Mesh routing of sleepy sensor data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless HVAC systems face challenges with high installation costs due to hard-wiring, limited battery lifespan in wireless devices, and increased manufacturing costs from designing multiple device versions with user interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A method and circuit for detecting excessive sleep current draw in battery-powered HVAC devices using a MOSFET and transistor configuration to generate interrupts, and an energy-efficient data transmission method in mesh networks that minimizes wake/sleep cycles, along with a kit for manufacturing HVAC sensors with reversible printed circuit boards for exposed or hidden displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If wireless HVAC devices use battery power to eliminate hard-wiring, then installation cost and complexity are reduced, but battery lifespan is limited and requires periodic maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service through automated sleep mode management where devices automatically transition to low-power states and wake only when necessary for data transmission or receipt, eliminating the need for manual battery replacement and reducing maintenance overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic wake-sleep cycles where battery-powered devices wake intermittently to transmit sensor data or receive commands, then return to sleep mode. This periodic operation pattern extends battery lifespan by minimizing active power consumption while maintaining system functionality
2Reliability
If battery-powered devices frequently wake to transmit data in mesh networks, then data transmission reliability is improved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-scheduling data transmissions during planned wake windows and using parent nodes to buffer and forward data when child nodes are in sleep mode, ensuring data transmission occurs without requiring continuous device activation
Solution Approach 2:
Parent nodes act as intermediaries in the mesh network, receiving data from sleeping child nodes during their active periods and forwarding it when the child nodes wake. This intermediary buffering mechanism maintains data transmission reliability while allowing child nodes to remain in low-power states longer
3Ease of operation
If wireless devices include user-visible panels and interfaces, then user interaction capability is improved, but manufacturing costs increase due to multiple device versions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single base device platform that can function with or without user interface components. The core wireless HVAC control functionality remains the same, allowing manufacturers to produce a standardized base unit that can be configured with optional display panels or kept as a simple sensor node, reducing the need for multiple specialized device versions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces power consumption, extends battery life, lowers manufacturing costs, and increases reliability by efficiently managing sleep modes and data transmission in wireless HVAC components, while allowing for flexible display configurations.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a voltage drop across a MOSFET device coupled in a forward-conducting orientation in series between the battery and the microcontroller
Implementation Method 2
causing a transistor to conduct when the voltage drop exceeds a predetermined threshold to generate a first trigger signal
Data Source
AI summary
HVAC components having improved efficiency are described. In one embodiment, excessive sleep current draw in a battery-powered device having a microcontroller is detected by measuring a voltage drop across a MOSFET device coupled in a for ward-conducting orientation in series between the battery and the microcontroller, causing a transistor to conduct when the voltage drop exceeds a predetermined threshold to generate a first trigger signal, integrating the first trigger signal to generate a second trigger signal, and generating an interrupt to the microcontroller. In another embodiment, a battery-saving method of operating an HVAC component includes maintaining the HVAC device in the sleep mode, receiving a user input to wake the device, transmitting a data request and returning the HVAC component to the sleep mode, waking up the HVAC device to poll an adjacent network node storing a cached response, displaying the response, and returning the HVAC device to sleep.