Abstract:
A control used in a two stage HVAC system has a power supply from a 24 VAC transformer which is full wave rectified (D 1,  D 2,  D 3,  D 4 ) to create DC voltages for a microcontroller (U 1 ) and relays (K 1 -K 3 ). All of the control information needed for the two stage control system is sent to the control from a room thermostat ( 12 ) having first and second stage cooling signal terminals (Y 1 , Y 2 ) over a single line by connecting a diode between the Y 1 , Y 2  terminals creating separate microprocessor recognizable signals.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 USC Section 119 (e) (1) of provisional application No. 60/197,114 filed Apr. 14, 2000. 
     U.S. provisional application No. 60/172,876, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, contains similar subject matter. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and more particularly to two stage systems having reduced wiring between a room thermostat and the system control. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of staged HVAC equipment is ever increasing. A typical two stage system has a low and a high mode of heat transfer. For example, two stage gas furnaces have allowed the use of low and high combustion for many years. Two stage systems have advantages over the typical single stage system. Firstly, greater comfort is allowed. By allowing a lower heat transfer mode when the heat load is lower in the home, the temperature essentially will not swing beyond the desired set point in contrast to a single stage system. Furthermore, during the low transfer mode the system is more likely to run longer which helps to eliminate stagnant air conditions. Secondly, greater efficiency is obtained by using a low transfer mode. That is, less energy is consumed since the need for the high transfer mode only occurs for a small percentage of the time. 
     Technology has changed in recent years to more readily allow the use of two stage systems. For example, the expanding use of electronics has allowed two stage gas furnaces to be less costly. The creation of two stage compressors has brought about the two stage heat pump and air conditioning. However, each of these systems requires the use of a two stage room thermostat to accomplish the full benefit of the two stage heat transfer system. These two stage thermostats require the use of a second control wire to the heating/cooling equipment. This presents a major problem when the two stage system is being used to replace an existing single stage system. The procedure for adding another control wire to the room thermostat involves tearing open the walls and ceiling of the home. This is a major cost adder and inconvenience in the replacement market and can serve as a reason for not upgrading the existing equipment. This is particularly onerous since higher efficiency and greater comfort systems dominate the replacement market. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to overcome the limitations of the prior art described above. Another object of the invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for wiring room thermostats to two stage HVAC system controls which are inexpensive and simple yet reliable and which are particularly suitable for the replacement market. 
     Briefly, in accordance with the invention, a single control wire, such as an existing control wire to a room thermostat, can be used to select both the high and low heat transfer modes of operation of a two stage HVAC system. According to the invention, the control to be used in a two stage system has a power supply from a transformer, such as a 24 VAC transformer. This voltage is full wave rectified to create DC voltages for the control&#39;s microcontroller and relays. The microcontroller based control determines if an input is “ON” or “OFF” by looking at the phase relationships of the control signal. Additional information is provided on the single control wire by placing a diode in series with the signal. The diode is added to create a distinct signal recognizable by the microcontroller. Thus, by transferring the descriptions from “ON” to “High Heat Transfer” and “Diode in Series” to “Low Heat Transfer” all of the control information needed for the two stage control system can be sent to the control system. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects, advantages and details of the novel method and apparatus of the invention appear in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the detailed description referring to the drawings in which: 
