OVERRIDING NORMAL OPERATION OF HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR DIAGNOSTICS

Abstract

A networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The networked HVAC system includes HVAC equipment deployed in a building and an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment. The element of HVAC equipment is normally operable in a normal mode and is selectively operable in a service mode. The normal mode is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate. The service mode is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/408,721 filed Sep. 21, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The following description relates to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and, more specifically, to methods and systems for overriding normal operation of an HVAC system for diagnostics.

HVAC systems are deployed in buildings to condition interior spaces in those buildings. On hot days, typical HVAC systems cool the interior spaces to a lower set point temperature, shut down for a while, and then restart cooling once temperatures of the interior spaces increase to an upper set point temperature due to thermal flow between the interior spaces and ambient conditions outside. This process can continue over multiple cycles. On cold days, the typical HVAC systems operate similarly. They heat the interior spaces to an upper set point temperature, shut down for a while, and then restart heating once temperatures of the interior spaces decrease to a lower set point temperature due to thermal flow between the interior spaces and ambient conditions outside. This process can also continue over multiple cycles.

The typical HVAC systems often include a furnace to generate heated, a vapor compression cycle to generate cooled air, a blower to force the heated air or the cooled air throughout the interior spaces, thermostats to determine temperatures of the interior spaces and a controller to control operations of the furnace, the vapor compression cycle and the blower in accordance with readings of the thermostat.

In order to ensure that the HVAC systems continue to operate properly, the HVAC systems require periodic service and repair. Optimizing service and repair requires that HVAC systems collect and store diagnostic information of each component so that the diagnostic information can be reviewed by a technician. In a case of a fault with a component of an HVAC system, this diagnostic information can be used to alert a customer and/or a technician so that the fault can be addressed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to an aspect of the invention, a networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The networked HVAC system includes HVAC equipment deployed in a building and an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment. The element of HVAC equipment is normally operable in a normal mode and is selectively operable in a service mode. The normal mode is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate. The service mode is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the element of HVAC equipment includes a thermostat and the thermostat includes a user interface and is communicative with an external entity over any network via at least one of a mobile application, a web portal, or both.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is selectively engaged automatically or manually.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the normal mode is further characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the first rate and the service mode is further characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the second rate.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to control operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to override system lockouts.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The networked HVAC system includes HVAC equipment deployed in a building and an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment. The element of HVAC equipment is normally operable in a normal mode and selectively operable in a service mode. The normal mode is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate. The service mode is automatically selected for operation based on temporal information and a location of the building and is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the element of HVAC equipment includes a thermostat and the thermostat includes a user interface and is communicative with an external entity over any network via at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the normal mode is further characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the first rate and the service mode is further characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the second rate.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to control operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to override system lockouts.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment.

In accordance with additional or alternative embodiments, the temporal information and the location of the building are used to determine a likely first heating day and a likely first cooling day of a year and the service mode is automatically selected for operation on at least one of the first heating day and the first cooling day of the year.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the diagnostic information collected by the element of HVAC equipment during the at least one of the first heating day and the first cooling day of the year is analyzed locally or remotely for determining whether problems with the HVAC equipment are currently in effect.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The networked HVAC system includes HVAC equipment deployed in a building and an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment. The method includes normally operating the element of HVAC equipment in a normal mode characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate and selectively operating the element of HVAC equipment in a service mode characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the element of HVAC equipment includes a thermostat and the thermostat includes a user interface and is communicative with an external entity over any network via at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the selectively operating the element of HVAC equipment is automatic or manual.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the normal mode is further characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the first rate and the service mode is further characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the second rate.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to control operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment, the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to override system lockouts and the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. Features which are described in the context of separate aspects and embodiments may be used together and/or be interchangeable. Similarly, features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature and non-limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter, which is regarded as the disclosure, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a networked HVAC system in accordance with exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of operating a networked HVAC system in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It has recently been observed that it can be expensive to send a service technician on-site to diagnose HVAC equipment in a building. Currently, HVAC systems collect and stored diagnostic data and allow for remote access to that diagnostic data so that it can be reviewed relatively easily and inexpensively by a technician off-site. A problem exists, however, in that the collected and stored diagnostic information may not be sufficient to identify a root cause of a problem.

