Other

Dartmouth College

John E Walsh

Robert J Mowris

James R Longacre

Paul R Mahoney

A bipolar ionizer comprising an electronic circuit, microprocessor, and step-up transformer providing high-voltage signals to carbon-fiber electrodes producing bipolar ion concentrations greater than +/&#x2212;200 million ions per cubic centimeter. The bipolar ionizer monitors, reduces, and converts high-voltage signals to feedback signals used by the microprocessor to vary a frequency and a duty cycle of a digital signal to control an excitation signal for a step-up transformer output voltage to consistently maintain an unbalanced high-voltage output ratio less than 80 percent, balanced bipolar ion concentration ratio greater than 80 percent, and zero ozone concentration over a range of electrical signal inputs. The microprocessor calculates and reports bipolar ionizer concentrations based on feedback signals. The microprocessor monitors concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in an airflow serving the bipolar ionizer and adjusts the positive/negative DC high-voltage signals and bipolar ion concentration when VOC concentrations are above a threshold.

Bipolar ionizer with feedback control

A programmable controller circuit that can be connected directly to the fan switch of any thermostat with a forced air heating and/or cooling system that includes a blower fan for circulating air throughout the home. The controller can be installed with minimal modifications to the existing wiring. The present invention increases the efficiency of the cooling system by evaporating condensate and extracting residual coolness from the thermal mass of the evaporator coils. The present invention can be programmed with a single button. A method of adapting additional fan run time based oncompressor run timean AC compressor off time and an AC compressor on time.

External thermostat fan controller

Detecting a thermostat call for heating or cooling based on detecting a heat W or compressor Y signal is activated and energizing a fan signal output and operating a system fan/blower while the W or Y signal is activated and energizing the fan signal and operating the fan for a variable fan-off delay immediately after the W or Y signal is de-activated and de-energizing the fan signal and not operating the fan after the variable fan-off delay when a fan G signal is not activated. Detecting the fan G signal is activated and the W or Y signal is not activated indicating a fan-on duration control selected by a user, and energizing the fan signal and operating the fan while the fan G signal is activated and de-energizing the fan signal and not operating the fan and not providing the variable fan-off delay when the fan G signal is de-activated.

Smart thermostat fan controller

A method for providing a variable fan-off delay after a thermostat call for cooling or after a heating on cycle for a Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. The variable fan-off delay may be ended based on comparing a measurement of a Conditioned Space Temperature (CST) to a CST threshold. The CST threshold may be based on a previous measurement of the CST monitored during the current variable fan-off delay. The CST threshold may be an inflection point where the rate of change of the CST with respect to time equals zero plus or minus a confidence interval tolerance. The CST threshold may also be a fan-off delay differential offset or a thermostat setpoint differential where the variable fan-off delay is ended when the measurement of the CST during the variable fan-off delay crosses the differential at least once after the cooling or heating on cycle.

Thermostat variable fan-off delay

A balanced bipolar ionizer that generates zero or nearly-zero ozone concentration by providing a bipolar ion concentration ratio greater than 80 percent based on a high-voltage output ratio less than 80 percent over a range of electric signal inputs. A signal-conditioning element provides an excitation signal to a step-up transformer which provides an output voltage to a positive and a negative voltage multiplier which provide a positive high-voltage output greater than an absolute value of a negative high-voltage output or vice versa. The high-voltage output ratio is equal to a minimum of an absolute value of a negative and positive high-voltage output divided by a maximum of the absolute value of the negative and positive high-voltage output. The bipolar ion-concentration ratio is equal to a minimum of an absolute value of a negative-ion and positive-ion concentration divided by a maximum of the absolute value of the negative-ion and positive-ion concentration.

