Systems and Methods for Modulating Heating and / or Cooling Appliance Control Based on Return Air Temperature

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature. Specifically, the heating and / or cooling appliance modulates its output to control the rate at which the temperature within an environment rises or falls towards a desired temperature set point based on a current temperature rate of change in the environment. This is to ensure that that the temperature rises or falls towards the temperature setpoint at a rate that is comfortable for an occupant of the environment, rather than rising or falling too quickly or too slowly. Additionally, the temperature sensor is disposed within the heating and / or cooling appliance such that the heating and / or cooling appliance can perform this modulation regardless of the communication capabilities of the associated thermostat. For example, the heating and / or cooling appliance can perform this modulation using only low and high heating request signals from the thermostat (e.g., “W1” and “W2” signals).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 63 / 764,328, filed Feb. 27, 2025, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure is generally in the field of heating and / or cooling appliances.BACKGROUND

[0003] A heating and / or cooling appliance may generally refer to any system configured to heat and / or cool the air in a conditioned space (also referred to herein generally as an “environment”), such as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Non-limiting examples of such systems may include heat pumps, fuel-fired (gas) furnaces, air conditioning systems, etc. However, a heating and / or cooling appliance may not necessarily be limited to heating and / or cooling air. As another example, a heating and / or cooling appliance may generally refer to any system configured to produce a heated fluid, such as a water heater, a boiler, a pool heater, etc. A heating and / or cooling appliance may also be used to heat and / or cool any other fluid, such as a gas, liquid, etc. Yet further examples of heating and / or cooling appliances may include integrated heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), monobloc / split HPWHs, Packaged HVAC units, split HVAC units, etc. Although some figures illustrated herein show a particular type of heating and / or cooling appliance, this is merely for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the type of heating and / or cooling appliance that is applicable. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that these are merely examples of types of heating and / or cooling appliances and other types of heating and / or cooling appliances may also be applicable.

[0004] Some existing heating and / or cooling appliances may be configured to operate using data received from a “communicating thermostat” or other type of device in communication with the heating and / or cooling appliance. For example, a fuel-fired furnace may be in wired or wireless communication with an EcoNet® thermostat that may be configured to provide more advanced data to the furnace than a more conventional, “legacy” thermostat. For example, the EcoNet® thermostat may provide specific data such as blower speed, inducer speed, gas valve position, etc., whereas the legacy thermostat may only provide more limited data, such as a signal to the furnace indicating that the furnace should either operate in a first stage of heating or a second stage of heating. This results in these heating and / or cooling appliances having reduced functionality in environments including the legacy thermostats. For example, if a modulating furnace is in an environment with a communicating thermostat, the furnace can be modulated anywhere from 40% to 100% capacity in 5% increments. In contrast, with a legacy thermostat, the modulating furnace would only include a limited number of discreet speeds (such as three speed options) that allow the furnace to modulate up until meeting the temperature set point (and the legacy thermostat may not conventionally allow the furnace to modulate down).BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system including a heating and / or cooling appliance, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0006] FIGS. 2A-2B depicts a flow diagram for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram for estimating the current temperature of an environment, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 4 depicts control logic for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 5 depicts a method for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 6 depicts a computing device, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature. Particularly, described herein is a system that is modulated to control the rate at which the system causes the temperature of a conditioned space (also generally referred to as an “environment” herein) to increase or decrease based on input data relating to a current rate of change of the temperature of the environment.

[0012] As an example, the heating and / or cooling appliance may be a fuel-fired furnace that uses a combustion process to produce a heated gas that enters a heat exchanger in the furnace, which transfers heat to air that is distributed throughout the environment (to heat the environment). In this use case, if the temperature rate of change is too large, then the system reduces the output of the heating and / or cooling appliance such that the temperature rate of change is reduced and the temperature increase happens more gradually. Likewise, if the temperature rate of change is too low, then the system increases the output of the heating and / or cooling appliance such that the rate of change increases. As an example, the system may adjust parameters such as the gas manifold pressure and induced draft motor speed to modulate the combustion ratio of the heating and / or cooling appliance (for example, if the heating and / or cooling appliance is a fuel-fired furnace). The system may continuously monitor this temperature rate of change and make adjustments to the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance in this manner until the environment reaches the desired temperature setpoint.

[0013] While reference is made herein specifically to a furnace, however, this is merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting. The same control logic described herein may also be applicable to other types of systems that are used to heat an environment. Additionally, while reference is made herein to modulating heating and / or cooling appliances to control the rate at which the temperature of an environment is increased, this is also merely for illustrative purposes and similar logic may also be used to control the rate at which the temperature of the environment is decreased.

[0014] In contrast with the heating and / or cooling appliance described herein, some conventional heating and / or cooling appliances instead employ control logic that modulates the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance based on time, rather than based on the current temperature rate of change in the environment. This is especially the case when the heating and / or cooling appliance is receiving control signals from a “legacy” thermostat (which may also be referred to herein as a “non-communicating” thermostat) that does not have advanced communication capabilities. Generally, a legacy thermostat may refer to a thermostat that is hardwired to the heating and / or cooling appliance and only configured to send electrical signals to the heating and / or cooling appliance that provide an indication of one or more heating request stages depending on the differential between the current temperature of the environment and the desired temperature setpoint (for example, the temperature setpoint set by a user via the thermostat). Specifically, these legacy thermostats are typically configured to send either a “low heating request signal” (also commonly referred to as a “W1” signal) that provides an indication for the heating and / or cooling appliance to heat a conditioned space at a first rate and a “high heating request signal” (also commonly referred to as a “W2” signal) that provides an indication for the heating and / or cooling appliance to heat the environment at a second rate that is greater than the first rate).

[0015] The communicating thermostat may communicate any data point to the system and the system to the thermostat. The communicating thermostat may provide a specific command to run a certain capacity primarily based on the demand (e.g., set point-actual temperature). However, additional data from the thermostat, such as airflow trim settings, dehumidification set points, system clamps, etc., may be used to optimize the comfort level by modifying indoor blower airflow for dehumidification / humidification, noise abatement, or efficiency purposes.

