Patent Abstract:
An HVAC sensor is provided that includes a housing that houses a sensor. In some instances, a conduit is provided that has a first end that extends out the back of the HVAC sensor housing and adjacent to (and sometimes through) a hole in a duct of the HVAC system that is situated behind the HVAC sensor. The sensor itself may be positioned adjacent the other end of the conduit outside of the duct, and sometimes inside the housing of the HVAC sensor. The conduit may direct pressurized air emanating from the hole in the duct toward the sensor, thereby allowing the sensor to sense a parameter of the air in the duct without actually positioning the sensor within the duct.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention generally relates to Heating, Ventilation and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, and more particularly, to sensors and/or controllers used in conjunction with such HVAC systems. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) systems are often used to control the comfort level within a building or other structure. Many HVAC controllers include a controller that activates and deactivates one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system to affect and control one or more environmental conditions within the building. These environmental conditions can include, but are not limited to, temperature, humidity, and/or ventilation. In many cases, a controller of the HVAC system may include, or have access to, one or more sensors, and may use sensed parameters provided by the one or more sensors to control the one or more HVAC components to achieve one or more programmed or set environmental conditions. In some cases, the sensor(s) are provided in the same housing as the HVAC controller itself, such as in a conventional self-contained wall mountable thermostat and/or humidistat. In other cases, some or all of the sensors may be located remotely from the HVAC controller, such as in remote zones, in ductwork, or elsewhere. Often, the sensors are designed to only sense a particular environment relative to the housing that encompasses the sensor. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention generally relates to HVAC systems, and more particularly, to sensors and/or controllers used in conjunction with such HVAC systems. In one illustrative embodiment, an HVAC sensor is provided that includes a housing that houses a sensor. The sensor can be, for example, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor or any other suitable sensor, as desired. In some instances, a conduit may be provided that has a first end that extends through the back of the HVAC sensor housing and adjacent to (and sometimes through) a hole in a duct of the HVAC system that is situated behind the HVAC sensor. The sensor itself may be positioned adjacent the other end of the conduit outside of the duct, and sometimes inside the housing of the HVAC sensor. The conduit may direct pressurized air emanating from the hole in the duct toward the sensor, thereby allowing the sensor to sense a parameter of the air in the duct without actually positioning the sensor within the duct. 
     In some instances, a conduit may be formed, at least in part, by a movable element that is movable between at least a first position and a second position. In a first position, the movable element may place the sensor in fluid communication with a first environment (e.g. inside a duct), and in the second position the movable element may place the sensor is in fluid communication with a second environment (e.g. a room via one or more convection vents in the sensor housing). In some cases, the first or second position may correspond to removing the movable element altogether, but this is not required or even desired in all embodiments. 
     In one example, the movable element may provide a conduit that, in a first position, extends to and sometimes through the back of the housing of the HVAC sensor and adjacent to and sometimes through a hole in a duct of the HVAC system that is situated behind the HVAC sensor. A sensor may be positioned adjacent the other end of the conduit, outside of the duct and inside the housing of the HVAC sensor. The conduit may direct pressurized air emanating from the hole in the duct toward the sensor, thereby allowing the sensor to sense a parameter of the air within the duct without actually positioning the sensor within the duct. In a second position (which may include moving and/or removing the movable element altogether), surrounding air from a room may flow through the housing and to the sensor, such as through one or more vents in the housing. Thus, in this example, in a first position, the movable element may place the sensor in fluid communication with air from inside a duct (e.g. a first environment), and in the second position, the movable element may place the sensor is in fluid communication air from a room (e.g. a second environment). 
     This may make the HVAC sensor quite versatile in its application. For example, such an HVAC sensor may be mounted to a duct with the movable element in the first position, or may be mounted to a wall with the movable element in the second position. In some cases, the HVAC sensor may include a controller for controlling one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system based, at least in part, on a parameter sensed by the sensor. 
