GB2524314A

GB2524314A - Heating control system

Info

Publication number: GB2524314A
Application number: GB1405022.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harry William Bach
Original assignee: NETTHINGS Ltd
Current assignee: NETTHINGS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-03-20
Filing date: 2014-03-20
Publication date: 2015-09-23
Also published as: GB201405022D0

Abstract

A central heating control system for controlling the central heating of a dwelling. A central heating system is provided with a control module for switching the heating system between on and off modes in response to signals at a transceiver. The on and off modes are set on a screen of a graphical user interface where strips are displayed relative to a clock. A user contacts the strip and by dragging either end, the strip is expanded or contracted to increase or decrease a respective time period over which the heating system is to be switched on. The time period is transmitted to the control module. The graphical user interface is on a smartphone, tablet or computer to allow remote control from an internet enabled device and thereby provide active management of resource usage. The system may transmit data via the internet.

Description

HEATING CONTROL SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a central heating control system for controHing the central heating of a dwelling and in particular, though not exclusively, the invention relates to a central heating control system with strip-based controls adapted for display on a graphical user interface to allow remote control from an internet enabled device and thereby provide active management of resource usage.

Excessive consumption of natural resources is an increasing problem. Such consumption depletes natural resources and, in turn, this can cause environmental problems as well as causing an increase in the cost of these resources, such as oil arid gas. As a result, these rising costs can put significant strain on the budgets of users of the resources.

Awareness raising campaigns to try and encourage more careful use of natural resources on a personal basis has made knowledge of the issues mainstream.

However, awareness raising has not been successful in seeing the changes in behaviour required to see significant conservation of resources through decreased utility use.

When managing use of these resources, for examp'e the use of electricity within a school building or office building or even within a home, the abstract measure of utility consumption based simply on the use of appliances means that it is difficult for individuals to corelate particular actions to, for example, a reduced use of power or water. This is compounded by the utilities companies sending out monthly or quarterly bills, which means that any specific action is lost within the context of utility consumption over a period of 30 days or more.

To overcome this disconnect between the actions which use the utilities and the overall resource consumption, a variety of different utility monitoring systems have been developed. These utility monitoring systems monitor the consumption of utilities such as gas, electricity, LPG, oil and water, and provide an easy to interpret display which enables users to assess the current level of usage and compare this to an optimum or a maximum desired level of usage. By having the connection between

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actual usage and optimal usage clearly visible and easy to interpret, users can, in real time, modify their behaviour and see the results in terms of utility consumption.

Such a utility monitoring system is disclosed in W02008/025939 to the present Applicants wherein the energy monitoring system determines threshold and maximum consumption values then monitors ongoing resource usage, providing a graphical display output which a user can easily interpret to understand how current resource consumption compares to the threshold and maximum consumption values.

However, these monitoring systems can only notify a person of their resource usage against a predetermined criteria and provide no direct control over the resource usage.

Non-metered resources such as oil and bottled gas are not monitored due to their being pre-paid.

For most households the largest resource usage is needed to heat the home and provide hot water. In order to manage the resource usage central heating systems in most dwellings typically have a proammable timer to set the times when the heating is desired to be on or off They may also have a thermostatic valve at each radiator for individual control of the radiator but, typically, a temperature at the boiler is set and when the heating is on the boiler will heat to it's set temperature.

Timers on central heating systems are usually in the form of a control panel located on a wall inside the premises. They may be mechanical having a dial which rotates with time and push-in' contacts which are moveable to locate over the desired on' and off' times. These controls typically allow a user to set only two on and two off signals in a twenty four hour period and don't allow for different settings for different days of the week, such as weekends. As a result a user is inclined to set the timer for the days of the week and then use the override or constant' feature at the weekends.

This results in high resource usage particularly if the user forgets to put the timer back on for the week.

Digital timers are also known where a pattern of on and off signals can be input for individual days of the week. While this provides a greater degree of management of resource usage, the user must determine in advance, their likely heating requirements.