[0016] Given that these legacy thermostats are only able to provide a low heating request signal or a high heating request signal to the heating and / or cooling appliance and are unable to provide some of the additional information that a more advanced, communicating thermostat can provide to the heating and / or cooling appliance, heating and / or cooling appliances that are only configured to operate based on time data may be unable to effectively operate in an environment that only includes the legacy thermostats, resulting in limitations on the uses of the newer heating and / or cooling appliances (or limitations on the types of thermostats that may be used with these newer heating and / or cooling appliances).

[0017] In contrast with these existing heating and / or cooling appliances that operate based on time data, the heating and / or cooling appliance described herein is advantageously able to operate in an environment regardless of the type of thermostat or other type of device that is sending control signals to the heating and / or cooling appliance. Given that the heating and / or cooling appliance periodically or continuously monitors the temperature rate of change of the environment and modulates the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance accordingly, the heating and / or cooling appliance also provides the added benefit of ensuring that the temperature increase in the environment occurs at an optimal rate. That is, the system ensures that the rate is sufficiently gradual to not result in a sudden change in temperature in the environment (which may cause discomfort for occupants of the environment) but is also sufficiently quick that the environment reaches the desired temperature setpoint in a reasonable amount of time.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the temperature data may be obtained from one or more temperature sensors located at the heating and / or cooling appliance itself. By positioning the one or more temperature sensors within the heating and / or cooling appliance itself (for example, within the furnace in the use case described herein), the heating and / or cooling appliance is able to monitor the overall temperature from any return plenums of the heating and / or cooling appliance to provide more accurate data about the overall temperature of the environment that is being heated by the heating and / or cooling appliance. For example, the one or more temperature sensors may be integrated into a control board (referred to as a controller herein) of the heating and / or cooling appliance. However, some or all of the sensors may also be positioned separately from the controller as well. Further, although reference is made to the sensors being located within the heating and / or cooling appliance, some or all of the sensors may also be positioned in any other location as well (for example, within ductwork connected to the heating and / or cooling appliance, etc.).

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the control logic for the heating and / or cooling appliance may generally be as follows (additional details about the control logic are provided with respect to at least FIGS. 2-4). The heating and / or cooling appliance (more specifically, a controller of the heating and / or cooling appliance, such as controller 106, computing device 600, etc.) may receive a heating request signal from a device, such as a thermostat in the environment that is desired to be heated. Specifically, the heating request signal may either be a low heating request signal (the “W1” signal) or a high heating request signal (the “W2” signal). Depending on which of these heating request signals are received, the controller may control the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance in a different manner. For example, if the controller receives a low heating request signal, then the controller may cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to operate at a lower percentage of its maximum operating capacity (for example, 40% of maximum heating capacity or any other value). In contrast, if the controller receives a high heating request signal, then the controller may cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to operate at a higher percentage of its maximum operating capacity (for example, 80% of maximum heating capacity or any other value). The heating and / or cooling appliance is able to operate without receiving any other data from the thermostat, thus allowing the heating and / or cooling appliance to be used with the legacy thermostats.

[0020] After the controller receives the initial heating request signal and initiates the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance, the controller may periodically or continuously monitor data received from the one or more temperature sensors. As the controller receives temperature data, the controller may determine the actual change of temperature in the environment by determining the differential between temperature values at different times. For example, the controller may receive first temperature data at a first time, wait a period of time, receive second temperature data at a second time, and then may determine the temperature rate of change by subtracting the first temperature data from the second temperature data and then dividing by the difference between the second time and the first time. This is merely one example of a manner by which the temperature rate of change may be determined and the temperature rate of change may also be determined in other ways. For example, the controller may also receive third temperature data and fourth temperature data, may determine a difference between the third temperature data and the fourth temperature data, and then may take an average of the resulting difference and the difference between the first temperature data and the second temperature data.

[0021] Once the controller determines the current temperature rate of change, the controller modulates the operation of the furnace to increase or decrease the heat output of the furnace. Specifically, if the temperature rate of change is less than or less than or equal to a threshold rate of change (either condition may be used depending on the configuration of the system), then the controller may modulate the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance to increase the heat output of the heating and / or cooling appliance and correspondingly increase the temperature rate of change in the environment. However, if the temperature rate of change is greater than or greater than or equal to the threshold rate of change (either condition may be used depending on the configuration of the system), then the controller may modulate the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliance to decrease the heat output of the heating and / or cooling appliance and correspondingly decrease the temperature rate of change in the environment. This control logic ensures that the temperature rate of change in the environment occurs at a rate that is comfortable for occupants in the environment (it may be undesirable for the temperature to rise too quickly within the environment for some occupants). Similar logic may be used for cooling modes of operation.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the control logic described herein may also advantageously be configured to estimate the current temperature of the environment when receiving a heating request signal even without also receiving the current temperature data from the one or more temperature sensors. Specifically, after the heating and / or cooling appliance has completed heating the environment to a setpoint temperature, the current temperature of the environment is known by the heating and / or cooling appliance to be the setpoint temperature. If the heating and / or cooling appliance then subsequently receives a low heating request signal, the heating and / or cooling appliance may assume that the current temperature of the environment is the previous temperature setpoint (and / or the temperature at the end of the fulfillment of the prior heating request given that the heating and / or cooling appliance is instructed to bring the temperature to the temperature setpoint) or that there is a small temperature differential between the previous setpoint temperature and the current temperature of the environment. This is because the low heating request signal is typically transmitted to a heating and / or cooling appliance if the temperature differential between the current temperature of the environment and the desired temperature setpoint are within a small range. For example, the low heating request signal may be sent if the differential is 0.5 to 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (however, this range may vary).