     In some cases, the movable element may simply correspond to an electrical switch and/or programming option, rather than or in addition to a conduit. For example, when the HVAC sensor is to be mounted to a duct, an electrical switch and/or programming option may be set such that readings from the sensor are ignored or otherwise not used when the fan of the HVAC system is not activate (i.e. the pressure in the duct does not exceed the pressure outside the duct by a threshold amount). When the HVAC sensor is to be mounted to a wall, and not exposed to air from a duct, an electrical switch and/or programming option may be set such that readings from the sensor may be used regardless of whether the HVAC fan is active or not. These are just a few examples of how an electrical switch and/or programming option may be used as, or considered a movable element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a front view of an illustrative HVAC sensor; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are sections of the illustrative HVAC sensor of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 A- 2 A in two different mounting configurations; and 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the base plate of the illustrative HVAC sensor of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The following description should be read with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. The detailed description and drawings illustrate example embodiments of the claimed invention. 
     All numbers are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about.” The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5). As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include the plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
     Systems have grown in complexity from simple heating systems with a single wall mounted thermostat to whole building environmental control systems. As structures served by such whole building systems have grown in size and complexity, and depending on the circumstances, it has been appreciated that it is sometimes desirable to sense the conditions within rooms of a building, and at other times it may be desirable to sense the conditions within ducts that serve to distribute air in the building. Accordingly, the present inventors have devised an HVAC sensor, such as a thermostat and/or humidistat, which may be mounted on surfaces such as walls as well as on the exterior of ducts, and sense a desired environment, without extensive modifications to the HVAC sensor, the wall, or duct as desired. One such HVAC sensor  10  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     Such a versatile HVAC sensor  10  may be used in most if not all of the environments to be sensed, and do so without requiring major reconfiguration and/or discarding of structural elements. Such an HVAC sensor  10  may simplify installation of the device and related components, and may reduce the number of components that a manufacturer and contractor must keep in stock or have readily available. To achieve this versatility, and in some illustrative embodiment, a minor element of the HVAC sensor (e.g. a movable element  50 ) may be positioned or repositioned at the time of installation to select whether the HVAC sensor  10  is to sense and/or control a room environment in which the HVAC sensor  10  is mounted, and/or to sense the environment within a duct  70 . 
     In some embodiments, the movable element  50  is essentially fixed at the time of installation and the remaining components of the HVAC sensor  10  may remain unchanged. In one example, in a wall-mounted installation (see, for example,  FIG. 2B ), the HVAC sensor  10  may be simply mounted to a wall  80 , and a movable element  50  may be configured to allow convective air to flow over an internal sensor  54  through one or more vents  82 ,  84  in the HVAC sensor housing (see, for example,  FIG. 3 ). In a duct-mounted installation (see, for example,  FIG. 2B ), the movable element  50  may be configured to extend adjacent to a relatively small hole in a duct  70  to allow the HVAC sensor  10 , which is located outside of the duct  70 , to sample the environment within the duct. In both of these illustrative configurations, the actual sensor  54 , and associated control module if present, may be situated outside of the duct  70  and within the HVAC sensor housing. 
     It is contemplated that in some surface or wall mounted configurations, at least a portion of the HVAC sensor housing may be located in a recess, such as an electrical box within the mounting surface in order to provide a nearly flush installation, but this is not required. In other surface mounted configurations, a base plate may be adapted to mount to an electrical box in the surface, with the electrical box providing communication to one or more HVAC components to be controlled by the HVAC sensor  10  or to which the HVAC sensor  10  conveys information about an environment. In yet other surface mounted configurations, the HVAC sensor housing may be mounted directly to the wall  80 , as shown in, for example,  FIG. 2A . Although the HVAC sensor  10  may include a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor and/or any other suitable sensor(s), the discussion that follows sometimes focuses upon humidity sensors and or combined temperature/humidity sensors to simplify the description of certain illustrative embodiments. This focus should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention with respect to the types of sensors contemplated. 
