Improved wireless HVAC components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless HVAC systems face challenges with high installation costs due to traditional hard-wiring, limited battery lifespan in wireless devices, and the need for multiple device versions, leading to increased manufacturing costs and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
An energy-efficient method and wireless mesh network architecture that includes a battery-powered end node operable in sleep mode, with a coordinator and router nodes that minimize battery energy expenditure by delegating destination address determination and using cached acknowledgments to reduce wake-up cycles, along with a reversible printed circuit board design for flexible user interface configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wireless HVAC devices use traditional hard-wiring techniques, then system reliability is improved, but installation cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical hard-wiring system with a wireless communication system. The HVAC controller and sensors communicate via wireless signals (e.g., RF, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) instead of physical electrical conductors, eliminating the need for cabling through walls and ceilings while maintaining system functionality and reliability
2Ease of operation
If wireless HVAC devices use battery power, then installation simplicity is improved, but battery lifespan is limited and requires periodic replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic wake-sleep cycles where the HVAC controller periodically wakes up to communicate with sensors and then returns to sleep mode. This periodic operation minimizes battery consumption by keeping the device in low-power state most of the time, significantly extending battery lifespan while maintaining installation simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses preliminary action by having the HVAC controller cache sensor data and communicate in bulk during wake periods rather than continuously polling sensors. This approach prepares and stores information in advance, reducing the frequency of wake-sleep cycles and further extending battery life
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple versions of wireless devices are designed for different configurations, then user interface flexibility is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal HVAC controller platform that can support multiple user interface configurations (display panel, button panel, or neither) using the same core hardware architecture. The controller can be configured for different applications through software settings rather than hardware variations, allowing a single manufacturing line to produce all device types and reducing per-unit manufacturing costs while maintaining flexibility
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3A~3B
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 forward-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.