Patent Publication Number: US-2020292192-A1

Title: Blower properties used for user warning

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 119 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/817,831 titled “BLOWER PROPERTIES USED FOR USER WARNING,” filed Mar. 13, 2019, which is assigned to the assignee hereof, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Residential climate control systems that combine heating and air conditioning often include one or more replaceable filters. During use, these filters collect particles and prevent the particles from being circulated through the climate control system. Over time, the filters become clogged and may reduce the efficiency of the climate control system by restricting air flow. 
     Typically, filters have a lifespan of three months and the user is instructed to change the filter based on the lifespan. Some climate control systems may include a timer that monitors the lifespan and provides a notification to a user to change the filter. Such notifications, however, are based on time of installation of the filter and do not reflect the actual condition of the filter. For example, if the filter becomes clogged early due to high levels of particles, a timer-based notification would not indicate that the filter should be changed. Conversely, if the system is in an unusually clean environment, a timer-based notification may indicate that the filter needs to be changed long before it is actually necessary. 
     In view of the foregoing, systems to improve notifications regarding a climate control system filter are desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a climate control unit (e.g., for a residential building) may include a heat exchanger, a blower that circulates air from a return duct or external vent, across the heat exchanger, to a supply duct, and a filter that cleans the air before entering the heat exchanger. The effectiveness and/or efficiency of the filter may decrease as the filter collects particles. The climate control unit may include a controller configured to set a baseline measurement of a blower property according to measurements of the blower property after a reset event. The controller may be configured to measure a deviation of the blower property from the baseline measurement of the blower property. The controller may be configured to generate a status notification in response to the deviation satisfying a threshold. The status notification may indicate that the filter should be changed. The climate control system may also be referred to as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system or HVAC unit. 
     In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method of controlling a climate control system. 
     The method may include setting a baseline measurement of a blower property according to measurements of the blower property after a reset event. The method may include measuring a deviation of the blower property from the baseline measurement of the blower property. The method may include generating a status notification in response to the deviation satisfying a threshold. 
     In another aspect, the disclosure provides a controller for a climate control system. The controller may include a memory storing computer-executable instructions and a processor communicatively coupled with the memory to execute the instructions. The processor may be configured to set a baseline measurement of a blower property according to measurements of the blower property after a reset event. The processor may be configured to measure a deviation of the blower property from the baseline measurement of the blower property. The processor may be configured to generate a status notification in response to the deviation satisfying a threshold. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an example HVAC system including a HVAC unit having a controller configured to communicate with a remote user device. 
         FIG. 2  is flowchart showing an example method of controlling an HVAC system to generate a notification regarding a filter. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of an example HVAC unit. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of an example remote user device. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure provides a climate control system (also referred to as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system) that provides notifications regarding a filter status, and a controller and method for operating the climate control system. The notifications may be based on detected changes in blower properties during operation. For example, as an HVAC filter is used and collects particles, the filter may become clogged and increase resistance to airflow. Accordingly, the blower wattage or current may increase to maintain airflow volume. As another example, if the filter were to tear, the airflow may increase and the blower wattage or current may decrease. In order to detect such changes, the controller of the climate control system may record baseline properties of the blower. The controller may then compare measurements of the properties of the blower during operation to the baseline measurement. The controller may generate a status notification based on a deviation from the baseline measurement. For example, if a deviation of a measurement during operation from the baseline measurement satisfies a threshold, the controller may generate the status notification, which may be provided to a user as an indication on a user interface, or provided to a remote user device. 
     By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented as a “processing system” that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. 
     Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an HVAC system  100  for a building  140  is disclosed. The HVAC system  100  may include an HVAC unit  110  configured to control an ambient condition of the one or more rooms of the building  140  based on information from one or more sensors  142  and a remote user device  180 . In an example, an ambient condition may be a temperature or a humidity level. As shown by  FIG. 1 , the HVAC unit  110  may be external to the building  140 . In an aspect, one or more components (e.g., air conditioning (A/C) unit  122 , furnace  126 , blower  128 , communications component  112 , or controller  120 ) may be located in different locations including inside the building  140 . The building may be a home, office or any other structure that includes uses an HVAC system for controlling one or more ambient conditions of the structure. 