Balanced bipolar ionizer based on unbalanced high-voltage output

A fan-on Fault Detection Diagnostic (FDD) and correction method comprising at least one method selected from the group consisting of: detecting a Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning (HVAC) fan is controlled by a fan-on duration setting or a continuous or intermittent fan-on duration setting or schedule, and performing at least one action selected from the group consisting of: providing at least one fan-on alarm message, overriding the fan-on duration setting or the fan-on duration schedule, and turning off the HVAC fan for a fraction of the fan-on duration setting or schedule. Turning off the HVAC fan is based on at least one method selected from the group consisting of: a variable duration, skipping a scheduled fan-on duration setting, based on a call for cooling/heating, based on a geofencing or occupancy sensor signal, and based on a user-selected fan-on duration setting or a user-selected fan-off duration schedule.

Fan-on detection and correction

A method for sealing an economizer perimeter gap to reduce an uncontrolled excess outdoor airflow by applying a sealing material over or into the economizer perimeter gap between the economizer frame and a Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system cabinet comprising: locating the economizer perimeter gap between the economizer frame and the HVAC system cabinet and applying a sealing material over or into the economizer perimeter gap. The sealing material is selected from the group consisting of: an adhesive tape sealant, an adhesive sealant, a mastic sealant, a caulking material, and a weatherstripping. The method comprises: disconnecting an electrical power to the HVAC system, removing an economizer hood, locating and cleaning the metal services on both sides of the gap between the economizer frame and the HVAC cabinet, applying the sealing material over or into the gap, reinstalling the economizer hood, and reconnecting the electrical power to the HVAC system.

Economizer perimeter gap sealing

A Fault Detection Diagnostic (FDD) correction method for increasing the cooling capacity delivered by an Air-Conditioning (AC) system with an economizer comprising: correcting/superseding at least one cooling fault/delay, the correcting/superseding selected from the group consisting of: correcting/superseding a High-limit-Shut-off-Temperature (HST) fault/delay based on detecting an Outdoor Air Temperature (OAT) is less than or equal to a High-limit-Control Temperature (HCT) during a thermostat call for cooling to enable economizer cooling otherwise delayed by the at least one HST fault/delay, superseding a thermostat second-stage time/temperature-deadband delay based on detecting an OAT is greater than or equal to an AC Control Temperature (ACT) during a call for cooling and energizing an AC compressor otherwise delayed by a thermostat second-stage time/temperature-deadband delay, superseding at least one economizer second-stage time/temperature delay based on detecting a thermostat second-stage cooling signal and energizing an AC compressor otherwise delayed by the at least one economizer second-stage time/temperature delay.

Economizer cooling delay correction

Apparatus to continuously charge a smart thermostat battery and enable control of a 2-wire millivolt gas fireplace/heating system or a Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system with at least one 24 VAC control voltage signal. The apparatus comprises one diode in a thermostat element or at least one terminal with a diode and a switch in the smart thermostat, and two diodes and a switch device in a switch element. The apparatus is configured to conduct a rectified current signal to charge the smart thermostat battery, and the at least one rectified 24 VAC control voltage signal to energize the switch device to control a HVAC system. The apparatus may be integrated into a smart thermostat with a graphical display to provide simple instructions to easily install the apparatus and the smart thermostat for a HVAC system without a common wire or a 2-wire millivolt gas fireplace/heating system.

Smart thermostat power control apparatus

A solid-state common-wire adapter combines two Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning (HVAC) control signals on a single pre-existing wire to allow another pre-existing wire to be used as a common-wire to provide reliable power to a Smart Communicating Thermostat. The solid-state common-wire adapter may comprise a thermostat element with at least one diode and an HVAC element with at least one device selected from the group consisting of: a solid-state TRIode for Alternating Current (TRIAC), a capacitor, a microprocessor, a power supply, an optoisolator, and a load resistor. Smart Communicating Thermostats require continuous power for communicating with a wireless network, providing a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display, and controlling an HVAC system. Some Smart Communicating Thermostats use power stealing which is unreliable. The solid-state common-wire adapter is reliable, small, low-cost, and easy to install.

