of substantially horizontal elongated features The sensitivity of the device to the height of the occupant, the elongated features transmitting the emitted radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. A thermostat according to claim 19, wherein the cover member incorporated in the forward surface of the outer casing further comprises a mask member attached to a back portion of the cover member, wherein the occupant The sensitivity of the height may depend on the plurality of substantially horizontally narrow lengths by the mask member The plurality of features are varied to cover the transmitted radiation to the receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. A thermostat according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the elongate features has an optical property different from one of the remainder of the cover member.