     In an aspect, the HVAC system  100  may include supply ducts  138  and return ducts  136  installed within the building  140  and coupled with the HVAC unit  110 . The supply ducts  138  may supply air to the building  140 , and the return ducts  136  may return air from the building  140 . The supply ducts  138  may receive supply air through one or more of intakes  146  that provide outside air to the HVAC system  100  and/or may recycle return air from the return ducts  136 . The supply ducts  138  may output the supply air at one or more of the rooms of the building  140  via one or more supply vents  144 . The return ducts  136  may receive return air from the building  140  via one or more return vents  134  to balance air within the building  140 . 
     The HVAC unit  110  may include one or more of an air conditioning (A/C) unit  122 , a furnace  126 , a blower  128 , a humidifier/dehumidifier, or any other component (e.g., heat pump) for adjusting an ambient condition of a room of the building  140 . The A/C unit  122  may be configured to cool the supply air by passing the supply air through or around one or more cooled pipes (e.g., chiller pipes) or through a heat exchanger  132  to lower a temperature of the supply air. The A/C unit  122  may include a condenser  124  located external to the HVAC unit  110  to cool a cooling fluid within the cooled pipes. The furnace  126  may be configured to warm the supply air by passing the supply air through or around one or more warmed pipes (e.g., heating coils) or through the heat exchanger  132  to raise the temperature of the supply air. The blower  128  may be configured to blow the supply air through the supply ducts  138  to the building  140  and pull the return air from the building  140 . In an aspect, the HVAC unit  110  may include a filter  130  positioned within a pathway of the HVAC unit  110 , for example in the supply ducts  138 . For instance, the filter  130  may be located prior to the heat exchanger  132 . Air entering the heat exchanger  132  may first pass through the filter  130 , which removes particles (e.g., dust, pollen, hair) from the air. The blower  128  may include a blower sensor  129  that measures one or more properties of the blower  128 . For example, the blower sensor  129  may be a sensor (e.g., a multimeter) that measures a wattage or current of the blower  128 , or any other device that may provide such a measurement. As another example, the blower sensor  129  may measure a pulse width of a control signal for the blower  128 . In yet another example, the blower sensor  129  may measure a speed (e.g., in revolutions per minute (RPM) of the blower  128 . The filter tracking component  170  may store the measured blower property as the baseline measurement  174 . 
     The HVAC unit  110  may include a communications component  112  configured to communicate with the one or more sensors  142  and/or the remote user device  180 . In an aspect, the communications component  112  may communicate with the one or more sensors  142  and/or the remote user device  180  via one or more communications links  118 . In an example, the communications component  112  may include one or more antennas, processors, modems, radio frequency components, and/or circuitry for communicating with the sensor  142  and/or the remote user device  180 . The one or more communications links  118  may be wired or wireless communication links. 
     The HVAC system  100  may also include the sensors  142  located within one or more rooms of the building  140  and/or within or near the supply vents  144 . A sensor  142  may be configured to detect an ambient condition such as a temperature or a humidity of the room where the sensor  142  is located. Each of the sensors  142  may provide sensor information (“info”)  114  to the HVAC unit  110 . Examples of a sensor  142  may include a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or any sensor configured to detect an ambient condition of one or more rooms of the building  140 . 
     The HVAC system  100  may also include the remote user device  180  configured to communicate with the HVAC unit  110 . The remote user device  180  may include an HVAC application  182  configured to display, adjust, and store setpoint information (“info”)  184  indicating desired user settings for one or more rooms of the building  140 . In an example, the setpoint information  184  may include heating/cooling settings  186  indicating one or more desired temperatures (e.g., minimum and/or maximum room temperatures) for one or more rooms of the building and/or humidity settings  188  indicating a desired humidity level for one or more rooms of the building  140 . The remote user device  180  may provide the setpoint information  184  to the HVAC unit  110 . Examples of a remote user device  180  may include a mobile device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart speaker, a home assistant, a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a smart watch, an entertainment device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or any device capable of communicating with the HVAC unit  110 . A smart speaker may include, for example, an Echo® device available from Amazon, Inc. of Seattle, Wash., a Google Home® device available from Google, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., or other similar devices. The HVAC application  182  may include a voice interface that response to voice commands. 
     The HVAC unit  110  may also include a controller  120  configured to control the A/C unit  122 , the furnace  126 , and the blower  128  based on the sensor information  114  received from the sensor  142  and the setpoint information  184  received from the remote user device  180 . The controller  120  may communicate with the communications component  112 , the A/C unit  122 , the furnace  126 , and/or the blower  128  via a communications bus  152 . The controller  120  may include logic to determine when to initiate the blower  128  along with the A/C unit  122  and/or the furnace  126  based on the sensor information  114  and the setpoint information  184 . The controller  120  may also include logic to determine a time and/or a speed to run the blower  128  along with a time or power level to run the A/C unit  122  and/or the furnace  126  based on the sensor information  114  and the setpoint information  184 . 
