Round thermostat with flanged rotatable user input member and wall-facing optical sensor that senses rotation
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
G05D-023/00
F24F-011/00
G05D-023/19
G05D-023/27
G06F-003/0487
G01J-005/00
G01J-005/04
G05D-023/24
출원번호
US-0458040
(2014-08-12)
등록번호
US-8998102
(2015-04-07)
발명자
/ 주소
Fadell, Anthony M.
Rogers, Matthew L.
Sloo, David
Plitkins, Michael
Honjo, Shigefumi
Filson, John B.
Matas, Michael J.
Bould, Fred
Huppi, Brian
출원인 / 주소
Google Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
14인용 특허 :
275
초록▼
A sleek, low-profile wall-mountable thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described. The thermostat includes a ring-shaped controller that rotates about a central axis, and an optical sensor directed away from the central axis and toward a radially inward-facing surface of the ring-shaped con
A sleek, low-profile wall-mountable thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described. The thermostat includes a ring-shaped controller that rotates about a central axis, and an optical sensor directed away from the central axis and toward a radially inward-facing surface of the ring-shaped controller so as to accurately detect optical signals indicating controller's rotational movement.
대표청구항▼
1. A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system comprising: a housing having a frustum-shaped body having a circular cross-section and a central axis generally perpendicular to a wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the frustum-shaped body including a sidewall that extends along a length of the
1. A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system comprising: a housing having a frustum-shaped body having a circular cross-section and a central axis generally perpendicular to a wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the frustum-shaped body including a sidewall that extends along a length of the central axis between first and second ends of the frustum-shaped body, the first end of the frustum-shaped body being wall-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the second end of the frustum-shaped body being user-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the first end of the frustum-shaped body having a first diameter and the second end of the frustum-shaped body having a second, larger diameter, the sidewall including inside and outside surfaces, the inside surface defining an interior for housing components of the thermostat;a processing system disposed within the interior of the housing;an electronic display coupled to the processing system and disposed within the interior of the housing, the electronic display being adapted to display information to a user and having a generally circular appearance when viewed by the user;a rotatable user input member mounted proximate the second end of the frustum-shaped body of the housing, the rotatable user input member having an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, wherein user rotation of the rotatable user input member results in user input for adjusting a temperature setting of the thermostat, the rotatable user input member having an inner portion extending radially inward with a surface that faces axially outward away from the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted; andan optical sensor mounted within the interior of the housing and positioned to face axially inward toward the wall so as to face the axially outward facing surface of the inner portion of the rotatable user input member, the optical sensor being configured to sense movement of said surface so as to detect rotational movement of the inner portion of the rotatable user input member and to generate electrical signals therefrom;wherein the processing system is adapted and configured to detect user input for adjusting the temperature setting of the thermostat based on the electrical signals generated by the optical sensor. 2. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the rotatable user input member rotatably slides about a bottom frame of the thermostat, the rotatable user input member having a lip or edge that is positioned within a groove of the bottom frame. 3. The thermostat of claim 2, wherein a bearing surface of the bottom frame is greased or otherwise lubricated to smooth and dampen rotational movement of the rotatable user input member. 4. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the thermostat includes a speaker and is configured to output synthesized audible ticks in correspondence with user rotation of the rotatable user input member. 5. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein said generally circularly appearing electronic display is formed by (a) a circular cover centered on said central axis and being mounted proximate the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body, the circular cover including a clear circular center portion surrounded by a colored outer portion, and (b) a non-circular dot-matrix color display element mounted at a location between the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body and the circular cover, the clear circular center portion of the circular cover permitting a corresponding circular portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element to be visible through the circular cover and the colored outer portion of the circular cover masking a remaining portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element so as to create the circular appearance of the generally circularly appearing electronic display. 6. The thermostat of claim 5, further comprising a motion sensor that detects user presence, wherein the processing system, upon receiving from the motion sensor a signal indicating user presence, activates the non-circular dot-matrix color display element. 7. The thermostat of claim 6, further comprising: a wall-mountable back plate configured to detachably couple to the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body so as to provide electrical power to the processing system and the non-circular dot-matrix color display element, the back plate including:wire connectors configured to connect to HVAC control wires so as to send a control signal from the processing system to the HVAC system;labels associated with the wire connectors to aid thermostat installation; anda bubble level to aid in level wall mounting of the thermostat. 