     FIGS. 1 a - 1   c  taken together constitute a schematic of a control for use with a two stage cooling system with which the invention is used; 
     FIG. 2 shows typical “ON” and “OFF” signals; 
     FIGS. 3-5 show a single wire operating mode with Y 1  and Y 2  active, Y 1  only active and Y 1  and Y 2  off, respectively; and 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a typical two stage room thermostat shown with the Y 1  signal line connected to the Y 2  signal line through a diode in accordance with the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS.1 a - 1   c,  operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 b,  power (24 VAC) is applied to the logic circuitry through three ¼ inch male quick connects QC 1  (signal 24 VAC) and QC 2  and QC 11  (signal C or earth ground). Fuse F 1  is a 3 amp automotive style (ATO) and is attached to fuse terminals FT 1  and FT 2  serially connected to the 24 VAC power. Fuse Fl protects the circuitry of the control by limiting the current to the device. Capacitor C 8  and metal oxide varistor M 1  act as a noise filter for the 24 VAC power. Fuse F 1  is connected to the signal 24 VAC and the anode of diode D 2  and the cathode of diode D 1 . The anode of diode D 3  and the cathode of diode D 4  are connected to the C signal. These four diodes rectify the 24 VAC power to a DC power source  24 _RECT (cathodes of D 2  and D 3 ) and GND (anodes of D 4  and D 1 ). This is the power source for all the electronics of the control. The anode of diode D 6  is also connected to the signal  24 _RECT. The cathode of diode D 6  is connected to signal RLAY_PWR. Capacitors C 10  and C 5  are connected between signal RLAY_PWR and GND. These capacitors act to filter noise from the RLAY_PWR signal and to limit voltage change when loads are energized on RLAY_PWR. Signal RLAY_PWR is the power source for all the relays of the assembly (K 1 -K 3 ). The anode of light emitting diode LED 3  is connected RLAY_PWR and the cathode of light emitting diode LED 3  is serially connected to resistor R 1 . The other side of resistor R 1  is attached to GND. This causes light emitting diode LED 3  to be illuminated when power is applied to the control. The anode of diode D 5  is connected to  24 _RECT and the cathode is connected to 24LOGIC. Diode D 5  acts to isolate filter capacitor C 4  (attached to 24LOGIC and GND) from RLAY_PWR. Capacitor C 4  filters the rectified DC power. One side of resistor R 9  is attached to 24LOGIC while the other side of the resistor is connected to the cathode of zener diode Z 1 . The anode of zener Z 1  is connected to GND. Resistor R 15  is connected across the zener Z 1  to discharge capacitor C 4  during power interruption. Resistor R 9  limits current flow to the zener diode while the zener regulates 24LOGIC to five volts DC (VDD). Capacitors C 9  and C 2  act to filter the five volt DC power. Resistor R 15  also discharges capacitors C 9  and C 2  during power interruption. 
     Signal VDD supplies power to all the logic circuitry (U 1  pin  9 , FIG. 1 a ). With reference to FIG. 1 a,  the oscillator for the microcontroller U 1  comprises resistor R 12  and the internal oscillator circuitry of the microcontroller. Pins  1  and  2  of microcontroller U 1  are connected to respective opposite sides of resistor R 12 . Resistor R 12  sets the frequency of operation of the microcontroller (typically 2.73 MHz). Signal +5V is connected to resistor R 8 . The other side of resistor R 8  is attached to pin  20  (RESET&#39;) and one side of capacitor C 7 . The second pin of capacitor C 7  is connected to GND. This RC circuit maintains the RESET&#39; signal at a low logic level until +5V power has stabilized after a power cycle. 
     Resistor R 10  is connected to C and the interrupt pin of the microcontroller U 1  pin  19  (signal IRQ&#39;). Capacitor C 6  is connected between IRQ&#39; and GND and acts to filter the IRQ&#39; signal. IRQ&#39; is also connected to U 1  pin  18  to utilize the internal protection diodes on this pin to protect the microcontroller from excessive voltage. Resistor R 11  is also connected across capacitor C 6  and acts to discharge capacitor C 6  during power interruption. Signal IRQ&#39; is a 5 volt DC, 60 Hz square wave (with 60 Hz, 24 VAC applied to the control). This signal forms the time base for all operations of the microcontroller. 