[0023] Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system 100 including a heating and / or cooling appliance. In this use case, the heating and / or cooling appliance is a fuel-fired furnace 102, however, as mentioned above, any other type of heating and / or cooling appliance may also be applicable in place of the furnace 102 (that is, the furnace is used as an exemplary use case to illustrate the control logic described herein). In one or more embodiments, the system 100 may include the furnace 102 and one or more devices (for example, device 103 and user device 105) configured to provide control instructions to the furnace 102.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the furnace 102 may include a controller 106, one or more sensors 107 one or more return plenums 104, one or more supply plenums 110, a heat exchanger 108, and / or any other components that may be found in a conventional furnace 102 (several of these components found in conventional furnaces are described below but not shown in FIG. 1). During operation of the furnace 102, a burner assembly within a combustion chamber of the furnace 102 facilitates a combustion process that produces the warm air via the heat exchanger 108. The furnace 102 distributes this warm air into the environment 101 via supply ductwork connected to the one or more supply plenums 110. To facilitate the ignition process, the burner assembly may also include one or more gas valves, one or more igniters, and one or more flame sensors. When the furnace 102 is operating to provide warm air to an environment, the one or more gas valves are opened (for example, by the controller 106). With the one or more gas valves being open, gas from a gas line flows through the gas valves and is ignited by the one or more igniters.

[0025] Intake air from the environment is also provided to the combustion chamber to allow for the gas to be ignited. In one or more embodiments, the air (or “combustion air”) may be provided to the combustion chamber through an intake pipe or through apertures provided in a housing of the furnace 102. To control the amount of intake air that is supplied for the combustion process, the inducer fan may be provided to regulate the amount of air that is drawn into the combustion chamber. The inducer may also serve to push exhaust air out of the tubes of the heat exchanger 108 as well. This combustion process produces heated gas that is directed through metal tubes of the heat exchanger 108. The heated gas is then directed out of the furnace 102 as exhaust gas. The heated gas that is flowing through the heat exchanger causes a temperature increase of the heat exchanger 108.

[0026] The blower fan is provided such that the exhaust air of the blower fan is directed across the heat exchanger 108. While the heated gas is being provided through the heat exchanger 108, the blower motor is activated, which causes the blower fan to rotate. The rotation of the blower fan causes air from the outside environment to be drawn into the furnace 102 and across the heat exchanger 108. The heat from the heat exchanger 108 (caused by the heated gas flowing through the heat exchanger 108) warms the air, which is routed out of the furnace through an aperture to which ducting may be attached. The warm air may then be routed through the environment 101 (for example, into the various rooms).

[0027] The controller 106 may be responsible for controlling any of these (or other) components of the furnace 102. The controller 106 may be in electrical communication with any of the components and may send electrical signals to the components to automate the operation of the components. For example, the controller 106 may control various components to regulate the combustion process (such as opening and closing the gas valves by certain amounts, adjusting the amount of intake air supplied to the combustion chamber by controlling the speed of a fan, etc.) to modulate the heat output of the furnace 102 in accordance with the processes described with respect to FIGS. 2-4. Accordingly, reference herein to a controller modulating a heating and / or cooling appliance may generally refer to the controller sending control signals to control the operation of one or more components of the heating and / or cooling appliance, for example.

[0028] The one or more sensors 107 may be integrated with the controller 106 (for example, provided on a control board), however, the one or more sensors 107 may also be separate from the controller 106 and may be in wired or wireless communication with the controller 106. For example, the one or more sensors 107 may be temperature sensors (also referred to as return air temperature (RAT) sensors herein), however, other types of sensors may also be provided in the system 100 to capture any other types of relevant data. When there are multiple return ducts connected to the return plenum 104, the one or more sensors 107 can measure the temperature of air coming from different areas of the environment 101 (through the different return ducts) to obtain a better representation of the temperature of the environment 101 as a whole.

[0029] In one or more embodiments, the device 103 may be any type of device that is configured to provide control instructions to the furnace 102 (for example, to the controller 106 of the furnace 102). For example, the device 103 may be a communicating or a non-communicating (also referred to as a “legacy” thermostat herein) thermostat.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, the user device 105 may be a device that is used to remotely control operation of the device 103 (if the device 103 is a communicating device configured with communication capabilities). For example, the user device 105 may be a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet, or any other type of device that may be used by a user to interact with the device 103. The user device 105 may include an application with a user interface that allows a user to view data received from the device 103. For example, the application may allow the user to view the current temperature for each of the rooms in the environment 101, any temperature setpoints for any of the rooms in the environment, and / or any other types of relevant data. The application may also allow the user to configure settings associated with the device 103 such as temperature setpoint(s) for the environment 101, a heating and / or cooling schedule, and / or any other types of relevant settings. Accordingly, a user can control the operation of the device 103 (and correspondingly, the operation of the furnace 102) without needing to be at the physical location of the device 103 to directly interact with the device 103. The user device 105 may be configured to communicate with the device 103 via any suitable wired or wireless communication protocol.

[0031] As aforementioned, the system 100 may exist within the environment 101 (a “conditioned space”), such as a residential home or a commercial establishment. The environment 101 may include one or more rooms (in the example shown in FIG. 1, the environment includes a first room 116, a second room 118, a third room 120, a fourth room 122, and a fifth room 124, however, the environment 101 may also include any other number of rooms. The heating and / or cooling appliance is configured to modulate the temperatures within the environment 101 by providing cooled or warmed air to the various rooms of the environment 101. For example, the furnace 102 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to provide warmed air to the first room 116, second room 118, third room 120, fourth room 122, and fifth room 124 to increase the temperatures within these rooms based on a temperature setpoint that is established through the device 103. In some instances, the system 100 may be configured such that the different rooms may be heated to different temperatures as well (such temperature control may be performed through settings in the device 103 or there may be multiple of such devices that are responsible for individual rooms or groups of rooms within the environment 101).

[0032] FIGS. 2A-2B depicts a flow diagram 200 for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature. The flow diagram 200 illustrates some of the operations performed by a controller (such as controller 106, controller 600, and / or any other controller) of a heating and / or cooling appliance. The exemplary operations shown in the flow diagram 200 are not intended to be limiting and the controller may also be configured to perform a fewer or greater number of operations. Any of the operations may also be performed in any other order. Additionally, reference is made below to several periods of time (e.g., “T1,” T2,” etc.). These may be time periods of same or different durations.

[0033] The algorithm described with respect to flow diagram 200 provides a way to enable modulation of the furnace without requiring a communicating thermostat because the return air temperature (RAT) of the average indoor air temperature (or any other temperature) is directly measured by the controller. While the example of FIG. is provided for a gas furnace, the same algorithm can be applied to other modulating heating or cooling appliances, such as air conditioning systems, heat pump systems, air handlers with hydronic heat exchanger systems, etc.

