SYSTEM POWERING ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT VIA A 24 VAC SIGNAL WIRE

Abstract

Disclosed are systems that provide novel capabilities and component configurations for a climate system at a location, which can be a residential forced air cooling or heat pump, and the like. The disclosed system provides the ability for power to be provided to inherent system circuitry and components when there is no power input, which can be according to system needs, requirements, requests and/or other real-world events that cause such climate system to operate.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a compressor; a controller; a transformer; wherein the transformer is configured to receive a first signal from the controller to enable the compressor, and wherein in response to receiving the first signal, the transformer is configured to output a full wave alternating current power signal; an electronic device in electrical communication with the compressor and the transformer; and a diode connected in electrical communication with the controller and the transformer; wherein the diode is configured to provide a half wave power signal to the electronic device when the first signal is not present.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to monitor for an input voltage that is less than a specified negative voltage, and wherein, in response to the input voltage being less than the specified negative voltage, the electronic device is configured to output a power signal to the compressor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the diode is configured between R and Y terminals associated with the controller.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller and transformer correspond to indoor components of the system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transformer is a 24 VAC transformer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises: a diode; a capacitor; and circuitry.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the diode and compressor create a half wave direct current (DC) supply voltage.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the electronic device has a negative voltage.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the electronic device turns on a relay to connect input and output of the electronic device for a period of time.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the electronic device oscillates between a positive and negative voltage at a predetermined line frequency.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a climate system associated with a location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the climate system is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is a thermostat.

14. A heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) system comprising: a compressor; a thermostat; a transformer; wherein the transformer is configured to receive a first signal from the thermostat to enable the compressor, wherein the transformer is a 24 VAC transformer, and wherein in response to receiving the first signal, the transformer is configured to output a full wave alternating current power signal; an electronic device in electrical communication with the compressor and the transformer; and a diode connected in electrical communication with the thermostat and the transformer, wherein the diode is configured between R and Y terminals associated with the thermostat, and wherein the diode is configured to provide a half wave power signal to the electronic device when the first signal is not present.

15. The HVAC system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is configured to monitor for an input voltage that is less than a specified negative voltage, and wherein, in response to the input voltage being less than the specified negative voltage, the electronic device is configured to output a power signal to the compressor.

16. The HVAC system of claim 14, wherein the thermostat and transformer correspond to indoor components of the system.

17. The HVAC system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device comprises: a diode; a capacitor, wherein the diode and compressor create a half wave direct current (DC) supply voltage; and circuitry.

18. The HVAC system of claim 17, wherein the electronic device has a negative voltage.

19. The HVAC system of claim 18, wherein the electronic device turns on a relay to connect input and output of the electronic device for a period of time.

20. The HVAC system of claim 17, wherein the electronic device oscillates between a positive and negative voltage at a predetermined line frequency.

Description

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following description of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles of the disclosure:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example configuration within which the systems and methods disclosed herein could be implemented according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example configuration within which the systems and methods disclosed herein could be implemented according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0013] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of an exemplary system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of non-limiting illustration, certain example embodiments. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any example embodiments set forth herein; example embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. Accordingly, embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof (other than software per se). The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0015] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an explicitly stated meaning. Likewise, the phrase in one embodiment as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and the phrase in another embodiment as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matter include combinations of example embodiments in whole or in part.

[0016] In general, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage in context. For example, terms, such as and, or, or and/or, as used herein may include a variety of meanings that may depend at least in part upon the context in which such terms are used. Typically, or if used to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here used in the exclusive sense. In addition, the term one or more as used herein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may be used to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as a, an, or the, again, may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term based on may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, depending at least in part on context.

[0017] The present disclosure is described below with reference to block diagrams and operational illustrations of methods and devices. It is understood that each block of the block diagrams or operational illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams or operational illustrations, can be implemented by means of analog or digital hardware and computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer to alter its function as detailed herein, a special purpose computer, ASIC, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, implement the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams or operational block or blocks. In some alternate implementations, the functions/acts noted in the blocks can occur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession can in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks can sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

[0018] Certain embodiments and principles will be discussed in more detail with reference to the figures.