8. A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system comprising: a housing;a processing system disposed within the housing;an electronic display coupled to the processing system and mounted on the housing and adapted to display information to a user, the electronic display having a generally circular appearance when viewed by the user;a rotatable user input member mounted on the housing so as to surround the electronic display and rotate about a central axis, the rotatable user input member having an inner portion extending radially inward with a surface that faces axially outward away from the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted; andan optical sensor mounted within the housing and positioned to face axially inward toward the wall so as to face the axially outward facing surface of the inner portion of the rotatable user input member, wherein the optical sensor senses movement of said surface so as to detect rotation of said rotatable user input member to detect user input to the thermostat. 9. The thermostat of claim 8, wherein the rotatable user input member rotatably slides about a bottom frame of the thermostat, the rotatable user input member having a lip or edge that is positioned within a groove of the bottom frame. 10. The thermostat of claim 9, wherein a bearing surface of the bottom frame is greased or otherwise lubricated to smooth and dampen rotational movement of the rotatable user input member. 11. The thermostat of claim 8, wherein the housing has a frustum-shaped body having a circular cross-section and a central axis generally perpendicular to the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the frustum-shaped body including a sidewall that extends along a length of the central axis between first and second ends of the frustum-shaped body, the first end of the frustum-shaped body being wall-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the second end of the frustum-shaped body being user-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the first end of the frustum-shaped body having a first diameter and the second end of the frustum-shaped body having a second, larger diameter, the sidewall including inside and outside surfaces, the inside surface defining an interior for housing components of the thermostat; and wherein the rotatable user input member is mounted proximate the second end of the frustum-shaped body, the rotatable user input member including an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, wherein user rotation of the rotatable user input member results in user input for adjusting a temperature setting of the thermostat. 12. The thermostat of claim 11, wherein the thermostat includes a speaker and is configured to output synthesized audible ticks in correspondence with user rotation of the rotatable user input member. 13. The thermostat of claim 11, wherein said generally circularly appearing electronic display is formed by (a) a circular cover centered on said central axis and being mounted proximate the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body, the circular cover including a clear circular center portion surrounded by a colored outer portion, and (b) a non-circular dot-matrix color display element mounted at a location between the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body and the circular cover, the clear circular center portion of the circular cover permitting a corresponding circular portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element to be visible through the circular cover and the colored outer portion of the circular cover masking a remaining portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element so as to create the circular appearance of the generally circularly appearing electronic display. 14. The thermostat of claim 13, further comprising a motion sensor that detects user presence, wherein the processing system, upon receiving from the motion sensor a signal indicating user presence, activates the non-circular dot-matrix color display element. 15. The thermostat of claim 14, wherein a brightness of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element is user-adjustable. 16. In a thermostat for controlling an HVAC system, a method for detecting user input comprising: sensing, via an axially oriented optical sensor, movement of a surface of a radially extending inner portion of a rotatable user input member upon user rotation of the rotatable user input member, the axially oriented optical sensor being disposed within a housing of the thermostat and positioned axially outwardly relative to the inner portion so that the optical sensor faces said surface of the inner portion and faces a wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted;generating electrical signals via the axially oriented optical sensor based on the sensed movement of said surface so as to sense rotational movement of the inner portion of the rotatable user input member;processing said electrical signals via a processing system disposed within the housing, said processed electrical signals corresponding to an extent of user rotation of the rotatable user input member and to an adjustment of a temperature setting of the thermostat; anddisplaying information to the user on a circular-appearing electronic display of the thermostat corresponding to the adjustment of the temperature setting of the thermostat, wherein said displaying comprises actuating one or more dot-matrix elements of a non-circular dot-matrix color display element mounted at a location that is axially outward relative to the inner portion of the rotatable user input member, the thermostat comprising a circular cover disposed axially outward relative to the non-circular dot-matrix color display element and having a clear circular center portion and a colored outer portion, the circular cover permitting a corresponding circular portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element to be visible through the circular cover and the colored outer portion of the circular cover masking an outer remaining portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element so as to create the circular appearance of the circularly appearing electronic display. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: sensing a proximal user presence using a passive infrared sensor positioned behind said circular cover in said thermostat; andactivating the non-circular dot-matrix color display element responsive to the sensed proximal user presence. 18. The method of 16, wherein said rotatable user input member rotatably slides about a bottom frame of the thermostat, and wherein said rotatable user input member has a lip or edge that is positioned within a groove of the bottom frame. 19. The method of 18, wherein a bearing surface of the bottom frame is greased or otherwise lubricated to smooth and dampen rotational movement of the rotatable user input member. 20. The method of 16, further comprising outputting synthesized audible ticks in correspondence with user rotation of the rotatable user input member.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (275)
Jacobs, Robert A, Access controlled thermostat system.