Solid-state common-wire adapter for smart communicating thermostats

A Fault Detection Diagnostic (FDD) variable differential and variable fan-off delay Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning (HVAC) thermostat control method. The FDD method detects a fan-on setting, reports a FDD fan-on alarm, overrides a fan-on setting, and turns off an HVAC fan. The FDD method detects, reports, and corrects a short-cycle by providing a variable differential based on: a cooling or heating cycle duration, or an off-cycle time. The variable fan-off delay is based on: a Conditioned Space Temperature (CST), comparing a current CST to the CST measured during the fan-off delay, a rate of change of CST with respect to time (dT/dt), dT/dt reaches an inflection point, the CST crosses a fan-off-delay differential, a cooling cycle duration, a heating cycle duration, a cooling temperature split, a heating temperature rise, an outdoor air temperature, a supply air temperature, or the rate of change with respect to time of these HVAC parameters.

Fault detection diagnostic variable differential variable delay thermostat

An apparatus providing Fault Detection Diagnostics (FDD) for a Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system comprising a permanent magnet attached to a movable damper and a magnetometer attached to a stationary frame to provide a magnetic field measurement of the permanent magnet. The apparatus converts the magnetic field measurement into a damper position measurement and determines a difference between the damper position measurement and a damper position actuator voltage command, and if the difference is greater than a damper actuator voltage tolerance, then the apparatus generates a FDD alarm signal. The apparatus calculates a com puted Outdoor Air Fraction (OAF) damper position based on a measured HVAC parameter, and if the difference between the computed OAF damper position and the OAF damper position command is greater than a damper position tolerance, then the apparatus generates a FDD alarm signal or an actuator voltage signal to correct the movable damper position.

Apparatus and methods to determine economizer faults

The efficient fan controller includes a microprocessor receiving at least one signal input from thermostat/equipment control terminals to control a fan relay to operate a system fan. The microprocessor monitors a thermostat call for cooling/heating duration and determines a variable fan-off delay based on the cooling/heating cycle duration, and at an end of a cooling/heating cycle energize the fan relay to operate the system fan for the variable fan-off delay. The fan controller avoids false thermostat activation signals and includes a common wire adapter to provide continuous power to a smart communicating thermostat and is configured to evaluate floating, zero, rectified, false positive and active input signals. The fan controller can be embodied on a forced-air-unit control board or thermostat. The fan controller installation methods ensure the system fan/blower operates at high speed for heating and cooling to improve thermal comfort, efficiency and satisfy the thermostat sooner to save energy.

Smart fan controller

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for a variable differential variable delay thermostat. The variable differential is based on the duration of a thermostat call for cooling or the duration of a thermostat call for heating. The variable cooling fan-off delay is based on cooling system parameters including but not limited to the duration of the cooling cycle, duration of the thermostat call for cooling, conditioned space temperature, temperature split, thermostat temperature rate of change, or thermostat temperature reaching a minimum inflection point or crossing a fixed or variable thermostat differential or differential offset. The variable heating fan-off delay is based on heating system parameters including but not limited to the duration of the heating cycle, duration of the thermostat call for heating, conditioned space temperature, temperature rise, thermostat temperature rate of change, or thermostat temperature reaching a maximum inflection point or crossing a fixed or variable thermostat differential or differential offset.

Method for a variable differential variable delay thermostat

An efficient fan controller for Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems including at least one electrical signal input from thermostat or equipment control terminals with a microprocessor to control a switching device connected to a signal output to control a fan relay and operate a system fan. The microprocessor is configured to monitor a thermostat call for cooling/heating duration and determine a variable fan-off delay based on the cooling cycle or heating cycle duration, and at an end of a cooling/heating cycle energize the fan relay to operate the system fan for the variable fan-off delay. The fan controller can include a heat pump detection signal input and electrical signal inputs to connect to a thermostat heat terminal, heat pump reversing valve terminal, or compressor terminal. The fan controller can also include a normally-closed relay connected to the switching device to maintain continuity between the fan signal input and output.

Growing community of inventors

Bradford, VT, United States of America

John E Walsh