[0034] The flow diagram 200 begins with operation 202, which involves receiving a steady stage gas heat call. For example, the gas heat call may be a signal that is received from a separate device, such as a thermostat. The signal may be received by the controller via any wired or wireless connection. As one example, the thermostat may be hardwired to the controller and the signal is an electrical signal that is transmitted over the wired connection between the thermostat and the controller. As another example, the signal may be transmitted wirelessly using any suitable wireless communication protocol. The signal may also be received by the controller in any other suitable manner.

[0035] Once the signal is received by the controller at operation 202, condition 204 may involve the controller determining if the signal is a “low heating request signal” or a “high heating request signal”. Conventional thermostats may be wired with two different wired connections that indicate requests for different stages of heating to be performed by the furnace. The “low heating request signal” (also commonly referred to as a “W1” signal) may provide an indication for the furnace to heat a conditioned space at a first rate and the “high heating request signal” (also commonly referred to as a “W2” signal) may provide an indication for the furnace to heat a conditioned space at a second rate. Although reference is made to these signals being transmitted over different wired connections with the thermostat, as indicated above, the signals may also be received wirelessly or in any other suitable manner. If it is determined in condition 204 that a low heating request signal was received, then the flow diagram proceeds to operation 222. If it is determined in condition 204 that a high heating request signal was received, then the flow diagram proceeds to operation 206.

[0036] At operation 206, the controller may cause the furnace to run at a first output level (for example, 80% of full heating capacity) for a first period of time (for example, “T1” minutes). For example, the furnace is a fuel-fired furnace, the controller may control components involved in the combustion process to modulate the heat output produced by the furnace.

[0037] Following operation 206, the controller may periodically check data captured by the return air sensor. For example, the flow diagram 200 shows operation 208 involving checking the data from the RAT sensor and running the furnace for “T2” minutes. The flow diagram 200 also shows operation 210 involving checking the data from the RAT sensor again and running the furnace for “T3” minutes. Once the data is obtained in operation 208 and 210, at operation 211, the data may be used to determine an actual change in temperature by determining the difference between the temperature data obtained in operation 210 and the temperature data obtained in operation 208.

[0038] Once the change in temperature is determined in operation 211, condition 212 involves determining if the change in temperature satisfies a threshold temperature change. The term “satisfying” a threshold temperature change in this context may refer to the temperature change determined in operation 211 being greater than or greater than or equal to the threshold temperature change (either may be used depending on the configuration of the system). Likewise, “failing to satisfy” the threshold temperature change in this context may refer to the temperature change being less than or less than or equal to the threshold temperature change. If condition 212 is met (that is, the temperature change satisfies the threshold temperature change), then the flow diagram 200 proceeds to operation 218. If, however, condition 212 is not met (that is, the temperature change fails to satisfy the threshold temperature change), then the flow diagram 200 proceeds to operation 214.

[0039] At operation 214, the controller modulates the furnace to increase the heat output of the furnace for “T4” minutes. That is, if the temperature change fails to satisfy the temperature change threshold, then the operation of the furnace is increased to increase the temperature rate of change caused by the furnace. For example, the controller may control a gas valve and / or an inducer fan to control the amount of gas and / or air introduced into a combustion chamber to control the output of the combustion process of the furnace. In the opposite scenario (when the rate of change of the temperature is determined to be too great), at operation 218, the controller modulates the furnace to decrease the heat output of the furnace for “T5” minutes. That is, in some instances, it may be undesirable for the temperature to rise in the conditioned space too quickly, and operation 218 ensures that the temperature rise in the conditioned space occurs at a rate that is comfortable to users within the conditioned space.

[0040] Following this initial modulation of the heat output of the furnace based on the determined initial change in temperature, the flow diagram 200 at operation 216 may again check the temperature data captured by the RAT sensor. The flow diagram 200 may then iterate back through the loop including condition 212 and operations 214, 216, and 218 during the operation of the furnace to heat the conditioned space to the desired setpoint temperature.

[0041] Returning to condition 204, if it is determined that a “low heat” signal is received, then the flow diagram proceeds to operation 222. At operation 222, the controller may cause the furnace to run at a second output level (for example, 40% of full heating capacity) that is lower than the first output level associated with the “high heat” signal for a first period of time (for example, “T1” minutes). For example, the furnace is a fuel-fired furnace, the controller may control components involved in the combustion process to modulate the heat output produced by the furnace.

[0042] Following operation 222, the controller may periodically check data captured by the return air sensor. For example, the flow diagram 200 shows operation 224 involving checking the data from the RAT sensor and running the furnace for “T2” minutes. The flow diagram 200 also shows operation 226 involving checking the data from the RAT sensor again and running the furnace for “T3” minutes. Once the data is obtained in operation 224 and 226, at operation 227, the data may be used to determine an actual change in temperature by determining the difference between the temperature data obtained in operation 226 and the temperature data obtained in operation 224.

[0043] Once the change in temperature is determined in operation 227, condition 228 involves determining if the change in temperature satisfies a threshold temperature change. The term “satisfying” a threshold temperature change in this context may refer to the temperature change determined in operation 227 being greater than or greater than or equal to the threshold temperature change (either may be used depending on the configuration of the system). Likewise, “failing to satisfy” the threshold temperature change in this context may refer to the temperature change being less than or less than or equal to the threshold temperature change. If condition 228 is met (that is, the temperature change satisfies the threshold temperature change), then the flow diagram 200 proceeds to operation 232. If, however, condition 228 is not met (that is, the temperature change fails to satisfy the threshold temperature change), then the flow diagram 200 proceeds to operation 230.

[0044] At operation 230, the controller modulates the furnace to increase the heat output of the furnace for “T4” minutes. That is, if the temperature change fails to satisfy the temperature change threshold, then the operation of the furnace is increased to increase the temperature rate of change caused by the furnace. In the opposite scenario (when the rate of change of the temperature is determined to be too great), at operation 232, the controller modulates the furnace to decrease the heat output of the furnace for “T5” minutes. That is, in some instances, it may be undesirable for the temperature to rise in the conditioned space too quickly, and operation 232 ensures that the temperature rise in the conditioned space occurs at a rate that is comfortable to users within the conditioned space.

