Apparatus and method for controlling a heating ventilation and / or air conditioning system utilizing an infrared sensing or imaging device for determining radiated temperature of one or more objects or occupants in the conditioned space
OwnerHoward Roseninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and/or thermostat apparatus incorporating an infrared sensor or infrared imaging device and utilizing one or more images or measurements of infrared energy from the infrared sensor or imaging device in determining control of a Heating Ventilation and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) system serving a conditioned space. The invention further optionally includes pattern recognition for locating one or more people within the conditioned space and utilizing a measurement of infrared energy radiated by the one or more people in determining control of the HVAC.
Claims16
A thermostat apparatus having thermostat control outputs whose states or values are used for controlling a heating, ventilation, cooling, and/or air-conditioning system designed for conditioning air provided to a conditioned space, the thermostat comprising:
- A) an infrared sensing device for making measurements of radiated infrared energy at one or more locations in the conditioned space remote from the infrared sensing device itself;
- B) thermostat control apparatus operatively coupled to the infrared sensing device and utilizing the measurements of radiated infrared energy in controlling the states or values of the thermostat control outputs.
A thermostat apparatus having thermostat control outputs whose states or values are used for controlling a heating, ventilation, cooling, and/or air-conditioning system designed for conditioning air provided to a conditioned space, the thermostat comprising:
- A) an infrared imaging device providing as output an infrared measurement signal, the infrared imaging device observing at least a portion of the conditioned space remote from the infrared imaging device itself;
- B) a processing and control apparatus operatively coupled to the infrared imaging device and determining from the infrared measurement signal one or measurements of person radiated infrared energy of people within the conditioned space;
- and,
- C) thermostat control apparatus operatively coupled to the processing and control apparatus and utilizing the one or more measurements of person radiated infrared energy in determining the thermostat control outputs.
A thermostat having thermostat control outputs whose states or values are used for controlling a heating, ventilation, cooling, and/or air-conditioning system designed for conditioning air provided to a conditioned space, the thermostat comprising:
- A) an air temperature sensing apparatus for measuring a current air temperature value in the conditioned space;
- B) an infrared imaging device for forming an infrared image of at least a portion of the conditioned space;
- C) a processing and control apparatus for performing an image analysis of one or more infrared images from the infrared imaging device, the image analysis including pattern recognition for locating one or more people in the infrared images;
- E) thermostat control apparatus operatively coupled to the digital signal processing and control apparatus and operatively coupled to the air temperature sensing apparatus and utilizing both the current air temperature value and results of the image analysis in determining the states or values of the thermostat control outputs.
A thermostat apparatus having thermostat control outputs whose states or values are used for controlling a heating, ventilation, cooling, and/or air-conditioning system designed for conditioning air provided to a conditioned space, the thermostat comprising:
- A) an infrared imaging device providing as output an infrared measurement signal, the infrared imaging device observing at least a portion of the conditioned space remote from the infrared imaging device itself;
- B) a processing and control apparatus operatively coupled to the infrared imaging device and determining from the infrared measurement signal one or measurements of body temperature or skin temperature of people within the n conditioned space;
- and,
- C) thermostat control apparatus operatively coupled to the processing and control apparatus and utilizing the one or more measurements of body temperature or skin temperature in determining the thermostat control outputs.
A thermostat apparatus having thermostat control outputs whose states or values are used for controlling a heating, ventilation, cooling, and/or air-conditioning system designed for conditioning air provided to a conditioned space, the thermostat comprising:
- A) an infrared sensing device providing as output an infrared measurement signal, the infrared imaging device observing at least a portion of the conditioned space remote from the infrared sensing device itself;
- B) a processing and control apparatus operatively coupled to the infrared sensing device and determining from the infrared measurement signal one or measurements of person radiated infrared energy of people within the conditioned space;
- and,
- C) thermostat control apparatus operatively coupled to the processing and control apparatus and utilizing the one or more measurements of person radiated infrared energy in determining the thermostat control outputs.
A thermostat apparatus having thermostat control outputs whose states or values are used for controlling a heating, ventilation, cooling, and/or air-conditioning system designed for conditioning air provided to a conditioned space, the thermostat comprising:
- A) an infrared sensing device providing as output an infrared measurement signal, the infrared imaging device observing at least a portion of the conditioned space remote from the thermostat;
- B) a processing and control apparatus operatively coupled to the infrared sensing device and determining from the infrared measurement signal one or measurements of body temperature or skin temperature of people within the conditioned space;
- and,
- C) thermostat control apparatus operatively coupled to the processing and control apparatus and utilizing the one or more measurements of body temperature or skin temperature in determining the thermostat control outputs.
A method for control of an air conditioning or heating system serving a conditioned space comprising the steps of:
- A) analyzing an image from an infrared imaging device mounted so as to provide visibility of at least a portion of an area in the conditioned space, the analyzing including pattern recognition for determining location coordinates of one or more people in the conditioned space, and determining no location coordinates when one or more people are not recognized in the condition space;
- B) when one or more people are determined to be in the conditioned space determining a level of infrared radiation at or near the coordinates of the one or more people and controlling the air conditioning or heating system based on the level of infrared radiation at those coordinates;
- and,
- C) when one or more people are not determined to be in the conditioned space making a room temperature measurement relating to current air temperature in the conditioned space and using that room temperature measurement in controlling the air conditioning or heating system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.