     In an aspect, the controller  120  may include an operation control component  150  that monitors a status of the filter  130  and may generate a notification to a user regarding the status of the filter  130 . The operation control component  150  may include a monitoring component  160  that receives sensor information  114  at a sensor information receiver  162  and compares the received sensor information  114  at a comparer  164 . The operation control component  150  may include a filter tracking component  170  that tracks one or more properties for the filter  130 . The filter tracking component  170  may receive a reset signal  172  indicating that a new filter  130  has been installed. The filter tracking component  170  may take a baseline measurement  174  using the monitoring component  160  and store the baseline measurement  174  for later comparison. For example, the comparer  164  may compare new measurements during operation to the baseline measurement  174 . For instance, the comparer  164  may determine a deviation of a measurement from the baseline measurement  174 . The comparer  164  may determine whether the filter should be changed based on the deviation. For example, if the deviation satisfies a threshold, the comparer may determine that the filter should be changed. 
     The operation control component  150  may include a notification component  166  that generates a notification regarding the status of the filter  130  based on the deviation of the measurement of the blower property from the baseline measurement  174 . For example, the status notification may indicate that the filter  130  should be changed, for instance, because the condition of the filter  130  is reducing efficiency of the HVAC unit  110  or the filter  130  has become clogged. The status notification may be provided to a user via the communications component  112 . For example, the notification may be sent to the remote user device  180  for display as the notification  190 . The notification  190  may be, for example, a text message, an email, or a notification within the HVAC application  182 . 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an example method  200  for generating a status notification for a climate control system. The method  200  may be performed by the controller  120  executing the operation control component  150 . 
     At block  210 , the method  200  may optionally include detecting a reset event. In an aspect, for example, the filter tracking component  170  may detect the reset event as a reset signal  172 . The reset signal  172  may be generated by a reset event such as, for example, a press of a button on the controller (e.g., on user interface  4   xx ), a command from an application that displays the status notification to a user (e.g., HVAC application  182 ), or a detected filter change (e.g., a sensor associated with filter  130 ). 
     At block  220 , the method  200  may include measuring a baseline blower property with a new filter. In an aspect, for example, the monitoring component  160  may measure the baseline measurement  174  with a new filter  130 . For example, in response to the reset signal  172 , the monitoring component  160  may measure the baseline blower property using the sensor information receiver  162 . For example, the sensor information receiver  162  may receive sensor information from the sensor  129  associated with the blower  128 . The sensor  129  may measure one or more properties of the blower  128  such as: blower wattage, pulse width of a blower control signal, blower current, blower speed, or blower run time. 
     At block  230 , the method  200  may include measuring a blower property during operation. In an aspect, for example, the monitoring component  160  may measure the blower property during operation. The blower property may be measured during operation in the same manner used to measure the baseline measurement  174 . That is, the monitoring component  160  may execute the sensor information receiver  162  to receive measurements from the sensor  129  associated with the blower  128 . The measured property may be the same property as measured for the baseline measurement  174 . The blower property may be measured periodically. For example, the blower property may be measured for every blower cycle, or may be measured after a preset number of blower cycles. 
     In an aspect, the system  100  may utilize preset operating programs for controlling the components of the HVAC unit  110 . For example, the preset operating programs may be configured by an installer based on properties of the system  100 . Each preset operating program may set a volume and a run time for the blower  128 . The controller  120  may generate a pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal for the blower  128  to meet the set volume (e.g., as detected by a pressure sensor). The monitoring component  160  may be configured to sample the sensor  129  based on the preset operating program. For example, the monitoring component  160  may take one or more measurements of the blower property during the run time of the blower  128  to determine an average blower property. The same measurements may be taken for the baseline measurement and each measurement during operation for consistency. 
     At block  240 , the method  200  may include determining a deviation of the blower property during operation from the baseline blower property. In an aspect, for example, the monitoring component  160  may execute the comparer  164  to determine the deviation of the blower property during operation from the baseline measurement  174  of the blower property. The deviation may be based on the average blower property for one or more blower cycles. In an aspect, the deviation may be a percentage of the baseline measurement or a value of a unit of the baseline measurement. For instance, if the baseline measurement is a wattage, the deviation may be represented as a percentage change (e.g., an increase of 20 percent) or a number of watts (e.g., an increase of 30 watts). 
