GB2138967A

GB2138967A - Heating programmer

Info

Publication number: GB2138967A
Application number: GB08231260A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Constantine Michaelides; Dennis Walter Foscoe; David James Benson; Nigel Ordish
Original assignee: UNITED GAS IND PLC
Current assignee: UNITED GAS IND PLC
Priority date: 1982-11-02
Filing date: 1982-11-02
Publication date: 1984-10-31

Abstract

An electronic programmer has a liquid crystal display (90) showing present time and four set programme times. A micro-electronic logic circuit uses the displayed times to operate heating circuits. Rotary adjusters (108, 109) are manually operated to select desired hot water and room temperatures and provide inputs to the logic circuit. External temperature sensors (not shown) also provide inputs representing sensed temperatures to the logic circuit, and these are compared with the desired temperatures to determine whether or not heating is required. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Heating programmer This invention relates to heating programmers for controlling systems for heating room space and hot water.

The invention provides a heating programmer comprising timing means for determining when heating starts and stops, separate manually operable temperature selectors for selecting desired room space and hotwatertemperatures, and an electronic circuit for comparing the selected temperatures and signals from temperature sensors and for starting the appropriate heating system when an actual sensed temperature is less than the corresponding selected temperature.

The programmer preferably has a housing, on a front surface of which are displayed the times at which heating starts and stops and the manually operable temperature selectors. The temperature selectors may be rotatable edge adjusters or slider switches.

Specific embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a first electronic programmer, and Figure 2 is a front view of a second electronic programmer.

Figure 1 shows a form of electronic programmer in which a liquid crystal display (90) has a vertical row of present time and four set programme times, two relating to ON times and two to OFF times. A programme is selected using a single row of four push buttons (91,92,93,94) one adjacent each of the four programme times. When button (91) is depressed a programmer circuit (not shown) is actuated to turn the system on at the first set time, when button (92) is depressed the programmer circuit is actuated to turn the system off at the second set time, and so on. Any selection of buttons may be so chosen. Each button which has been operated remains depressed so providing a visual indication of what programme is set up. When pressed again, each depressed button pops up.

Times button (95) and set button (96) are for changing the displayed times. When times button (95) is repeatedly pressed, each displayed time in turn starts flashing. The time which is currently flashing can be adjusted by pressing set button (96).

Over-ride buttons (98, 99) operate to over-ride the hot water and central heating systems respectively at any desired time.

At the right hand side of the programmer is a vertical row of push buttons which provide further manual control of the programme in conjunction with the buttons (91,92,93,94). When the top button (101) is pressed the programmer circuit is instructed to maintain both hot water and central heating systems off at all times. When the next below button (102) is pressed the central heating system is off at all times, the hot water system being on at all times.

When the next below button (103) is pressed the central heating is off at all times and the hot water system operates according to the programme times set in to buttons (91,92,93,94). When the next below button (104) is pressed both hot water and central heating systems operate continuously. When the next below button (105) is pressed both hot water and central heating systems operate the programme times set in to buttons (91,92,93,94).

When the bottom button (106) is pressed the central heating system operates on the programme times set in to buttons (91,92,93,94) and the hot water operates continuously.

With this arrangement, although only one set of programme times is set in using the single set of buttons (91,92,93,94), it is possible for the programmer circuit to provide a limited number of different options for hot water and central heating by selection of one of the buttons (101) to (106). These buttons are of the press to operate, press to release kind where the operated button remains depressed until released by depressing another button.

In other arrangements the buttons (101)to (106) may provide different options.

The programmer circuit, which may be a microelectronic logic circuit, also has inputs (not shown) from two electronic temperature sensors, one sensing room temperature and the other the hot water temperature. Rotary adjusters (108,109) are used to set manually desired temperatures for the hot water and the room space, and these settings are used by the programmer circuit to compare with the sensed temperatures and thereby to determine whether or not the water or room space requires heating. Lights (110, 111) indicate when the respective system is being heated. It will be seen that no intermediate equipment is needed, the temperature sensors feeding their signals directly into the programmer.

Figure 2 shows another form of electronic programmer having a liquid crystal display (113) showing present time and four programme times in a vertical row as in Figure 1. Select time button (114) and set time button (115) perform the same functions as buttons (95) and (96) of Figure 1. Adjacent the displayed times is a vertical row of four slider switches (116, 117, 118, 119) each switch relating to one of the four programme times. In a similar manner to push buttons (91 - 94) of Figure 1, horizontal sliding operation of the slider switches to on or off positions determines which of the programme times is used by the programmer circuit in its operations.

Press buttons (120,121,122,123,124,125) select subsidiary programme options for the circuit to carry out, comprising respectively water off, heating off; water timed, heating off; water constant, heating off; water timed, heating timed; water constant, heating timed; and water constant, heating constant.

Beside the liquid crystal display (113) are two vertical slider switches (130,131). Each oftheslider switches is marked with a temperature scale, one relating to room space temperature and the other to hot water temperatures. Manual positioning of each slider switch determines a selected temperature for each system. Further connections (not shown) bring signals from electronic temperature sensors (e.g.

thermistors) directly into the programmer. The programmer circuit then compares the actual tempera ture with the selected temperature and actuates the appropriate heating system if necessary.

An alternative arrangement has an electronic programmer incorporating a room thermostat only, to suit particular arrangements of heating systems.

Yet another alternative has an electronic programmer with two room thermostats for zone control of a household or large area so that different temperatures can be selected for each zone.

Claims

1. A heating programmer comprising timing means for determining when heating starts and stops, separate, manually operable, temperature selectors for selecting desired room space and hot water temperatures, and an electronic circuit for comparing the selected temperatures and signals from temperature sensors, and for starting the appropriate heating system when said comparison indicates that an actual sensed temperature is lower than the corresponding selected temperature.

2. A programmer as claimed in claim 1, having a housing on a front surface of which are displayed the times at which heating starts and stops and the manually operable temperature selectors.

3. A programmer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the temperature selectors are a pair of rotatable edge adjusters protruding from an edge of said front surface.

4. A programmer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the temperature selectors are a pair of slider switches.

5. A programmer as claimed in claim 3, wherein there is a light associated with each adjuster indicating when the appropriate heating system is operating.

6. A programmer as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, wherein said times are displayed on a liquid crystal.

7. A programmer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, inluding a micro-electronic logic circuit which responds to the selected temperatures and the said temperature signals and actuates the appropriate heating system accordingly.

8. A heating programmer substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to Figure 1 orto Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.