Creation and configuration of a distributed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964323-B2
Application number	US-201514712107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2015
Priority date	Jan 19, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

In some embodiments, a system for operating an HVAC control network includes a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, the first control unit further comprising a software access point (softAP). A second control unit, the second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display. The second control unit may include a push button. The second control unit may connect to the first control unit to create an HVAC control network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol by invoking a Wi-Fi direct, push button configuration protocol in response to detecting that the push button has been depressed. The first control unit may control the second plurality of HVAC units over the HVAC control network in response to the second control unit connecting to the first control unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) control network, comprising:
a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, the first control unit further comprising a software access point (softAP);
a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display;
the second control unit comprising a push button, wherein the second control unit is operable to connect to the first control unit to create an HVAC control network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol by invoking a Wi-Fi direct, push-button configuration in response to detecting that the push button has been depressed;
the first control unit and the second control unit are further operable to connect to a Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi network comprising a wireless access point, wherein the first control unit is operable to connect to a user device over the Wi-Fi network while concurrently being connected to the second control unit over the HVAC control network; and
the first control unit is operable to control the second plurality of HVAC units over the HVAC control network in response to the second control unit connecting to the first control unit.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first control unit is operable to receive a command from the user device over the Wi-Fi network and transmit the command to the second control unit using the HVAC control network.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first control unit is operable to receive a command from the user device over the Wi-Fi network and transmit the command to the second control unit using the Wi-Fi network.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless access point provides a connection to the Internet, and the first control unit is operable to connect to a control server over the Internet using the Wi-Fi network.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third control unit, the third control unit communicatively coupled to a third plurality of HVAC units and a third interactive display;
wherein the third control unit is operable to connect to the first control unit over the HVAC control network without using the Wi-Fi direct, push-button configuration by accessing previously stored parameters associated with the HVAC control network.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the parameters associated with the HVAC control network comprise a PIN and a SSID of the HVAC control network.

7. A system for operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) control network, comprising:
a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display;
a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display;
wherein the second interactive display comprises a virtual push button icon, the second control unit is operable to connect to the first control unit to create an HVAC control network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol by invoking a Wi-Fi direct, push-button configuration in response to detecting that the virtual push button icon was selected; and
the first control unit and the second control unit are further operable to connect to a Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi network comprising a wireless access point, wherein the first control unit is operable to connect to a user device over the Wi-Fi network while concurrently being connected to the second control unit over the HVAC control network;
the first control unit is operable to control the second plurality of HVAC units over the HVAC control network in response to the second control unit connecting to the first control unit.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first control unit is further operable to receive a command from the user device over the Wi-Fi network and transmit the command to the second control unit using the Wi-Fi network.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless access point is connected to the Internet and the first control unit is operable to connect to a control server over the Internet using the Wi-Fi network, the first control unit is further operable to receive a command from the control server and communicate the command to the second control unit over the HVAC control network.

10. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a third control unit, the third control unit communicatively coupled to a third plurality of HVAC units and a third interactive display;
wherein the third control unit is operable to connect to the first control unit over the HVAC network without using the Wi-Fi direct, push-button configuration by accessing previously stored parameters associated with the HVAC control network, wherein the parameters associated with the HVAC control network comprise a PIN and an SSID of the HVAC control network.

11. A first control unit for operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) control network, comprising:
a first interface operable to facilitate communications between the first control unit and a first plurality of HVAC units;
a second interface operable to facilitate communications between the first control unit and a first interactive display;
a push button operable to initiate a Wi-Fi direct, push-button configuration, wherein the Wi-Fi direct, push-button configuration enables the first control unit to communicate using Wi-Fi communication;
a Wi-Fi module operable to:
connect the first control unit to a second control unit to create an HVAC control network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol in response to detecting that the push button has been depressed, the second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display; and
connect the first control unit to a user device over a Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi network comprising a wireless access point, wherein the first control unit is operable to concurrently connect to the user device over the Wi-Fi network and the second control unit over the HVAC control network; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the first interface, the second interface, and the Wi-Fi module, the processor operable to transmit commands to the second control unit over the HVAC control network, the commands operable to control the second plurality of HVAC units.

12. The first control unit of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a temperature change command from the user device over the Wi-Fi network using the Wi-Fi module; and
transmit the temperature change command to the second control unit over the HVAC control network using the Wi-Fi module.

13. The first control unit of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a temperature change command from the user device over the Wi-Fi network using the Wi-Fi module; and
transmit the temperature change command to the second control unit over the Wi-Fi network using the Wi-Fi module.

14. The first control unit of claim 11 , wherein the processor is operable to communicate, using the Wi-Fi module, over the HVAC control unit using a first media access control (MAC) address associated with an independent basic service set (IBSS) and communicate, using the Wi-Fi module, over the Wi-Fi network using a second MAC address associated with a basic service set (BSS).

15. The first control unit of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further operable to:
detect, using the Wi-Fi module, a third control unit, the third control unit communicatively coupled to a third plurality of HVAC units and a third interface device; and
receive, using the

Assignees

• Lennox Ind Inc

Inventors

• Castillo Daniel A
• Charavda Jayprakash
• Ho Nguyen T
• Khiani Sunil K

Classifications

• F24F11/56

  Remote control · CPC title

• H04L1/0004

  applied to control information · CPC title

• H04L12/2823

  Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network (device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00) · CPC title

• G05B2219/21157

  Broken, open line, cable, circuit, faulty connection · CPC title

• H04L2012/285

  Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators · CPC title