HVAC actuator with contactless adjustable settings
AssigneeJohnson Controls Technology Company
InventorRussell T. Jenks
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An actuator in a HVAC system includes a housing having an interior-facing surface and an exterior-facing surface. The actuator includes magnetic field sensor(s) located within the housing and arranged adjacent to the interior-facing surface. The actuator includes a user input device retaining magnet(s) that are movable into multiple different positions along the exterior-facing surface of the housing. An actuator controller includes a magnet locator that determines a location of the magnet(s) with respect to the magnetic field sensor(s) based on data generated by the magnetic field sensor(s). The actuator controller also includes a settings generator that generates settings for the actuator based on the location of the magnet(s) determined via the magnet locator.
Claims19
An actuator in a HVAC system, the actuator comprising:
- a housing comprising an interior-facing surface and an exterior-facing surface;
- one or more magnetic field sensors located within the housing and arranged adjacent to the interior-facing surface of the housing;
- a user input device retaining one or more magnets that are movable into multiple different positions along the exterior-facing surface of the housing;
- and
- an actuator controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory storage medium having instructions thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- determine a location of the one or more magnets with respect to the one or more magnetic field sensors based on data generated by the magnetic field sensors;
- and
- generate one or more settings for the actuator based on the determined location of the one or more magnets.
A method of modifying a setting for an actuator of a HVAC system, the method comprising:
- determining a location of a magnet of a user input device with respect to a magnetic field sensor based on data generated by the magnetic field sensor, the magnet being positioned adjacent to an exterior-facing surface of a housing of the actuator, and the magnetic field sensor being positioned within the housing and arranged adjacent to an interior-facing surface of the housing;
- determining an input from a user using the determined location of the magnet;
- selecting, from a plurality of settings of the actuator, a setting for the actuator based on the determined input from the user;
- and
- providing the selected setting to the actuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.