[0045] Following this initial modulation of the heat output of the furnace based on the determined initial change in temperature, the flow diagram 200 at operation 234 may again check the temperature data captured by the RAT sensor. Operation 220. The flow diagram 200 may then iterate back through the loop including condition 228 and operations 230, 232, and 234 during the operation of the furnace to heat the conditioned space to the desired setpoint temperature.

[0046] FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram 300 for estimating a current temperature of an environment. Specifically, the flow diagram 300 illustrates exemplary operations that may be performed by the controller (for example, controller 106, computing device 600, etc.) to estimate a current temperature of the environment without requiring temperature data from the one or more temperature sensors (in some scenarios).

[0047] The flow diagram 300 begins with the heating and / or cooling appliance initially heating the environment to a desired temperature setpoint. For example, operation 302 involves the heating and / or cooling appliance receiving a first heating request signal and operation 304 involves the heating and / or cooling appliance determining that the heating request has been fulfilled (that is, the current temperature is equal to the temperature setpoint (any reference herein to the heating and / or cooling appliance receiving data, performing an operation, etc. may specifically refer to a controller of the heating and / or cooling appliance)). The heating and / or cooling appliance may also perform any other operations associated with causing the temperature to raise to the temperature setpoint in between operations 302 and 304 (for example, the operations described with respect to the flow diagram 200 of FIGS. 2A-2B). At this point in time, the temperature of the environment is known by the heating and / or cooling appliance to be the temperature setpoint.

[0048] At operation 306, the heating and / or cooling appliance then receives a subsequent heating request. For example, an occupant of the environment may provide a different temperature setpoint as an input (through a thermostat or other type of device in wired or wireless communication with the heating and / or cooling appliance). After receiving the second heating request signal, at condition 308, the heating and / or cooling appliance then determines if the second heating request signal is a low heating request signal or a high heating request signal (e.g., the “W1” or “W2” signals). If it is determined in condition 308 that the heating request signal is a low heating request signal, then, at operation 310, the heating and / or cooling appliance may estimate that the current temperature of the environment is the previous temperature setpoint (for example, the temperature setpoint achieved by the heating and / or cooling appliance in operation 304 of the prior heating cycle of the environment) and / or the temperature at the end of the fulfillment of the prior heating request given that the heating and / or cooling appliance is instructed to bring the temperature to the temperature setpoint. This is because the low heating request signal is typically transmitted to a heating and / or cooling appliance if the temperature differential between the current temperature of the environment and the desired temperature setpoint are within a small range (such as 0.5 to 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit, however other ranges are also possible). However, if it is determined in condition 308 that the heating request signal is a high heating request signal, then, at operation 312, the heating and / or cooling appliance instead obtains temperature data from the one or more temperature sensors of the heating and / or cooling appliance. In either case, operation 314 involves modulation of the heating and / or cooling appliance based on the temperature value estimated in operation 310 or the actual temperature data obtained in operation 312 (for example, performing another heating cycle of the environment in a manner described with respect to the flow diagram 200 of FIGS. 2A-2B).

[0049] FIG. 4 depicts control logic 400 for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature. It should be noted that the control logic shown in FIG. 4 is merely exemplary and other types of control logic may also be used. As another non-limiting example, a discrete PID, PI, etc. may be used.

[0050] In one or more embodiments, the control logic 400 may involve modulating the heating capacity of the heating and / or cooling appliance (for example, the furnace 102 of FIG. 1) by modulating the gas valve and / or inducer speed of the heating and / or cooling appliance (however, other components may also be controlled based on the type of heating and / or cooling appliance). Existing control logic associated with heating and / or cooling appliances modulate the operation of the heating and / or cooling appliances based on time. In contrast, the control logic 400 described herein modulates the heating and / or cooling appliance based on a temperature rate of change in the environment. This approach is unique since it doesn't target a given temperature (space temperature inside of the house) but rather a temperature difference per time (RAT heat rise / time). This way we can indirectly control the space temperature without needing direct measurements from inside of the house.

[0051] In one or more embodiments, a target temperature increase 404 may be determined by approximating the heat demand based on a heating request signal 402 (for example, a low or high heating request signal) received from a device (such as device 103, for example). For a low heating request signal (e.g., “W1”), the system can assume the current temperature of the environment is greater than 0.5 Fahrenheit degrees but less than 1.5 Fahrenheit degrees away from the temperature setpoint. For a high heating request signal (e.g., “W2”), the system may assume the space temperature is greater than 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit away from the set point. These assumptions are based on the low heating request signal being transmitted by the device to the heating and / or cooling appliance when the temperature differential between the current temperature of the environment and the desired temperature set point is between 0.5 and 1.5 Fahrenheit and the high heating request signal being transmitted by the device to the heating and / or cooling appliance when the temperature differential between the current temperature of the environment and the desired temperature set point is greater than 1.5 Fahrenheit (however, these values may differ). These thresholds may also be user configurable (for example, during installation).

[0052] After the heating request 402 is received, the produces an output 410 in the form of control signals to one or more components of the heating and / or cooling appliance to modulate the heating capacity of the heating and / or cooling appliance. For example, FIG. 4 shows heating capacities in intervals of five percent (e.g., 40%, 45%, 50%, etc.), however, other heating capacities may also be used. Modulating the heating capacity generally refers to controlling the components of the heating and / or cooling appliance to decrease or increase the heat production of the heating and / or cooling appliance (if the heating and / or cooling appliance is used to heat the environment). The same may also apply to a heating and / or cooling appliance that is used to cool an environment as well.

[0053] One the heating operation is initiated, the controller may determine the actual temperature rate of change 412 in a similar manner described with respect to FIGS. 2A-2B. This actual temperature rate of change 412 may then be used in a feedback loop to periodically or continuously modulate the heating capacity of the heating and / or cooling appliance to adjust the rate at which the temperature is increased within the environment. For example, If the actual temperature rate of change 412 is less than the target value, then we know we need to increase the heating capacity. If the actual temperature rate of change 412 is greater than the target value, then we know we need to decrease the heating capacity.

