Lennox Industries Inc.

Texas Instruments Corporation

Daniel A Castillo

Sunil K Khiani

Jayprakash Charavda

Nguyen Trong Ho

Keith R Mowery

Kyle Golden

Steve Lazar

Melissa Amoros

Bobby DiFulgentiz

Larry S Bias

Stephen J Vendt

Thomas Gerard Pavlak

Takeshi Sakai

Robert Anthony DiFulgentiz, Iii

Gabaza B Mlambo

Cheng L Xu

Tom Kerber

Doug Young

Bobby Difulgentiz

A heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system includes a first control unit and a second control unit. The first control unit is communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units, a first interactive display, and a first plurality of wireless sensors using a Wi-Fi direct protocol. The second control unit is communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units, a second interactive display, and a second plurality of wireless sensors over a Wi-Fi network. The first control unit is operable to connect to the second control unit using the Wi-Fi direct protocol. Upon connecting to the second control unit, the first control unit switches communications with the first plurality of HVAC units, the first interactive display, and the first plurality of wireless sensors from the Wi-Fi direct protocol to the Wi-Fi network.

Distributed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

In one embodiment, an HVAC system includes a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display. A second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display. The first control unit is operable to detect and connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol to create an HVAC control network that is designated as a primary communications network. The first control unit further operable to detect a Wi-Fi network including a wireless access point. The first control unit operable to re-designate the HVAC control network as a secondary communications network and to designate the Wi-Fi network as the primary communications network. The first control unit may also detect and connect to the second control unit over the Wi-Fi network, wherein the first control unit may receive a first temperature change request from the first interactive display and transmit the first temperature change request to the second control unit over the Wi-Fi network.

Distributed heating, ventilation and air conditioning system

In one embodiment, an HVAC system includes a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units. The first control unit may connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol to create an HVAC control network. The first control unit and second control unit may each detect and connect to a Wi-Fi network comprising a wireless access point. The first and second control units may then communicate concurrently over both the HVAC control network and the Wi-Fi network. The first control unit may detect a user device over the Wi-Fi network, receive a first command from the user device over the Wi-Fi network, and communicate the first command to the second control unit over the Wi-Fi network. The first control unit may detect a communication failure in the Wi-Fi network, communicate with the user device over the HVAC network using the Wi-Fi direct protocol, receive a second command from the user device over the HVAC control network, and transmit the second command to the first plurality of HVAC units.

Resilient operation of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

A thermostat includes a front housing, a rear housing interoperably coupled to the front housing, at least one sensor integrated with the front housing, a display integrated with the front housing, and processing circuitry interoperably coupled to the at least one sensor and the display. The display is a touch-screen display and is configured to demonstrate a user-interface screen. The user-interface screen comprises a horseshoe-shaped temperature scale, a heat set-point control, and a cool set-point control. The heat set-point control and the cool set-point control are positioned on the horseshoe-shaped temperature scale. The horseshoe-shaped temperature scale can be adjusted by dragging at least one of the heat set-point control and the cool set-point control along circumferential edges of the horseshoe-shaped temperature scale.

Programmable smart thermostat

A control unit for controlling an HVAC network that includes a first interface operable to facilitate communications with a plurality of HVAC units and a second interface operable to facilitate communication with an interactive display. The control unit further includes a system clock, a Wi-Fi module, a universal settings database, and a processor. The processor is configured to connect to the communications network using the Wi-Fi module, to detect a sibling control unit over the communications network, and to receive a sibling control unit time for the sibling control unit. The processor is further configured to determine that the control unit time is synchronized with the sibling control unit time, to generate a setting update that includes values for one or more settings, and to transmit the setting update to the sibling control unit.

Efficient distribution of heating, ventilation and air conditioning functionality

In one embodiment a control unit for managing an HVAC system includes an RS-BUS interface that may communicate with one or more HVAC units. A plurality of universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) ports, wherein at least one of the UART ports may communicate with an interactive display using an RS-485 communication protocol, A secure digital input output (SDIO) port configured to interface with a Wi-Fi module, wherein the Wi-Fi module is operable to communicate with a plurality of HVAC sensors, wherein the plurality of HVAC sensors operable to measure temperature. A processor that may receive, from the SDIO port, a sensor reading from one of the plurality of HVAC sensors, the sensor reading formatted according to an 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol. The processor may then convert the sensor reading from the 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol into an RS-BUS protocol, the RS-BUS protocol may control the one or more HVAC units. The processor may also convert the sensor reading from the 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol into the RS-485 communication protocol that may communicate with the interactive display. The processor may then transmit the sensor reading in the RS-485 communication protocol to the interactive display using the at least one UART port. The processor may also transmit the RS-BUS protocol to the one or more HVAC units using the RS-BUS interface.

Device for operating a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning network

In some embodiments a system for troubleshooting an HVAC system includes, a control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display. The control unit may connect to a Wi-Fi network generated by a wireless access point connected to the Internet. The control unit detects and connects to a control server over the Internet using the wireless access point. The control unit may detect a local user device over the Wi-Fi network, wherein the local user device may control the plurality HVAC units by communicating with the control unit over the Wi-Fi network. The system may include a mobile troubleshooting device that communicates with the control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol without accessing the Wi-Fi network. The system may include a remote troubleshooting device that communicates with the control unit over a control connection established between the control server and the control unit.

Diagnosing and troubleshooting a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

In one embodiment, a system for replicating settings in an HVAC network includes a first control unit including a first internal clock, the first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display. The system may also include a second control unit comprising a second internal clock, the second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display. The system may include a communications network, wherein the first control unit detects the second control unit over the communications network and the first internal clock and the second internal clock have the same time.

Efficient distribution of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning functionality

Distributed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system with concurrent network connections

In one embodiment, a system for managing control units in HVAC network includes a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, and the first control unit controls HVAC services for a first zone. A second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display, and the second control unit controls HVAC services for a second zone. The first control unit may detect and connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol to create an HVAC control network. The first control unit may also determine that the second control unit controls HVAC services for the second zone in response to connecting to the second control unit. The first control unit may also update the first interactive display to show the first and second zones and receive a command from the first interactive display over the HVAC control network to adjust a temperature of the second zone.

Distributed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system with concurrent network connections and multi-zone control

A server that includes an interface configured to receive a registration request from a control unit. The server further includes a processor configured to authenticate the control unit based on the registration request. The server is further configured to register a primary user device associated with the control unit and register a secondary user device associated with the control unit. The server is further configured to establish a control link between the control unit and the primary and secondary user devices. The control links facilitate control commands between the control unit and the primary and secondary user devices. The server is further configured to store the installation report in a server database.

Server integration with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

In some embodiments, a system for operating an HVAC control network includes a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, the first control unit further comprising a software access point (softAP). A second control unit, the second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display. The second control unit may include a push button. The second control unit may connect to the first control unit to create an HVAC control network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol by invoking a Wi-Fi direct, push button configuration protocol in response to detecting that the push button has been depressed. The first control unit may control the second plurality of HVAC units over the HVAC control network in response to the second control unit connecting to the first control unit.

Creation and configuration of a distributed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning network

A home environment system includes a programmable thermostat and at least one server configured to communicate with the programmable thermostat via a wireless network. The at least one server is configured to receive information regarding work performed on at least one component of an HVAC system, generate a first report regarding the work performed, receive information regarding subsequent work performed on the at least one component of the HVAC system, generate a second report regarding the subsequent work performed, and perform a comparison between the first report and the second report. The at least one server is further configured to generate a comparison report that indicates differences between the first report and the second report and forward the generated comparison report to at least one of the programmable thermostat and at least one communication device.

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Daniel A Castillo