Abstract:
A humidifier having a field-replaceable water heating enclosure and a humidifier main unit configured to receive the field-replaceable water heating enclosure is provided. The field-replaceable water heating enclosure may include a water inlet, a water outlet, a water vapor outlet, and a resistive heating element. The humidifier main unit may be configured to provide water to the field-replaceable water heating enclosure via the water inlet when the field-replaceable water heating enclosure is received by the humidifier main unit. To facilitate this, the humidifier main unit may include a manifold structured to interface with the water inlet, the water outlet, and the water vapor outlet. The humidifier main unit also may be configured to provide electrical power to the resistive heating element of the field-replaceable water heating enclosure when the field-replaceable water heating enclosure is received by the humidifier main unit.
Abstract:
A water boiling chamber for a steam humidifier may include an enclosure having a water volume and scale collection surfaces that are exposed to water in the enclosure. The scale collection surfaces may have a scale collection surface area that is at least two times greater than a reference surface area, where the reference surface area is defined as the surface area of a sphere having a volume equal to the water volume of the enclosure. Scale collection surfaces may be part of the enclosure and project into an interior of the enclosure. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more scale collectors may be disposed within the enclosure. Methods for capturing scale in a steam humidifier are also described.
Abstract:
A humidifier having a field-replaceable water heating enclosure and a humidifier main unit configured to receive the field-replaceable water heating enclosure is provided. The field-replaceable water heating enclosure may include a water inlet, a water outlet, a water vapor outlet, and a resistive heating element. The humidifier main unit may be configured to provide water to the field-replaceable water heating enclosure via the water inlet when the field-replaceable water heating enclosure is received by the humidifier main unit. To facilitate this, the humidifier main unit may include a manifold structured to interface with the water inlet, the water outlet, and the water vapor outlet. The humidifier main unit also may be configured to provide electrical power to the resistive heating element of the field-replaceable water heating enclosure when the field-replaceable water heating enclosure is received by the humidifier main unit.
Abstract:
An HVAC controller includes a housing having an outer housing wall, a circuit board within the housing and a flexible circuit electrically coupled to the circuit board. The flexible circuit may provide a bias force toward a non-flexed state when flexed. A temperature sensor may be electrically coupled to the flexible circuit, which is mounted in a flexed configuration within the housing such that the bias force of the flexible circuit biases the temperature sensor against the outer housing wall.
Abstract:
A water boiling chamber for a steam humidifier may include an enclosure having a water volume and scale collection surfaces that are exposed to water in the enclosure. The scale collection surfaces may have a scale collection surface area that is at least two times greater than a reference surface area, where the reference surface area is defined as the surface area of a sphere having a volume equal to the water volume of the enclosure. Scale collection surfaces may be part of the enclosure and project into an interior of the enclosure. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more scale collectors may be disposed within the enclosure. Methods for capturing scale in a steam humidifier are also described.
Abstract:
An HVAC controller may be programmed using a mobile device having a touch screen display, a wireless port and a controller that is in operative communication with the touch screen display and the wireless port. The controller may establish communication with and download an application program code from the remote download server. The controller may establish a direct wireless connection between the wireless port of the mobile device and the wireless interface of the HVAC controller and execute the application program code, which provides one or more configuration screens on the touch screen display of the mobile device to enable the user to configure the HVAC controller via one or more configuration parameters, and then upload the one or more configuration parameters to the HVAC controller via the direct wireless connection between the wireless port of the mobile device and the wireless interface of the HVAC controller.
Abstract:
An illustrative damper system includes a damper blade that is configured to be positioned within a duct, such as a bypass duct of an HVAC system. A shaft is in communication with the damper blade, a torsion spring is in communication with the shaft, and a force adjustment mechanism is in communication with the torsion spring. The shaft, the damper blade, and the torsion spring may be configured such that the shaft may affect movement of the damper blade about a rotation axis and the torsion spring may provide a bias force to the shaft for biasing the damper blade toward a desired position (e.g. closed position).