Thus, as will be described below, a thermostat and associated equipment of an HVAC system (i.e., a furnace, a fan coil and AC/HP) have a remote service mode and a diagnostic mode. These modes can be initiated over the Internet, a cellular network of a dealer or technician (i.e., where the dealer/technician is setting up a service mode to be described below) or some other suitable network environment by a service technician at a dealership or some other remote location. The remote service mode provides several functions. These include, but are not limited to, overriding the HVAC system to put the HVAC system in special test modes, allowing for collection of operational data and sensor data as well as diagnostics codes, changing a rate of collection of the operational data and the sensor data and the diagnostics codes, overriding HVAC system lockouts and disabling normal control of the HVAC system by way of a user interface of a thermostat or another product or by way of at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal. The remote service mode might also allow for remote operation of a single component or multiple components of the HVAC system at the same time.

In addition, as will be described below, it could be determined in advance when a first heating/cooling day of a year is likely to occur via Cloud-based analytics and a customer's home location. Remotely, each system could be cycled through either a normal operation cycle or a special self-diagnostic cycle. Sensor and diagnostic data could be collected at this time. This data could be analyzed either by local controls or in the Cloud to determine any issues. A homeowner could be connected with a dealer for service, or the dealer can be contacted directly. The same weather day could be used notify or schedule homeowners for a maintenance call. A self-diagnostic cycle could be scheduled when the homeowner is unlikely to notice or be impacted. This might be during a sleep or an away mode on their thermostat.

With reference to FIG. 1, a networked HVAC system 101 is provided and includes HVAC equipment 110 that is deployed in a building, such as a home or an office building, and an element of HVAC equipment 120. The element of HVAC equipment 120 can include or be provided as a thermostat 121 within the building and is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment 110 to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment 110. The element of HVAC equipment 120 is normally operable in a normal mode and selectively operable in a service mode.

The normal mode of operation of the element of HVAC equipment 120 (hereinafter referred to as “the normal mode”) is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment 120 at a first rate (i.e., the element of HVAC equipment 120 polls the HVAC equipment 110 once every fifteen seconds, for example). The service mode of operation of the element of HVAC equipment 120 (hereinafter referred to as “the service mode”) can be selected for operation automatically (see below) or manually. In either case, the service mode is characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment 120 at a second rate (i.e., the element of HVAC equipment 120 polls the HVAC equipment 110 fifteen times every second, for example), which is greater than the first rate.

In some cases, the normal mode is characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment 120 at the first rate whereas the service mode is characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment 120 at the second rate. The first type of diagnostic information can include, for example, certain general operational data points of the HVAC equipment 120 that can provide a general indication of health of the HVAC equipment 120. Conversely, the second type of the diagnostic information, which is only collected in the service mode, can include specific operational data and sensor data as well as diagnostic codes that can provide a specific indication of health as well as critical/non-critical faults of the HVAC equipment 120.

Where the element of HVAC equipment 120 includes or is provided as the thermostat 121, the thermostat 121 can include a user interface 122 and can be communicative by way of a network, such as the Internet, a cellular network or a Cloud-based network, with an external entity. The external entity can be a fixed or mobile computing device 123 of a technician at a dealership, a technician working remotely or a third party and can be executed via at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal that is installed or accessed on the computing device 123.

In accordance with embodiments, the service mode can be further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment 120 can be operated to control certain operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment, in that the element of HVAC equipment 120 can be operated to override system lockouts and in that the element of HVAC equipment 120 can be disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment. For example, if a technician was concerned that a certain piece of the HVAC equipment 110 was faulty, the technician could use the computing device 123 to communicate with the element of HVAC equipment 120 and thereby select the service mode. Once in the service mode, the technician could instruct the element of HVAC equipment 120 to shut down all but one piece of the HVAC equipment 110 to thereby isolate and test a health of the one piece of the HVAC equipment 110. Alternatively, once in the service mode, the technician could instruct the element of HVAC equipment 120 to override system lockouts which would otherwise undesirably shut down the networked HVAC system 101 in a case where the technician recognizes that a fault exists but is non-critical. As another alternative, once in the service mode, the technician could instruct the element of HVAC equipment 120 to no longer exert controls over the HVAC equipment 110 (in the case of the thermostat 121, this could mean removing set point controls, for example).

