Carrier Corporation

William F Van Ostrand

Rajendra K Shah

Laurie L Werbowsky

Michael A Roher

Peter G Pierret

Daniel J Dempsey

Kevin D Thompson

Hall Virgil

Jerry L Proffitt

Tim Comerford

Jerry Dean Ryan

Shannie Van Ostrand, Legal Representative

A control system to measure a sinusoidal AC voltage in a heating, ventilation includes a controller and a circuit connected to the controller. The circuit generates a pulse voltage based upon the AC voltage. The pulse voltage has a pulse duration. The controller measures a measured pulse duration based on the pulse duration and determines the AC voltage based upon the measured pulse duration.

Method and apparatus for measurement of AC voltages in an HVAC system

The invention relates to a thermostat including a user interface module. The user interface module has a display, a plurality of user interface buttons, and a first power and communications interface. The thermostat also includes an I/O module, the I/O module electrically coupled to a HVAC plant and the I/O module having a plurality of switches to control the HVAC plant, and a second power and communications interface. The user interface module and the I/O module are communicatively coupled and exchange power via the power and communications interfaces and the thermostat can be mounted and operated in one of two user selectable installations: a stacked configuration comprising a thermostat having the user interface module directly mounted to the I/O module, or a remote configuration comprising a thermostat having the user interface module remotely mounted from the I/O module.

Stackable thermostat

A control for controlling a multi-zone HVAC system, wherein the heating or cooling equipment is operable in multiple stages, takes the demand on the system over time into account when determining an appropriate stage. In particular, a time integral of the system demands is utilized along with a current system demand to determine an appropriate stage. In this manner, a weakness in the prior art of allowing a long-term, small difference between the desired set point and the actual temperature in the various zones is addressed.

Control of multi-zone and multi-stage HVAC system

A thermostat includes a display and an illumination device that is configurable to illuminate the display in a partial illumination mode and a full illumination mode. In the partial illumination mode the illumination device generates a light intensity sufficient to review the settings of the thermostat without generating heat of a sufficient amount to disrupt thermostat measurements. The full illuminated condition is actuated upon interaction with the thermostat. Once interaction with the thermostat is completed the illumination device thermostat returns to the partially illuminated condition.

Configurable multi-level thermostat backlighting

A HVAC system provides a central control which detects failed stage(s); removes the failed stage(s) from the staging sequence used by the controller; and later checks the failed stage periodically to see if the failed stage has become functional so that the no properly operational stage is returned to a staging sequence. The central control detects the failed stages and/or components by direct communication with the failed stages and/or components and/or by monitoring a temperature of a controlled area to determine if any particular stage is operating properly.

Failure mode for HVAC system

A method for adjusting the continuous speed of the blower of a heating and/or cooling system of the type including a thermostat having a mode selector switch which has at least one heating position, a cooling position, and an off position, a fan switch having an on position or state and an auto position or state, and a programmable control device responsive to the thermostat for generating speed select signals for use in setting the speed of the blower motor. The programmable control device is programmed or reprogrammed so that, when the mode selector switch is in its off position or when there is no call for heating or cooling at the thermostat, time dependent movements of the fan switch away from and back to its on position are recognized as requests for changes in the continuous speed of the blower motor. The programmable control device is further programmed or reprogrammed to change the blower speed from one value to the next adjacent value each time the programmable control device recognizes the occurrence of a request for a change in speed.

Continuous fan adjustment method

An improved heat pump system of the type having a thermostat capable of generating at least three stages of demand signals, outdoor and indoor heat exchange coils, at least one fan, a compressor, an expansion device, with the flow of refrigerant being reversible for purposes of selecting between heating and cooling modes of operation and a supplemental heater having a plurality of supplemental heating units for further heating an air stream passing over the indoor coil through an air supply plenum to supply air to a comfort space. An improvement in this system where each of the supplemental heating units has a unique heating capacity; a combination of supplemental heating units can be selected that is responsive to a demand for heat from the thermostat; and the selected supplemental heating units are turned on appropriately so that the level of heat demand by the thermostat is provided.

Multi-staging of supplemental heat in climate control apparatus

A thermostat monitors the indoor air temperature indicated by the thermostat's indoor air temperature sensor. The monitored indoor air temperature must be within a predefined range of acceptable temperatures to be considered valid. In the event the monitored temperature is outside this predefined range, the thermostat proceeds to read the outdoor air temperature and activate a heating system if the outdoor air temperature reading is below a predefined level.

Protective thermostat

A process is disclosed for controlling the operative setpoint of a thermostat during transition from a currently scheduled setpoint temperature to the next scheduled setpoint temperature. The operative setpoint is changed by small amounts at calculated time intervals. The time intervals are a function of the transition periods allocated for different types of systems for air conditioning air that may be operatively connected to the thermostat as well as the difference between the currently scheduled setpoint temperature and the next scheduled setpoint temperature.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

William F Van Ostrand