Hvac controller with proximity based message latency control
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsDavid Schultz, Devin Diedrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Message latency between an HVAC controller located within a building and a remote server may be reduced in response to a determination that a user is in proximity to the HVAC controller, and message latency may be increased when a user is not expected to be proximity to the HVAC controller. This may reduce the overall power consumption of an HVAC controller while still maintaining a good user experience. This can be particularly important for HVAC controllers that are powered by a local energy storage device, such as a battery.
Claims21
A building controller comprising:
- an input/output block configured to send one or more control signals to control one or more building components;
- a communications port configured to send and/or receive messages via a communications network;
- a user interface;
- a sensor used to determine if a user is in proximity to the building controller;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the input/output block, the communications port, the user interface and the sensor, the controller configured to communicate via the communications port, wherein:
- when the sensor detects that a user is in proximity to the building controller, a first message latency occurs from when a user interacts with a remote device to interact with the building control device and when a message corresponding to that user interaction at the remote device is communicated to the building controller;
- and
- when the sensor does not detect that a user is in proximity to the building controller, a second message latency occurs from when a user interacts with a remote device to interact with the building control device and when a message corresponding to that user interaction at the remote device is communicated to the building controller;
- wherein the second message latency is longer than the first message latency.
A method for reducing power consumption of a building controller, wherein the building controller is configured to be manipulated by a user from a remote device by receiving one or more messages that correspond to user interaction at the remote device, the method comprising:
- determining if a user is expected to be in proximity to the building controller;
- when it is determined that a user is expected to be in proximity to the building controller, a first message latency occurs from when a user interacts with the remote device and when a message corresponding to that user interaction at the remote device is communicated to the building controller;
- and
- when it is determined that a user is not expected to be in proximity to the building controller, a second message latency occurs from when a user interacts with a remote device and when a message corresponding to that user interaction at the remote device is communicated to the building controller, wherein the second message latency is longer than the first message latency.
A computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions stored thereon in a non-transitory state, the instructions causing a server comprising a controller to execute a method comprising:
- receiving an input that corresponds to a user interaction at a remote device;
- receiving an indication of whether a user is expected to be in proximity to a building controller;
- when it is determined that a user is expected to be in proximity to the building controller, a first message latency occurs from when an input is received that corresponds to a user interaction at a remote device and when a message corresponding to that user interaction at the remote device is communicated to the building controller;
- and
- when it is determined that a user is not expected to be in proximity to the building controller, a second message latency occurs from when an input is received that corresponds to a user interaction at a remote device and when a message corresponding to that user interaction at the remote device is communicated to the building controller, wherein the second message latency is longer than the first message latency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.