Mobile-Mediated Thermostat Control for Households Without LAN Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many households lack access to local-area networks, preventing modern thermostats from communicating and being controlled remotely, especially for households without Internet access, which limits their ability to optimize energy usage based on time-of-use pricing and weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a server and mobile device that communicates over a wide-area network to determine predicted outdoor temperatures and modify temperature profiles to reduce energy costs, allowing the mobile device to directly communicate with the thermostat using low-power communication technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or NFC, enabling remote control and optimization of heating and cooling without a local network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a local Wi-Fi network is used for thermostat communication, then remote control capability is improved, but device complexity and infrastructure requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the thermostat and the wide-area network. The mobile device contains both Wi-Fi circuitry for network communication and low-power wireless circuitry for direct thermostat communication, serving as a mediator that eliminates the need for the thermostat to have direct Wi-Fi capability while maintaining remote control functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into three distinct components: the thermostat (with only low-power wireless), the mobile device (with both Wi-Fi and low-power wireless), and the server. This segmentation allows each component to have simplified functionality, with the mobile device bearing the complexity of dual-protocol support rather than the thermostat
2Loss of information
If Wi-Fi circuitry is integrated into the thermostat, then network communication capability is improved, but power consumption worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The Wi-Fi communication capability is extracted from the thermostat and relocated to the mobile device. The thermostat retains only the essential low-power wireless communication circuitry for basic thermostat functions, while the mobile device handles all high-power Wi-Fi network communications
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary that performs all Wi-Fi network communications on behalf of the thermostat. The thermostat only needs to communicate with the mobile device via low-power wireless, and the mobile device handles all energy-intensive network protocol operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If direct wide-area network communication is implemented, then Internet access capability is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves as an intermediary that provides all wide-area network and Internet communication capabilities. The thermostat only needs simple low-power wireless circuitry for basic communication, while the mobile device handles complex Wi-Fi, cellular, and Internet protocol operations
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device performs multiple functions: it acts as a Wi-Fi client for network access, a Bluetooth/NFC device for thermostat communication, and a protocol translator between different wireless standards. This multi-functionality consolidates complexity into a single device rather than requiring the thermostat to support multiple protocols
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method and apparatus for remote control of a thermostat by a network-based server, when the thermostat is not connected to a local or wide-area network. A network-based server calculates a modified temperature profile for a thermostat based on a utility's time-of-use pricing and/or weather forecasts. After the server has calculated the modified temperature profile, it is provided to a mobile device via a wide-area network, and the mobile device provides the modified temperature profile directly to the thermostat when the mobile device is within range of the thermostat.