     The HVAC sensor  10  may include a control module. In the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 2A , the control module may include or be mounted on a control module circuit board  52 . The control module may be connected to and receive a signal from the sensor or sensors  54  of the HVAC sensor  10 , and may include, for example, electronics to condition sensor related signals, comparators to determine when certain thresholds have been reached, and/or communication circuits to communicate at least one of sensor readings or control signals to associated equipment which is capable of influencing the environment within the room or duct being sensed. In some cases, the control module may be implemented, at least in part, by a microprocessor or microcontroller and supporting software, but this is not required. 
     The associated equipment may include, for example, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an air conditioner, a furnace, and/or devices for introducing outside air. In certain embodiments, the control module may accept an input from a user interface of the HVAC sensor  10  that specifies a desired humidity, temperature or other set point. The input value may be provided by a remote device or from an internal storage unit, as desired. In other embodiments, the control module may accept a sensor signal related to the humidity and/or temperature in a first or second environment and generate a control signal related to the difference between the current value of the sensor signal and a desired value of the sensed condition. The control signal may then be communicated to an apparatus capable of adding and/or removing humidity from the environment being sensed and/or varying the temperature in the environment being sensed. 
     Prior to making the comparison, the sensor signal may be appropriately transformed or the desired value may be transformed to facilitate the comparison. For example, a numerical relative humidity value may be converted to an analog voltage and the analog voltage may be modified by an amount related to the current temperature in order to arrive at a voltage to be compared to the output of an absolute humidity sensor. Similarly, a humidity sensor reading may be converted to a digital value which subsequently may be manipulated by digital circuitry before being compared to the desired numerical value. In some cases, the output of the control module may be directly related to the sensor signal or it may be related to the difference between the sensor signal and a desired control set point. In some cases, it may include a binary on/off signal, a multilevel digital signal, or a continuously variable analog signal. 
     In some cases, the control module may store and retrieve desired values of relative or absolute humidity, temperature, and the like. These stored values may represent, for example, limits, set points, or other control settings. In some embodiments, the control unit may store a variety of selectable preset conditions appropriate to a season or time of day. In other embodiments, the desired sets of values may be associated with a future time or even a cycle of future times. For example, there may be a desired relative humidity associated with Monday mornings, a different value associated with Monday afternoon, and so on through the week, repeating the following Monday morning if desired. For this and other purposes, it may be desirable to include a clock in the control module and a display capable of indicating the current time in addition to the current and/or desired set point value of the relative humidity and/or temperature in the environment of interest. 
     In some cases, it may be desirable to locate the major components of the control module and other power consuming components of the humidistat and/or thermostat away from the humidity and/or temperature sensors to minimize inadvertent heating of the sensors which could lead to inaccurate readings. For example, it may be desirable to locate the sensor or sensors on a separate circuit board that is thermally isolated within the housing, or on surfaces of a circuit board opposite the power consuming components, but this is not required. 
     HVAC sensors may be configured as simple remote sensors in communication with a central climate control unit and/or they may include additional functions which may be locally accessed. For example, the illustrative HVAC sensor  10  of  FIG. 1  includes a display  20  and controls  25 . In some embodiments, the controls  25  may provide the capability to access, program and/or store various settings of the HVAC sensor  10 . In some cases, the controls  25  may provide the capability to program a daily schedule, or even multi-day schedules of desired settings for humidity, temperature, and the like, if desired. 
     In an illustrative wall-mounted configuration, the HVAC sensor  10  may includes vents or other apertures  82 ,  84  in the sidewalls  34  or base plate  30  of the case or housing (see  FIG. 3 ) which allow room air to circulate through the housing and over a sensor  54  or sensors (see  FIG. 2A ) from the room environment to be sampled. In such a wall-mounted installation, a first side of the base plate (i.e. the side facing away from the wall  80 ) is usually within the environment to be sampled or in fluid communication with it through the vents  82 ,  84  in the housing of the HVAC sensor  10 . In the illustrative embodiment, the sensor  54  may then generate a signal that is conveyed to the control module circuit board  52  (see  FIG. 2A ). When the HVAC sensor  10  is configured to also control one or more HVAC components, the control module circuit board  52  may send one or more signals to one or more HVAC components for modifying, for example, the temperature and/or humidity of the air supplied to the room. 
