Intellihot, Inc.

Intellihot Green Technologies, Inc.

Caterpillar Inc.

Deivasigamani, Sridhar

Akasam, Sivaprasad

Sivaprasad Akasam

Sridhar Deivasigamani

Miguel Gonzales

Quang-Viet Nguyen

Brian Eugene Lister

Larry Ellis Kendrick

Timothy A Lorentz

James B Maddock

Kevin A Vernagus

David Langsford Collins

Satish Yadav

Robert Urban Murray

Aaron James Love

Gareth John Estebanez

Herman S Preiser

An adaptor for adapting a solar heater to a thermal storage device, the adaptor including a first port disposed on a first surface, a second port disposed on a second surface, a third port disposed on the second surface, and a fourth port disposed on the first surface, wherein a fluid flow is configured to be directed from the solar heater through the first port before exiting through the second port into the thermal storage device, the fluid flow is configured to continue to be directed from the thermal storage device through the third port before entering through the third port and continuing to exit through the fourth port to return to the solar heater.

Photovoltaic thermal collector adaptor

A heating system including a trunk line including a first half and a second half; an inlet fluid conductor and an outlet fluid conductor, wherein the inlet fluid conductor connected to an inlet end of the trunk line and the outlet fluid conductor connected to an outlet end of the trunk line; at least one heating subsystem, each of the at least one heating subsystem including a fluid path for heating a working fluid disposed therein, a first end of the fluid path connected to the first half and a second end of the fluid path connected to the second half; a primary pump interposed in the inlet fluid conductor, the pump configured to push the working fluid through the at least one heating subsystem and the trunk line; a bleed valve disposed at a downstream end of the first half.

Heating system

A heating system includes a thermal battery, a heat pump configured to store heat in the thermal battery, a photovoltaic thermal system including a solar electric generator and a solar thermal generator, wherein the solar thermal generator is configured to store heat in the thermal battery and the solar electric generator is configured to generate electrical charge and a housing within which the thermal battery and the heat pump are disposed and atop which the photovoltaic thermal system is disposed.

Heating system including photovoltaic thermal system

A method for determining the suitability of a thermal storage medium of a thermal battery based in a locale, the method including predicting a required concentration of the thermal storage medium based on historical temperature data of the locale and predicted temperature data of the locale, wherein the required concentration of the thermal storage medium is predicted based upon a concentration of the thermal storage medium corresponding to the historical temperature data and the predicted temperature data and determining the concentration of the thermal storage medium and comparing the concentration of the thermal storage medium to the required concentration of the thermal storage medium, wherein if the required concentration of the thermal storage medium is higher than the concentration of the thermal storage medium, the thermal storage medium is said to be unsuitable.

Thermal battery operational condition monitoring and alert system

A heating system including at least one thermal battery including a storage container for holding a fluid, an outlet fluid conductor through which the fluid exits the storage container, an inlet fluid conductor through which the fluid enters the storage container, a first valve interposed in the outlet fluid conductor; and a second valve interposed in the inlet fluid conductor, wherein each thermal battery is configured to be thermally chargeable and dischargeable by controlling the first valve and the second valve to allow a flow of the fluid in concert and to disallow a flow in concert.

A method for determining a false reporting of a liquid level detection in a system including a container configured to hold a liquid to a first liquid level in the container, a heater disposed within the container, the heater configured to heat at least a portion of the liquid, a temperature sensor disposed above the heater within the container, the temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of its surroundings, the method including effecting the heater for a duration; determining the rate at which the temperature rises; and comparing the temperature rise rate to a liquid temperature rise rate threshold, wherein if the temperature rise rate is greater than the liquid temperature rise rate threshold, the temperature sensor is determined to not have been submerged in the liquid and a reporting of the liquid level detection in the system is deemed false.

Failure mode determination means

User interface faceplate

A heating system including a water conductor, a valve configured to cooperate with a fluid moving device which together operable to selectively circulate a heat transfer fluid in at least one of a first fluid circuit and a second fluid circuit, a heat exchanger and a blower operable to supply a stream of fluid over the heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the first fluid circuit, wherein the heat exchanger being disposed to transfer heat between the heat transfer fluid and the heat exchanger, a coil fluidly connected to the second fluid circuit, wherein the coil is configured to be disposed on a drainage tube to transfer heat between the heat transfer fluid and the coil, a final heat exchanger configured for thermally coupling the first fluid circuit and the water conductor and the second fluid circuit and the water conductor.

A diagnostic method for verifying the proper functioning of a fluid flow control device of a fluid system, the method including determining whether at least one pressure sensor is functional and if the at least one pressure sensor is considered functional, determining whether a bypass valve is functional and if the bypass valve is considered functional, determining whether at least one flow sensor is functional, if the at least one flow sensor is considered dysfunctional, a flow sensor fault is raised; and otherwise if the at least one pressure sensor is considered dysfunctional, using the at least one flow sensor to determine whether the bypass valve is functional, if the bypass valve is considered functional, determining whether at least one pump is functional, a pump alert is raised if the at least one pump is considered dysfunctional.

Fluid system power-on self test

A method for detecting an insufficient power condition of a power supply to a system from a distinctive marker using a controller, the method including: upon a power-up of the system, determining an event associated with the distinctive marker; and periodically logging the distinctive marker in a non-volatile memory with respect to time, starting at the power-up of the device.

Overcurrent protection device trip alert method

A system for heating a first fluid flow from a first temperature to a second temperature, the system including a hot water supply line for receiving the first fluid flow at a first end and exhausting the first fluid flow at a second end; and a heating system including a heat engine, a thermal battery and a heat exchanger, wherein the thermal battery is configured to be replenished at a point of heat transfer by the heat engine and the hot water supply line is configured to receive heat from the thermal battery via the heat exchanger to elevate the temperature of the first fluid flow from the first temperature to the second temperature.

Heating system enclosure

A method for formulating a service prognosis for an appliance, the method including determining a representative usage during a current period of time, extrapolating a prior usage based on the representative usage for a prior period of time to result in a prior usage and determining the service prognosis based on substantially the prior usage.

Service prognosis formulation for an appliance

Thermal battery enclosure

A diagnostic method for verifying the proper functioning of flow devices of a fluid system including at least one of at least one fluid heater, a bypass conductor connected in parallel to the at least one fluid heater, a bypass valve configured to control flow through the bypass conductor, at least one flow valve for controlling a fluid flow through the fluid system, at least one pump, at least one pressure sensor for obtaining a pressure of the fluid flow and at least one flow sensor for obtaining a flowrate of the fluid flow. The method includes selectively turning on and off the bypass valve and the at least one pump and obtaining pressure measurements at various times during the execution of the diagnostic method to identify the health of the at least one pressure sensor and the at least one pump.

Growing community of inventors

Peoria, IL, United States of America

Sridhar Deivasigamani