PVT Solar, Inc. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20120295534 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF VENTILATION FOR A HEALTHY HOME CONFIGURED FOR EFFICIENT ENERGY USAGE AND CONSERVATION OF ENERGY RESOURCES - A method for providing a ventilation control compliant with an adopted ventilation standard for efficient energy usage and conservation of energy resources. The method includes operating a home energy system to generate solar energy within a daily active period and draw ambient fresh air, and setting a daily ventilation period as a fractional period of a day. The daily ventilation period is substantially coordinated with the daily active period during a heating/cooling period for the home. Additionally, the method includes determining a target volume in compliance with the adopted ventilation standard and determining a flow rate for delivering the fresh air during the daily ventilation period. Moreover, the method includes monitoring an accumulated total ventilation volume of the delivered fresh air until the accumulated total ventilation volume is within a vicinity of a target volume. | 11-22-2012 |
20120024343 | Method and Structure for a Cool Roof by Using a Plenum Structure - A method for providing a cool roof by processing fluid within a vicinity of a roof structure having a surface area includes transferring a volume of air with a selected flow rate through a plenum structure disposed underlying one or more solar modules and coupled to the roof structure spatially over a height above a portion of the surface area. Each of the one or more solar modules is coupled to each other. The plenum structure has at least an intake region and an exit region for the volume of air. The method additionally includes maintaining a roof temperature profile for the portion of the surface area starting from the intake region to the exit region for a predetermined amount of time using at least the flow rate of the volume of air being transported through the plenum structure. The roof temperature profile comprises a first temperature value substantially equal to an ambient air temperature at the intake region to a second temperature value in the vicinity of the exit region depending on the flow rate and substantially smaller than a temperature of bare roof structure outside the portion of the surface area. | 02-02-2012 |
20110257795 | THERMOSTAT METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION FOR EFFICIENT ENERGY USAGE AND CONSERVATION OF ENERGY RESOURCES - A system for controlling solar energy utilization for efficient energy usage and conservation of energy resources for providing space conditioning and home ventilation. The system includes a control module configured to operate a solar energy system for collecting a flow of fresh air for utilizing thermal energy converted by the solar energy system. Additionally, the system includes a thermostat module directly coupled with an HVAC system to for controlling a delivery of a conditioned airflow. The thermostat device couples wirelessly to the control module. Further, the system includes a graphic user interface operably communicating with the control module remotely via a network hub. The graphic user interface device is configured to set modes of operation for the thermostat module and configured to communicate with the thermostat module for transmitting control information, modes of operation, and temperature information of the building structure to the control module via a wireless transmission. | 10-20-2011 |
20110238223 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HEALTHY HOME ZONING CONTROL CONFIGURED FOR EFFICIENT ENERGY USE AND CONSERVATION OF ENERGY RESOURCES - A system provides space conditioning zone control in a building for efficient energy use and conservation of energy resources. The system includes an energy transfer module coupled to a solar thermal system to receive a first airflow and an auxiliary thermal module coupled to the energy transfer module for processing a return airflow to provide a conditioned airflow for one or more spatial zones. The system further includes a zone controller coupled directly to the auxiliary thermal module and a thermostat in each spatial zone for operating the auxiliary thermal module. Furthermore, the system includes a master control module wirelessly communicated with each thermostat and configured to operate the energy transfer module. The master control module initiates a transfer of the first airflow based upon a first setpoint before the zone controller initiates a generation and transfer of the conditioned airflow based upon a second setpoint. | 09-29-2011 |
20110209742 | Method and Structure for a Cool Roof by Using a Plenum Structure - A plenum structure for cooling both a roof and a solar module includes an upper surface comprising at least a portion of a bottom face of a solar module having a length and a width and an under surface comprising a top face of a pan structure disposed a first vertical spacing directly below the upper surface and a second vertical spacing above the roof. The plenum structure includes a first side face and a second side face respectively coupled to the upper surface and the under surface, a first end face and a second end face respectively coupled to upper surface, the under surface, the first side face, and the second side face to enclose a spatial volume defined by the length, the width, and the first vertical spacing. | 09-01-2011 |
