Patents by Inventor Rolf L. Strand
Rolf L. Strand has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11268695Abstract: A flame powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a first power source and a second power source separate from the first power source, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, an igniter and a controller. The thermal electric and/or photoelectric device may charge the first power source when exposed to a flame. The controller and the igniter may receive power from the first power source when the first power source has sufficient available power, and may receive power from the second power source when the first power source does not have sufficient available power.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2019Date of Patent: March 8, 2022Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Brent Chian, Douglas D. Bird, Peter M. Anderson, Timothy J Nordberg, Thomas Johnson, Rolf L. Strand
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Patent number: 11137158Abstract: An illustrative HVAC controller may include a communication module for wirelessly communicating with a network and wiring terminals for receiving a wired connection to a remote temperature sensor that is situated remote from the HVAC controller and in a living space of the building. A controller may be operably coupled to the communication module and the wiring terminals and may be configured to implement a thermostat control algorithm to generate one or more control signals, wherein the one or more control signals are provided by a wired connection to the HVAC system to control one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system. The thermostat control algorithm may be configured to compare a sensed temperature received from the remote temperature sensor via the wiring terminals and a temperature setpoint received from the server via the network.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: October 5, 2021Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Peter M. Anderson, Ryan Strassburg, Rolf L. Strand, Luke A. Piram, John D. Mitchell
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Patent number: 10969143Abstract: A water heater may be configured to detect a possible main gas valve non-closure condition in which the sensed water temperature continues to rise while a thermopile signal reaches a stable state. When the possible main gas valve non-closure condition is detected, the controller may be configured to toggle the main gas valve ON and determine whether the thermopile signal from the thermopile changes from the stable state or not by at least a predetermined amount.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2019Date of Patent: April 6, 2021Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Adam Foley, John D. Mitchell, Rolf L. Strand, Timothy J. Smith
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Publication number: 20210048223Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2020Publication date: February 18, 2021Inventors: Peter M. Anderson, Rolf L. Strand, Frederick Hazzard, Gregory Young
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Publication number: 20210048226Abstract: A water heater control system comprising an energy storage system electrically connected to a pilot valve operator and electrically isolated from a main valve operator. The energy storage system may be electrically connected to an ignition circuit. A thermoelectric device is in thermal communication with the pilot flame and electrically connected to a main valve operator. The water heater system may include a microcontroller configured to establish electrical communications between the device and the energy storage system, the pilot valve operator, and the main valve operator. The microcontroller 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. The microcontroller may establish pilot flame operation with or without main burner operation, depending on whether a call for heat or recharging of the energy storage system is required.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2020Publication date: February 18, 2021Inventors: Frederick Hazzard, Gregory Young, Adam Myre, Peter M. Anderson, Rolf L. Strand, John D. Mitchell
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Publication number: 20200386446Abstract: A water heater may be configured to detect a possible main gas valve non-closure condition in which the sensed water temperature continues to rise while a thermopile signal reaches a stable state. When the possible main gas valve non-closure condition is detected, the controller may be configured to toggle the main gas valve ON and determine whether the thermopile signal from the thermopile changes from the stable state or not by at least a predetermined amount.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2019Publication date: December 10, 2020Inventors: Adam Foley, John D. Mitchell, Rolf L. Strand, Timothy J. Smith
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Patent number: 10754331Abstract: A remote water heater monitoring system is configured to communicate with a plurality of client water heaters over a network. The system processes received data related to the operation of the plurality of client water heaters and identifies one or more baseline trends over time related to water heater performance and/or water heater reliability using the received data from one or more of the client water heaters and identifies one or more abnormalities in the operation of a particular one of the client water heaters based on the baseline trends. An alert is generated for one or more of the abnormalities in the operation of the particular one of the client water heaters and is associated with a corresponding client account.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2018Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Peter Anderson, Rolf L. Strand, Adam Myre, Timothy J. Smith, Frederick Hazzard, John D. Mitchell, Adam Foley, Tony Khosla, Gregory Young
