A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described, the thermostat having a user interface that is visually pleasing, approachable, and easy to use while also providing ready access to, and intuitive navigation within, a menuing system capable of receiving a variety of different types of user settings and/or control parameters. For some embodiments, the thermostat comprises a housing, a ring-shaped user-interface component configured to track a rotational input motion of a user, a processing system configured to identify a setpoint temperature value based on the tracked rotational input motion, and an electronic display coupled to the processing system. An interactive thermostat menuing system is accessible to the user by an inward pressing of the ring-shaped user interface component. User navigation within the interactive thermostat menuing system is achievable by virtue of respective rotational input motions and inward pressings of the ring-shaped user interface component.

The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for controlling an air conditioner, and a computer storage medium, and relates to the technical field of intelligent household appliances. The method includes acquiring a current physical characteristic parameter of an air conditioner user in a current sampling timeframe; and adjusting either or both of a current set temperature and a current compressor frequency of the air conditioner according to the current physical characteristic parameter and current energy consumption of the air conditioner when the current physical characteristic parameter falls within a set range of parameters in sleep. Therefore, energy conservation and a comfortable user experience are compatible, thereby providing more functions for the control of the air conditioner in the sleep mode.

Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for monitoring and improving air quality in single- and multi-zone indoor spaces. The system for monitoring and improving air quality includes a built structure that includes an indoor space with environmentally-controllable zones, an environmental control system, sensor arrays positioned within the environmentally-controllable zones, and a control circuit configured to monitor air and remediate air within the indoor space. Multiple zones in the indoor space may be bundled together in multiple remediation bundled-areas for remediation by separate air handling systems and/or processes. Additionally, multiple zones may be delineated within the indoor space for sensor installation processes.

A method for controlling a water heater is provided. The method includes: controlling operation of a blower when a first condition is satisfied; and controlling an air outlet to be partially or fully opened according to a first parameter or a first instruction. Furthermore, a device for controlling a water heater is provided, including a processor and a memory having program instructions stored thereon. When the program instructions are executed, the processor performs the method for controlling the water heater. Moreover, the water heater is provided, including a housing, a blower, an air-out channel, a heating part, and the device for controlling the water heater.

A building controller includes a plurality of inputs, a plurality of outputs and a plurality of manually-actuated HAND-OFF-AUTO (HOA) switches each having a HAND (H) position, an OFF (O) position and an AUTO (A) position, wherein each of the plurality of HOA switches is associated with but not directly coupled to a corresponding output of the plurality of outputs. A controller is operatively coupled to the plurality of inputs, the plurality of outputs, and the plurality of HOA switches and is configured to recognize a position of each of the plurality of HOA switches, and to control one or more of the plurality of outputs in accordance with the recognized position of each of the plurality of HOA switches as well as a plurality of programmed configuration settings associated with the plurality of HOA switches.

An occupancy detector provides for an automated means of detecting the location of an occupant. Methods to determine with a high degree of certainty if a user is at (or occupying) a specific physical location or region are provided, using a wide variety of radio signaling technologies readily available on a wide scale due to the prevalence of wireless radio communications systems. The occupancy detector may be used to deliver a variety of services from targeted advertising in a supermarket to home automation systems.

As an example, a system for controlling the climate in a dwelling comprising multiple zones representing small areas such as for example rooms is described using the occupancy detection algorithms. A climate control system provides for a means to establish a desired comfort level in the environment occupied by an occupant. The control system follows an occupant or occupants of a dwelling as they move from one room or zone to another and maintains the occupied zone environment to the desired comfort level, which may include a desired temperature, humidity level and lighting condition. The control mechanisms described provide an optimal means of climate control and achieve a desired level of comfort with efficient use of energy by conserving energy when a room or zone is unoccupied or when the climate conditions are at a desired level.

A warmth calculation apparatus capable of indicating warmth during a transition is provided. This warmth calculation apparatus includes: a calculator that, on the basis of a human body heat model simulating a human body, calculates a basic index indicating the warm sensation of parts of the human body under inputted environmental conditions; and a corrector that corrects the basic index utilizing, as a correction element, a heat transfer amount caused by blood flow of the human body heat model.

A method includes a system that operates according to a control schedule; detects events that indicate occupancy; stores a record of the events that indicate occupancy in one or more memory devices; and enters an auto-away state. A determination to enter the auto-away state may be based at least in part on a length of a time interval during which no events that indicate occupancy were detected and the stored record of the events that indicate occupancy. The system may also detect a pattern of instances where the auto-away state is entered over a plurality of days and adjusts the control schedule based at least in part on the pattern of instances where the auto-away state is entered.

Systems and techniques are described for using thermal imaging to configure and/or augment temperature regulation operations within a property. In some implementations, a computing device obtains a thermal image of a region of a property. The thermal image identifies at least a surface within the region. A surface temperature of the surface is determined. An ambient temperature for the region is determined based at least on the surface temperature. The one or more temperature controls for the region are adjusted based at least on the ambient temperature.

A facility providing systems and methods for managing and optimizing thermal comfort is provided. The facility is a software algorithm that intelligently detects the thermal comfort preferences of residential smart thermostat users, where a user's “comfort preference” is defined to refer to an estimate of a measurement of the user's comfort across varying values of some set of exogenous factors, including but not limited to indoor temperature, the time of day, the day of the week, and weather conditions. This facility encompasses the use of this “comfort preference” for the creation of an optimal schedule of setpoints for a residential thermostat which is configured to optimize some objective, including potentially user comfort, energy efficiency, load shift, or cost.