Controller for steam bath having multiple temperature sensors
AssigneeSteamist, Inc.
InventorJames Rocco Scalera
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A controller and method for controlling the temperature of a steam room. The controller comprises a backing plate and a housing that serves as a moisture barrier. The housing comprises an overlay portion and mounts to the backing plate. A circuit board is mounted to the backing plate. One or more primary temperature sensors are mounted to the circuit board and located within the housing, are spaced above the circuit board, and are biased against the overlay portion. One or more secondary temperature sensors are located within the housing to sense a temperature of a backside of the respective one of more primary temperature sensors wherein an estimation of a temperature of the steam room is obtained.
Claims16
A controller to control a temperature of an interior space of a steam room heated by steam from steam generator, the controller comprising:
- a backing plate to mount to an interior wall or surface of the steam room;
- a housing cover comprising an overlay interface portion, the housing cover mounts to the backing plate to form a housing space between the backing plate and the housing cover and serving as a barrier to prevent moisture in the interior of the steam room from entering the housing space, the housing cover having a front surface in contact with the interior space of the steam room and a rear surface in contact with the housing space;
- a circuit board mounted to the backing plate within the housing space;
- one or more primary temperature sensors mounted to the circuit board and located within the housing space, the one or more primary sensors being spaced proximate to and above the circuit board and being biased against a back surface of the overlay portion or the rear surface of the housing cover and distal to and away from the backing plate to measure a temperature immediately behind the housing cover;
- and
- one or more secondary temperature sensors located within the housing apace and located proximate to and nearer to the backing plate than the one or more primary sensors are located, creating an air gap between the one or more primary sensors and the one or more secondary sensors, the one or more secondary sensors sense a temperature of the air gap immediately behind a back surface of the respective one or more primary temperature sensors, wherein an estimation of an actual temperature of the interior space of the steam room is obtained from both the temperatures from the primary and secondary sensors that is more accurate than an estimate based on the temperature of the primary sensor alone.
A method to control a temperature of an interior space of a steam room heated by steam from a steam generator, comprising:
- providing a controller, the controller comprising:
- a backing plate to mount to an interior wall or surface of the steam room;
- a housing cover, the housing cover comprising an overlay interface portion, the housing cover mounts to the backing plate to form a housing space between the backing plate and the housing cover, the housing cover having a front surface in contact with the interior space of the steam room and a rear surface in contact with the housing space, the housing cover serving as a barrier to prevent moisture in the interior of the steam room from entering the housing space;
- a circuit board mounted to the backing plate within the housing space;
- one or more primary temperature sensors mounted to the circuit board and located within the housing space, the one or more primary sensors being spaced proximate to and above the circuit board and being biased against a back surface of the overlay portion or the rear surface of the housing cover and distal to and away from the backing plate to measure a temperature immediately behind the housing cover;
- and one or more secondary temperature sensors located within the housing space and located proximate to and nearer to the backing plate than the one or more primary sensors are located, creating an air gap between the one or more primary sensors and the one or more secondary sensors, the one or more secondary sensors sense a temperature of a back surface of the respective one or more primary temperature sensors through the air gap, wherein an estimation of an actual temperature of an interior space of the steam room is obtained from both the temperatures from the primary and secondary sensors that is more accurate than an estimate based on the temperature of the primary sensor alone;
- taking a temperature reading from one of the one or more primary sensors;
- subtracting the temperature reading from one of the one or more secondary sensors to determine a differential;
- adding the differential to the primary sensor temperature to get a more accurate estimation of the actual temperature of the interior of the steam room;
- and
- controlling a steam generator based on the derived estimation of the steam room temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.