HVAC CONTROLLER ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An HVAC control mounting assembly including a housing, including at least one communication module receptacle, and a communication module disposed in at least one of the at least one communication module receptacles. An HVAC controller assembly including an HVAC control unit, and a mounting assembly operably coupled to the HVAC control unit the mounting assembly including: a housing including at least one communication module receptacle disposed therein, and a communication module disposed in at least one of the at least one communication module receptacles.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to, and claims the priority benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/041,975 filed Aug. 26, 2014, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety into the present disclosure.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

The presently disclosed embodiments generally relate to heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (“HVAC”) systems, and more particularly, to an HVAC controller assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

Home automation systems are continuing to gain traction in the marketplace. Increasingly, HVAC systems are being included in the home automation packages. To accomplish a full automated system, HVAC controllers require a communication module compatible with the automation system.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, an HVAC control mounting assembly is provided. The mounting assembly includes a housing, at least one communication module receptacle disposed in the housing, and at least one antenna operably coupled to a respective communication module receptacle. In one embodiment, the housing is configured to be operably coupled to an HVAC control unit. In one embodiment, the at least one antenna is located on a front side of the mounting assembly. In one embodiment, the at least one antenna is located on a rear side of the mounting assembly. In one embodiment, the at least one antenna is located within a cavity formed on the mounting assembly.

The mounting assembly further includes a communication module disposed within any of the at least one communication module receptacles. In one embodiment, the communication module is removable.

In one aspect, an HVAC controller assembly is provided. The HVAC controller assembly includes the mounting assembly and an HVAC control unit operably coupled to the mounting assembly. In one embodiment, the HVAC control unit includes a thermostat. The HVAC control unit is configured to wirelessly communicate and exchange data with at least one remote device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments and other features, advantages and disclosures contained herein, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and the present disclosure will be better understood by reference to the following description of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an HVAC control mounting assembly;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an HVAC controller assembly; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a structure containing the HVAC controller assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.

Since numerous communication modules and protocols are available in the market, having an HVAC controller capable of communicating with all protocols would increase the overall size to accommodate the different communication modules, and greatly increasing the cost. There is therefore a need for an HVAC controller assembly capable of accommodating the numerous communications protocols without increasing the size and costs of the HVAC controller.

FIG. 1 illustrates an HVAC control mounting assembly generally indicated at 10. The mounting assembly 10 includes a housing 12. In one embodiment, the housing 12 is configured to be operably coupled to an HVAC control unit 20 (shown in FIG. 2). It will be appreciated that the housing may be made from any durable material, such as plastic to name one non-limiting example, suitable to be mounted to a wall of a structure and capable of holding the HVAC control unit 20. The mounting assembly 10 further includes at least one communication module receptacle 14 disposed in the housing 12. The HVAC control mounting assembly 10 further includes at least one antenna 16 operably coupled to a respective communication module receptacle 14. In one embodiment, the at least one antenna 16 is located on a front side 11 of the mounting assembly 10. In one embodiment, the at least one antenna 16 is located on a rear side 13 of the mounting assembly 10. In one embodiment, the at least one antenna 16 is located within a cavity 15 formed on the mounting assembly 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, antenna 16A is operably coupled to communication module receptacle 14A and antenna 16B is operably coupled to communication module receptacle 14B. It will be appreciated that each of the antennas 16 are spaced apart at a suitable distance to avoid noise and other radio interference.

The mounting assembly 10 further includes a communication module 18 disposed within any of the at least one communication module receptacles 14. In one embodiment, the communication module 18 is removable. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, communication module 18A is disposed in communication module receptacle 14A, and communication module 18B is disposed in communication module receptacle 14B. It will be appreciated that the communication module 18 may be any wireless communication device operable to transmit and receive data to/from a secondary device. The wireless communication device may operate according to protocols such as Z-WAVE® radio, ZIGBEE® radio, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH®, radio frequency (RF) radio, etc., to name a few non-limiting examples.

FIG. 2 illustrates an HVAC controller assembly, generally indicated at 20. The HVAC controller assembly 20 includes the mounting assembly 10 and an HVAC control unit 22 operably coupled to the mounting assembly 10. In one embodiment, the HVAC control unit 22 includes a thermostat. As shown in FIG. 3, the HVAC control unit 22 is configured to operate at least one HVAC component 24 via a wired or wireless connection. The HVAC control unit 22 is further configured to wirelessly communicate and exchange data with at least one remote device 26, for example home automation controllers to name one non-limiting example, within a structure 28 via the at least one communication module 18. It will be appreciated that the HVAC control unit 22 may communicate with any remote device 26 having a similar communication module 18 disposed in the communication module receptacles 14. For example, if device 26A is capable of wirelessly communicating via Z-WAVE® radio, a Z-WAVE® communication module 18 is placed in communication module receptacle 14A of the HVAC control unit 22, and if device 26B is capable of wirelessly communicating via Wi-Fi, a Wi-Fi communication module 18 is placed in communication module receptacle 14B of the HVAC control unit 22. The use of communication module 18 allows the HVAC control unit 22 to exchange data with device 26A and/or device 26B to enable control of the HVAC control unit 22 and/or the at least one HVAC component 24.

It will therefore be appreciated that the present embodiments place at least one communication module receptacles 14 in the HVAC control mounting assembly 10 to increase the flexibility in communication capabilities of the HVAC control unit 22. It will also be appreciated that the communication modules 18, as well as the antennas 16, are placed in the HVAC control mounting assembly 10, to reduce the overall size and costs of the HVAC control unit 22.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only certain embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.

Claims

1. An HVAC control mounting assembly comprising:

a housing including at least one communication module receptacle disposed therein; and

a communication module disposed in at least one of the at least one communication module receptacles.

2. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising an antenna in communication with each of the at least one communication module receptacles.

3. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein each antenna is disposed in a location selected from the group consisting of a front side of the housing, a rear side of the housing, and a cavity formed within the housing.

4. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the communication module is removable from the at least one of the at least one communication module receptacles.

5. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to engage an HVAC control unit.

6. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the HVAC control unit comprises a thermostat.

7. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the communication module is configured to exchange data with the HVAC control unit.

8. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the communication module operates according to the protocols selected from the group consisting of Z-WAVE® radio, ZIGBEE® radio, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH®, and radio frequency (RF) radio.

9. The HVAC control mounting assembly of claim 5, further comprising a remote device operable to wirelessly exchange data with the communication module.

10. An HVAC controller assembly comprising:

an HVAC control unit; and

a mounting assembly operably coupled to the HVAC control unit, the mounting assembly comprising: a housing including at least one communication module receptacle disposed therein; and a communication module disposed in at least one of the at least one communication module receptacles.

11. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 10, wherein the mounting assembly further comprises an antenna in communication with each of the at least one communication module receptacles.

12. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 11, wherein each antenna is disposed in a location selected from the group consisting of a front side of the housing, a rear side of the housing, and a cavity formed within the housing.

13. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 10, wherein the communication module is removable from the at least one of the at least one communication module receptacles.

14. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 10, wherein the HVAC control unit is detachable from the mounting assembly.

15. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 10, wherein the HVAC control unit comprises a thermostat.

16. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 10, wherein the communication module is configured to exchange data with the HVAC control unit.

17. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 10, wherein the communication module operates according to the protocols selected from the group consisting of Z-WAVE® radio, ZIGBEE® radio, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH®, and radio frequency (RF) radio.

18. The HVAC controller assembly of claim 8, further comprising a remote device operable to wirelessly exchange data with the communication module.