     Signal Y 1  is generated by the room thermostat when the temperature rises one degree above the set point. Signal Y 1  is input to the control via quick connect QC 8 . Signal Y 1  is connected to one side of resistor R 2 . The other side of resistor R 2  is connected to C (or Common). Capacitor Cl 2  is connected in parallel across resistor R 2  to filter noise signals from signal Y 1 . Signal Y 1  is connected to the anode of zener Z 4 . The cathode of zener Z 4  is serially connected to the cathode of zener Z 5 , while the anode of zener Z 5  is attached to the input diodes of U 3 B, an opto-isolator. The other side of the input diodes is connected to resistor R 13 , in turn connected to common (signal C). This network created by zeners Z 4 , Z 5 , the input diodes of opto-isolator U 3 B, and resistor R 13  forms a voltage discriminator network such that opto-isolator U 3 B will not be energized unless signal Y 1  is above 12 volts AC. The output portion of opto-isolator U 3 B consists of an isolated transistor. The transistor&#39;s collector is connected to +5V. The emitter of the transistor is connected to signal Y 1 _IN (pin  7  of U 1 ). Resistor R 4  is placed between Y 1 _IN and GND to act as a pull-down. In this configuration Y 1 _IN will be energized at a 120 Hz rate whenever an AC signal is applied to Y 1  with respect to C (common). The opto-isolator allows the micro-controller to detect the frequency and phase of the incoming signal regardless of its source. 
     Signal Y 2  is generated by the room thermostat when the temperature rises typically three to five degrees above the set point. Signal Y 2  is input to the control via quick connect QC 7 . Y 2  is connected to resistor R 3  with the other side of resistor R 3  connected to C (or Common). Capacitor C 11  is connected in parallel across resistor R 3  to filter noise signals from signal Y 2 . Signal Y 2  is connected to the anode of zener Z 2 . The cathode of zener Z 2  is serially connected to the cathode of zener Z 3 , while the anode of zener Z 3  is attached to the input diodes of opto-isolator U 3 A. The other side of the input diodes is connected to resistor R 14 , in turn connected to common. This network created by zeners Z 2 , Z 3 , the input diodes of opto-isolator U 3 A, and resistor R 14  forms a voltage discriminator network such that opto-isolator U 3 A will not be energized unless signal Y 2  is above 12 volts AC. The output portion of opto-isolator U 3 A consists of an isolated transistor. The transistor&#39;s collector is connected to +5V. The emitter of the transistor is connected to signal Y 2 _IN (pin  5  of U 1 ). Resistor R 5  is placed between Y 2 _IN and GND to act as a pull-down. In this configuration Y 2 _IN will be energized at a 120 Hz rate whenever an AC signal is applied to Y 2  with respect to C (common). The opto-isolator allows the micro-controller to detect the frequency and phase of the incoming signal regardless of its source. 
     QC 10  and QC 9  act as a “TEST” input to the microcontroller. QC 10  is connected to 24 VAC. QC 9  is attached to resistor R 7  with the other pin of resistor R 7  applied to GND. QC 9  is also attached to resistor R 16  with the other side of resistor R 16  applied to pin  3  of microcontroller U 1 , signal TEST_IN. When a short is placed across QC 10  and QC 9 , the microcontroller can detect the presence of the short. The s/w in the microcontroller will reset all time delays when this occurs. Thus, an installer or service person may circumvent the antishort cycle delays with this input. 
     Pin  15  of microcontroller U 1  (signal COND_FAN) is connected to relay driver U 2 A. The output of U 2 A is connected to one side of the K 3  relay coil (see FIG. 1 c ). The other side of the K 3  relay coil is connected to RLAY_PWR. The common terminal K 3  is connected to L 1 , the 240 VAC source (quick connect QC 6 ). The normally open terminal of relay K 3  is connected to quick connect QC 5 . This is attached in the system to the condenser fan motor, which circulates air over the condenser coils. Thus microcontroller U 1  is able to control the COND_FAN (condenser fan motor) of the air conditioner. 