[0019] With reference to FIG. 1, system 100 is depicted which provides a depiction of the current state of the art. System 100 provides the conventional wiring for an outdoor compressor in a central forced air system. System 100 includes indoor 102 components and outdoor components: outdoor compressor 110. Indoor components include thermostat 104 (e.g., referred to a controller) and indoor unit 106, which includes transformer 108.

[0020] As depicted, the indoor unit 106 is where the forced air blower is located. Indoor unit 106 includes a transformer 108, which can be a 24 VAC transformer whose output terminals are typically labeled R and C. The R terminal is wired to the thermostat 104, which contains a switch that closes when the thermostat wants the outdoor compressor to turn on. When that switch closes, 24 VAC is applied to the thermostat's Y terminal. That terminal is typically then wired back through the indoor unit 106 and on to the outdoor compressor 110. When 24 VAC is applied to the Y terminal, a contactor internal to the compressor 110 closes which supplies high voltage power to the compressor motor and fan.

[0021] By way of example, with FIG. 1 as the backdrop, in a central forced air system, the wiring for the compressor typically involves several components to ensure proper operation. The compressor, which is a vital part of the system, is usually wired to the thermostat, the condenser fan motor, and the power source. The thermostat serves as the control point for the system, signaling the compressor to turn on or off based on the temperature settings. The wiring from the thermostat connects to a control board or relay panel, which then sends signals to the compressor to initiate cooling when needed. Additionally, there are typically safety switches and pressure sensors wired into the system to prevent damage from overheating or excessive pressure buildup. The power source provides the electrical energy necessary to operate the compressor and other components of the central air system. Overall, the wiring configuration ensures that the compressor functions efficiently and safely to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures.

[0022] Turning to FIG. 2, depicted is a novel configuration of the system 100, as depicted via system 200. System 200 includes the components of system 100, and the inclusion of diode 202 and electronics 204. As provided herein, the disclosed configuration of system 200 provides a modified wiring configuration which provides the ability for power to be provided to inherent system circuitry and components when there is no power input, which can be according to system needs, requirements, requests and/or other real-world events that cause such climate system to operate.

[0023] As depicted in FIG. 2, near the indoor unit 106, a diode 202 is connected between the R and Y terminals, which, according to some embodiments, provides half wave power to electronics 204 (e.g., the outdoor electronics) when the thermostat 104 is not calling for the compressor 110. According to some embodiments, when the thermostat 104 calls for compressor 110, a full wave 24 VAC is provided to the electronics 204.

[0024] In FIG. 3, depicted is a non-limiting example of the internal circuitry in electronics 204. According to some embodiments, component 206 (e.g., a diode and capacitor) create a half wave direct current (DC) supply voltage for the electronics 204, regardless of whether the thermostat 104 is calling for compressor 110 or not. In some embodiments, when the thermostat 104 is not calling for compressor 110, the Yin terminal never has a negative voltage. In some embodiments, when the thermostat 104 calls for compressor 110, the Yin terminal oscillates between positive and negative voltage at the line frequency, typically 60 Hz.

[0025] According to some embodiments, circuitry 208 is provided, which detects when the Yin terminal goes below a specified negative voltage which is a trigger to turn on the relay to connect Y.sub.in to Y.sub.out for a period of time that spans the line frequency oscillations. In some embodiments, for example, this means that when the thermostat 104 calls for compressor 110, 24 VAC is applied to the Y.sub.out terminal which turns on the compressor 110. Additional components may be used to provide short circuit, static electricity, and surge protection, which one of skill in the art would recognize as being part of system 200 and electronics 204 without departing from the scope of the instant disclosure.

