Multiple environmental zone control with integrated battery status communications
View Patent ↗An Electronically-Controlled Register vent (ECRV) that can be easily installed by a homeowner or general handyman is disclosed. The ECRV can be used to convert a non-zoned HVAC system into a zoned system. The ECRV can also be used in connection with a conventional zoned HVAC system to provide additional control and additional zones not provided by the conventional zoned HVAC system. In one embodiment, the ECRV is configured have a size and form-factor that conforms to a standard manually-controlled register vent. In one embodiment, a zone thermostat is configured to provide thermostat information to the ECRV. In one embodiment, the zone thermostat communicates with a central monitoring system that coordinates operation of the heating and cooling zones.
1. A system for controlling multiple environmental zones, comprising:
a first zone specific device configured to alter an environmental condition of a first environmental zone of the multiple environmental zones, each environmental zone delineating a volume within a structure, the first zone specific device including:
a battery-based power source for at least partially powering the operation of the first zone specific device;
a communication interface for communicating with a central controller, the communication interface comprising a first wireless transceiver; and
a controller operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the battery-based power source and configured to:
operate the first zone specific device in a sleep mode whereby the first wireless transceiver is inoperable to transmit or receive information and consumption of power from the battery based power source is lower than when the first zone specific device operates in an awake mode;
periodically and temporarily switch the operation of the first zone specific device from the sleep mode to the awake mode whereby, while in the awake mode, the first zone specific device is configured to transmit one or more messages indicative of a charge status of the battery-based power source.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a zone thermostat that is configured to control the first zone specific device to alter the environmental condition of the first environmental zone.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second zone specific device configured to alter an environmental condition of a second environmental zone of the multiple environmental zones, the second zone specific device comprising:
a second battery-based power source for at least partially powering the operation of the second zone specific device; and
a second communication interface for communicating with the central controller, wherein the second communication interface comprises a second wireless transceiver; and
a second controller operatively coupled to the second wireless transceiver and the second battery-based power source and configured to:
operate the second zone specific device in the sleep mode whereby the wireless transceiver is inoperable to transmit or receive information and consumption of power from the battery based power source is lower than when the second zone specific device operates in the awake mode;
periodically and temporarily switch the operation of the second zone specific device from the sleep mode to the awake mode whereby, while in the awake mode, the first zone specific device is configured to transmit one or more messages indicative of a second charge status of the second battery-based power source, the one or more messages;
wherein the central controller is further configured to communicate with the second zone specific device to determine a power status of the second battery-based power source of the second zone specific device.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the central controller is further configured to control the first zone specific device based at least in part on information received from the second zone specific device.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central controller is further configured to alter an amount of airflow to the first environmental zone based at least in part on the power status of the battery based power source of the first zone specific device.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first zone specific device, while in the awake mode, is further configured to transmit one or more messages indicative of whether the first zone specific device is in an opened, partially opened, or closed position.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the central controller, which comprises a thermostat.
8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the central controller, which is distinct from a thermostat.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller of the first zone specific device is further configured to alter a period at which the first zone specific device switches from the sleep mode to the awake mode in response to receiving an instruction from the central controller via the wireless transceiver, the period being altered from an old period to a new period, the new period being defined by the instruction.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless transceiver of the first zone specific device is configured to determine an available radio frequency channel, determining the available radio frequency channel comprises the wireless transceiver being configured to:
determine that a first radio frequency channel is in use, and select a second radio frequency channel that is not in use to wirelessly communicate the one or more messages.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first zone specific device is further configured to ignore wirelessly-received instructions associated with an identifier that is different from an identifier of the first zone specific device.
12. A method for controlling multiple environmental zones, comprising:
altering an environmental condition of a first environmental zone of the multiple environmental zones by a first zone specific device, each environmental zone delineating a volume within a structure, the first zone specific device including:
a first battery-based power source for at least partially powering the operation of the first zone specific device; and
a communication interface for communicating with a central controller, the communication interface comprising a first wireless transceiver;
operating the first zone specific device in a sleep mode whereby the first wireless transceiver is inoperable to transmit or receive information and consumption of power from the first battery-based power source is lower than when the first zone specific device operates in an awake mode;
periodically and temporarily switch the operation of the first zone specific device from the sleep mode to the awake mode whereby, while in the awake mode, the first zone specific device is configured to transmit, via the first wireless transceiver, one or more messages indicative of a charge status of the first battery-based power source;
communicating, while in the awake mode, from the first zone specific device to the central controller via the communication interface of the first zone specific device, the charge status of the first battery-based power source of the first zone specific device;
operating the second zone specific device in the sleep mode whereby a second wireless transceiver of the second zone specific device is inoperable to transmit or receive information and consumption of power from a second battery-based power source of the second zone specific device is lower than when the second zone specific device operates in the awake mode;
periodically and temporarily switch the operation of the second zone specific device from the sleep mode to the awake mode whereby, while in the awake mode, the second zone specific device is configured to transmit one or more messages indicative of a second charge status of the second battery-based power source;
communicating, while in the awake mode, from the second zone specific device to the central controller via a second wireless transceiver of the second zone specific device, the second charge status of the second battery-based power source of the second zone specific device; and
determining, by the central controller, the power status of the first battery-based power source of the first zone specific device and the second power status of the second battery-based power source of the second zone specific device based on the communicating.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
monitoring, by a zone thermostat arranged within the first environmental zone, the environmental condition of the first environmental zone; and
controlling, by the zone thermostat arranged within the first environmental zone, the first zone specific device to alter the environmental condition of the first environmental zone.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
altering, by the second zone specific device, an environmental condition of a second environmental zone of the multiple environmental zones, the second zone specific device including:
the second battery-based power source for at least partially powering the operation of the second zone specific device; and
a second communication interface for communicating with the central controller, the communication interface comprising the second wireless transceiver.
15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising altering, by the central controller, an amount of airflow to the first environmental zone based at least in part on the power status of the first battery-based power source of the first zone specific device.
16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising communicating, by the central controller, the power status of the first battery-based power source of the first zone specific device and the second-battery based power source of the second zone specific device to a user.