US 8,689,572 B2Granted

Climate control system including responsive controllers

AssigneeEmerson Electric Co.

InventorsEdward B. Evans, William P. Butler, Steven L. Carey, John R. Sartain, Ron Miles, Donald E. Donnelly, Swapna Subhash Baviskar

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A thermostat is provided that receives one or more inputs from at least one heating system of a climate control system, and initiates an appropriate action in response to the input. The thermostat can turn off a heat pump providing substandard heat and responsively turn on a fuel-fired auxiliary furnace. The thermostat may discontinue further operation of the auxiliary furnace upon receiving an operating error signal associated with the auxiliary furnace, and responsively turn on the heat pump to provide for continued heating. The thermostat may also discontinue operation of the fuel-fired furnace and turn on a circulating fan in response to an input signal indicating a furnace high-temperature or a carbon monoxide presence.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A climate control system comprising:

a heat pump system including an outside unit having a compressor;
an auxiliary heating system having a control capable of digital communication;
a thermostat coupled to the heat pump system and the auxiliary heating system, the thermostat configured as a peer in a peer-to-peer network that includes as peers the control and a controller coupled to the heat pump system, the controller configured to determine when an outside ambient temperature is below a predetermined temperature value and to communicate a request via the peer-to-peer network to the auxiliary heating system control to initiate an auxiliary heating operation when the thermostat communicates a request to the controller for heating operation;
wherein the controller is configured to request the control for operation of the auxiliary heating system, when the compressor of the heat pump system is determined to be inoperable and/or the heat pump system is in a defrosting mode, and there is a demand for heat.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/931,749Filed 31 Oct 2007 · continuation in part
Priority: 22 Dec 2004
Published: US 2008/0054082 A16 Mar 2008
Granted: 8 Apr 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

F24D 19/1039
For central heating: the system uses a heat pump
F24D 12/02
Other central heating systems: having more than one heat source
G05D 23/1905
Characterised by the use of a variable reference value: associated with tele control
F24D 2200/04
Heat sources or energy sources: gas or oil fired boiler

Family

Application11/023,744Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Dec 2004
Application11/843,380Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 22 Aug 2007
US 7,261,243 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Aug 2007
US 2008/0054082 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Mar 2008
US 7,731,098 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Jun 2010
Application11/843,380Parent of this continuation
US 2006/0131434 A1Published application
US 2007/0284452 A1Published application
US 8,689,572 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.