EP0193968A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Programmable thermostat
Assignee: Honeywell Inc
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Filing: 1986-03-07
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-03-07
Abstract
Abstract A programmable thermostat employing means for sensing the ambient temperature on the thermostat, a clock for generating digital electrical signals representative of real time, a programmable digital memory for retaining a schedule of times and temperature ranges for a particular repetitive time cycle, display means for indicating selected information including programming mode, time, and temperature conditions during the programming and operation of the device, and control means for interrogating the current temperature range in the times-temperatures schedule, determining whether the ambient temperature on the thermostat is within that range, and generating a control signal to the furnace or air conditioner when appropriate.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael R. Levine
- 👤 Anthony C. Cairo
- 👤 James T. Russo
- 👤 Victor H. Rigotti
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 11:14
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/04; G05B19/10; G05B19/102; G05B19/104; G05B2219/00; G05B2219/20; G05B2219/23; G05B2219/23199
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
A thermostat for controlling the application of electrical power to temperature modifying loads comprising: a clock (12) operative to generate digital electrical signals having values representative of real time; a programmable, digital memory ( 1 8); program input means (46 to 54) for loading said memory - (18) with a plurality of separate entries each entry including a pair of digital signals representing two temperatures defining limits of a desired temperature range at a particular time over a repetitive time cycle; display means (24) for displaying a particular time and said corresponding temperature range; circuitry (16) for applying the output of the clock (12) to the memory (18) to generate a digital electrical signal representative of the upper and lower limits of the desired temperature range at a particular time as stored in a selected entry; and means (30, 32) for receiving an electrical signal having a characteristic which is a function of the ambient temperature and for receiving the generated output of the memory (18) and for generating control signals for said loads.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
174 words
A thermostat for controlling the application of electrical power to temperature modifying loads comprising: a clock (12) operative to generate digital electrical signals having values representative of real time; a programmable, digital memory ( 1 8); program input means (46 to 54) for loading said memory - (18) with a plurality of separate entries each entry including a pair of digital signals representing two temperatures defining limits of a desired temperature range at a particular time over a repetitive time cycle; display means (24) for displaying a particular time and said corresponding temperature range; circuitry (16) for applying the output of the clock (12) to the memory (18) to generate a digital electrical signal representative of the upper and lower limits of the desired temperature range at a particular time as stored in a selected entry; and means (30, 32) for receiving an electrical signal having a characteristic which is a function of the ambient temperature and for receiving the generated output of the memory (18) and for generating control signals for said loads.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The thermostat of Claim 1 wherein the program input means (46 to 54) for loading said memory (18) includes means (66) for selectively raising and/or lowering each of the two temperatures defining the limits of the temperature range.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
56 words
The thermostat of Claim 2 including means for adjusting one of the temperatures defining one of the limits of the temperature range in the direction of the opposite limit of the range, to a value beyond the opposite limit of the range, for deleting the temperature entries representing the limits of the range from the memory.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
81 words
The thermostat of one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein said program input means (46 to 54) includes one or more push-buttons and function control means (56) operable to adjust a programmed parameter in one direction if the push-button is depressed for a period of time less than a first specified period of time and to adjust that parameter in the opposite direction if the push-button is depressed for a period of time greater than said first specified period of time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
The thermostat of Claim 4 wherein the function control means (56) includes means for adjusting the programmed parameter in said opposite direction by one increment in the temperature range for each additional second specified time period that the push-button (46 to 54) is maintained in a depressed position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The thermostat of one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein said display means (2 4 ) for said corresponding temperature range comprises graphic means (86) representing a linear succession of temperatures and means (90) for providing graphic emphasis to the band within said series defining said desired temperature range.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The thermostat of one of the foregoing Claims further including means (58) for controlling the memory (18) to cause the display of entries associated with particular times.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The thermostat of Claim 7 wherein said means (58) for controlling the memory (18) to cause the display of entries associated with particular times includes a two-state control device (46 to 54) and means (26) for generating displays of sequences of entries, with each entry being displayed for a particular period of time.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
83 words
The thermostat of Claim 8 wherein said two-state device comprises a push-button (46 to 54) and the memory (18) is interrogated to sequentially generate the display of a program entry in a forward chronological order when the push-button ( 4 6 to 54) is depressed for a period exceeding a predetermined time and the memory (18) is interrogated to display an entry in the reverse chronological order when the push-button (46 to 54) is depressed for a period less than said specified time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
57 words
The thermostat of Claim 9 wherein said means for controlling the memory (18) to cause the display of entries associated with particular times includes means for sequentially generating the display of an additional programmed entry in chronological order for each additional second specified time period that the push-button (46 to 54) is maintained in a depressed position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
84 words
The thermostat of one of the foregoing Claims wherein the repetitive time cycle consists of a week and said memory includes seven sections, each associated with a particular day in the week and further including means for storing a plurality of temperature ranges associated with programmed entries and storing signals corresponding to each of the stored temperature ranges in a section of the memory in which the time portion of an entry to be used in association with the said stored range is stored.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
70 words
The thermostat of one of the foregoing Claims wherein said display means (24) includes: energizable indicia (88) corresponding to indicated points on a linear temperature scale (90), each of the energizable indicia representing a particular temperature on the scale - (90), the programmed temperature range being displayed by energizing the indicia (88) corresponding to each of the upper and lower temperatures defining the range and each of the temperatures therebetween.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
The thermostat of Claim 12 including control means for deleting a displayed time-temperature entry from the programmable, digital memory when each of the energizable segments defining the selected temperatures in that entry have been deenergized by operation of the programmed input buttons.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
The thermostat of Claim 12 or 13 wherein the display means is surrounded by a removable mask (86) containing a temperature scale (90) marked in a preselected unit of measurement corresponding to each of the intervals in the temperature range.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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