BLE Thermostat Hub Architecture for Low-Power Remote Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern thermostats face challenges in universal compatibility due to varying wiring requirements, limited battery life, and complex installation and diagnostics processes, particularly when there is no common wire available for powering and when WiFi connectivity is not accessible.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio in thermostats for peer-to-peer communication with smartphones or tablets, allowing for local setup, remote control, and data logging, while using a hub for connectivity to the cloud, enabling universal compatibility with 0-8 wires and extending battery life to one to two years on two AA batteries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If WiFi connectivity is used for cloud communication, then remote access and data synchronization are enabled, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hub as an intermediary device that handles WiFi communication with the cloud, while the thermostat communicates with the hub via low-power Bluetooth. This mediator approach allows the thermostat to maintain remote access capability through the hub-cloud connection without requiring its own high-power WiFi radio, thus solving the contradiction between reliability of remote access and power consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a hub is introduced for Bluetooth-WiFi bridging, then universal compatibility and extended battery life are achieved, but device complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hub is designed as a multi-functional device that can work with multiple thermostat models and wiring configurations (0-8 wires). It provides universal compatibility by handling various communication protocols and cloud connection methods, allowing a single hub design to serve diverse installation scenarios without requiring different thermostat-specific hubs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service installation through automated pairing between thermostat and hub, automatic network configuration, and plug-and-play cloud connectivity. The hub automatically detects and configures the connection without requiring complex manual setup, reducing the effective complexity for end users even though the system architecture is more complex.
3Duration of action of moving object
If Bluetooth Low Energy is used for smartphone communication, then battery life is extended to one to two years, but communication range and data transfer speed are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic Bluetooth advertisements and connections for data synchronization between the thermostat, hub, and smartphone app. Rather than maintaining a continuous high-speed connection, the thermostat periodically connects to transfer essential data (temperature readings, control commands), which minimizes power consumption while maintaining functional data transfer rates for thermostat control purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and approach for remote reading, setting and control of devices such as thermostats. A phone, such as a smartphone, a gateway and a cloud may be incorporated relative to interaction with the device or devices. The gateway may have a hub that has bluetooth communication capabilities with the device. The hub may be connected to a router that in turn is connected to a cloud in a wireless or wired manner. The phone may communicate with the cloud to achieve interaction with the device. The hub may also handle WiFi communications. The gateway may instead be a phone that contains an app which lets operate as a gateway for communications with the cloud. There may be one or more devices that are a part of one or more home area networks that are connected to a gateway via bluetooth and WiFi, and in turn connected to the cloud.