     Pin  13  of microcontroller U 1  (signal COMP_PW) is connected to relay driver U 2 C. The output of U 2 C is connected to one side of the K 1  relay coil (see FIG. 1 c ). The other side of the K 1  relay coil is connected to RLAY_PWR. The common terminal of relay K 1  is connected to the 24 VAC source. The normally open terminal of relay K 1  is also connected to the common terminal of relay K 2 . This allows 24 VAC to be connected to relay K 2  when relay K 1  is energized. Pin  14  of microcontroller U 1  (signal COMP_SPD) is connected to relay driver U 2 B. The output of relay driver U 2 B is connected to one side of the K 2  relay coil (FIG. 1 c ). The other side of the K 2  relay coil is connected to RLAY_PWR. 
     The normally open terminal of relay K 2  is connected to QC 4  (signal HIGH). The normally closed contact of relay K 2  if connected to QC 3  (signal LOW). The signals HIGH and LOW are connected to the coils of two contactors in the system, which energize the forward or reverse rotation direction of a two stage compressor. Thus, microcontroller U 1  is able to control the two stage compressor and the rotation that the motor operates through energizing relay K 1  and (or) relay K 2 . The other sides of the contactor coils are attached to Common (signal C). Capacitors C 13  and C 14  are placed across the respective output signals LOW and HIGH to suppress electrical noise. 
     The pin of U 2 :H is the common terminal for the suppression diodes internal to the relay driver. And is connected to RLAY_PWR to insure that electrical transient voltage spikes (also known as back electromotive force) will be suppressed when each relay is de-energized by the microcontroller U 1 . 
     Pin  16  of microcontroller U 1  (signal HI_LED_DRV) is connected to the cathode of the light emitting diode LED 2 . The anode of diode LED 2  is connected to resistor R 6  (and the anode of diode LED 1 ), while the other side of resistor R 6  is attached to VDD. Resistor R 6  limits current flow through the light emitting diode. This enables microcontroller U 1  to control diode LED 2  to indicate when the control is operating in HIGH (capacity) mode. Pin  17  of microcontroller U 1  (signal LOW_LED_DRV) is connected to the cathode of the light emitting diode LED 1 . The anode of diode LED 1  is connected to resistor R 6  (and the anode of LED 2 ), while the other side of resistor R 6  is attached to VDD. Resistor R 6  limits current flow through the light emitting diode. This enables microcontroller U 1  to control diode LED 1  to indicate when the control is operating in LOW (capacity) mode. 
     As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,104, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the subject matter of which is included herein by this reference, the microcontroller based control determines if an input is “ON” or “OFF” by looking at the phase relationships of the control signal. Typical “ON” and “OFF” signals are shown in FIG.  2 . The addition of information to this signal can be accomplished by placing a diode in series with the signal, the resulting signal shown in FIG.  3 . It will be seen that these signal conditions “OFF”, “ON” and “Diode in Series” are very different from one another and can be easily detected by the microcontroller. Thus by transferring the descriptions from “ON” to “High Heat Transfer” and “Diode in Series” to “Low Heat Transfer” all of the information needed for a two stage control can be sent to the control system. FIG. 6 shows the schematic diagram of a typical two stage room thermostat  12  shown with the addition of a diode CR 1 . The anode of this diode is connected to signal line Y 1  and the cathode is connected to signal line Y 2 . Room thermostat  12  includes a fan switch  14  and system switch  16  interconnected with heat anticipators H 1 , H 2  and cool anticipators C 1 , C 2 . RH and RC terminals are for connection to an indoor and outdoor unit, respectively. Terminals W 1  and W 2  are for connection to first and second heat stages, respectively. Y 1  and Y 2  terminals are for connection with first and second cool stages. 
     When diode CR 1  is connected to the control as shown and described, a fully operational two stage system is realized without any wires being added to the system. Thus the problem of the need to augment the wiring in a replacement system is eliminated with an additional cost to the system of less than ten cents. It will be appreciated that signal lines W 1  and W 2  can be interconnected in like manner by adding therebetween another diode. 
