Abstract: A water heater control system the water heater system comprising a rechargeable and non-rechargeable power source. In one or more examples, a controller such as a microcontroller of the water heater system is configured to receive power from the non-rechargeable power source and does not receive power from the rechargeable power source. Various other components of the water heater system are configured to receive power from the rechargeable power source. The system may comprise an energy storage system electrically connected to a pilot valve operator and electrically isolated from a main valve operator. The controller may be configured to recognize a call for main burner operation and may also be configured to check an available voltage of the energy storage system against a setpoint.

Abstract: A system and approach for remote reading, setting and control of devices such as thermostats. A phone, such as a smartphone, a gateway and a cloud may be incorporated relative to interaction with the device or devices. The gateway may have a hub that has bluetooth communication capabilities with the device. The hub may be connected to a router that in turn is connected to a cloud in a wireless or wired manner. The phone may communicate with the cloud to achieve interaction with the device. The hub may also handle WiFi communications. The gateway may instead be a phone that contains an app which lets operate as a gateway for communications with the cloud. There may be one or more devices that are a part of one or more home area networks that are connected to a gateway via bluetooth and WiFi, and in turn connected to the cloud.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for humidifying are described herein. One method includes determining a temperature in a space associated with a humidifying unit, determining a relative humidity in the space, determining an air speed associated with the humidifying unit, and adjusting an amount of water sprayed by the humidifying unit based, at least in part, on the temperature, the relative humidity, and the air speed.

Abstract: A switch circuit configured to receive power from either a single power source or dual power source. The circuit includes two power input terminals and two power output terminals. For a single power source, the switch circuit may receive the single power source at either of the two power input terminals. The switch circuit provides power to a load without regard to which of the power input terminals the single power source is connected. The switch circuit shorts the power output terminals for a single power input, which provides power at both power output terminals. For a dual power source system, the switch circuit may isolate the two power output terminals so each power output terminal may operate independently without shorting. In some examples, the switch circuit may be part of a thermostat or similar HVAC system controller.

Abstract: An HVAC controller may have an operational mode in which the HVAC controller provides operational instructions, and a commissioning mode in which a plurality of wireless devices can be enrolled. While in the commissioning mode, the HVAC controller is configured to accept a first input from a user via the user interface that designates a first zone of the plurality of zones and causes each of two or more first wireless devices that are subsequently placed in an enrollment mode by the user to be enrolled in the first zone, and to subsequently accept a second input from the user via the user interface that designates a second zone of the plurality of zones and causes each of two or more second wireless devices that are subsequently placed in an enrollment mode by the user to be enrolled in the second zone.

Abstract: A system and approach for developing a periodic water usage profile and demand for controlling a water heater. A mode may be selected for demand for a certain amount of water of a particular temperature range to be available for use from the water heater. Data on hot water usage may be collected and the usage profile and demand may be calculated from the data. The water heater may be programmed to operate in a certain fashion based on the usage profile and demand. A control knob may be on the water heater control to select a particular demand. Control of the water heater may be operated from a remote device connected in a wireless or wired fashion. An optimization program may be implemented in the control of the water heater for achieving one or more beneficial goals related to water heater performance and hot water production.

Abstract: In some examples, a system for comfort or security in a building and its premises includes a plurality of “first” devices configured to wirelessly communicate with a hub device that is a master for controlling the system for comfort or security in the building and premises, wherein the plurality of first devices and the hub device are configured to wirelessly communicate using either one of an IEEE 802.15.4 standard or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) 5.0 standard; a plurality of “second” devices that are battery powered and configured to wirelessly communicate with respective ones of the plurality of first devices, wherein the plurality of second devices and respective ones of the plurality of first devices are configured to communicate using the BTLE 5.0 standard, wherein the hub device and the plurality of second devices are configured to communicate with each other via respective ones of the plurality of first devices.

Abstract: An apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to output a first superframe configured in an initial superframe mode that allocates each slot of a plurality of slots for wireless communication to a first protocol at a first frequency band, a second protocol at the first frequency band, or a third protocol at the first frequency band. The processing circuitry is also configured to output a second superframe configured in a multi-frequency superframe mode that allocates: i) at least one slot of a plurality of slots for wireless communication to the first protocol, the second protocol, or the third protocol at the first frequency band, and ii) at least one slot of the plurality of slots for wireless communication to the first protocol, the second protocol, or the third protocol at the second frequency band.

Abstract: A system of controlling one or more building automation devices. The system may incorporate communicating over a first network with one or more network connected devices. An access point for the first network may be utilized to facilitate communication among the network connected devices. One or more of the network connected devices may be a low power device that has a first mode and a second mode. The low power device may expend less energy in one of the first mode and the second than in the other of the first mode and the second mode. The system may allow network devices connected to the first network to receive details about the low power device while the low power device is operating with the first mode and the second mode.