As a result if say, they come home late from work or are away for a weekend, the heating will come on based on the pattern set and there will be a waste of resource usage. Equally, if the user is unexpectedly at home, then they are likely to override the system, using the constant' facility with the same disadvantages as for the mechanical timer system.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a central heating control system which obviates or mitigates at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a central heating control system which can be operated remotely.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a central heating control system, comprising: a central heating system adapted to be powered using a resource; a control module in contact with the central heating system, the control module including switching means to turn the central heating system between on and off modes, a control processor for operating on the switching means, a transmitter for transmitting signals relating to the mode, and a receiver for receiving signals relating to the mode; and a graphical user interface adapted for display on a screen, the interface including an interface processor for operating on user inputs to the interface, a transmitter for transmitting signals relating to the mode, and a receiver for receiving signals relating to the mode and characterised in that: one or more strips are displayed on the screen relative to a clock, each strip indicating a time period when the central heating system is on with a first end being a switch on' time and a second end being a switch off" time; a user input is made by contact and dragging on either end of the ship which allows the strip to be expanded or contracted to increase or decrease the time period, respectively; and the time period is transmitted to the control module and acted on by the control processor to operate the switching means to thereby turn on and off the central heating system in accordance with the user input.

In this way, a user can easily set time periods for operation of the central heating system which provides a facility to simplify their utility consumption management in a straightforward way and thus take more responsibility for resource usage.

S Preferably, the graphical user interface is created on an internet enabled device.

Internet enabled devices may be mobile phones such as smart phones, tablets and computers. In this way, the user can be remote from the central heating system to operate it, Thus if say, the user knows they will be late home from work they can access the graphical user interface as an App or on a web-site and reduce the sifip so that the heating is turned on later. This saves on resource usage in not heating the property when it is not occupied. Additionally, they may use an internet enabled device when in the property removing the requirement to go to the site of the heating control module to adjust the modes. As people now carry their mobile phones with them at all times, this further simplifies resource management and encourages the user to adjust the time period whenever they receive information on when the property will be occupied and needing to be heated.

Preferably, additional strips can be created on the display by contact on the screen. In this way, a user can insert any number of time periods to optimise the duration when the heating system can be in the off mode and saving energy.

Preferably, contact on the screen is made by touching the screen, In this way, the screen may be a touch screen as is known in the art. Alternatively, contact can be made by pointing and clicking at a position on a screen using a mouse or touchpad as is also known in the art. In this way, it is simple to adjust the time period.

Preferably, the control module includes setting means to adjust a temperature of the central heating system and signals relating to the temperature are transmitted and received between the control module and the graphical user interface. More preferably, the display shows the temperature of the heating system. In this way, a user can determine what temperature has been set for the heating system.

Preferably, the graphical user interface includes adjustment means to provide a user input of a desired temperature for the heating system. In this way, the temperature can be set remotely by a user and thus further manage the resource usage.

Preferably, the graphical user interface displays one or more signals from other transmitters. In this way, data collected from other web-sites or other modules can be displayed. Preferably the signals display information selected from a group comprising: time of dawn, time of dusk, predicted outside temperature, current outside temperature, time period of lower tariff on the utility and public holidays. In this way, the additional information can assist a user in optimising the temperature and time periods to be set to optimise resource usage to save energy.

Preferably, the graphical user interface displays one or more signals from other stored information on the internet enabled device. In this way, information personal to the user can be displayed. Preferably the signals display information selected from a group comprising: users holidays, users appointments, current air temperature in property, predicted air temperature in property; and previously stored time periods. In this way, the additional information further assists a user in optimising the temperature and time periods to be set to optimise resource usage to save energy.

Preferably, the central heating system is divided into zones and wherein the control module and the graphical user interface are adapted to provide time periods with respective on and off modes to the zones individually. This allows a user to only heat areas of the property which will be occupied, thus providing an opportunity for further energy savings.