[0054] The learning algorithm 416 may monitor when the heating and / or cooling appliance goes from W1 to W2. If the learning algorithm 416 determines that a given number or prior low heat calls start at 40% but then eventually the legacy thermostat transitions to the W2 call, the learning algorithm 416 may discern that the heating and / or cooling appliance we are losing ground on the conditioned space temperature. Accordingly, the learning algorithm 416 may cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to initially start at a higher point than 40% to avoid requiring the transition to the W2 call in future iterations.

[0055] One benefit of using the one or more sensors described herein instead of temperature data from a thermostat is inherent averaging. That is, if the thermostat is installed in an unideal position, such as close to a vent, return, or window, the temperature data may not be representative of the status of the remainder of the area the temperature data is supposed to represent. When measuring the return air temperature, the air is from all the returns located at different points in the house to better represent the overall temperature of the environment temperature.

[0056] Referring now to FIG. 5, an example method 500 for modulating heating and / or cooling appliance control based on return air temperature is shown. Some or all of the blocks of the process flows or methods in this disclosure may be performed in a distributed manner across any number of devices or systems (for example, any of the controllers, such as device 103, user device 105, controller 106, computing device 600, etc.). The operations of the method 500 may be optional and may be performed in a different order.

[0057] At block 502 of the method 500, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device (such as device 103, user device 105, controller 106, computing device, etc.) may be executed to receive, from a device configured to receive an indication of a temperature setpoint for an environment, a first heating or cooling request signal, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is based on the temperature setpoint.

[0058] At block 504 of the method 500, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to receive, from a temperature sensor disposed within the heating and / or cooling appliance and at a first time, first temperature data indicative of a temperature of the environment.

[0059] At block 506 of the method 500, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to control, based on the first heating or cooling request signal, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition air provided to the environment at a first rate.

[0060] At block 508 of the method 500, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to receive, from the temperature sensor, second temperature data at a second time and third temperature data at a third time.

[0061] At block 510 of the method 500, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to determine a rate of change of a temperature of the environment based on a difference between the third temperature data and the second temperature data.

[0062] At block 512 of the method 500, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to control, based on the rate of change of the temperature, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition the air provided to the environment at a second rate. The controller causing the heating and / or cooling appliance to heat the air providing to the environment at the first rate or the second rate may refer to the controller modulating the heating and / or cooling appliance to a certain percentage of the maximum heating capacity of the heating and / or cooling appliance as described herein. For example, the controller may control a gas valve or an inducer fan to adjust the combustion process of a fuel-fired furnace.

[0063] Referring now to FIG. 6, a schematic block diagram of a computing device 600 is shown. FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary hardware and software components associated with any controller or any other device described herein, such as device 103, user device 105, controller 106, etc.

[0064] The computing device(s) 600 may be configured to communicate via one or more networks. Such network(s) may include, but are not limited to, any one or more different types of communications networks such as, for example, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks (e.g., frame-relay networks), wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network), or any other suitable private or public packet-switched or circuit-switched networks. Further, such network(s) may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, such network(s) may include communication links and associated networking devices (e.g., link-layer switches, routers, etc.) for transmitting network traffic over any suitable type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire (e.g., twisted-pair copper wire), optical fiber, a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, a microwave medium, a radio frequency communication medium, a satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

[0065] In an illustrative configuration, the computing device(s) 600 may include one or more processors (processor(s)) 602, one or more memory devices 604 (generically referred to herein as memory 604), one or more input / output (I / O) interfaces 606, one or more network interfaces 608, one or more sensors or sensor interfaces 610, one or more transceivers 612, one or more optional speakers 614, one or more optional microphones 616, and data storage 620. The computing device(s) 600 may further include one or more buses 618 that functionally couple various components of the computing device(s) 600. The computing device(s) 600 may further include one or more antenna(e) 634 that may include, without limitation, a cellular antenna for transmitting or receiving signals to / from a cellular network infrastructure, an antenna for transmitting or receiving WiFi signals to / from an access point (AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna for receiving GNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmitting or receiving Bluetooth signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting or receiving NFC signals, and so forth. These various components will be described in more detail hereinafter.

[0066] The bus(es) 618 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus, an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit the exchange of information (e.g., data (including computer-executable code), signaling, etc.) between various components of the computing device(s) 600. The bus(es) 618 may include, without limitation, a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and so forth. The bus(es) 618 may be associated with any suitable bus architecture including, without limitation, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), an Enhanced ISA (EISA), a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) architecture, an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) architecture, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) architecture, a PCI-Express architecture, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) architecture, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) architecture, and so forth.

[0067] The memory 604 of the computing device(s) 600 may include volatile memory (memory that maintains its state when supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when not supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage, as that term is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain example embodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read / write access than non-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments, certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable faster read / write access than certain types of volatile memory.

[0068] In various implementations, the memory 604 may include multiple different types of memory such as various types of static random access memory (SRAM), various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), various types of unalterable ROM, and / or writeable variants of ROM such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and so forth. The memory 604 may include main memory as well as various forms of cache memory such as instruction cache(s), data cache(s), translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further, cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache organized as a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

[0069] The data storage 620 may include removable storage and / or non-removable storage, including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical disk storage, and / or tape storage. The data storage 620 may provide non-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data. The memory 604 and the data storage 620, removable and / or non-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used herein.

[0070] The data storage 620 may store computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loadable into the memory 604 and executable by the processor(s) 602 to cause the processor(s) 602 to perform or initiate various operations. The data storage 620 may additionally store data that may be copied to the memory 604 for use by the processor(s) 602 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 602 may be stored initially in the memory 604, and may ultimately be copied to the data storage 620 for non-volatile storage.

[0071] More specifically, the data storage 620 may store one or more operating systems (O / S) 622; one or more database management systems (DBMSs) 624; and one or more program module(s), applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like. Some or all of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 620 may include any combination of software, firmware, and / or hardware. The software and / or firmware may include computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loaded into the memory 604 for execution by one or more of the processor(s) 602. Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 620 may support functionality described in reference to corresponding components named earlier in this disclosure.

