MAGNETIC AIDED ATTACHMENT BETWEEN A WALL PLATE AND A BUILDING AUTOMATION CONTROLLER BODY
A building automation controller assembly includes a wall plate for mounting to a wall and a controller housing releasably securable to the wall plate. A permanent magnet may be secured to one of the wall plate and the controller housing and a magnetically attracted material may be secured to the other one of the wall plate and the controller housing. The controller housing may be releasably secured to the wall plate based, at least in part, on the magnetic interaction between the permanent magnet and the magnetically attracted material.
1 . A building automation controller assembly comprising:
a wall plate for mounting to a wall;
a controller housing releasably securable to the wall plate;
a permanent magnet secured to one of the wall plate and the controller housing;
a magnetically attracted material secured to the other one of the wall plate and the controller housing; and
wherein the controller housing is releasably secured to the wall plate based, at least in part, on the magnetic interaction between the permanent magnet and the magnetically attracted material.
2 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 1 , wherein the permanent magnet is secured to the wall plate and the magnetically attracted material comprises a ferromagnetic head of a fastener that extends into the controller housing.
3 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 1 , wherein the permanent magnet comprises a first permanent magnet and is secured to the wall plate and the magnetically attracted material comprises a second permanent magnet positioned with opposite polarity facing the first permanent magnet.
4 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 1 , wherein the permanent magnet is secured to the controller housing and the magnetically attracted material is secured to the wall plate.
5 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 4 , wherein the magnetically attracted material comprises a ferromagnetic plate secured to the wall plate.
6 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 4 , wherein the permanent magnet is disposed within a recess along a back surface of the controller housing.
7 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 6 , wherein the permanent magnet comprises a tubular magnet held within the recess via a fastener extending through the tubular magnet.
8 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 6 , wherein the permanent magnet is frictionally held within the recess.
9 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 6 , wherein the permanent magnet is adhesively secured within the recess.
10 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an alignment feature cooperatively formed between the wall plate and the controller housing to facilitate alignment of the controller housing relative to the wall plate.
11 . The building automation controller assembly of claim 1 , wherein the building automation controller comprises an HVAC controller.
12 . A programmable thermostat mounting system comprising:
a wall mounting assembly; and
a thermostat body;
wherein one of the thermostat body and the wall mounting assembly comprises a first permanent magnet; and
wherein the other of the thermostat body and the wall mounting assembly comprises a ferromagnetic material and/or a second permanent magnet positioned in magnetic communication with the first permanent magnet when the wall mounting assembly is aligned and brought into engagement with the thermostat body.
13 . The programmable thermostat mounting system of claim 12 , wherein the first permanent magnet is secured to the wall mounting assembly and the thermostat body includes a ferromagnetic material comprising a ferromagnetic head of a fastener that extends into the thermostat body.
14 . The programmable thermostat mounting system of claim 12 , wherein the wall mounting assembly comprises the first permanent magnet and the thermostat body comprises a second permanent magnet.
15 . The programmable thermostat mounting system of claim 12 , wherein the first permanent magnet is secured to the thermostat body and the wall mounting assembly comprises a ferromagnetic material.
16 . The programmable thermostat mounting system of claim 15 , wherein the ferromagnetic material comprises a ferromagnetic plate secured to the wall mounting assembly.
17 . A programmable thermostat comprising:
a wall mounting assembly mountable to a vertical surface;
a thermostat housing releasably securable to the wall mounting assembly, the thermostat housing including two or more components held together via one or more threaded fasteners that extend into an interior of the thermostat housing and have fastener heads that are disposed proximate a back surface of the thermostat housing;
one or more permanent magnets secured to the wall mounting assembly, the one or more permanent magnets positioned to align with the fastener heads of the one or more threaded fasteners; and
wherein the thermostat housing is releasably secured to the wall mounting assembly based, at least in part, on the magnetic interaction between the one or more permanent magnets and the fastener heads of the one or more threaded fasteners.
18 . The programmable thermostat of claim 17 , wherein the one or more threaded fasteners are formed of a ferromagnetic material.
19 . The programmable thermostat of claim 18 , wherein the one or more threaded fasteners are formed of steel.
20 . The programmable thermostat of claim 17 , further comprising an alignment feature cooperatively formed between the wall mounting assembly and the thermostat housing to facilitate alignment of the thermostat housing relative to the wall mounting assembly.