     The operation of the preferred embodiment follows. Referring to FIGS. 1 a  through  1   c,  a schematic representation of the control is given. This control has two main purposes. The first purpose is to reduce the number of wires required to operate and control a two stage air conditioning condenser unit. Opto-isolators U 3 A and U 3 B allow the control in the condenser unit to be powered from a separate 24 VAC power source (inside the condenser unit) from the indoor fan control 24 VAC power supply. This is very important if the condenser unit is to be used as a replacement for an existing outdoor unit because the control is insensitive to the phase relationships between the two power supplies. The second purpose (or mode of operation) is to operate with two stage room thermostats which have additional wiring available. These modes of operation are described below. Thus the control can universally control two stage condenser units. 
     In one mode, QC 7  (signal Y 2 ) and QC 8  (signal Y 1 ) are shorted together via a wire lead attached to the control (see dashed line  10  in FIG. 1 a ). This point then is connected to the Y 1  signal from the room thermostat as shown in FIG.  4 . In this mode, only one control wire is available from the room thermostat to the condensing unit. When the room thermostat calls for first stage of cooling, diode CR 1  in the room thermostat half wave rectifies the signal from the room thermostat. The microcontroller U 1  via inputs, Y 1 _IN (pin  7 ) and Y 2 _lN (pin  5 ) then detects this half wave signal. When the microcontroller detects this condition, the condenser fan is energized (through relay K 3 ) and the LOW capacity of operation is selected (by de-energizing relay K 2 ). Then relay K 1  is energized to power the low capacity contactor, which will apply the power to the compressor in a manner to select proper shaft rotation sense for low capacity operation. Notably, the proper capacity is selected (via relay K 2 ) before the contactors are powered (via relay K 1 ). 
     If the room thermostat calls for two stages of cooling (high capacity) a full wave AC signal will be applied to the Y 1  terminal of the control. This in turn, causes a full wave rectified signal (through optos U 3 A and U 3 B) to be applied to the microcontroller U 1  at signals Y 1 _IN and Y 2 _IN. If the microcontroller detects this condition, the condenser fan is energized (through relay K 3 ) and the HIGH capacity of operation is selected (by energizing relay K 2 ). Then relay K 1  is energized to power the high capacity contactor, which will apply the power to the compressor in a manner to select proper shaft rotation sense for high capacity operation. Notably, if the compressor has been operating in LOW capacity the microcontroller will delay energizing relay K 1  to allow the pressure to equalize in the refrigerant system. This insures that the compressor will not attempt to start against a high pressure condition. 
     In the other mode of operation, QC 7  (signal Y 2 ) and QC 8  (signal Y 1 ) are not shorted together. In this mode, the control is intended to be used with a standard two stage room thermostat with separate control wires for first and second stage of operation, i.e., without diode CR 1 . If the room thermostat calls for the first stage (LOW capacity) of cooling, a signal will only appear on Y 1 . If the room thermostat calls for two stages of cooling (HIGH capacity), then both Y 1  and Y 2  will be energized. Since only one signal will be energized for first stage cooling, the microcontroller can accommodate mis-wire conditions on Y 1  and Y 2  by sensing the presence of only one signal at Y 1 _IN and Y 2 _IN. When the microcontroller detects this condition, the condenser fan is energized (through relay K 3 ) and the low capacity of operation is selected (by de-energizing relay K 2 ). Then relay K 1  is energized to power the low capacity contactor, which will apply the power to the compressor selecting the proper shaft rotation sense (direction) for low capacity operation. 
     If the room thermostat calls for two stages of cooling (high capacity) a full wave AC signal will be applied to the Y 1  terminal of the control. This in turn, causes a full wave rectified signal (through optos U 3 A and U 3 B) to be applied to microcontroller U 1  at signals Y 1 _IN and Y 2 _IN. If the microcontroller detects this condition, the condenser fan is energized (through relay K 3 ) and the HIGH capacity of operation is selected (by energizing relay K 2 ). Then relay K 1  is energized to power the high capacity contactor which will apply the power to the compressor selecting the proper shaft rotation sense (direction) for high capacity operation. As before (in mode 1), if the LOW capacity has been energized, the microcontroller will delay energizing the compressor in High capacity to allow the pressure to equalize. Notably, the HIGH capacity operation is the same for both mode 1 and 2 conditions. 
