Abstract: A battery life monitoring approach for a power transformation powered system. “Signature profiling” and “power metering” may deal with statistically significant edge cases. Relative to product resources, a battery management module (BMM) may use software services from a “phantom module”, “power broker” and other low level board support package (BSP) software, such as A2D, time bases and memory R/W in order to execute routines needed for successful deployment of the product. The memory resources should be volatile and non-volatile memory resources to fulfill the needs of a fully functional power transformation BMM system.

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 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 programmable controller for homes and/or buildings and their related grounds, such as thermostat, that has a display and an external interface. The external interface may be use for uploading electronic images and/or other information from an external data source, and may use the uploaded electronic images and/or other information for programming and/or updating the controller and/or for viewing the electronic images and/or other information on the display of the controller.

Abstract: An HVAC controller may wirelessly communicate with a mobile wireless device that provides a user interface for interacting with the HVAC controller. In some cases, the communication module wirelessly receives a sensed parameter from a remote wireless sensor in a living space of the building and receives a wired input from a return air sensor. A controller may be operatively coupled to the communication module and may control the HVAC system based at least in part on the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor when the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor is available and, in some cases, control the HVAC system based at least in part on the return air parameter when the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor is not available.

Abstract: An HVAC controller may be 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 including a housing that houses a temperature sensor, a microphone, and a controller. The controller may identify a trigger phrase in an audio stream provided by the microphone. In response to identifying the trigger phrase, the controller initiates processing of the audio stream to identify a command following the trigger phrase and to generate a command understandable by the thermostat that instructs the controller to perform the identified command. The controller then executes the generated command understandable by the thermostat. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the microphone of the thermostat and/or a remote device having a microphone.

Abstract: An HVAC controller such as a thermostat may include a housing having an aperture formed within the housing and a proximity sensor that is disposed within the housing proximate the aperture. The proximity sensor may include a sense die that has a first IR detector and a second IR detector, and a lens element disposed in front of the sense die. The lens element may be shifted to one side to preferentially direct incident IR energy to the first IR detector at the expense of the second IR detector. An IR energy transparent element may be disposed in front of the lens element, and may include a portion that fits into and seals the aperture formed within the housing. A controller may be configured to receive an electrical signal from the proximity sensor indicating an approach of an individual towards the thermostat, and in response, wake-up a user interface.

Abstract: A communication rate between a cloud-based server and an HVAC controller located within a building may be controlled based on the amount of power available at the HVAC controller. The cloud-based server may notify a user if the amount of power available at the HVAC controller is determined to be low.

Abstract: An HVAC controller may be 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 including a housing that houses a temperature sensor, a microphone, and a controller. The controller may identify a trigger phrase in an audio stream provided by the microphone. In response to identifying the trigger phrase, the controller initiates processing of the audio stream to identify a command following the trigger phrase and to generate a command understandable by the thermostat that instructs the controller to perform the identified command. The controller then executes the generated command understandable by the thermostat. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the microphone of the thermostat and/or a remote device having a microphone.

Abstract: A communication rate between a cloud-based server and an HVAC controller located within a building may be controlled based on the amount of power available at the HVAC controller. The cloud-based server may notify a user if the amount of power available at the HVAC controller is determined to be low.

Abstract: A power transformation system having a power stealing mode for powering a device indirectly through an electrical load connected to a power source and also has a characterization mode. The transfer of energy from the power source via the load may go undetected. The system may store energy from the load in an ultra or super capacitor. This energy may be used to power Wi-Fi and various thermostat applications, among other things, associated with HVAC and building automation and management systems. Energy from the load may be supplemented or substituted with energy from a battery and/or a buck converter. In the characterization mode, the system may obtain data relative to power usage of a load and determine a profile to identify one or more components and their operating conditions.

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 system and approach for a self-calculating test of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning load. The test may be run upon meeting predetermined conditions. Thermostatic control of the load may be disabled when the load test starts. If a call for heat or cool is made at the thermostat, response to the call may be delayed until the load test is completed, and if AC power is lost during the test, the test may finish and allow detection of the phantom AC detection device with a loss of AC power. If a voltage of a storage capacitor falls below a battery boost threshold, the test may be cancelled to allow the phantom circuit charge the storage capacitor. The system and approach may incorporate load test states that include an initialize state, start test state, get baseline state, test measure state, stabilize measurement state, calculation state, and finalize results state.

Abstract: An operation alteration of a network attached thermostat to control power usage. Control wires for a heating and air conditioning system may be connected to a thermostat control circuit configured to control the system. A power extraction circuit may be coupled to the control wires configured to extract power from the control wires. The power may be put into a storage device. The power may be provided to the thermostat control circuit and a WiFi radio module. The radio module may provide a network connection for the thermostat. Circuitry and techniques may be provided to reduce power usage by the thermostat components.

Abstract: An HVAC controller may wirelessly communicate with a mobile wireless device that provides a user interface for interacting with the HVAC controller. In some cases, the communication module wirelessly receives a sensed parameter from a remote wireless sensor in a living space of the building and receives a wired input from a return air sensor. A controller may be operatively coupled to the communication module and may control the HVAC system based at least in part on the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor when the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor is available and, in some cases, control the HVAC system based at least in part on the return air parameter when the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor is not available.

Abstract: A circuit for ensuring ultra-low power relay switching to control an AC load and extend a battery's lifetime. A control circuit may be designed to work where power is provided at very low duty cycles in that the on-time of applied voltage is quite short compared to its off-time. During the on-time, power such as that from a battery may be consumed to drive the circuit but overall such consumption of power is almost miniscule, for instance, a few microamperes or less from a three volt battery. An input FET may drive a pair of switching FETs that provide pulses to a transformer which provides a ramp of voltage that remains above zero volts to a pair of AC switch FETs. An output of the AC switch may go to operate relays of a wire saver for operating one or more thermostats.

Abstract: A communication rate between a cloud-based server and an HVAC controller located within a building may be controlled based on the amount of power available at the HVAC controller. The cloud-based server may notify a user if the amount of power available at the HVAC controller is determined to be low.

Abstract: A battery life monitoring approach for a power transformation powered system. “Signature profiling” and “power metering” may deal with statistically significant edge cases. Relative to product resources, a battery management module (BMM) may use software services from a “phantom module”, “power broker” and other low level board support package (BSP) software, such as A2D, time bases and memory R/W in order to execute routines needed for successful deployment of the product. The memory resources should be volatile and non-volatile memory resources to fulfill the needs of a fully functional power transformation BMM system.

Abstract: An HVAC controller such as a thermostat may include a housing having an aperture formed within the housing and a proximity sensor that is disposed within the housing proximate the aperture. The proximity sensor may include a sense die that has a first IR detector and a second IR detector, and a lens element disposed in front of the sense die. The lens element may be shifted to one side to preferentially direct incident IR energy to the first IR detector at the expense of the second IR detector. An IR energy transparent element may be disposed in front of the lens element, and may include a portion that fits into and seals the aperture formed within the housing. A controller may be configured to receive an electrical signal from the proximity sensor indicating an approach of an individual towards the thermostat, and in response, wake-up a user interface.

Abstract: A programmable controller for homes and/or buildings and their related grounds, such as thermostat, that has a display and an external interface. The external interface may be use for uploading electronic images and/or other information from an external data source, and may use the uploaded electronic images and/or other information for programming and/or updating the controller and/or for viewing the electronic images and/or other information on the display of the controller.