| 主权项 |
1. A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system, comprising:
a frustum-shaped shell body having a circular cross-section and a central axis generally perpendicular to a wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the frustum-shaped shell body including a sidewall that extends along a length of the central axis between first and second ends of the frustum-shaped shell body, the first end of the frustum-shaped shell body being wall-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body being user-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the first end of the frustum-shaped shell body having a first diameter and the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body having a second, larger diameter, the sidewall including inside and outside surfaces, the inside surface defining an interior for housing components of the thermostat; a circular rotatable ring mounted proximate the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body, the circular rotatable ring including an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the circular rotatable ring configured to be user rotatable about the axis of rotation, wherein user rotation of the circular rotatable ring results in user input for adjusting a setting of the thermostat, wherein the circular rotatable ring rotatably slides about a frame of the thermostat, the circular rotatable ring having an inwardly extending lip or edge surface that is parallel to the wall when the thermostat is wall mounted, said inwardly extending lip or edge being positioned within a groove of the frame, and wherein a corresponding bearing surface of the frame is greased or otherwise lubricated to smooth and dampen rotational movement of the circular rotatable ring; a circular cover mounted proximate the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body, the circular cover including a central axis generally perpendicular to the wall when the thermostat is wall-mounted, the circular cover includes a clear circular center portion surrounded by a painted outer portion; and a non-circular dot-matrix color display element mounted at a location between the second end of the frustum-shaped shell body and the circular cover, the clear circular center portion of the circular cover permits a corresponding circular portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element to be visible through the circular cover and the painted outer portion of the circular cover masks a remaining portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element so as to create a circular graphical user interface, the non-circular dot-matrix color display element and the circular cover do not rotate with the circular rotatable ring; a temperature sensor for use in determining an ambient air temperature; a plurality of HVAC wire connectors configured for receiving a corresponding plurality of HVAC control wires associated with the HVAC system; and a processing system provided in operative communication with the plurality of HVAC wire connectors, the circular rotatable ring, the non-circular dot-matrix color display element, and the temperature sensor, the processing system configured to:
cause the non-circular dot-matrix color display element to display a visually prominent digital numerical value representative of a temperature value, wherein the digital numerical value representative of the temperature value is viewable through the clear circular center portion of the circular cover;cause the audio-output device to output synthesized audible ticks in correspondence with user rotation of the circular rotatable ring;determine a user-selected setpoint temperature value based on user rotation of the circular rotatable ring;send a control signal to the HVAC system via one or more of the plurality of HVAC wire connectors based at least in part on a comparison of the user-selected setpoint temperature value and the determined ambient air temperature; andindicate an operation mode of the thermostat by causing the non-circular dot-matrix color display element to display elements that indicate when the thermostat is operating in a heating or cooling mode. |