     Unifying these two modes of operation, if the microcontroller in the control detects a half wave rectified signal on both Y 1 _IN and Y 2 _IN (FIG. 3) or if the micro detects a full wave signal on only Y 1 _IN (FIG. 4) or only Y 2 _IN, then the compressor will be energized at LOW capacity. If the microcontroller detects a full wave signal at both Y 1 _IN and Y 2 _IN, then the compressor will be energized at HIGH capacity. Clearly, this allows the control to be used where only one control wire is available (which often occurs when the condenser unit of the refrigeration system is being replaced). And it can be used where two control wires are available to select between the two capacities of operation. 
     A control made as shown in FIGS. 1 a - 1   d  comprised the following components: 
     Generic 68HRC05J1A OTP (U 1 ) 
     Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 
     1/4 Quick Connects (QC 1 , QC 2 , QC 3 , QC 4 , QC 5 , QC 6 , QC 7 , QC 8 , QC 9 , QC 10 , 
     QC 11 , QC 12 ) 
     5 AMP Fuse (F 1 ) 
     Vert Fuse Terminal (FT 1 , FT 2 ) 
     Resistors, 10K, 1/4W,1% (R 1 , R 17 ) 
     0.022 Jumper, Non-insulated (J 1 ) 
     IN4007 Diode (D 1 , D 2 , D 3 , D 4 , D 5 , D 6 ) 
     Zener, 1N5231, 5%, 0.5W (Z 1 ) 
     Zener, 1N5242, 5%, 0.5W (Z 2 , Z 3 , Z 4 , Z 5 ) 
     ULN 2003A Relay Driver (U 2 ) 
     22V P&amp;B SPDT T7N Relay (K 1 , K 2 , K 3 ) 
     Opto-Isolator (U 3 ) 
     Resistors, 10K, 1/8W, 5% (R 4 , R 5 , R 7 , R 8 , R 13 , R 14 ) 
     Resistors, 100K, 1/8W, 5% (R 10 , R  11 , R 16 ) 
     Resistors, 2K, 1/8W, 5% (R 6 , R 15 ) 
     Resistors, 82K, 1/8W, 5% (R 12 ) 
     Capacitors, 0.01uF, 50V (C 6 , C 11 , C 12 , C 15 ) 
     Capacitors, 0.1uF, 50V (C 7 , C 9 ) 
     Resistors, 1.5K, 2W, 5% (R 9 ) 
     Resistors, 2K, 2W, 5% (R 2 , R 3 ) 
     Standoffs—Metal Eyelet Newest (S 1 , S 2 , S 3 , S 4 ) 
     Capacitors, 10uF, 16V ELECTL RAD CAPS (C 2 ) 
     Capacitors, 47uF, 50V ELECTL RAD CAPS (C 4 ) 
     Capacitors, 100uF, 50V ELECTL RAD CAPS (C 10 ) 
     Radial LED, RED (LED 1 , LED 2 , LED 3 ) 
     MOV for 24 VAC APPS (M 1 ) 
     Capacitors, 0.1uF, 100V FILM CAP, 20% (C 5 , C 8 , C 13 , C 14 ) 
     Obviously, features may be added to this control which employ the power of the microcontroller, such as adding fixed time delays between operations of the compressor. Another obvious feature would be to monitor the time that the LOW capacity was requested. If this time exceeds a given amount (e.g., 30 minutes) the control could infer that the LOW capacity of the compressor was not sufficient to cool the home, and the HIGH capacity could be energized. Numerous other variations and modifications of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art of HVAC controls. The invention should not be considered as limited to the specific embodiment depicted, but rather as defined in the claims.