Dewolf Thomas L. (8139 Portobello Way Liverpool NY 13090) Phillips Thomas R. (6108 Gaspe La. Cicero NY 13041) Bench Ronald W. (8535 Farmgate Path Cicero NY 13041), Active anticipatory control.
Helander John W. (8703 S. Winston Ave. Tulsa OK 74137) Baumann David (Tulsa OK) Fong Chean F. (Tulsa OK) Szewczul Mark (Windsor CAX), Aesthetic thermostat.
Levine Michael R. (Ann Arbor MI), Analog to digital conversion employing the system clock of a microprocessor, the clock frequency varying with analog inp.
Massara James M. (Dunwoody GA) Davis Glenn A. (Lilburn GA), Apparatus and method for controlling distribution of electrical energy to a space conditioning load.
Miller,Stephen S., Apparatus for remotely controlling computers and other electronic appliances/devices using a combination of voice commands and finger movements.
Berglund Ulf Stefan,SEX ; Lundberg Bjorn Henry,SEX, Comfort control system incorporating weather forecast data and a method for operating such a system.
Vijaykumar Subramonie Monie ; Richard Daniel Hamann ; Stephen Duane Cook ; Premraj K. Mannikkath IN; Rajesh K. Vasudevan IN, Computerized system for controlling thermostats.
Bergman, Gabriel A.; Takach, Eugene J.; Stoner, Marcus D.; Amundson, John B.; Readio, Philip O.; Schwendinger, Paul G.; Boll, Jeff D.; Thomson, Ian; Ferguson, Colin T.; Mcleod, George J.; Wolfbauer, James A., Controller interface with multiple day programming.
Bergman, Gabriel A.; Takach, Eugene J.; Stoner, Marcus D.; Amundson, John B.; Readio, Philip O.; Schwendinger, Paul G.; Wolfbauer, James A.; Boll, Jeff D.; Thomson, Ian; Ferguson, Colin T.; Mcleod, George J., Controller interface with multiple day programming.
Brown Bernard T. (St. Louis MO) Butler William P. (St. Louis MO), Digital thermostat with single rotary encoder switch for establishing set point temperature.
Torres, Michael I.; Rosato, Stephen P.; Fluegel, Jason C.; Jeyaseelan, Thomas A.; Day, DeEtte M.; Axelrod, Eyal Z.; Gil, German A., Dynamic summary module.
Brown ; Jr. Robert J. (6688 Serena La. Boca Raton FL 33433) Romanowiz James D. (2919 Banyan Rd. Boca Raton FL 33432) Staples Charles W. (270 NW. 36th St. Boca Raton FL 33431), Energy management and home automation system.
Adams John T. (Minneapolis MN) Kompelien Arlon D. (Richfield MN) Nelson Marvin D. (St. Louis Park MN) Pinckaers B. Hubert (Edina MN), Energy saving thermostat.
Michael Lee Simmons ; Dominick J. Gibino, Energy-saving occupancy-controlled heating ventilating and air-conditioning systems for timing and cycling energy within different rooms of buildings having central power units.
