Patent ID: 7918406

Claim:
A control apparatus for controlling space conditioning equipment serving a conditioned space, the apparatus comprising: a thermostat control unit, which includes a processor, and a computer memory, running under control of a thermostat control program component; a temperature sensor coupled to the thermostat control unit for providing a signal indicative of current temperature in the conditioned space; an occupancy sensor coupled to the thermostat control unit generating a signal indicative of current activity in the conditioned space; a user input mechanism to establish a user desired occupied conditioned space setpoint temperature; the thermostat control program component including instructions defining logic and related data stored in the computer memory, the instructions defining logic and related data including: A) instructions for monitoring the signal indicative of current activity and defining an operating sequence to establish a condition of actual occupancy, and to recognize within a recent time interval a pattern of activity described by a timing of a plurality of the signals indicative of current activity and received within that recent time interval; B) instructions for initiating a condition of occupancy extension upon recognition of the pattern of activity, and maintaining that condition over an extension time period; C) instructions for forming and maintaining a calculated condition of occupancy which is deemed valid only during the condition of actual occupancy or the condition of occupancy extension; D) instructions to signal the space conditioning equipment, when the condition of occupancy extension exists, such as to bring the current temperature in the conditioned space closer to the user desired occupied conditioned space temperature, and in the absence of the condition of occupancy extension, to operate so as to reduce energy usage by the space conditioning equipment.