Apparatus and method for fresh air cooling of a residence or building

Abstract

A system and method for transporting cool fresh outside air into an occupied quarters which has an interface member, input connectors, output connectors, switches, and a microcontroller controllably coupled to the plurality of switches. When the thermostat controller system is operating during a heating period, the switches are closed by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system controls the operation of the remote air-handling unit that heats air provided to an occupied quarters. When the thermostat controller system is operating during a cooling period, the switches are opened by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system no longer controls the operation of the remote air-handling unit when a temperature of outside air is at least less than a cooling set point. The microcontroller operates a remote fan to draw the outside air into the occupied quarters when the outdoor air temperature is less than the cooling set point.

Therefore, having thus described the invention, at least the following is claimed: 
     
         1 . A fresh air cooling and ventilator (FACV) system configured to controllably couple to a thermostat, wherein the thermostat has a thermostat controller system with a plurality of terminals that are coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of control wires that communicatively couple the thermostat to a remote air handling unit of a building, wherein the remote air handling unit receives outside air via a fresh air duct, and wherein the remote air handling unit provides conditioned air into an occupied quarters via a supply air duct that fluidly couples the remote air handling unit and the occupied quarters, the FACV system comprising:
 an interface member;   a plurality of input connectors on the interface member,
 wherein each one of the plurality of input connectors is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of terminals of the thermostat controller system, and 
 wherein each one of the plurality of terminals has a predefined function associated with control of the remote air-handling unit; 
   a plurality of output connectors disposed on the interface member,
 wherein each one of the plurality of output connectors is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of control wires; 
   a plurality of switches,
 wherein each one of the switches is connected between one of the plurality of input connectors and a corresponding one of the plurality of output connectors; and 
   a microcontroller controllably coupled to each one of the plurality of switches,   wherein in response to the thermostat controller system operating during a heating period, the plurality of switches are closed by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system controls an operation of the remote air-handling unit that heats air provided to the occupied quarters,
 wherein in response to the thermostat controller system operating during a fresh air cooling period, the plurality of switches are opened by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system no longer controls the operation of the remote air-handling unit, 
 wherein the microcontroller operates a remote whole-house fan during the fresh air cooling period to draw a portion of inside air from occupied quarters of the building into an attic of the building, and 
 wherein the microcontroller concurrently operates the remote fan during the fresh air cooling period with the remote whole-house fan to bring outside air into the occupied quarters via the fresh air duct and the supply air duct. 
   
     
     
         2 . The FACV system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a temperature of outside air is less than an indoor temperature during the fresh air cooling period.   
     
     
         3 . The FACV system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the remote fan is a furnace fan of the remote air handling unit.   
     
     
         4 . The FACV system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the remote fan is a fresh air intake fan that fluidly couples the fresh air duct with the remote air handling unit.   
     
     
         5 . The FACV system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the microcontroller concurrently operates a damper during the fresh air cooling period with the remote whole-house fan to open the damper to bring the outside air into the occupied quarters via the fresh air duct and the supply air duct.   
     
     
         6 . The FACV system of  claim 5 , wherein each one of the plurality of output connectors is coupled to the corresponding one of a plurality of remote air handling unit control wires that communicatively couple the thermostat to the remote air handling unit, and further comprising:
 a damper connector,   wherein the damper connector is controllably coupled to a wire connector of the damper.   
     
     
         7 . The FACV system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a first transceiver that is communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the first transceiver is communicatively coupled to a second transceiver that operates the damper.   
     
     
         8 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , wherein each one of the plurality of output connectors is coupled to the corresponding one of a plurality of remote air handling unit control wires that communicatively couple the thermostat to the remote air handling unit, and further comprising:
 a whole-house fan output connector,   wherein the whole-house fan output connector is controllably coupled to a wire connector of the remote whole-house fan.   
     
     
         9 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first transceiver that is communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the first transceiver is communicatively coupled to a second transceiver that operates the remote whole-house fan.   
     
     
         10 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , wherein each one of the plurality of output connectors is coupled to the corresponding one of a plurality of remote air handling unit control wires that communicatively couple the thermostat to the remote air handling unit, and further comprising:
 a remote fan output connector,   wherein the remote fan output connector is controllably coupled to a wire connector of the remote fan.   
     
     
         11 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first transceiver that is communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the first transceiver is communicatively coupled to a second transceiver that operates the remote fan.   
     
     
         12 . The FACV system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a temperature of outside air is at least less than a cooling set point during the fresh air cooling period.   
     
     
         13 . The FACV system of  claim 12 ,
 wherein the remote air-handling unit includes an air conditioning (A/C) unit that cools air provided to the occupied quarters,   wherein in response to the thermostat controller system operating during the fresh air cooling period, the plurality of switches are closed by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system controls the operation of the A/C unit in response to the temperature of outside air being greater than the cooling set point, and   wherein in response to the thermostat controller system operating during the fresh air cooling period, the plurality of switches are opened by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system no longer controls the operation of the air conditioning unit in response to the temperature of the outside air being at least less than the cooling set point.   
     
     
         14 . The FACV system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a touch screen display communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the cooling set point is specified by a user operating the touch screen display.   
     
     
         15 . The FACV system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a transceiver communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the transceiver is configured to communicatively couple to a smartphone having a touch screen display, and   wherein the cooling set point is specified by a user operating the touch screen display of the smartphone.   
     
     
         16 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a transceiver communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the transceiver is configured to communicatively couple to an outdoor sensor located outside that is configured to sense a temperature of the outside air, and   wherein information corresponding to the temperature of the outside air is being received at the transceiver in the FACV system.   
     
     
         17 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the temperature sensor provides temperature information corresponding to the temperature of the air in the occupied quarters, and   wherein the microcontroller does not operate the remote fan to draw cool outside air into the occupied quarters in response to the temperature of outside air being greater than the temperature of the air in the occupied space.   
     
     
         18 . The FACV system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 wherein a temperature sensor residing in the thermostat controller system is communicatively coupled to the microcontroller,   wherein the temperature sensor provides temperature information corresponding to the temperature of the air in the occupied quarters, and   wherein the microcontroller does not operate the remote fan to draw cool outside air into the occupied quarters in response to the temperature of outside air being greater than the temperature of the air in the occupied space.   
     
     
         19 . The FACV system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein w % ben a temperature of outside air is less than a temperature of the occupied quarters during at least the fresh air cooling period, the plurality of switches are opened by the microcontroller such that the thermostat controller system no longer controls the operation of an air conditioning unit.