Preferably, a further user input is included, the further user input is a contact on the screen at a desired time indicative of a boost setting. This may be by a double click or consecutive touch on the screen. Preferably the boost setting turns the heating on for a predetermined time period at a preselected temperature. The temperature may be a maximum temperature and the predetermined time period is a period of time known to be sufficient to heat the property or zone to a desired air temperature.

Resources will be understood to herein refer to any energy supply including utility services used by the public including, but not limited to, various types of energy supplies such as electilcity and gas as well as renewable supplies. Oil tanks, gas tanks, bottled gas, coal and wood are also included.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following figures, by way of example only, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a central heating control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 2(a), (b) and (c) are schematic illustrations of displays of the central heating control system of Figure 1.

Reference is initially made to Figure 1 of the drawings which illustrates a central heating control system, generally indicated by reference numeral 10, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The central heating control system 10 includes a central heating system 12, a control module 14 and a graphical user interface 16 located on an internet enabled device 18.

The central heating system 12 is any arrangement which provides heating by a resource to premises which is preferably a domestic property. As an example, we will consider a gas fired boiler being used to heat a series of radiators across a four bedroom property. Hot water can also be provided.

In a traditional central heating system the boiler will be set at a fixed temperature. A thermostat at a single location in the property allows a user to select a desired temperature for the property. If the heating is set to run constantly, the boiler will be switched on and left to run until such time as the thermostat reaches the desired temperature. Once at the desired temperature the boiler is switched off until the thermostat drops below the desired temperature whereupon it is switched on again. A separate thermostat located at the hot water tank will operate in the same manner.

Typically there will also be a control module which includes a clock so that a user can set times for when the central heating system will be on and off. This timer control module is as described hereinbefore as the prior art.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the central heating system 12 will have a gas fired boiler being used to heat a series of radiators across a four bedroom property. Hot water can also be provided by the heating of the boiler.

The control module 14 includes the facility 22 to switch on and off the boiler and a facility 24 to adjust a temperature of the boiler via a control processor 26. It may also be connected, via hard wire or wireless, to one or more temperature sensors located around the property and in the hot water tank. There may also be a connection to a temperature sensor located outside the property, The control module N includes a transceiver 20, capable of sending and receiving signals. The control module 14 may be internet-enabled such that the signals are sent via the internet to a remote site for processing and onward transmission or reception.

Control of the central heating system t2 is achieved from the internet enabled device 18. The device 18 will include a screen 28 providing a display 30 created by the graphical user interface 16, The interface t6 will include an interface processor 32 coupled to a transceiver 34 for the transmission and reception of signals to and from the device 18 together with inputs made by a user on the device 18. Those skilled in the art will recognise that the internet enabled device 18 may be a mobile phone, such as smart phone, tablet, computer or the like, A user will access a web-site via by it's internet address or directly as an App. The web-site, or App, will provide a display 30 on the graphical user interface 16. An embodiment of a display 30 is illustrated at Figure 2(a).

Display 30 appears on a screen 28 of a device 18. Along a lower edge 36 of the display 30 is a scaled baseline 38 representing time, which, in this embodiment, shows a one day time period marked out as twenty four hours along a scale 46, parallel to the edge 36 of the screen 30, In a central area 40 of the display 30, is a strip 42. Strip 42 is a rectangular band with a long side 44 arranged parallel to the scale 46.

At a first end 48 of the strip 42 there is positioned a first button 50, being a circle to identify the first end 48. At a second end 52, opposite the first end 48, of the strip 42 there is arranged a second button 54. The length of the strip 42 between the first 50 and second 54 buttons indicates a time period relative to the baseline 38, with the location of the buttons 50,54 relative to the scale 46 indicating on and off times respectively in the twenty four hour period. Information on the date may also be displayed 56 on the screen 28, for reference.