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Publication number: 20200072484Abstract: An illustrative HVAC controller may include a communication module for wirelessly communicating with a network and wiring terminals for receiving a wired connection to a remote temperature sensor that is situated remote from the HVAC controller and in a living space of the building. A controller may be operably coupled to the communication module and the wiring terminals and may be configured to implement a thermostat control algorithm to generate one or more control signals, wherein the one or more control signals are provided by a wired connection to the HVAC system to control one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system. The thermostat control algorithm may be configured to compare a sensed temperature received from the remote temperature sensor via the wiring terminals and a temperature setpoint received from the server via the network.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: March 5, 2020Inventors: Peter M. Anderson, Ryan Strassburg, Rolf L. Strand, Luke A. Piram, John D. Mitchell
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Publication number: 20200025375Abstract: A flame powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a first power source and a second power source separate from the first power source, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, an igniter and a controller. The thermal electric and/or photoelectric device may charge the first power source when exposed to a flame. The controller and the igniter may receive power from the first power source when the first power source has sufficient available power, and may receive power from the second power source when the first power source does not have sufficient available power.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2019Publication date: January 23, 2020Inventors: Brent Chian, Douglas D. Bird, Peter M. Anderson, Timothy J Nordberg, Thomas Johnson, Rolf L. Strand
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Publication number: 20200004231Abstract: A remote water heater monitoring system is configured to communicate with a plurality of client water heaters over a network. The system processes received data related to the operation of the plurality of client water heaters and identifies one or more baseline trends over time related to water heater performance and/or water heater reliability using the received data from one or more of the client water heaters and identifies one or more abnormalities in the operation of a particular one of the client water heaters based on the baseline trends. An alert is generated for one or more of the abnormalities in the operation of the particular one of the client water heaters and is associated with a corresponding client account.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2018Publication date: January 2, 2020Inventors: Peter Anderson, Rolf L. Strand, Adam Myre, Timothy J. Smith, Frederick Hazzard, John D. Mitchell, Adam Foley, Tony Khosla, Gregory Young
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Patent number: 10429068Abstract: A flame powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a first power source and a second power source separate from the first power source, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, an igniter and a controller. The thermal electric and/or photoelectric device may charge the first power source when exposed to a flame. The controller and the igniter may receive power from the first power source when the first power source has sufficient available power, and may receive power from the second power source when the first power source does not have sufficient available power.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2016Date of Patent: October 1, 2019Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Brent Chian, Douglas Bird, Peter Anderson, Timothy J. Nordberg, Thomas Johnson, Rolf L. Strand
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Patent number: 10402358Abstract: A system and approach for addressing modules on a platform bus that may incorporate a master module and one or more slave modules. The platform bus may run through sub-base connectors that interlock modules together on a rail. Addressing of the modules may occur automatically and dynamically in that the master module may have a first address by default, and a first slave module adjoining the master module may be assigned a second address. A second slave module adjoining the first slave module, if there is one, may be assigned a third address. Each of the other slave modules, adjoining a preceding slave module assigned an address, may be assigned a next address after an address assigned to a preceding slave module. Addresses may be assigned in a numerical order to each module based on a physical position of the respective module on a rail.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2015Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Ronald Sorenson, Paul Patton, Rick Solosky, Rolf L. Strand, John Evers, Patrick Springman, Yury Millman
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Publication number: 20190249871Abstract: A locally powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include an igniter, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device that produces an electrical signal having power when exposed to a flame, and a local power source for providing power when the thermal electric and/or photoelectric device is not exposed to a flame. In some cases, the intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a memory for storing information about an ignition sequence for igniting a pilot flame, and a controller coupled to the memory. The controller may be configured to initiate the ignition sequence of the pilot flame using information stored in the memory, determine whether the ignition was successful by monitoring the electrical signal produced by the thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, and adjust the information stored in the memory based on whether the ignition sequence completed successfully.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2019Publication date: August 15, 2019Inventors: Brent Chian, Bruce L. Hill, Timothy J Nordberg, Rolf L. Strand, Douglas Bird, Peter Anderson
