Patents Examined by Ramesh B. Patel
  • Patent number: 11493221
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a controller for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The controller is configured to operate in a first defrost mode or a second defrost mode, determine that feedback from a first sensor of the HVAC system is unavailable, receive feedback from a second sensor of the HVAC system, and operate the HVAC system in the second defrost mode instead of the first defrost mode in response to unavailability of the feedback from the first sensor and based on the feedback from the second sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Steven A. Tice, Shaun B. Atchison, Noel A. Grajeda-Trevizo, Andrew M. Boyd
  • Patent number: 11486598
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a fan driving device, and the fan driving device comprises a sensing unit and a processing unit, wherein the sensing unit at least comprises a microwave sensing module; the sensing unit is at least used for sensing whether any human activity exists within the action range based on microwave sensing according to a certain microwave sensing cycle, and outputting a sensing signal to the processing unit periodically; and the processing unit is used for processing the sensing signal, so that the driving device can adaptively control the turn-on and turn-off of the fan and adaptively regulate the working power of the fan. Based on this, a dynamic intelligent fan driving device without a user's turn-on and turn-off action and based on environmental state sensing is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Inventors: Jun Hu, Yongming Deng, Ping Liu
  • Patent number: 11486594
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit that include devices and a pipe constituting a refrigerant circuit and a remote control connected to the indoor unit. Each of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit includes a sensor configured to detect temperature states of the devices and the pipe. The outdoor unit or the indoor unit includes a memory configured to hold sensor information indicating a result of the detection by the sensor and control information indicating control states of the devices. The remote control includes a microcomputer configured to receive information indicating states of sections based on the sensor information and the control information, output an estimated cause of trouble as output values, and compute a value corresponding to a possibility of being cause of trouble by using a neural network, and a display unit configured to display a result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Koizumi, Masafumi Tomita
  • Patent number: 11480354
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a camera to capture an image of a drain pan inside the air conditioner. An air-conditioning management device acquires, from the air conditioner, captured image information indicating an image of the drain pan captured by the air conditioner. The air-conditioning management device compares the captured image information with reference image information indicating a captured image of the drain pan used as a reference to calculate a dirtiness degree. The air-conditioning management device transmits, to a monitoring terminal, information useful for monitoring of the drain pan, such as the capture image information, information indicating the dirtiness degree, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Taichi Ishizaka
  • Patent number: 11476665
    Abstract: Technology for mitigating impact of a power outage includes a method that determines power regulation data and identifies a power interruption event. The power interruption event is determined to disrupt operation of an electronic device powered by a grid power supply based on the power regulation data. The method mitigates the identified power interruption event by causing an electronic power supply device to transition from receiving power from the grid power supply to receive power from a local power supply where the electronic device is electrically coupled to the electronic power supply device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Hygge Power Inc.
    Inventors: Maxwell Lewin, Caleb Scalf, Brandon Verkamp, Kaushal Malaviya
  • Patent number: 11477870
    Abstract: An environmental control equipment control apparatus controls an environment of a target space using a plurality of environmental control equipment. The control apparatus includes a receiver and an electronic controller. The receiver may receive state information relating to states of a plurality of subject persons. In this case, the electronic controller controls a plurality of kinds of environmental control equipment such that the state information of the plurality of subject persons received by the state information receiver satisfies a predetermined target state condition. The receiver may receive a second environmental stimulus given to a subject person other than a first environmental stimulus caused by control of the environmental control equipment. In this case, the electronic controller controls the environmental control equipment such that an influence of the second environmental stimulus received by the environmental stimulus receiver on the subject person is cancelled or reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shiori Emoto, Atsushi Nishino, Satoshi Hashimoto, Shouta Hori, Junya Nakase, Toshiyuki Maeda
  • Patent number: 11466884