In use, a user will access the display 30 on a device 8. A user can then touch the screen 28 at the first button 50, say. The button 50 may be displayed on a strip 42, may appear on touching the first end 48 of the strip 42, or may appear by a user touching an empty position on the screen 28. Contact is made by touching the screen and, in this embodiment, the screen 28 is a touch screen as is known in the art, Alternatively, contact can be made by pointing and clicking at a position on a screen using a mouse or touchpad as is also known in the art. Once contact has been made with the button 50, it can be dragged horizontally across the screen 28, relative to the baseline 38 and released, to be positioned at a desired time indicated on the scale 46.

This will signify a desired time at which the user wishes the central heating system 12 to switch on. Further graphical or sound effects can be used to provide a user with feedback on where (what time) they have touched the screen when their finger is masking the position. Such effects may be ripple effect like a stone in water, or a large print of the time, or a spoken voice giving the time set.

The second button 54 will be at the second end 52 of the strip 42. The strip 42 may have changed length in response to movement of the first button 50, or may be of minimal length with the buttons 50,54 created side by side. A user can then contact the second button 54 and drag it to a desired time on the scale 46 at which they wish the heating to be switched off The user can thus set the start time and by expanding or contracting the length of the strip 42, they can increase or decrease the time period for which they wish the central heating system 12 to be switched on. The display 30 will also be able to scroll forward and backwards through consecutive twenty four hour periods to allow the strip 42 to be set over days.

Once the modes i.e. on' time and off' times have been selected a user can confirm the settings and the interface processor 32 will send signals representative of the data, via the internet from the transceiver 34. The signals can be routed through a remote server which can store data on behalf of the user and their premises. The data is then transmitted, via the internet, to the transceiver 20 of the control module N. The control processor 26 interprets the data and switches 22 on and off the central heating S system 12 at the times selected by the user on the device 18. As data can be stored, a user may be provided with an option to use a previously stored profile i.e. it prepopulates the system with data selected. For example, one profile may be used for Mondays to Fridays and a second profile used for Saturdays and Sundays. The display 30 will show each profile depending on the day of the week selected and a user can adjust these individually by movement of the buttons 50,54 on the screen 28.

As the user can control the central heating system 12 from the device 18, the user has the freedom to change the settings of their central heating system 12 remotely from their property or from within the property but remote from the central heating control module 14. The central heating control module 14 can therefore be placed away from view within the property, Additionally if, say, the user knows they will be late home from work they can access the graphical user interface as an App or on a web-site and reduce the strip so that the heating is turned on later. This saves on resource usage in not heating the property when it is not occupied. Additionally, they may use an internet enabled device when in the property removing the requirement to go to the site of the heating control module to adjust the modes. As people now carry their mobile phones with them at all times, this further simplifies resource management and encourages the user to adjust the time period whenever they receive information on when the property will be occupied and needing to be heated, Reference is now made to Figure 2(b) which illustrates a further embodiment of a display, indicated by reference numeral 30a. Like parts to those of Figure 2(a) have been given the same reference numeral to aid clarity. All the features of Figure 2(a) are shown on the display 30a. In this embodiment an additional strip 42a has been added. Strip 42a is created in exactly the same manner as strip 42, Indeed any number of strips can be created on the display, The interface processor 32 will collate all the prefered settings and send these to the control module 14, Display 30a also shows a temperature setting 58. This is displayed on the strip 42a but could be displayed elsewhere on the display 30a. When the centre of the strip 42a is touched, at the temperature setting 58, a pop-up menu 60 appears which allows a user to select a desired temperature for the property. Once selected, this data is relayed to the control module 14 and the temperature adjustment facility 24 is activated at the respective time period to change the temperature setting of the heating system 12 until temperature sensors located across the property signify that the property is at the desired temperature. The temperature of the property can be regulated through a feedback loop with the sensors and control module to ensure the temperature remains at the desired temperature. Thus may be achieved by switching on and off the boiler or adj usting it's temperature.

