THERMOSTAT SYSTEM WITH SOFTWARE-REPURPOSABLE WIRING TERMINALS ADAPTABLE FOR HVAC SYSTEMS OF DIFFERENT RANGES OF COMPLEXITY

摘要

An auxiliary hardware box is described that can be installed at or near the HVAC system. The auxiliary box includes a large number of wiring terminals, for example 16 or more, for connecting to a relatively large number of HVAC control wires. The auxiliary box can include a “train map” type graphic display that is visible to the installer and provides a graphical indication as to which relays or switches are currently open and which are currently closed. A small sleek visually pleasing thermostat is also described that can be connected either directly to an HVAC system or to the auxiliary box, and can automatically detect an purpose the connected wires according to which it is connected to.

主权项

1. A thermostat comprising:
a plurality of wiring terminals adapted to make electrical connections with a first plurality of wires running between a first location where the thermostat is installed and a second location where a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is installed; and a processor coupled to the plurality of wiring terminals and programmed to:
determine whether an intermediate HVAC control unit is installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals to the intermediate HVAC control unit, or whether the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed and the first plurality of wires connects the plurality of wiring terminals directly to the HVAC system;operate in a first mode to control the HVAC system directly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is not installed; andoperate in a second mode to control the HVAC system indirectly when it is determined that the intermediate HVAC control unit is installed, such that the thermostat communicates with the intermediate HVAC control unit, and the intermediate HVAC control unit communicates with the HVAC system.