20110120528 | ENERGY TRANSFER MODULE UTILIZING THERMAL POWER GENERATED BY SOLAR PANELS - An energy transfer module coupled to a thermal solar module includes a body having a first end member, a second end member, and four side members configured to enclose a first spatial region within a vicinity of the first end member and a second spatial region within a vicinity of the second end member. The first spatial region is in communication with the second spatial region. The module further includes one or more inlet openings provided at the first end member for inputting fluid flow from the thermal solar module. The module also includes an air filter disposed within the first spatial region to remove one or more impurities from the fluid flow. Additionally, the module includes a fan disposed between the first spatial region and the second spatial region to draw the fluid flow through the air filter. The fan is coupled to a drive motor. The module further includes a heat exchanger disposed in the first spatial region and an outlet provided on the second end member. Furthermore, the module includes an electrical source coupled to the fan. The electrical source is configured to power the drive motor to draw fluid flow through the heat exchanger. | 05-26-2011 |
20110005152 | STRUT RUNNER MEMBER AND ASSEMBLY USING SAME FOR MOUNTING ARRAYS ON ROOFTOPS AND OTHER STRUCTURES - A strut runner includes a member extending lengthwise in a first direction, where the member includes an underlying panel and one or more walls that extend from the panel. The member may be configured to at least partially support the panel array while being integrated or directly connected to the underlying structure. Additionally, the strut runner may include one or more peripheral extensions that extend a distance outward from the body. | 01-13-2011 |
20100245103 | HEALTHY HOME GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE METHOD AND DEVICE - A user display for a healthy home or like building structure. In a specific embodiment, the display includes a hardware housing and a display device coupled to the hardware housing. The display includes a plurality of graphical objects corresponding respectively to a plurality of different loads numbered from a through N, where N is an integer greater than 1. As an example, the loads can include, among others, air conditioning, water, heat, electricity, swimming pool, and others. In a specific embodiment, each of the graphical objects is displayed in a common unit of measurement. In a specific embodiment, each of the graphical objects comprises a total demand portion and a fraction of renewable energy portion. Of course, there can be other variations, modifications, and alternatives. | 09-30-2010 |
20100207951 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING OPERATION OF A SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEM - A novel method for monitoring the operation of a solar thermal system such as the healthy home system or the like. The present device includes a hardware housing with a processor device coupled to a bus and one or more memory devices. The processor device can be coupled to one or more input devices wherein the one or more input devices are coupled to at least the solar array. The input devices can be coupled to the electric panel, the space heater, the water heater, as well as other components of the healthy home. The method includes a variety of steps such as establishing connection to associated hardware in the healthy home system, running diagnostic checks to determine system health, validating acquired data, and displaying the data through text display and graphical illustrations. The method also includes updating the system information according to a schedule scheme such as a polling scheme, interrupt scheme, or others. These and possibly other steps can provide an easy and cost effective means of monitoring a healthy home's system operation. | 08-19-2010 |
20100170501 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A THERMAL SOLAR SYSTEM USING A REVERSE MOTOR CONFIGURATION - A solar energy system. The system includes a thermal solar system comprising a plurality of thermal modules spatially configured as an N by M array. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of thermal modules are configured to form an aperture region and a backside region. The system has an air moving device comprising a drive device coupled to a blower device. In a specific embodiment, the drive device is spatially disposed within a fluid drive region. The system has a controller operably coupled to the air moving device. The controller is configured to operate the blower device in a first direction to cause fluid flow from at least the fluid flow intake region to the fluid flow exit region and to maintain a temperature of no greater than about 200 Degrees Fahrenheit within the fluid drive region by at least changing the first direction of operation of the blower device to a second direction to cause fluid from a third region to flow into the fluid drive region to initiate removal of thermal energy from the fluid drive region, which prevents the drive device from overheating. | 07-08-2010 |
20100147347 | METHOD AND STRUCTURE FOR HYBRID THERMAL SOLAR MODULE - A solar module assembly and method. The assembly comprises a substantially transparent or semi-transparent surface provided on a first substrate member. The assembly includes an absorber material overlying a second substrate member. A spacing is provided between the semi-transparent surface of the first substrate and the second substrate, which has a first side and a second side. In a specific embodiment, the assembly has a fluid transport region disposed within a vicinity of either the first side or the second side of the second substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the assembly has a photovoltaic device configured from at least the absorber material to generate electrical energy and a thermal energy device configured from at least the absorber material to generate thermal energy using the a fluid provided in the fluid transport region. | 06-17-2010 |