Sinclair,Michael; Hinckley,Kenneth; Kirovski,Darko; Yuval,Gideon; Blank,Tom, Establishing communication between computing-based devices through motion detection.
Saft, Keith D.; Bernoulli, Carlo P.; Parry, Lee J.; Shephard, Megan D.; Poelker, Cole J., Graphical user interface for displaying content selections on a display panel.
Naughton Patrick J. ; Clayton ; III Charles H. ; Gosling James A. ; Warth Chris ; Palrang Joseph M. ; Frank Edward H. ; LaValle David A. ; Sheridan R. Michael, Graphical user interface with method and apparatus for interfacing to remote devices.
Chapman, Jr.,John Gilman; Ashworth,Nicholas; Burt,Robert; Wallaert,Timothy E., Hazardous condition detection system and method and thermostat for use therewith.
Tamarkin,Tomer D.; Block,Robert S.; Fine,Phillip M., Integrated metrology systems and information and control apparatus for interaction with integrated metrology systems.
Filson, John Benjamin; Daniels, Eric B.; Huppi, Brian, Integrating sensing systems into thermostat housing in manners facilitating compact and visually pleasing physical characteristics thereof.
Berkeley Arnold D. (10687 Weymouth St. ; Apt. 102 Bethesda MD 20814) Bernstein Alec (Baltimore MD) Carney Daniel C. (Baltimore MD), Interactive electronic thermostat with installation assistance.
Wedekind Gilbert L. (698 McGill Rochester Hills MI 48309), Method and apparatus for adaptively optimizing climate control energy consumption in a building.
Williams Christopher D. ; Goldschmidt Iti Jean M. ; Shah-Nazaroff Anthony A. ; Watts E. Michael ; Moore Kenneth Alan ; Hackson David N., Method and apparatus for automatically configuring a system based on a user's monitored system interaction and preferre.
Mueller, Carl J.; Toth, Bartholomew L.; Albanello, Frank A., Method and apparatus for automatically transmitting temperature information to a thermostat.
Berkeley Arnold D. ; Jefferson Donald E., Method and apparatus for conserving peak load fuel consumption and for measuring and recording fuel consumption.
Gough, Michael L.; MacDougald, Joseph J.; Venolia, Gina D.; Gilley, Thomas S.; Robbins, Greg M.; Hansen, Jr., Daniel J.; Oswal, Abhay, Method and apparatus for providing translucent images on a computer display.
Douglas D. Myron ; Vadim A. Konradi ; Bruce G. Williams ; John J. Fowler ; Timothy W. Woytek ; Jonathan D. Williams ; Gerard L. Cullen, Occupancy sensor and method of operating same.
Podgorny, Marek; Beca, Luke; Markowski, Roman; Bogucz, Edward A.; Santanam, Suresh; Lipson, Edward; Roman, Paul; Michalak, Greg; Lewandowski, Gregg; Gelling, Paul D., Open web services-based indoor climate control system.
Forstall, Scott; Lamiraux, Henri C.; Platzer, Andrew Emilio; Matas, Michael; Chaudhri, Imran, Portable electronic device, method, and graphical user interface for displaying electronic lists and documents.
Pisula, Charles J.; Newman, Lucas C.; Anzures, Freddy Allen; Ganatra, Nitin K., Portable touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for providing workout support.
Bohrer,Philip J.; Merten,Gregory J.; Schnell,Robert J.; Atlass,Michael B., Profile based method for deriving a temperature setpoint using a 'delta' based on cross-indexing a received price-point level signal.
Bohrer, Philip J.; Merten, Gregory J.; Schnell, Robert J.; Atlass, Michael B., Profile based method for deriving a temperature setpoint using a `delta` based on cross-indexing a received price-point level signal.
Bohrer, Philip J.; Merten, Gregory J.; Schnell, Robert J.; Atlass, Michael B., Profile based method for deriving a temperature setpoint using a ‘delta’ based on cross-indexing a received price-point level signal.