[0072] The data storage 620 may further store various types of data utilized by the components of the computing device(s) 600. Any data stored in the data storage 620 may be loaded into the memory 604 for use by the processor(s) 602 in executing computer-executable code. In addition, any data depicted as being stored in the data storage 620 may potentially be stored in one or more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS 624 and loaded in the memory 604 for use by the processor(s) 602 in executing computer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, but are not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like.

[0073] The processor(s) 602 may be configured to access the memory 604 and execute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. For example, the processor(s) 602 may be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions of the various program module(s), applications, engines, or the like of the computing device(s) 600 to cause or facilitate various operations to be performed in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 602 may include any suitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processing the input data in accordance with stored computer-executable instructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 602 may include any type of suitable processing unit including, but not limited to, a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor, a complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so forth. Further, the processor(s) 602 may have any suitable microarchitecture design that includes any number of constituent components such as, for example, registers, multiplexers, arithmetic logic units, cache controllers for controlling read / write operations to cache memory, branch predictors, or the like. The microarchitecture design of the processor(s) 602 may be capable of supporting any of a variety of instruction sets.

[0074] Referring now to functionality supported by the various program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6, the module(s) 626 may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s) 602 may perform any of the functions associated with the modulation of the heating and / or cooling appliance based on the temperature rate of change.

[0075] Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being stored in the data storage 620, the O / S 622 may be loaded from the data storage 620 into the memory 604 and may provide an interface between other application software executing on the computing device(s) 600 and the hardware resources of the computing device(s) 600. More specifically, the O / S 622 may include a set of computer-executable instructions for managing hardware resources of the computing device(s) 600 and for providing common services to other application programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among various application programs). The O / S 622 may include any operating system now known or which may be developed in the future, including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

[0076] The DBMS 624 may be loaded into the memory 604 and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and / or manipulating data stored in the memory 604 and / or data stored in the data storage 620. The DBMS 624 may use any of a variety of database models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a variety of query languages. The DBMS 624 may access data represented in one or more data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including, but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which the computing device(s) 600 is a mobile device, the DBMS 624 may be any suitable lightweight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

[0077] Referring now to other illustrative components of the computing device(s) 600, the input / output (I / O) interface(s) 606 may facilitate the receipt of input information by the computing device(s) 600 from one or more I / O devices as well as the output of information from the computing device(s) 600 to one or more I / O devices. The I / O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device, such as a microphone; an image and / or video capture device, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may be integrated into the computing device(s) 600 or may be separate. The I / O devices may further include, for example, any number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, and so forth.

[0078] The I / O interface(s) 606 may also include an interface for an external peripheral device connection such as a universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, Thunderbolt, Ethernet port or other connection protocol that may connect to one or more networks. The I / O interface(s) 606 may also include a connection to one or more of the antenna(e) 634 to connect to one or more networks via a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as WiFi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and / or a wireless network radio, such as a radio capable of communication with a wireless communication network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3G network, etc.

[0079] The computing device(s) 600 may further include one or more network interface(s) 608 via which the computing device(s) 600 may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s) 608 may enable communication, for example, with one or more wireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more web servers, and the like via one or more networks.

[0080] The antenna(e) 634 may include any suitable type of antenna depending, for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receive signals via the antenna(e) 634. Non-limiting examples of suitable antennae may include directional antennae, non-directional antennae, dipole antennae, folded dipole antennae, patch antennae, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennae, or the like. The antenna(e) 634 may be communicatively coupled to one or more transceivers 612 or radio components to which or from which signals may be transmitted or received.

[0081] As previously described, the antenna(e) 634 may include a cellular antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 3G standards (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), CDMA 600, etc.), 4G standards (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, etc.), direct satellite communications, or the like.

[0082] The antenna(e) 634 may additionally, or alternatively, include a WiFi antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(e) 634 may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals within any suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum.

[0083] The antenna(e) 634 may additionally, or alternatively, include a GNSS antenna configured to receive GNSS signals from three or more GNSS satellites carrying time-position information to triangulate a position therefrom. Such a GNSS antenna may be configured to receive GNSS signals from any current or planned GNSS such as, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the GLONASS System, the Compass Navigation System, the Galileo System, or the Indian Regional Navigational System.

[0084] The transceiver(s) 612 may include any suitable radio component(s) for—in cooperation with the antenna(e) 634—transmitting or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and / or channels corresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 600 to communicate with other devices. The transceiver(s) 612 may include hardware, software, and / or firmware for modulating, transmitting, or receiving—potentially in cooperation with any of antenna(e) 634—communications signals according to any of the communications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to, one or more WiFi and / or WiFi direct protocols, as standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or more cellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s) 612 may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSS signals. The transceiver(s) 612 may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 600. The transceiver(s) 612 may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, one or more buffers, a digital baseband, or the like.

[0085] The sensor(s) / sensor interface(s) 610 may include or may be capable of interfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, for example, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, and so forth. Example types of inertial sensors may include accelerometers (e.g., MEMS-based accelerometers), gyroscopes, and so forth.

[0086] The speaker(s) 614 may be any device configured to generate audible sound. The microphone(s) 616 may be any device configured to receive analog sound input or voice data.

[0087] It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications, computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 6 as being stored in the data storage 620 are merely illustrative and not exhaustive and that processing described as being supported by any particular module may alternatively be distributed across multiple module(s) or performed by a different module. In addition, various program module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), application programming interface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable code hosted locally on the computing device(s) 600, and / or hosted on other computing device(s) accessible via one or more networks, may be provided to support functionality provided by the program module(s), applications, or computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 6 and / or additional or alternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularized differently such that processing described as being supported collectively by the collection of program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6 may be performed by a fewer or greater number of module(s), or functionality described as being supported by any particular module may be supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, program module(s) that support the functionality described herein may form part of one or more applications executable across any number of systems or devices in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, for example, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. In addition, any of the functionality described as being supported by any of the program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6 may be implemented, at least partially, in hardware and / or firmware across any number of devices.