Other useful information is also presented on the display 30a. The predicted outside temperature 62 plotted against the baseline time 38 is provided to assist a user in determining what temperature they would like the heating system t2 set at. This information is collected from another web-site such as those providing weather information as are known in the art. Additionally, information from the users calendar 64 is displayed, this information is collected from the users own data stored on the device t8, but could be collected from other web-sites or modules where the user stores such information. In this way, an appointment 66 is displayed which may remind the user as to their intended occupation of the property. Other information could be displayed such as time of dawn, time of dusk, predicted outside temperature, current outside temperature, time period of lower tariff on the utility, public holidays, users holidays, current air temperature in property, predicted air temperature in property; and previously stored time periods. It will be appreciated that this list is not exhaustive.

Also shown on display 30a is the feature of a boost button 68. The user decides when they wish to boost the heating and contacts the screen 28 at the position of a desired time from the scale 46. This contact may be by a double click or consecutive touch on the screen 28. The boost button 68, when activated, provides data which turns the heating on for a predetermined time period at a preselected temperature, The temperature may be a maximum temperature and the predetermined time period is a period of time known to be sufficient to heat the property. ii

Thus in use, a user will look at display 30a for a selected date. The strip 42 may be preloaded to indicate heating of the property when the family arise in the morning and head for school and work. The strip 42a may appear as an option as the user may have used this setting frequently on the same day of the week in the past. The user can adjust this setting if desired, by dragging the respective buttons of the strip 42a. As the outside temperature is due to drop in the afternoon/evening, the user can touch a centre of the strip 42a at the temperature setting 58. With the pop-up menu 60 they can select an increased temperature to ensure the property should be warm enough when they return. The calendar tells the user of an appointment, in this case a school half-day, so the user can increase strip 42a to meet there expected arrival time home.

If for example, the user collects the children and they decide to come immediately home rather than take a trip for the afternoon, the user can access their smartphone and bring up the App. They can double click on the screen 28 at the present time and the boost button 68 will appear. As this turns the heat on to maximum for a fixed duration, the house will be heated for them arriving back early while not having the opportunity to be left on at the high temperature indefinitely as the time period is fixed.

A further embodiment of the display, referenced by numeral 3Db, is shown in Figure 2(c). This display is appropriate when the central heating system 12 is operated in zones, For example, zone A may represent the radiators used in the bedrooms; zone B those of the bathrooms; and zone C, the living areas. Strip 42a runs overnight from the day before and switches off early in the morning when the family arises, Strip 42b comes on in the late evening and continues overnight to the following day. Each strip 42b,c can be individually adjusted so that, for example, strip 42a could be extended if the family are on holiday and do not need to rise early for work and school. The temperatures 58a,58b could be adjusted if the weather is forecast to be particularly cold or become milder. Strip 42b could be brought forward if the children wish to spend time in their bedrooms for the evening, Similarly, the strips 42d-g can be independently adjusted to suit the variation in schedules of the family. Additional strips can be added to any zone if say, a cleaner is due to be in, Further a boost button can be applied at any time to any zone, so for example, if someone is expecting to go out for the evening, zone B could be boosted to provide a warm bathroom and hot water when they arrive home from work.

In a further embodiment, not illustrated, the interface processor 32 includes logic controls. These can provide alerts to the graphical user interface if it considers an incorrect setting has been made, for example, all zones except one has been switched off over a time period during a predicted holiday. Additionally, emails or text messages could be sent to the device if there is a sudden change in circumstances such as a power cut or malftmnction of the boiler.

The principle advantage of the present invention is that it provides a central heating control system in which a user can easily set time periods for operation of the central heating system which provides a facility to simplify their utility consumption management in a straightforward way and thus take more responsibility for resource usage.

A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a central heating control system which a user can adjust remotely from the property. By being able to adjust the system remotely, when a user discovers they will not be occupying the property they can turn the heating on later. This saves on resource usage in not heating the property when it is not occupied.

