Sleep enhancement in an hvac system

Abstract

Methods, controllers, and the like are disclosed that can include determining an occurrence of an event (where the occurrence of the event is determined by a controller of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and the HVAC system controls a temperature of air in an environment by controlling a setpoint temperature of conditioned air provided by the HVAC system to the environment). Such methods, controllers, and the like can further include, in response to a determination that the event has occurred, altering the temperature of the air in the environment by executing a sleep profile, where the sleep profile is executed by the controller and execution of the sleep profile adjusts the setpoint temperature as a function of time over a time period, such that the temperature of the air in the environment leads an occupant in the environment into a sleep state or a wakeful state.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 determining an occurrence of an event, wherein
 the occurrence of the event is determined by a controller of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and 
 the HVAC system controls a temperature of air in an environment by controlling a setpoint temperature of conditioned air provided by the HVAC system to the environment; and 
   in response to a determination that the event has occurred, altering the temperature of the air in the environment by executing a sleep profile, wherein
 the sleep profile is executed by the controller, and 
 execution of the sleep profile adjusts the setpoint temperature as a function of time over a time period, such that the temperature of the air in the environment leads an occupant in the environment into a sleep state or a wakeful state. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining the occurrence of the event comprises:
 receiving a signal at the controller, wherein
 the signal is received from a device communicatively coupled to the controller, and 
 the signal indicates detection of the event by the device. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein
 the determining is performed by a sleep onset determination module of the controller,   the event is a sleep onset event,   the signal is a sleep onset signal,   the device sends the sleep onset signal to the controller upon detection of the sleep onset event, and   the execution of the sleep profile is caused by the sleep onset determination module processing the sleep onset signal.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 performing a learning process, wherein
 the learning process comprises recording the sleep onset event as a recorded sleep onset event, and 
 the recorded sleep onset event is one of a plurality of recorded sleep onset events recorded as part of the learning process; and 
   updating a schedule, wherein
 the schedule is updated using a result of the learning process, and 
 the schedule is maintained by a scheduling module of the controller. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 detecting the sleep onset event, wherein
 the detecting the sleep onset event comprises
 receiving one or more environmental conditions of the environment from one or more sensors, and 
 determining occurrence of the sleep onset event based, at least in part, on the one or more environmental conditions. 
 
   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein
 the controller is a thermostat,   the HVAC system comprises the device and the thermostat,   the device is one of a plurality of devices, and   each of the plurality of devices monitors one or more environmental parameters by virtue of comprising one or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a thermal imaging sensor, a motion sensor, an occupancy detector, a humidity sensor, or a carbon dioxide sensor.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein
 the sleep onset event is determined based, at least in part, on a predetermined sleep schedule, and   the predetermined sleep schedule is based, at least in part, on a historical environmental sensor input.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the execution of the sleep profile adjusts the setpoint temperature such that the temperature of the air in the environment leads the occupant in the environment into the sleep state or the wakeful state by virtue of the sleep profile comprising
 a first portion, the first portion decreasing the temperature of the air in the environment in advance of an onset of a target sleep period for the occupant by decreasing the setpoint temperature prior to the onset of the target sleep period, and 
 a second portion, the second portion increasing the temperature of the air in the environment in advance of an end of the target sleep period for the occupant by increasing the setpoint temperature prior to the end of the target sleep period. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein
 the sleep profile further comprises
 a third portion, subsequent to the first portion and prior to the second portion, the third portion maintaining the temperature of the air in the environment by maintaining the setpoint temperature. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein
 the setpoint temperature is set to a base setpoint temperature prior to the execution of the sleep profile, and   the decreasing decreases the temperature of the air in the environment by decreasing the setpoint temperature, at an onset of the time period, from the base setpoint temperature to a lower setpoint temperature, over a first period of time comprising one or more temperature decreasing portions.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein
 the decreasing the setpoint temperature accelerates a rate of decrease in the setpoint temperature from a first rate of decrease during a first one of the one or more temperature decreasing portions to a second rate of decrease during a second one of the one or more temperature decreasing portions, and   the first one of the one or more temperature decreasing portions precedes the second one of the one or more temperature decreasing portions in the sleep profile.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein
 the setpoint temperature is set to a base setpoint temperature prior to the execution of the sleep profile, and   the increasing increases the temperature of the air in the environment by increasing the setpoint temperature from the lower setpoint temperature to the base setpoint temperature, over a second period of time comprising one or more temperature increasing portions.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein
 the increasing the setpoint temperature accelerates a rate of increase in the setpoint temperature from a first rate of increase during a first one of the one or more temperature increasing portions to a second rate of increase during a second one of the one or more temperature increasing portions, and   the first one of the one or more temperature increasing portions precedes the second one of the one or more temperature increasing portions in the sleep profile.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein
 the target sleep period comprises at least a portion of one of the one or more temperature decreasing portions, the third portion, and at least a portion of one of the one or more temperature increasing portions.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the sleep profile causes the temperature of the air in the environment to be adjusted in a manner that leads the occupant into the sleep state by virtue of the function emulating a change in a body temperature of a human being before, during, and after sleep.   
     
     
         16 . A controller comprising:
 one or more processors, wherein
 the controller is configured to control a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and 
 the HVAC system controls a temperature of air in an environment by controlling a setpoint temperature of conditioned air provided by the HVAC system to the environment; and 
   a computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors, comprising program instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, perform a method comprising
 determining an occurrence of an event, wherein
 the occurrence of the event is determined by the controller, and 
 
 in response to a determination that the event has occurred, altering the temperature of the air in the environment by executing a sleep profile, wherein
 the sleep profile is executed by the controller, and 
 execution of the sleep profile adjusts the setpoint temperature as a function of time over a time period, such that the temperature of the air in the environment leads an occupant in the environment into a sleep state or a wakeful state. 
 
   
     
     
         17 . The controller of  claim 16 , wherein the determining the occurrence of the event further comprises:
 receiving a signal at the controller, wherein
 the signal is received from a device communicatively coupled to the controller, 
 the signal indicates detection of the event by the device, 
 the determining is performed by a sleep onset determination module of the controller, 
 the event is a sleep onset event, 
 the signal is a sleep onset signal, 
 the device sends the sleep onset signal to the controller upon detection of the sleep onset event, and 
 the execution of the sleep profile is caused by the sleep onset determination module processing the sleep onset signal. 
   
     
     
         18 . The controller of  claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises:
 performing a learning process, wherein
 the learning process comprises recording the sleep onset event as a recorded sleep onset event, and 
 the recorded sleep onset event is one of a plurality of recorded sleep onset events recorded as part of the learning process. 
   updating a schedule, wherein the schedule is updated using a result of the learning process, and the schedule is maintained by a scheduling module of the controller.   
     
     
         19 . The controller of  claim 16 , wherein
 the execution of the sleep profile adjusts the setpoint temperature such that the temperature of the air in the environment leads the occupant in the environment into the sleep state or the wakeful state by virtue of the sleep profile comprising
 a first portion, the first portion decreasing the temperature of the air in the environment in advance of an onset of a target sleep period for the occupant by decreasing the setpoint temperature prior to the onset of the target sleep period, and 
 a second portion, the second portion increasing the temperature of the air in the environment in advance of an end of the target sleep period for the occupant by increasing the setpoint temperature prior to the end of the target sleep period. 
   
     
     
         20 . The controller of  claim 19 , wherein
 the sleep profile further comprises
 a third portion, subsequent to the first portion and prior to the second portion, the third portion maintaining the temperature of the air in the environment by maintaining the setpoint temperature.