[0088] It should further be appreciated that the computing device(s) 600 may include alternate and / or additional hardware, software, or firmware components beyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. More particularly, it should be appreciated that software, firmware, or hardware components depicted as forming part of the computing device(s) 600 are merely illustrative and that some components may not be present or additional components may be provided in various embodiments. While various illustrative program module(s) have been depicted and described as software module(s) stored in the data storage 620, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being supported by the program module(s) may be enabled by any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. It should further be appreciated that each of the above-mentioned module(s) may, in various embodiments, represent a logical partitioning of supported functionality. This logical partitioning is depicted for ease of explanation of the functionality and may not be representative of the structure of software, hardware, and / or firmware for implementing the functionality. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being provided by a particular module may, in various embodiments, be provided at least in part by one or more other module(s). Further, one or more depicted module(s) may not be present in certain embodiments, while in other embodiments, additional module(s) not depicted may be present and may support at least a portion of the described functionality and / or additional functionality. Moreover, while certain module(s) may be depicted and described as sub-module(s) of another module, in certain embodiments, such module(s) may be provided as independent module(s) or as sub-module(s) of other module(s).

[0089] One or more operations of the methods, process flows, and use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be performed by a device having the illustrative configuration depicted in FIG. 6, or more specifically, by one or more engines, program module(s), applications, or the like executable on such a device. It should be appreciated, however, that such operations may be implemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

[0090] Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality and / or processing capabilities described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by any other device or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations and architectures have been described in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

[0091] Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and / or computer program products according to example embodiments. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be implemented by execution of computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additional components and / or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of the block and / or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

[0092] Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0093] Program module(s), applications, or the like disclosed herein may include one or more software components, including, for example, software objects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such software component may include computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution, cause at least a portion of the functionality described herein (e.g., one or more operations of the illustrative methods described herein) to be performed.

[0094] Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,”“could,”“might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and / or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and / or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and / or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:a device configured to receive an indication of a desired temperature setpoint for an environment;a heating and / or cooling appliance configured to provide conditioned air to an environment, the heating and / or cooling appliance comprising:a controller configured to:receive, from the device and based on the temperature setpoint, a first heating or cooling request signal;receive, from a temperature sensor disposed within the heating and / or cooling appliance and at a first time, first temperature data indicative of a temperature of the environment;control, based on the first heating or cooling request signal, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition air provided to the environment at a first rate;receive, from the temperature sensor, second temperature data at a second time and third temperature data at a third time;determine a rate of change of a temperature of the environment based on a difference between the third temperature data and the second temperature data; andcontrol, based on the rate of change of the temperature, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition the air provided to the environment at a second rate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:determine that the rate of change of the temperature satisfies a threshold value, wherein the second rate is greater than the first rate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:determine that the rate of change of the temperature fails to satisfy a threshold value, wherein the second rate is less than the first rate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:receive, from the device and based on the temperature setpoint, a second heating or cooling request signal, wherein the second heating or cooling request signal is different than the first heating or cooling request signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is a low heating or cooling request signal, and wherein the first rate is less than a third rate associated with a high heating or cooling request.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is a high heating request signal, and wherein the first rate is greater than a third rate associated with a low heating or cooling request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed within a return plenum of the heating and / or cooling appliance or on the controller and in thermal communication with return air received through the return plenum.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is a non-communicating thermostat.

9. A method for heating an environment, the method comprising:receiving, by a controller of a heating and / or cooling appliance and from a device configured to receive an indication of a desired temperature setpoint for an environment, a first heating or cooling request signal, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is based on the temperature setpoint;receiving, by the controller and from a temperature sensor disposed within the heating and / or cooling appliance and at a first time, first temperature data indicative of a temperature of the environment;controlling, by the controller and based on the first heating or cooling request signal, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition air provided to the environment at a first rate;receiving, by the controller and from the temperature sensor, second temperature data at a second time and third temperature data at a third time;determining, by the controller, a rate of change of a temperature of the environment based on a difference between the third temperature data and the second temperature data; andcontrolling, by the controller and based on the rate of change of the temperature, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition the air provided to the environment at a second rate.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:determining, by the controller, that the rate of change of the temperature satisfies a threshold value, wherein the second rate is greater than the first rate.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:determining, by the controller, that the rate of change of the temperature fails to satisfy a threshold value, wherein the second rate is less than the first rate.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:receiving, by the controller and from the device and based on the temperature setpoint, a second heating or cooling request signal, wherein the second heating or cooling request signal is different than the first heating or cooling request signal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is a low heating or cooling request signal, and wherein the first rate is less than a third rate associated with a high heating or cooling request.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is a high heating or cooling request signal, and wherein the first rate is greater than a third rate associated with a low heating or cooling request.

15. A heating and / or cooling appliance comprising:a controller configured to:receive, from a device configured to receive an indication of a desired temperature setpoint for an environment and based on the temperature setpoint, a first heating or cooling request signal;receive, from a temperature sensor disposed within the heating and / or cooling appliance and at a first time, first temperature data indicative of a temperature of the environment;control, based on the first heating or cooling request signal, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition air provided to the environment at a first rate;receive, from the temperature sensor, second temperature data at a second time and third temperature data at a third time;determine a rate of change of a temperature of the environment based on a difference between the third temperature data and the second temperature data; andcontrol, based on the rate of change of the temperature, a component of the heating and / or cooling appliance to cause the heating and / or cooling appliance to condition the air provided to the environment at a second rate.

16. The heating and / or cooling appliance of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:determine that the rate of change of the temperature satisfies a threshold value, wherein the second rate is greater than the first rate.

17. The heating and / or cooling appliance of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:determine that the rate of change of the temperature fails to satisfy a threshold value, wherein the second rate is less than the first rate.

18. The heating and / or cooling appliance of claim 15, wherein the first heating or cooling request signal is a high heating or cooling request signal, and wherein the first rate is greater than a third rate associated with a low heating or cooling request.

19. The heating and / or cooling appliance of claim 15, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed within a return plenum of the heating and / or cooling appliance or on the controller and in thermal communication with return air received through the return plenum.

20. The heating and / or cooling appliance of claim 15, wherein the device is a non-communicating thermostat.

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