A yet further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a central heating control system which is controlled by an internet enabled device, This removes the requirement to go to the site of the heating control module to adjust the modes. As people now carry their mobile phones with them at all times, this further simplifies resource management and encourages the user to adjust the time period whenever they receive information on when the property will be occupied and needing to be heated.

A still further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a central heating control system in which multiple patterns of time periods and temperature settings can be made, all remotely from the property. This allows a letting agent or property -In I-., manager to remotely control heating of a property and adjust the heating immediately a premises is occupied or vacated.

It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be S made to the invention herein described without departing from the scope thereof For example, although the heating system has been described as controlled, the hot water could also be controlled via strips on the display. Additionally, while one internet enabled device is described, as the system operates from a web-site/App, any number of devices can be used allowing members of a family to individually set the controls and see what changes other members of the family have made. While a display is shown in the Figures, the layout and design of the display may differ without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims I. A central heating control system, comprising: a central heating system adapted to be powered using a resource; a control module in contact with the central heating system, the control module including switching means to turn the central heating system between on and off modes, a control processor for operating on the switching means, a transmitter for transmitting signals relating to the mode, and a receiver for receiving signals relating to the mode; and a graphical user interface adapted for display on a screen, the interface including an interface processor for operating on user inputs to the interface, a transmitter for transmitting signals relating to the mode, and a receiver for receiving signals relating to the mode and characterised in that: one or more strips are displayed on the screen relative to a clock, each strip indicating a time period when the central heating system is on with a first end being a switch on' time and a second end being a switch off' time; a user input is made by contact and dragging on either end of the strip which allows the strip to be expanded or contracted to increase or decrease the time period, respectively; and the time period is transmitted to the control module and acted on by the control processor to operate the switching means to thereby turn on and off the central heating system in accordance with the user input.

2. A central heating control system according to claim I wherein the graphical user interface is created on an internet enabled device.

3. A central heating control system according to claim 2 wherein the internet enabled device is selected from a group comprising: a smart phone, a tablet and a computer.

4. A central heating control system according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein access to the graphical user interface is via an App.

5. A central heating control system according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein access to the graphical user interface is via a web-site.

6. A central heating control system according to any preceding claim wherein additional strips are created on the display by contact on the screen.

7. A central heating control system according to any preceding claim wherein contact on the screen is made by touching the screen.

8. A central heating control system according to claim 7 wherein the screen is a touch screen.

9. A central heating control system according to any preceding claim wherein the control module includes setting means to adjust a temperature of the central heating system and signals relating to the temperature are transmitted and received between the control module and the graphical user interface.

10. A central heating control system according to claim 9 wherein the display shows the temperature of the heating system.

It. A central heating control system according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the graphical user interface includes adjustment means to provide a user input of a desired temperature for the heating system.

12. A central heating control system according to any preceding claim wherein the graphical user interface displays one or more signals from other transmitters.

13. A central heating control system according to claim 12 wherein the one or more signals are data collected from other web-site(s).

N. A central heating control system according to claim 12 or claim H wherein the one or more signals are data collected from other modules.

15. A central heating control system according to claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the signals display information selected from a group comprising: time of dawn, time of dusk, predicted outside temperature, current outside temperature, time period of lower tariff on the utility and public holidays.

6. A central heating control system according to any one of claims 2 to 15 wherein the graphical user interface displays one or more signals from other stored information on the internet enabled device.

L/. A central heating control system according to claim 16 wherein the signals display information selected from a group comprising: users holidays, users appointments, current air temperature in property, predicted air temperature in property; and previously stored time periods.

18. A central heating control system according to any preceding claim wherein the central heating system is divided into zones aiid wherein the control module and the graphical user interface are adapted to provide time periods with respective on and off modes to the zones individually.

19. A central heating control system according to any preceding claim wherein a further user input is included, the further user input being a contact on the screen at a desired time indicative of a boost setting, 20. A central heating control system according to claim 19 wherein the boost setting turns the heating on for a predetermined time period at a preselected temperature.