In a particular use case, the networked HVAC system 101 could be configured such that the service mode is automatically selected for operation based on temporal information and a location of the building. In these or other cases, the temporal information and the location of the building can be used to determine a likely first heating day and a likely first cooling day of a year, with the service mode being automatically selected for operation on at least one of the first heating day and the first cooling day of the year. With the service mode thus selected, the diagnostic information collected by the element of HVAC equipment 120 during the at least one of the first heating day and the first cooling day of the year is analyzed locally or remotely for determining whether problems with the HVAC equipment are currently in effect and, in some cases, for alerting a customer/technician and for setting up a service visit or a maintenance call.

With reference to FIG. 2, a method 200 of operating a networked HVAC system, such as the networked HVAC system 101 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the method 200 includes normally operating the element of HVAC equipment in a normal mode characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate at block 201 and selectively operating the element of HVAC equipment in a service mode characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate at block 202.

Technical effects and benefits of the present disclosure are the provision of data being available at a dealership or a remote location for remote diagnosis to reduce site visits and lengths of time of visits as well as even distribution of service calls.

While the disclosure is provided in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiment(s) may include only some of the described exemplary aspects. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

HVAC equipment deployed in a building; and

an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment,

the element of HVAC equipment being normally operable in a normal mode and selectively operable in a service mode,

the normal mode being characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate, and

the service mode being characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

2. The networked HVAC system according to claim 1, wherein:

the element of HVAC equipment comprises a thermostat, and

the thermostat comprises a user interface and is communicative with an external entity over any network via at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal.

3. The networked HVAC system according to claim 1, wherein the service mode is selectively engaged automatically or manually.

4. The networked HVAC system according to claim 1, wherein:

the normal mode is further characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the first rate, and

the service mode is further characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the second rate.

5. The networked HVAC system according to claim 1, wherein the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to control operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment.

6. The networked HVAC system according to claim 1, wherein the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to override system lockouts.

7. The networked HVAC system according to claim 1, wherein the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment.

8. A networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

HVAC equipment deployed in a building; and

an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment,

the element of HVAC equipment being normally operable in a normal mode and selectively operable in a service mode,

the normal mode being characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate, and

the service mode being automatically selected for operation based on temporal information and a location of the building and being characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

9. The networked HVAC system according to claim 8, wherein:

the element of HVAC equipment comprises a thermostat, and

the thermostat comprises a user interface and is communicative with an external entity over any network via at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal.

10. The networked HVAC system according to claim 8, wherein:

the normal mode is further characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the first rate, and

the service mode is further characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the second rate.

11. The networked HVAC system according to claim 8, wherein the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to control operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment.

12. The networked HVAC system according to claim 8, wherein the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to override system lockouts.

13. The networked HVAC system according to claim 8, wherein the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment.

14. The networked HVAC system according to claim 8, wherein:

the temporal information and the location of the building are used to determine a likely first heating day and a likely first cooling day of a year, and

the service mode is automatically selected for operation on at least one of the first heating day and the first cooling day of the year.

15. The networked HVAC system according to claim 14, wherein the diagnostic information collected by the element of HVAC equipment during the at least one of the first heating day and the first cooling day of the year is analyzed locally or remotely for determining whether problems with the HVAC equipment are currently in effect.

16. A method of operating a networked heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, the networked HVAC system comprising HVAC equipment deployed in a building and an element of HVAC equipment, which is communicatively coupled with the HVAC equipment to collect types of diagnostic information relating to the HVAC equipment, the method comprising:

normally operating the element of HVAC equipment in a normal mode characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a first rate; and

selectively operating the element of HVAC equipment in a service mode characterized in that diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at a second rate, which is greater than the first rate.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the element of HVAC equipment comprises a thermostat, and

the thermostat comprises a user interface and is communicative with an external entity over any network via at least one of a mobile application and/or a web portal.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the selectively operating the element of HVAC equipment is automatic or manual.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the normal mode is further characterized in that only a first type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the first rate, and

the service mode is further characterized in that the first type and a second type of diagnostic information is collected by the element of HVAC equipment at the second rate.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to control operations of one or more pieces of the HVAC equipment,

the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is operated to override system lockouts, and

the service mode is further characterized in that the element of HVAC equipment is disabled from controlling operations of the HVAC equipment.