[0026] Accordingly, as discussed herein, the disclosed systems provide the novel ability, via a novel/modified configuration, for power to be provided to inherent system circuitry and components when there is no power input, which can be according to system needs, requirements, requests and/or other real-world events that cause such climate system to operate.

[0027] Examples of hardware elements may include processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may be implemented as a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) or Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processors; x86 instruction set compatible processors, multi-core, or any other microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU). In various implementations, the one or more processors may be dual-core processor(s), dual-core mobile processor(s), and so forth.

[0028] Computer-related systems, computer systems, and systems, as used herein, include any combination of hardware and software. Examples of software may include software components, programs, applications, operating system software, middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, methods, procedures, software interfaces, application program interfaces (API), instruction sets, computer code, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof. Determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware elements and/or software elements may vary in accordance with any number of factors, such as desired computational rate, power levels, heat tolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates, output data rates, memory resources, data bus speeds and other design or performance constraints.

[0029] For the purposes of this disclosure a module is a software, hardware, or firmware (or combinations thereof) system, process or functionality, or component thereof, that performs or facilitates the processes, features, and/or functions described herein (with or without human interaction or augmentation). A module can include sub-modules. Software components of a module may be stored on a computer readable medium for execution by a processor. Modules may be integral to one or more servers, or be loaded and executed by one or more servers. One or more modules may be grouped into an engine or an application.

[0030] One or more aspects of at least one embodiment may be implemented by representative instructions stored on a machine-readable medium which represents various logic within the processor, which when read by a machine causes the machine to fabricate logic to perform the techniques described herein. Such representations, known as IP cores, may be stored on a tangible, machine readable medium and supplied to various customers or manufacturing facilities to load into the fabrication machines that make the logic or processor. Of note, various embodiments described herein may, of course, be implemented using any appropriate hardware and/or computing software languages (e.g., C++, Objective-C, Swift, Java, JavaScript, Python, Perl, QT, and the like).

[0031] For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordance with one or more principles of the present disclosure may be downloadable from a network, for example, a website, as a stand-alone product or as an add-in package for installation in an existing software application. For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordance with one or more principles of the present disclosure may also be available as a client-server software application, or as a web-enabled software application. For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordance with one or more principles of the present disclosure may also be embodied as a software package installed on a hardware device.

[0032] For the purposes of this disclosure the term user, subscriber consumer or customer should be understood to refer to a user of an application or applications as described herein and/or a consumer of data supplied by a data provider. By way of example, and not limitation, the term user or subscriber can refer to a person who receives data provided by the data or service provider over the Internet in a browser session, or can refer to an automated software application which receives the data and stores or processes the data. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be implemented in many manners and as such are not to be limited by the foregoing exemplary embodiments and examples. In other words, functional elements being performed by single or multiple components, in various combinations of hardware and software or firmware, and individual functions, may be distributed among software applications at either the client level or server level or both. In this regard, any number of the features of the different embodiments described herein may be combined into single or multiple embodiments, and alternate embodiments having fewer than, or more than, all of the features described herein are possible.

[0033] Functionality may also be, in whole or in part, distributed among multiple components, in manners now known or to become known. Thus, myriad software/hardware/firmware combinations are possible in achieving the functions, features, interfaces and preferences described herein. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure covers conventionally known manners for carrying out the described features and functions and interfaces, as well as those variations and modifications that may be made to the hardware or software or firmware components described herein as would be understood by those skilled in the art now and hereafter.

[0034] Furthermore, the embodiments of methods presented and described as flowcharts in this disclosure are provided by way of example in order to provide a more complete understanding of the technology. The disclosed methods are not limited to the operations and logical flow presented herein. Alternative embodiments are contemplated in which the order of the various operations is altered and in which sub-operations described as being part of a larger operation are performed independently.

[0035] While various embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, such embodiments should not be deemed to limit the teaching of this disclosure to those embodiments. Various changes and modifications may be made to the elements and operations described above to obtain a result that remains within the scope of the systems and processes described in this disclosure.