Abstract: A thermostat device may use one or two temperature sensors inside the housing of the thermostat device to perform temperature compensation to determine the ambient temperature outside the housing of the thermostat device. Processing circuitry of the thermostat device may determine a current operating mode of the thermostat device out of a plurality of operating modes. The processing circuitry may also use machine learning to estimate the current and voltage of the thermostat device based on temperature differences between the two temperature sensors. The processing circuitry may determine, based at least in part on the estimated current and voltage of the thermostat device and the current operating mode of the thermostat device, an ambient temperature outside the housing of the thermostat device.

Abstract: A system that allows a contractor to remotely monitor and/or interact with its customers' building control systems, such as heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and analyze information obtained from the building control systems over time. Such a system may help the contractor monitor and diagnosis customer building control systems, setup service calls, achieve better customer relations, create more effective marketing opportunities, as well as other functions. In some cases, the disclosed system may include a controller that analyzes data from HVAC systems, determines a thermal model of a space environmentally controlled by an HVAC system, and provides an energy audit of the space that is environmentally controlled by the HVAC system. The controller may output a result of the energy audit to a user.

Abstract: A premises communication hub includes a primary communications module, a secondary communications module, a power supply, and a charging module. The primary communications module is configured to receive a premises signal from a premises device and transmit an external signal to a remote server. The secondary communications module is configured to receive the premises signal from the premises device and transmit the external signal to the remote server. The power supply includes a primary power input configured to receive power from a primary power source and a secondary power input configured to receive power from a secondary power source. The power supply is electrically connected to the primary communications module and the secondary communications module. And, the charging module is electrically connected to the secondary power source and configured to recharge the secondary power source.

Abstract: Systems and methods for encoding regions containing an element of interest in a sequence of images with a high resolution are provided. Such systems and methods can include a camera that can capture the sequence of images of a monitored region, a detection processor that can identify a first region that contains an element of interest within the sequence of images, and an encoder that can encode the first region within a first subset of the sequence of images with a first resolution and encode a second region within the first subset of the sequence of images outside of the first region with a second resolution that is less than the first resolution, wherein a number of the sequence of images in the first subset of the sequence of images is less than all of the sequence of images and is based on a predefined parameter.

Abstract: A wireless controller (200) is configured to send commands to a mini-split HVAC unit (100) that thermostatically controls a temperature in a space (50) using the temperature sensed and a programmable set point. The wireless controller (212) may include an infrared (IR) transmitter (208), a temperature sensor (210), a user interface (214), a non-volatile memory (202), and a controller (212). The wireless controller (200) may store an IR database in the non-volatile memory (202) for each of a wide variety of mini-split HVAC unit (100). The wireless controller (200) may then allow a user to select a particular mini-split HVAC unit (100), and from the selection may identify a corresponding IR protocol in the IR database. During subsequent use, the wireless controller (200) may use the corresponding IR protocol during subsequent communication with the mini-split HVAC unit (100).

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to techniques for a thermostat to determine the air temperature of a room based on measurements of temperatures sensors located inside a housing of the thermostat. Because the thermostat for an evaporative cooler operates at line voltage and controls current flowing to the evaporative cooler, the magnitude of current flowing through the thermostat may vary from nearly zero, when the thermostat is in the powered-off state, to a current on the order of several amps. The variation in current causes a variation in temperature inside the housing of the thermostat. The techniques of this disclosure compensate for changes the internal housing temperature caused by changes in operating mode. The compensation allows the temperature sensors inside the thermostat housing to determine the air temperature of the room in which the thermostat is located, without regard for the operating mode of the evaporative cooler system.

Abstract: An HVAC controller controlled in response to a natural language audio message that is not recognizable by the HVAC controller as a command, where the natural language audio message is translated into a command recognizable by the HVAC controller. The HVAC controller may be a thermostat and may include a housing that at least partially houses a control module, a microphone, a speaker, a display, and a voice recognition module. The voice recognition module recognizes a predetermined audible trigger from a recorded voice message or streamed voice message, and in response, provide one or more audio clips via the speaker and/or video clips via the display to assist users in operating the thermostat. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the thermostat and/or a remote device.

Abstract: A building monitoring system includes a first sensor configured to detect a first condition in the space, a second sensor configured to detect a second condition in the space, and a robotic sentinel. The robotic sentinel includes a memory for storing one or more rules each configured to identify an alert condition for the space based on the first and/or second conditions in the space, a communications module configured to communicate with a remote device over a network, and a controller operatively coupled to the sensors, the memory, and the communications module. The controller is configured to apply the one or more rules to the first and second detected conditions in the space to identify one or more alert conditions and determine what action is required by the robotic sentinel, and if action is required, command the robotic sentinel to travel to a location of the alert condition.