     A movable element  50  (see  FIGS. 2B and 3 ) may include a portion of an interior partition or a conduit within the HVAC sensor housing, which is placed (or removed) to direct the circulating air flow, often a simple convective or even diffusional flow, to and over the sensor  54  and/or other sensors that may be present. In some cases, the movable element  50  may be positioned (or removed) to optionally unblock the apertures or vents  82 ,  84  in the housing (see  FIG. 3 ), complete a flow conduit between the vents or apertures, remove a shield around the sensor  54 , or otherwise provide a path for room air to circulate past the sensor  54  in question. In some embodiments, this first position of the movable element may also block any air flow through the base plate  30  (see  FIG. 3 ), although such flows through the base plate may already be blocked by the wall  80  to which the HVAC sensor  10  is mounted or by an optional removable plug (not shown) in the base plate  30 . In some cases, and as further described below, flows through the base plate  30  may be permitted, and the controller of the HVAC sensor  10  may be programmed or otherwise configured to read the sensor  54  only at appropriate times. 
     In some cases, the movable element  50  may be associated with a sidewall  34 , base plate  30 , faceplate  36 , control module  52 , or other structure within the housing, and may be positioned at least partially between the base plate  30  and the faceplate  36 , but this is not required. It may take the form of a flat or curved partition, an interior wall or shield, or even a generally tubular conduit  50  (see  FIG. 3 ) which may be moved from one position to another, depending on the desired configuration of the HVAC sensor  10 . In some instances, the movable element  50  may be removed from the HVAC sensor  10  or removed from a functional position and placed in a storage position within the HVAC sensor housing, if desired. In some embodiments, the movable element  50  may be secured relative to the HVAC sensor housing in one or more positions, such as the duct mounting position by, for example, a latch  58  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     In an illustrative duct-mounted configuration of  FIG. 2B , the movable element  50  may complete a conduit or other fluid passageway between an aperture in the base plate  30 , which aligns with a hole  75  in the duct wall  80  to which the HVAC sensor  10  is mounted, and the sensor  54  or sensors. In the illustrative embodiment shown in  FIG. 2B , the movable element  50  may have side walls that form a conduit or lumen that extends from the sensor  54 , located within the HVAC sensor housing, through the back plate, and to or into the duct. Since the air within a supply duct  70  is generally pressurized with respect to the adjacent room when air is being delivered (e.g. when the HVAC fan is on), outflow from the duct  70  through the base plate  30  may be directed by the movable element  50  to and over the sensor  54  within the HVAC sensor housing. Optionally, the flow of duct air may be minimized or blocked by the movable element  50  by including or mating with an isolating gasket  56 . This may also help isolate the sensor  54  from convective air passing through the vents  82 ,  84 , when desired. As in the case of the wall-mounted configuration described above, the movable element  50  may be associated with a sidewall  34 , base plate  30 , faceplate  36 , control module  52 , or other structure within the housing, and may be positioned at least partially between the base plate  30  and the faceplate  36 , but this is not required. The movable element  50  may take the form of a flat or curved partition, an interior wall or shield, or even a generally tubular conduit  50  as shown in  FIG. 3  which may be moved from one position to another, depending on the desired configuration of the HVAC sensor  10 . 
     In some embodiments, the movable element  50  in a duct-mounted installation may be positioned to block circulating room air from reaching the sensor  54 , while in others it may allow circulating room air to reach the sensor  54 , particularly when the duct is not pressurized. In the latter configurations, a duct-mounted HVAC sensor  10  may be capable or configured to sample the environment within the duct  70  when the duct  70  is pressurized, and sample the environment within the room when the duct  70  is not pressurized. 