     In block  250 , the method  200  may include determining whether the deviation satisfies a threshold. In an aspect, for example, the monitoring component  160  may execute the comparer  164  to determine whether the deviation satisfies the threshold. For example, the threshold may be defined in the same manner as the deviation. The threshold for any particular HVAC unit  110  may be determined by testing. For example, an HVAC unit  110  may be run for a lifetime (e.g., 3 months) of a filter  130  to determine the deviation of the blower property at the end of the lifetime, and the threshold may be set to the deviation. As another example, a filter  130  may be periodically checked to determine when the filter  130  should be changed, and the threshold set to the deviation of the blower property at the time the filter  130  should be changed. In another aspect, the threshold may be based on efficiency goals of the HVAC unit. For example, the threshold may be based on an increased wattage of 10% (which may indicate a corresponding decrease in blower efficiency). If the deviation does not satisfy the threshold, the monitoring component  160  may determine that the filter  130  is operating correctly and does not need to be changed. The method  200  may return to block  230  for normal operation. In contrast, if the deviation does satisfy the threshold, the monitoring component  160  may determine that the filter  130  should be changed. The method  200  may proceed to block  260 . 
     In block  260 , the method  200  may include generating a status notification. In an aspect, for example, the notification component  166  may generate the status notification. The status notification may indicate that the filter  130  should be changed. The notification component  166  may transmit and/or display the status notification. For example, the notification component  166  may transmit the status notification to the remote user device  180 . The remote user device  180  may display the status notification as a text message, email message, or notification  190  within the HVAC application  182 . 
     In block  270 , the method  200  may include determining whether the filter has been changed. In an aspect, for example, the filter tracking component  170  may determine whether the filter has been changed based on a reset signal  172 . For instance, the filter tracking component  170  may determine whether the reset signal  172  has been received from the reset button  192  of the HVAC application  182  on the remote user device  180  or from a reset button  332  on a user interface  310 . If the filter has been changed, the method  200  may return to block  210 . In an aspect, a reset event may not be generated when a filter  130  is replaced with a similar (e.g., same rating) filter. If the filter has not been changed, the blower sensor  129  may continue to detect blower properties that deviate from the baseline measurement and the notification component  166  may generate additional notifications (e.g., after a preset time period). 
       FIG. 3  is a more detailed view of a portion of the HVAC unit  110 . In an aspect, the HVAC unit  110  may include an external notification indicator  320 . The external notification indicator  320  may be, for example, a light (e.g., an LED) or liquid crystal display (LCD) that indicates a status of the filter  130 . The notification component  166  may activate the external notification indicator  320  when generating the notification in response to the deviation from the baseline measurement  174 . 
     In an aspect, the controller  120  may include a user interface  310 . The user interface  310  may be, for example, a display that includes an input means such as a touch screen or associated buttons. The user interface  310  may include a notification indicator  330 . The notification component  166  may activate the notification indicator  330  when generating the notification in response to the deviation from the baseline measurement  174 . The user interface  310  may include a reset button  332 . A user may activate the reset button  332  to generate the reset signal  172 . 
     In an aspect, the controller  120  may include one or more processors  312  that execute instructions for performing one or more operations of the controller  120 , as described herein. The controller  120  may include a memory  314  that stores the instructions executable by the one or more processors  312 . The memory  314  may store parameters for operation of the controller  120 . For example, the memory  314  may store last setpoint information  316 , which may be a copy of the setpoint information  184  stored locally in case communication with the remote user device  180  is unavailable. The memory  314  may include stage settings  318  that define one or more preset operating programs for controlling the HVAC unit  110 . For example, the stage settings  318  may include a blower runtime and/or blower air volume setting. 
     Turning to  FIG. 4 , the remote user device  180  may include a user interface  410 , one or more processors  412 , and memory  414 . The user interface  410  may be, for example, a touch display that displays the HVAC application  182  and receives input from a user (e.g., via an on-screen keyboard). The processor  412  may execute instructions for the HVAC application  182 . The memory  414  may store the HVAC application  182  and associated parameters. The remote user device  180  may include a communication component  420  such as a wireless modem that communicates with the controller  120  of the HVAC unit  110 . 
     It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes/flowcharts disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes/flowcharts may be rearranged. Further, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various blocks in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented. 
     The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and/or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words “module,” “mechanism,” “element,” “device,” and the like may not be a substitute for the word “means.” As such, no claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”