Building controller with adaptable mount

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11828481-B2
Application number	US-202017073044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2020
Priority date	Oct 16, 2020
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A building controller may include a housing having a back plate and a mounting clip, which may be slidably disposed relative to the back plate between a wall mount position used when mounting the building controller to the wall, and a DIN rail mount position used when mounting the building controller to a DIN rail. When in the wall mount position, the mounting clip and the back plate may be configured to hold the mounting clip in the wall mount position until at least a first threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip. When in the DIN rail mount position, the mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the mounting clip in the DIN rail mount position until at least a second threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A building controller configured to be mountable to a wall in some installations and to a DIN rail in other installations, the building controller comprising:
a housing having a back plate;
a mounting clip slidably disposed relative to the back plate between a wall mount position used when mounting the building controller to the wall, a DIN rail mount position used when mounting the building controller to the DIN rail, and a DIN rail release position between the wall mount position and the DIN rail mount position, wherein, in the DIN rail release position, the mounting clip is configured to disengage from the DIN rail, and wherein:
when in the wall mount position, the mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the mounting clip via one or more of a plurality of detents in the wall mount position until at least a first threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip from the wall mount position;
when in the DIN rail mount position, the mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the mounting clip via one or more of the plurality of detents in the DIN rail mount position until at least a second threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip from the DIN rail mount position;
when in the DIN rail release position, the mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the mounting clip via one or more of the plurality of detents
in the DIN rail release position until:
either at least a third threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip from the DIN rail release position toward the DIN rail mount position
or at least a fourth threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip from the DIN rail release position toward the wall mount position; and

the fourth threshold sliding force is greater than the third threshold sliding force.

2. The building controller of claim 1 , wherein the second threshold sliding force is greater than the third threshold sliding force.

3. The building controller of claim 1 , wherein the mounting clip comprises a first end and a second opposing end, the first end configured to engage the DIN rail when the mounting clip is in the DIN rail mount position, and the second opposing end is configured to accommodate a fastener for securing the mounting clip and thus the building controller to the wall when the mounting clip is in the wall mount position.

4. The building controller of claim 3 , wherein the second opposing end defines a hole that is configured to receive the fastener when the mounting clip is in the wall mount position, wherein the fastener is one of a screw, a nail or a bolt.

5. The building controller of claim 1 , wherein the mounting clip is slidably disposed relative to the back plate in a mounting clip slot defined by the back plate.

6. The building controller of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the mounting clip and back plate define the plurality of detents.

7. The building controller of claim 1 comprising:
a plurality of mounting clips, wherein each respective mounting clip of the plurality of mounting clips is slidably disposed relative to the back plate between the wall mount position used when mounting the building controller to the wall, the DIN rail mount position used when mounting the building controller to the DIN rail, and the DIN rail release position between the wall mount position and the DIN rail mount position, wherein, in the DIN rail release position, each respective mounting clip of the plurality of mounting clips is configured to disengage from the DIN rail, and wherein for each respective mounting clip of the plurality of mounting clips:
when in the wall mount position, the respective mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the respective mounting clip via one or more of the plurality of detents in the wall mount position until at least the first threshold sliding force is applied to the respective mounting clip to displace the respective mounting clip from the wall mount position;
when in the DIN rail mount position, the respective mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the respective mounting clip via one or more of the plurality of detents in the DIN rail mount position until at least the second threshold sliding force is applied to the respective mounting clip to displace the respective mounting clip from the DIN rail mount position;
and
when in the DIN rail release position, the respective mounting clip and the back plate are configured to hold the respective mounting clip via one or more of the plurality of detents in the DIN rail release position until:
either at least the third threshold sliding force is applied to the respective mounting clip to displace the respective mounting clip from the DIN rail release position toward the DIN rail mount position
or at least the fourth threshold sliding force is applied to the respective mounting clip to displace the respective mounting clip from the DIN rail release position toward the wall mount position; and

the fourth threshold sliding force is greater than the third threshold sliding force.

8. A building controller comprising:
a housing having a back plate, the back plate defining a slot;
a mounting clip configured to fit within and slide along the slot;
wherein the mounting clip and/or the back plate define one or more detents that:
hold the mounting clip in a first mount position until at least a first threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip along the slot from the first mount position;
hold the mounting clip in a second mount position until at least a second threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip along the slot from the second mount position; and
wherein the first threshold sliding force is different from the second threshold sliding force by at least 10 percent.

9. The building controller of claim 8 , further comprising an intervening position between the first mount position and the second mount position, wherein the one or more detents are configured to hold the mounting clip in the intervening position until:
at least a third threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip along the slot from the intervening position toward the first mount position; and
at least a fourth threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip to displace the mounting clip along the slot from the intervening position toward the second mount position;
wherein the third threshold sliding force is different from the fourth threshold sliding force by at least 10 percent.

10. The building controller of claim 9 , wherein the first mount position is a wall mount position, the second mount position is a DIN rail mount position and the intervening position is a DIN rail release position.

11. The building controller of claim 8 wherein the one or more detents comprise a lever and a tang defined by the back plate, wherein the lever is configured to bias the tang against the mounting clip, wherein the mounting clip comprises a ridge and the tang is configured to move against the bias of the lever and away from the mounting clip when the tang engages the ridge of the mounting clip as the first threshold sliding force is applied to the mounting clip.

12. The building controller of claim 11 wherein the mounting clip comprises a plurality of ridges and the tang is configured to move against the bias of the lever and away from the mounting clip when the tang engages each of the plurality of ridges of the m

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Zheng Xinyan
• Zheng Michael
• Su Hang
• Li Haitao
• Chen Li
• Wang Kun
• Leen Cary

Classifications

• F24F11/89 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• H02B1/0523

  locked into position by a sliding member · CPC title

• H05K7/12

  Resilient or clamping means for holding component to structure · CPC title

• F24F1/30

  for use inside the separate outdoor units · CPC title

• G05B19/0423 Primary

  Input/output · CPC title