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Patent number: 10208954Abstract: A locally powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include an igniter, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device that produces an electrical signal having power when exposed to a flame, and a local power source for providing power when the thermal electric and/or photoelectric device is not exposed to a flame. In some cases, the intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a memory for storing information about an ignition sequence for igniting a pilot flame, and a controller coupled to the memory. The controller may be configured to initiate the ignition sequence of the pilot flame using information stored in the memory, determine whether the ignition was successful by monitoring the electrical signal produced by the thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, and adjust the information stored in the memory based on whether the ignition sequence completed successfully.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2013Date of Patent: February 19, 2019Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Brent Chian, Bruce L. Hill, Timothy J. Nordberg, Rolf L. Strand, Douglas Bird, Peter Anderson
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Publication number: 20170115005Abstract: A flame powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a first power source and a second power source separate from the first power source, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, an igniter and a controller. The thermal electric and/or photoelectric device may charge the first power source when exposed to a flame. The controller and the igniter may receive power from the first power source when the first power source has sufficient available power, and may receive power from the second power source when the first power source does not have sufficient available power.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2016Publication date: April 27, 2017Inventors: Brent Chian, Douglas Bird, Peter Anderson, Timothy J. Nordberg, Thomas Johnson, Rolf L. Strand
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Patent number: 9494320Abstract: A flame powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a first power source and a second power source separate from the first power source, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, an igniter and a controller. The thermal electric and/or photoelectric device may charge the first power source when exposed to a flame. The controller and the igniter may receive power from the first power source when the first power source has sufficient available power, and may receive power from the second power source when the first power source does not have sufficient available power.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2013Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Brent Chian, Douglas Bird, Peter Anderson, Timothy J. Nordberg, Thomas Johnson, Rolf L. Strand
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Publication number: 20160091204Abstract: A system and approach for a programmable display. The system may incorporate a display designed to operate a combustion control mechanism, dedicated purpose devices having a status represented by a set of defined data items referred to as registers, programmable behavior logic designed by a customer, other registers created by the customer to provide data generated by the programmable behavior logic, and a standard interface for serving the other registers to the display. The standard interface may be a protocol used by a web server. The web server may receive requests for data from a client and provide responses to the requests from the client. The customer, by data from the programmable logic, may control content, appearance or behavior of one or more objects on the display. The objects may send altered values to registers for operating the combustion control mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2015Publication date: March 31, 2016Inventors: Paul Patton Patton, Ronald Sorenson, Pavel Erlebach, Rolf L. Strand, Patrick Springman, John Evers, Timothy McCarthy, Amy L. Davidson
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Publication number: 20160092388Abstract: A system and approach for addressing modules on a platform bus that may incorporate a master module and one or more slave modules. The platform bus may run through sub-base connectors that interlock modules together on a rail. Addressing of the modules may occur automatically and dynamically in that the master module may have a first address by default, and a first slave module adjoining the master module may be assigned a second address. A second slave module adjoining the first slave module, if there is one, may be assigned a third address. Each of the other slave modules, adjoining a preceding slave module assigned an address, may be assigned a next address after an address assigned to a preceding slave module. Addresses may be assigned in a numerical order to each module based on a physical position of the respective module on a rail.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2015Publication date: March 31, 2016Inventors: Richard Sorenson, Paul Patton, Rick Solosky, Rolf L. Strand, John Evers, Patrick Springman, Yury Millman
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Patent number: 8875664Abstract: Methods and systems for operating a water heater to limit the effects of stacking in a water heater tank are disclosed. In some cases, the water heater controller may determine a rate of change of the water temperature in the water heater tank. If the rate of change exceeds a threshold value, the controller may adjust the water heater temperature set point downward to help reduce stacking in the water heater. In some cases, the water heater temperature set point may be returned to the original water heater temperature set point when stacking is no longer likely to be of a concern. In one illustrative embodiment, the controller may track the time that the heater of the water heater is in the “on” state, or the time that the heater is in the “off” state, during subsequent heating cycles. The controller may then compare the “on” time or the “off” time to respective recovery threshold times.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2012Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventor: Rolf L. Strand
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Patent number: D895549Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2018Date of Patent: September 8, 2020Assignee: Ademco Inc.Inventors: Donald C. Kennedy, Peter M. Anderson, Travis J. Read, Paul Knauf, Rolf L. Strand, Joseph Carlos Vargas