Rosen,Howard, Programmable thermostat incorporating a liquid crystal display and having a feature for mounting horizontally, vertically and any intermediate orientation.
Kaminski Donald F. (Sidney OH), Storage battery monitoring and recharging control system with automatic control of prime mover driving charging generato.
Chapman, Jr.,John Gilman; Ashworth,Nicholas; Burt,Robert; Wallaert,Timothy E.; Rao,Joseph P., System and method for controlling appliances and thermostat for use therewith.
Nawaz Sabina ; Isaac Steven Alfred ; McLain Jay Franklin ; Tuchen Michael H. ; Jakstadt Eric George, System and method for displaying data items in a ticker display pane on a client computer.
Kaasten,Shaun A.; Moore,Jason F.; Tubbs,Kenneth M.; Ivanovic,Relja; De Vorchik,David G.; Banks,Richard M.; Miner,Patrice L., System and method for filtering and organizing items based on common elements.
Huppi, Brian; Filson, John Benjamin; Bould, Fred; Sloo, David; Rogers, Matthew Lee; Fadell, Anthony Michael, System and method for integrating sensors in thermostats.
Cheung, Leo; Hublou, Scott Douglas; Steinberg, John Douglas, System and method for using ramped setpoint temperature variation with networked thermostats to improve efficiency.
Borzestowski, Marek; Trojanowicz, Marek; Strzalkowski, Marcin, Systems and methods for generating and implementing an interactive man-machine web interface based on natural language processing and avatar virtual agent based character.
Hoium Stanley O. ; Freund Peter W., Temperature control system and method for efficiently obtaining and maintaining the temperature in a conditioned space.
Fadell, Anthony Michael; Rogers, Matthew Lee; Rogers, Kipp Avery; Ishihara, Abraham K.; Ben-Menahem, Shahar; Sharan, Rangoli, Thermodynamic modeling for enclosures.
Warren, Daniel Adam; Fiennes, Hugo; Dutra, Jonathan Alan; Bell, David; Fadell, Anthony Michael; Rogers, Matthew Lee, Thermostat battery recharging during HVAC function active and inactive states.
Mueller, Carl J.; Sartain, John M.; Carey, Steven L.; Fredricks, Thomas J.; Miles, Ronald E.; Vogel, G. Scott; Garozzo, James P., Thermostat capable of displaying received information.
Fadell, Anthony M.; Rogers, Matthew L.; Sloo, David; Matas, Michael J.; Bould, Fred; Honjo, Shigefumi; Huppi, Brian; Filson, John B., Thermostat user interface.
Fadell, Anthony M.; Rogers, Matthew L.; Sloo, David; Matas, Michael J.; Bould, Fred; Honjo, Shigefumi; Huppi, Brian; Filson, John B., Thermostat user interface.
Siddaramanna, Lokesh T.; Chandrashekar, Harsha N.; Hobart, Gary J.; Peterson, Thomas G., Thermostat with fixed segment display having both fixed segment icons and a variable text display capacity.
Kurozumi, Kichiro; Arriola, George A.; Yamagami, Rui; Bauerly, Mike; Williams, George; Kawaguchi, Takahiro, Transitional graphic user interface for a display of a mobile telephone.
Simon ; deceased Bernard S. (late of St. Louis Park MN by Barbara J. Simon ; executor) Smith Wade W. (Plymouth MN), Two-way wireless HVAC system and thermostat.
Scalisi, Joseph F.; Mejia, Desiree; Morse, David M.; Beydler, Michael L., User interface for displaying information associated with a first zone of coverage of an individual being monitored by a location tracking system on a computer display screen.
Sinha, Sudhi; Ribbich, Joseph R.; Ribbich, Michael L.; Gaidish, Charles J.; Cipolla, John P., Multi-function thermostat with emergency direction features.
Ribbich, Joseph R.; Diptee, Vinosh C.; Abdala, Juilio A.; Ribeiro, Claudio Santiago; Gaidish, Charles J.; Kornacki, Michael F.; Cipolla, John P.; Sinha, Sudhi; Ribbich, Michael L., User control device with cantilevered display.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.