    Abstract: An actuator may include a drive motor, an actuatable output, and a sensor for sensing a first sensed parameter in or around the actuator. The first sensed parameter may have a first sensed parameter value that can change with time. The actuator may also include electronics that may identify a first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value and increment a first counter value when the first identified value falls within a first range of values, and increment a second counter value when the first identified value falls within a second range of values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Miroslav Mikulica, Lubos Sikora, Frantisek Krivanek, David Zeman
  • Patent number: 11458622
    Abstract: A self-guided robot (bot) mechanism. An example bot may have a channel having an input for users, a cloud platform connected to the channel, a bot framework connected to the cloud platform, a web services module connected to the bot framework, and one or more drivers connected to the web services module. The one, the bot framework, the web services module and the drivers may be electronic hardware devices that effect their respective functions with a level of software managed and manipulated by the devices according to their respective algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Sheeladitya Karmakar, Prabhat Ranjan, Rajat Saha, Jegathesan Shennakesavan
  • Patent number: 11454409
    Abstract: A fault detection method for an air conditioning system is provided by the present disclosure. The air conditioning system has a liquid pump and an injector. The fault detection method includes: automatically learning to obtain a monotonically decreasing fault detection characteristic curve Y=K(X?XMAX)+A by using an electrical power consumption of the liquid pump and a high-pressure-side pressure of the injector; wherein when Y and A are 0, X corresponds to a maximum high-pressure-side pressure Xmax of the injector; and when the current pressure of the injector Xcurrent?Xmax: if the current electrical power consumption Ycurrent<K(Xcurrent?Xmax)+A, then a probability of the injector state of the air conditioning system being normal is greater than a first preset value; and if the current electrical power consumption Ycurrent>K(Xcurrent?Xmax)+A, a probability of the injector of the air conditioning system having a fault is greater than a second preset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sheng Li, Xinyu Wu
  • Patent number: 11453041
    Abstract: A method is provided for determining the shape of a surgical linking device that is to be attached to a bony body structure such as the spinal column based on digitized locations of a plurality of attachment elements engaged to the bony structure. The method is implemented by a computer system through a GUI to generate an initial bend curve to mate with the plurality of attachment elements. The initial bend curve may be simplified based on user input to the GUI to reduce the number of bends necessary to produce a well-fitting linking device and may be altered to help obtain the goals of surgery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: NuVasive, Inc
    Inventor: Robert E. Isaacs
  • Patent number: 11454411
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes processing circuitry configured to receive a plurality of air flow rates, in which each air flow rate of the plurality of air flow rates is associated with a zone of a plurality of zones of the HVAC system, determine a sum of the plurality of air flow rates is outside of a threshold range around a total output air flow rate, and, in response to determining the sum of the plurality of air flow rates is outside of the threshold range around the total output air flow rate, adjust an air flow rate of the plurality of air flow rates based on a comparison between the sum of the plurality of air flow rates and the total output air flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventor: Shaun B. Atchison
  • Patent number: 11448415
    Abstract: An air conditioner unit is configured for automatically detecting a restricted duct and adjusting fan speed schedules in response. The air conditioner unit includes an indoor fan including a drive motor for selectively rotating the indoor fan to urge a flow of air through the indoor portion and a controller is configured for sending a control signal to the drive motor to rotate the indoor fan to an actual fan speed. Based on the actual fan speed and a unit voltage, the controller obtains a target control signal, e.g., via a lookup table, and determines that a restricted duct condition exists if the control signal is different than the target control signal. The controller adjusts the operation of the indoor fan in response to determining that the restricted duct condition exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Joshua Duane Longenecker
  • Patent number: 11441804
    Abstract: A device for detecting a wire configuration connecting a thermostat and HVAC equipment includes fan controller circuitry, AC controller circuitry, switching circuitry, and processing circuitry. The fan controller circuitry is configured to operate a fan unit of the HVAC equipment using a G pin in a first wire configuration and using a K pin in a second wire configuration. The AC controller circuitry is configured to operate an AC unit of the HVAC equipment using a Y pin in the first wire configuration and the K pin in the second wire configuration. The switching circuitry is configured to refrain from electrically coupling the Y pin and the K pin in response to a deactivation signal. The processing circuitry is configured to determine the HVAC equipment is in the first wire configuration in response to determining the AC controller circuitry receives power while outputting the deactivation signal to the switching circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Ademco Inc.
