Environmental control system and method

A system for controlling an environmental unit, which includes a heating element, a cooling element and a ventilation damper;

• the system comprising:
• a temperature sensor which produces a first signal indicating a sensed temperature;
• a state machine controller coupled to the temperature sensor, the heating element, the cooling element and the ventilation damper, the state machine controller having a first state in which an activation signal is sent to the heating element, a second state in which an activation signal is sent to the cooling element, and a third state in which an activation signal is sent only to the ventilation damper;
• a memory coupled to the state machine controller and having a first data structure containing a first set of transition data specifying a first condition that must exist for the controller to enter the first state, a second set of transition data specifying a second condition that must exist for the controller to enter the second state, and a third set of transition data specifying a third condition that must exist for the controller to enter the third state;
• and
• a display device coupled to the state machine controller and to the memory, the display device operable for representing each of the heating element, the cooling element and the ventilation damper with a respective display symbol and representing each of the first set of transition data, the second set of transition data, and the third set of transition data as display links joining respective ones of the display symbols.

A system for controlling an environmental unit, which includes a heating element, a cooling element and a ventilation damper;

• the system comprising:
• a temperature sensor which produces a first signal indicating a sensed temperature;
• a state machine controller coupled to the temperature sensor, the heating element, the cooling element and the ventilation damper, the state machine controller having a first state in which an activation signal is sent to the heating element, a second state in which an activation signal is sent to control a position of the ventilation damper between a minimum open position and a maximum open position, a third state in which an activation signal is sent to the cooling element and another activation signal is sent to open the ventilation damper to greater than the minimum open position, and a fourth state in which an activation signal is sent to the cooling element and another activation signal is sent to place the ventilation damper at the minimum open position;
• and
• a memory coupled to the state machine controller and having a first data structure containing a first set of transition data specifying a first condition that must exist for the controller to enter the first state, a second set of transition data specifying a second condition that must exist for the controller to enter the second state, a third set of transition data specifying a third condition that must exist for the controller to enter the third state, and a fourth set of transition data specifying a fourth condition that must exist for the controller to enter the fourth state.