User interfaces and controls for hvac system

Abstract

An air conditioning unit comprising an interface having a cylindrical body with a top and sides and including a display on the top of the interface; and a rotatable interface ring defining a peripheral sidewall of the interface, the interface ring providing for input via rotating of the interface ring in a clockwise direction and a counter-clockwise direction, wherein rotating the interface ring is configured to change a proposed target temperature for the air conditioning unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioning unit comprising:
 an interior unit disposed at a window within an indoor area of a building below a horizontal level of a sill of the window, the window separating the indoor area within the building and an exterior area external to the building, the interior unit comprising:
 a fan disposed behind a heat exchanger that is proximate to an external face of the interior unit; 
 an interface disposed on a top face of the interior unit, the interface having a cylindrical body with a top and sides and including:
 a circular display on the top of the interface that comprises:
 a first display arc, 
 a second display arc, and 
 a central display portion, 
 wherein the first display arc and second display arc define portions of the circumference of the same circle with the central display portion disposed within the circle, 
 wherein the first display arc and the second display arc are configured to indicate a mode of the air conditioning unit based on one or more color of the first display arc and the second display arc, including a heating mode, a cooling mode, a regulating mode, a normal mode and an eco mode, 
 wherein the central display portion is configured to present a current temperature of the indoor area of the building and a target temperature, 
 wherein an illuminated length of the first display arc represents a difference between the current temperature of the indoor area of the building and the target temperature, 
 wherein the air conditioning unit is configured to heat and cool the indoor area of the building via the heating mode and the cooling mode respectively and based on the target temperature set by a user via the interface, and 
 wherein the central display portion is configured to alternatingly display, the current temperature, the target temperature and a proposed target temperature, and 
 
 a rotatable interface ring defining a peripheral sidewall of the interface, the interface ring providing for input via rotating of the interface ring in a clockwise direction and a counter-clockwise direction and via pressing the interface ring downward toward the top face of the interior unit, wherein rotating of the interface ring in the clockwise direction increases the proposed target temperature and rotating of the interface ring in the counter-clockwise direction decreases the proposed target temperature and wherein pressing the interface ring downward toward the top face of the interior unit sets the proposed target temperature as a new target temperature; 
 
   an exterior unit disposed at the window in the exterior area below the horizontal level of the sill; and   a connector between the interior unit and the exterior unit that extends through the window and over the sill, the connector including: a circulation hose that extends through the window and over the sill to connect the exterior unit and the interior unit.   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1 , wherein the first display arc is an at least 270° arc that corresponds to a temperature range of at least 55° F. to 85° F. 
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1 , wherein locations along the first display arc correspond to specific temperatures within a range of temperatures without explicitly indicating to the user such correspondence. 
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1 , wherein the interface is without mode indicators aside from colors of the first and second display arcs. 
     
     
         5 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1 , wherein the interface ring lacks additional input modes aside from:
 rotating of the interface ring in the clockwise direction,   rotating of the interface ring in the counter-clockwise direction, and   via pressing the interface ring downward toward the top face of the interior unit.   
     
     
         6 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning unit lacks additional input modes aside from input modes provided by the interface. 
     
     
         7 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning unit lacks additional display outputs aside from the circular display of the interface. 
     
     
         8 . An air conditioning unit comprising:
 an interior unit that includes:
 an interface disposed on a top face of the interior unit, the interface having a cylindrical body with a top and sides and including:
 a circular display on the top of the interface that comprises:
 a first display arc, and 
 a central display portion, 
 wherein the first display arc defines a portion of a circumference of a circle with the central display portion disposed within the circle, 
 wherein the first display arc is configured to indicate a mode of the air conditioning unit based on one or more color of the first display arc, including a heating mode, a cooling mode and a regulating mode, 
 wherein the central display portion is configured to present a current temperature of a location and a target temperature, 
 wherein an illuminated length of the first display arc is configured to represent a difference between the current temperature of the location and the target temperature, 
 wherein the air conditioning unit is configured to heat and cool via the heating mode and the cooling mode respectively and based on the target temperature set by a user via the interface, and 
 wherein the central display portion is configured to alternatingly display, the current temperature, the target temperature and a proposed target temperature, and 
 
 a rotatable interface ring defining a peripheral sidewall of the interface, the interface ring providing for input via rotating of the interface ring in a clockwise direction and a counter-clockwise direction and via pressing the interface ring downward toward the top face of the interior unit, wherein rotating of the interface ring in the clockwise direction increases the proposed target temperature and rotating of the interface ring in the counter-clockwise direction decreases the proposed target temperature and wherein pressing the interface ring downward toward the top face of the interior unit sets the proposed target temperature as a new target temperature. 
 
   
     
     
         9 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 8 , wherein the interface ring lacks additional input modes aside from:
 rotating of the interface ring in the clockwise direction,   rotating of the interface ring in the counter-clockwise direction, and   via pressing the interface ring downward toward the top face of the interior unit.   
     
     
         10 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 8 , wherein the air conditioning unit lacks additional display outputs aside from the circular display of the interface. 
     
     
         11 . An air conditioning unit comprising:
 an interface having a cylindrical body with a top and sides and including:
 a display on the top of the interface; and 
 a rotatable interface ring defining a peripheral sidewall of the interface, the interface ring providing for input via rotating of the interface ring in a clockwise direction and a counter-clockwise direction, wherein rotating the of the interface ring is configured to change a proposed target temperature for the air conditioning unit. 
   
     
     
         12 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein the interface ring provides for further input via pressing the interface ring. 
     
     
         13 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein pressing the interface ring sets the proposed target temperature as a new target temperature. 
     
     
         14 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein the display comprises a first display arc. 
     
     
         15 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 14 , wherein the first display arc is configured to indicate a mode of the air conditioning unit based on one or more color of the first display arc, including a heating mode, a cooling mode and a regulating mode. 
     
     
         16 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 14 , wherein an illuminated length of the first display arc is configured to represent a difference between a current temperature of a location and a target temperature. 
     
     
         17 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein the display comprises a central display portion configured wherein the central display portion is configured to alternatingly display, a current temperature, a target temperature and the proposed target temperature. 
     
     
         18 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein the air conditioning unit is configured for at least one of:
 heating via a heating mode based on a target temperature set by a user via the interface; and   cooling via a cooling mode based on the target temperature set by the user via the interface.   
     
     
         19 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein the interface ring lacks additional input modes aside from:
 rotating of the interface ring in the clockwise direction,   rotating of the interface ring in the counter-clockwise direction, and   via pressing the interface ring downward.   
     
     
         20 . The air conditioning unit of  claim 11 , wherein the air conditioning unit lacks additional display outputs aside from the display of the interface.