    Inventors: Hyunki Kim, Robert D. Juntunen, Jesus Omar Ponce, Liliana Reategui, Anuj Kohli, David Mulhouse
  • Patent number: 11436492
    Abstract: A method includes collecting a first dataset of input-output data for a first building, training a deep learning model using the first dataset, initializing parameters of a target model for a second building using parameters of the deep learning model, collecting a second dataset of input-output data for a second building, training the target model for the second building using the initialized parameters of the target model and the second dataset, and controlling building equipment using the target model. Controlling the building equipment affects a variable state or condition of the building.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: JOHNSON CONTROLS TYCO IP HOLDINGS LLP
    Inventors: Young M. Lee, Zhanhong Jiang
  • Patent number: 11435099
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling the air temperature of a building using a control plan based on a target time. The system includes a controller which may be connected to a number of indoor and outdoor heating ventilation and air-conditioning units. The system may include a thermostat. The system may also operate without a thermostat. The method includes determining a control plan to reach a desired temperature in a target time. The method also includes updating the plan by comparing the actual time to reach the desired temperature with the target time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: GOODMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY LP
    Inventors: Douglas Notaro, Jim Fisher
  • Patent number: 11430415
    Abstract: A management unit including: a demand plan generating unit that obtains control information items related to energy consuming appliances; an obtaining unit that obtains picture data items showing the appliances; a memory which stores the picture data items obtained by the obtaining unit; a selecting unit which selects a picture data item from selection candidates including the picture data items stored in the memory, based on a specified control mode; a processor that executes processing for superimposing the control information items corresponding to the appliances in the picture data item selected by the selecting unit; and an output unit which displays the picture data item with the superimposed control information item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisashi Takayama, Yuki Waki, Yasuo Yoshimura, Tetsuya Kouda, Toshihisa Ikeda
  • Patent number: 11431167
    Abstract: A power restoration system comprising a feeder, a plurality of power sources available to provide power to the feeder, a plurality of normally closed reclosing devices electrically coupled along the feeder, at least one normally open recloser electrically coupled to the feeder, and a plurality of normally closed switches electrically coupled along the feeder between each adjacent pairs of normally closed reclosing devices. Each switch is assigned a position code having a value for each of the plurality of power sources that determines when the switch will open in response to the fault current and which power source the switch is currently receiving power from, where timing control between the reclosing devices and the switches allows the switch to be selectively opened to isolate the fault within a single feeder section between each pair of adjacent switches or between each switch and a reclosing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: S&C Electric Company
    Inventors: David Porter, Michael Meisinger, Martin Bishop, Stephen Williams
  • Patent number: 11428428
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) unit includes an energy recovery wheel, a first exhaust fan configured to draw a first air flow across the energy recovery wheel and discharge the first air flow from the HVAC unit, a second exhaust fan configured to draw a second air flow across the energy recovery wheel and discharge the second air flow from the HVAC unit, and a controller configured to operate the first exhaust fan and the second exhaust fan in an economizer mode and configured to operate the first exhaust fan and suspend operation of the second exhaust fan in an energy recovery mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Marcel P. Ferrere, Jr., Rajiv K. Karkhanis, Aron M. Seiler
  • Patent number: 11421901
    Abstract: First and second IAQ sensors are located within a building and are configured to measure first and second IAQ parameters, respectively, the first and second IAQ parameter being the same one of: relative humidity; amount of particulate; amount of volatile organic compounds; and amount of carbon dioxide. A mitigation device is separate from an HVAC system and includes a control module configured to turn the mitigation device on and off based on the first IAQ parameter, the second IAQ parameter, and whether the HVAC system is on or off. A mitigation module is configured to selectively turn the HVAC system on and off based on the second IAQ parameter, the first IAQ parameter, and whether the HVAC system is on or off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart K. Morgan, Hung M. Pham, Brian R. Butler
  • Patent number: 11422517
    Abstract: One example of a method comprises identifying contents of a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment of a refrigeration appliance. The freezer compartment is separated from the refrigerator compartment by a barrier having a sealable aperture. The method further comprises predicting a use time for a first food item located in the freezer compartment based on user data related to the identified contents of the freezer compartment; calculating an amount of time needed to defrost the first food item in the refrigerator compartment based on sensor data received from the refrigeration appliance regarding environmental conditions of the refrigeration compartment; determining a transfer time based on the predicted use time and on the amount of time needed to defrost the first food item; and outputting instructions to automatically transfer the first food item from the freezer compartment through the sealable aperture to the refrigerator compartment at the determined transfer time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Jacob Ryan Jepperson