System and method for server based control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11375018-B2
Application number	US-201816053834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Jan 9, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

A system and method in a building or vehicle for an actuator operation in response to a sensor according to a control logic, the system comprising a router or a gateway communicating with a device associated with the sensor and a device associated with the actuator over in-building or in-vehicle networks, and an external Internet-connected control server associated with the control logic implementing a PID closed linear control loop and communicating with the router over external network for controlling the in-building or in-vehicle phenomenon. The sensor may be a microphone or a camera, and the system may include voice or image processing as part of the control logic. A redundancy is used by using multiple sensors or actuators, or by using multiple data paths over the building or vehicle internal or external communication. The networks may be wired or wireless, and may be BAN, PAN, LAN, WAN, or home networks.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An AC-powered temperature control appliance for use with first and second wireless networks, the appliance comprising:
an AC connector for connecting to AC power source;
a first antenna for communication over the first wireless network;
a first wireless transceiver coupled to the first antenna for transmitting digital data to, and for receiving digital data from, the first wireless network;
a second antenna for communication over the second wireless network;
a second wireless transceiver coupled to the second antenna for transmitting digital data to, and for receiving digital data from, the second wireless network;
a thermoelectric actuator that comprises a heater or cooler for affecting or changing the temperature of a solid, a liquid, or a gas object, the thermoelectric actuator is coupled to the AC connector for being powered from the AC power source;
a software and a processor for executing the software, the processor is coupled to the first wireless transceiver for receiving first data from, and for transmitting second data to, the first wireless network, and the processor is coupled to the second wireless transceiver for receiving third data from, and for transmitting fourth data to, the second wireless network;
a sensor for producing sensor data in response to a sensed phenomenon, the sensor is coupled to the processor;
multiple sensors that includes the sensor, arranged as a directional sensor array operative to estimate the number, magnitude, frequency, Direction-Of-Arrival (DOA), distance, or speed of the phenomenon impinging the sensor array; and
an enclosure housing the first and second wireless transceivers, the multiple sensors, the processor, and the thermoelectric actuator,
wherein the second data is in response to the sensor data, and
wherein the thermoelectric actuator is coupled to the processor to be controlled by the first data or by the third data.

2. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator is coupled to the processor to be controlled by the first data and by the third data.

3. The appliance according to claim 1 , further operative for temperature control of environment, air, gas, food, liquid, or water in a home, commercial, or industrial environment.

4. The appliance according to claim 3 , further consisting of, integrated with, or being part of, a domestic or industrial air conditioner, water heater, HVAC system, washing machine, clothes dryer, vacuum cleaner, microwave oven, electric mixer, stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer, food processor, dishwasher, food blender, beverage maker, coffeemaker, iced-tea maker, induction cooker, electric furnace, or dehumidifier.

5. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator uses conduction, convection, thermal radiation, or by a transfer of energy by phase changes.

6. The appliance according to claim 5 , wherein the heater uses radiative heating, wherein the heater comprises, or consists of, a convector using convection, or wherein the heater comprises, or consists of, a forced convection heater.

7. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, a heating or cooling heat pump, or wherein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, a cooler based on an electric motor-based compressor for driving a refrigeration cycle.

8. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, an electric heater that comprises, or consists of, a resistance heater or a dielectric heater.

9. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, an electric heater that is solid-state based or is based on the Peltier effect, or herein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, a forced convection heater.

10. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, a radiative heater or an induction-based heater.

11. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric actuator comprises, or consists of, an electrically powered compression-based cooler that comprises or uses an electric motor to drive a refrigeration cycle.

12. The appliance according to claim 1 , further comprising an electrically actuated switch coupled to be controlled by the processor and further coupled for switching the AC power from the AC connector to the thermoelectric actuator.

13. The appliance according to claim 12 , wherein the electrically actuated switch is coupled to the first or second wireless transceiver for being respectively activated in response to the first or third data.

14. The appliance according to claim 12 , wherein the electrically actuated switch is a latching or a non-latching type relay.

15. The appliance according to claim 14 , wherein the relay is a solenoid-based electromagnetic relay that is a reed relay, wherein the relay is solid-state or semiconductor based, or wherein the relay is a Solid State Relay (SSR).

16. The appliance according to claim 12 , wherein the electrically actuated switch is based on an electrical circuit that comprises an open collector transistor, an open drain transistor, a thyristor, a TRIAC, or an opto-isolator.

17. The appliance according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for producing sensor data in response to a sensed phenomenon, the sensor is coupled to the processor, and wherein the second or fourth data is in response to the sensor data.

18. The appliance according to claim 17 , wherein the second and fourth data are in response to the sensor data.

19. The appliance according to claim 17 , wherein the sensor comprises, or consists of, a current sensor for measuring Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC) current.

20. The appliance according to claim 19 , wherein the current sensor is coupled for measuring the current in response to, used by, or via, the thermoelectric actuator or the appliance.

21. The appliance according to claim 19 , wherein the current sensor comprises an ampermeter, galvanometer, or a hot-wire ampermeter.

22. The appliance according to claim 19 , wherein the current sensor comprises a current clamp, a current probe, a current transformer, or uses a Hall-effect.

23. The appliance according to claim 19 , wherein the current sensor is a non-contact or a non-conductive current meter.

24. The appliance according to claim 19 , further comprising a wattmeter that comprises the current sensor for measuring a magnitude of the active power or an electrical energy consumed by the appliance or by the thermoelectric actuator.

25. The appliance according to claim 24 , wherein the wattmeter comprises single or multi-phase AC power or energy meter.

26. The appliance according to claim 24 , wherein the wattmeter comprises a bolometer, or wherein the wattmeter accumulates or averages readings.

27. The appliance according to claim 24 , wherein the wattmeter is based on multiplying a measured voltage and the current measured by the current sensor.

28. The appliance according to claim 24 , wherein the wattmeter or the current sensor are induction based.

29. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the first wireless network is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), the first antenna is a WPAN antenna, and the first wireless transceiver

Assignees

• May Patents Ltd

Inventors

• Binder Yehuda
• Maytal Benjamin

Classifications

• B60Y2200/12

  Motorcycles, Trikes; Quads; Scooters · CPC title

• B60Y2200/40

  Special vehicles · CPC title

• B60K31/00

  Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator · CPC title

• G08G1/00

  Traffic control systems for road vehicles (arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 {; automatic vehicle control B62D}) · CPC title

• Y04S40/18

  Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title