     Particularly in embodiments in which the HVAC sensor  10  is duct-mounted, it may be useful to have the movable element  50  be, or include, an electrical component such as a switch, which may encompass a movable jumper or electrical connection, or a programming option, as desired. In some embodiments, the switch, jumper, electrical connection or programming option may alter the response of the control module to the sensor signal. For example, the control module, which may be located on the control module circuit board  52  within the HVAC sensor housing, may sample the room environment when the duct is not pressurized, as between active fan cycles, and/or sample the environment within the duct  70  when the duct is pressurized. Information from one or both conditions may be used to enhance the overall performance of an associated HVAC system. For example, the HVAC sensor  10  may sample the room environment until a control point is reached. It may then send one or more service demand signals to a unit such as a furnace, air conditioner, humidifier, and/or dehumidifier to begin circulation of air through the duct and room. Once the duct  70  is pressurized by circulating air within the duct  70 , the sensor  54  may become bathed by air from the duct  70  and may be capable of controlling the environment within the duct  70  which is being supplied to the room. 
     In other embodiments, the sampling of the room environment may simply result in the transmission of a signal to a central control unit which integrates information about the conditions within the building as a whole between active fan cycles of the HVAC system. Similarly, the information regarding the environment within the duct  70 , while the duct  70  is pressurized, may be transmitted to a central control unit for use in overall building management. In some embodiments, such a dual function may allow a single HVAC sensor  10  to sample conditions within a local room environment as well as within a duct  70  which services the same of a different part of the building if the duct passes through, or adjacent to, the room in which the HVAC sensor  10  is mounted. 
     In some embodiments, the moveable element  50  is a partition or conduit which may be moved to a first position in which the sensor  54  is in fluid communication with a first environment such as the room in which the HVAC sensor  10  is located. In some embodiments, when the moveable element  50  is in the first position, it either blocks or greatly reduces air from the second environment from reaching the sensor(s) while allowing air in the room to circulate through vents or other apertures  82 ,  84  in the housing, but this is not required in all embodiments. In some cases, the movable element may include two or more movable sub-elements, such as a movable conduit  50  as shown in  FIG. 4  and a knock out plug that covers the aperture in the back plate  30  that receives the movable conduit  50 . 
     In other embodiments, the location and nature of the movable element  50  may allow pressurized air within the duct  70  adjacent to the HVAC sensor  10  to substantially displace the room air which would otherwise reach the sensor  54 . In those embodiments, the moveable element  50  may be a switch or other programming option that alters the subsequent processing of the signal from the sensor  54  or sensors in response to whether the duct is expected to be pressurized or not. Generally, a supply duct may be expected to be pressurized when the corresponding fan or blower moving air through the duct  70  is turned on. As discussed above, and in some illustrative embodiments, when the duct  70  is pressurized, the HVAC sensor  10  may respond to the environmental conditions within the duct  70 , and when the duct  70  is not pressurized, the HVAC sensor  10  may respond to the environmental conditions within the room and the sensor signals are processed and transmitted accordingly. 
     In certain embodiments, when the moveable element  50  is in a second position, the sensor  54  is placed in fluid communication with a second environment, for example the environment within a duct  70 , through an aperture in the base plate  30 . In the illustrative embodiment shown in  FIG. 2B  and  FIG. 3 , the aperture in the base plate  30  is aligned with a hole  75  in the duct  70  or other wall separating the base plate  30  from the interior of the duct  70 , and the moveable element  50  in the second position substantially prevents or at least impedes air from the first environment (e.g. the room in which the HVAC sensor  10  is mounted) from reaching the sensor  54 . The movable element  50 , for example, may be configured to complete a conduit between the base plate aperture and the sensor  54 , while simultaneously blocking a flow path between the environment in the room and the sensor  54  via vents  82 ,  84 . In some embodiments, the movable element  50  may be a flexible tube or rigid conduit having a first end adjacent the sensor  54 , and a second end that may be attached near, for example a housing vent in a first position and near an aperture in the base plate  30  in the second position. In some embodiments, the conduit linking the sensor  54  may extend beyond the base plate  30  for a sufficient distance in the second position such that the conduit opens into the duct through a sidewall  80  of the duct  70 . In other embodiments, the hole  75  through the duct  70  may form a part of the conduit linking the interior of the duct  70  with the sensor  54 . 
     Various modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and principles of this invention, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth hereinabove. All publications and patents are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5