Method and apparatus for operating a thermostat to provide an automatic changeover
OwnerRobert Louis Breedeninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus defines (302) a time period Ps following a completion of a demand for one of heating and cooling, the time period sufficient to allow a sensed room temperature Tr measured (309) by a thermostat (500) to stabilize after the completion of the demand; and records (310) an evaluation temperature Te equal to the sensed room temperature measured at an end of the time period. The method and apparatus determines (318, 320, 324, 326), at a future time after recording the evaluation temperature, whether to allow an automatic changeover between heating and cooling modes, based upon a comparison of the evaluation temperature and the sensed room temperature measured at the future time.
Claims21
A thermostat for providing an automatic changeover from a current mode to a new mode, the current mode and the new mode being alternate ones of a heating mode for controlling a heating system and a cooling mode for controlling a cooling system, the thermostat comprising:
- a sensor for measuring a sensed room temperature;
- a processor coupled to the sensor for controlling the thermostat to operate continuously in one of the heating mode and the cooling mode, the processor programmed to define a time period following a completion of a demand for one of heating and cooling, said time period sufficient to allow the sensed room temperature measured by the sensor to stabilize after the completion of the demand;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor for cooperating with the processor to record an evaluation temperature equal to the sensed room temperature measured at an end of said time period,
- wherein the processor is further programmed to make a determination, at a future time after recording the evaluation temperature, of whether to allow the automatic changeover, based upon a comparison of said evaluation temperature and the sensed room temperature measured at said future time.
A module for use in a thermostat including a sensor for measuring a sensed room temperature, the module for cooperating with the sensor to provide an automatic changeover from a current mode to a new mode, the current mode and the new mode being alternate ones of a heating mode for controlling a heating system and a cooling mode for controlling a cooling system, the module comprising:
- a processor for controlling the thermostat to operate continuously in one of the heating mode and the cooling mode, the processor programmed to define a time period following a completion of a demand for one of heating and cooling, said time period sufficient to allow the sensed room temperature measured by the sensor to stabilize after the completion of the demand;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor for cooperating with the processor to record an evaluation temperature equal to the sensed room temperature measured at an end of said time period,
- wherein the processor is further programmed to make a determination, at a future time after recording the evaluation temperature, of whether to allow the automatic changeover, based upon a comparison of said evaluation temperature and the sensed room temperature measured at said future time.
A method of operating a thermostat to provide an automatic changeover from a current mode to a new mode, the current mode and the new mode being alternate ones of a heating mode for controlling a heating system and a cooling mode for controlling a cooling system, the method comprising the steps of:
- operating continuously in one of the heating mode and the cooling mode;
- defining a time period following a completion of a demand for one of heating and cooling, said time period sufficient to allow a sensed room temperature measured by the thermostat to stabilize after the completion of the demand;
- recording an evaluation temperature equal to the sensed room temperature measured at an end of said time period;
- and
- determining, at a future time after the recording step, whether to allow the automatic changeover, based upon a comparison of said evaluation temperature and the sensed room temperature measured at said future time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.