Systems and Methods for Modulation Based on Carbon Monoxide Sensor Data

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 63/721,967, filed Nov. 18, 2024, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally in the field of heating appliances.

BACKGROUND

A heating appliance may generally refer to any system that is used to provide heat to a conditioned space, such as a residential home or a commercial establishment. For example, a heating appliance may use thermal transfer from a heat exchanger to produce warm air that is then distributed to the conditioned space. However, a heating appliance may provide heat to the conditioned space using other mechanisms as well. Non-limiting examples of such heating appliances may include gas furnaces, heat pumps, etc. These heating appliances often use a combustion process to produce the heated air that is then distributed to the conditioned space. However, a byproduct of this process may be carbon monoxide production within the heating appliance and excess carbon monoxide production may be undesirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-2B depict exemplary heating appliances, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3-4 depict flow diagrams for modulation based on carbon monoxide sensor data, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary control loop, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-18 depict various exemplary sensor housings, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 19 depicts a method for controlling a redundant refrigeration system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 20 depicts a computing device, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for modulation based on carbon monoxide sensor data. Specifically, a sensor (such as sensor 620 or any other sensor described herein or otherwise) may be provided in a heating appliance and the sensor may be used to continuously or periodically measure the carbon monoxide levels within the heating appliance. For example, the sensor may perform the sensor measurements using flue gases produced as a byproduct of the combustion process of the heating appliance (however, the sensor may also obtain carbon monoxide samples in any other manner). The data may be provided to a controller of the heating appliance, and the controller may compare the data to a threshold value to determine if the carbon monoxide levels in the heating appliance are satisfactory (additional details about this comparison are described with respect to at least FIGS. 2-4).

If the controller determines that the data fails to satisfy the threshold value (for example, the carbon monoxide levels are greater than or greater than or equal to the threshold value), the controller may initiate a change in the operation of the heating appliance to attempt to reduce the carbon monoxide levels. If the controller determines that the data satisfies the threshold value (for example, the carbon monoxide levels are less than or less than or equal to the threshold value), then no action may be required, and the heating appliance may proceed to operate normally.

As an example of an action that may be taken to reduce the carbon monoxide levels, the controller may initially increase the induced draft motor speed. This increase may be any amount. In some cases, the increase may depend on the input of the heating and/or cooling appliance. For example, one change may be 50 RPMs and another change may be 75-100 RPMs. If, based on subsequent data received from the sensor, the controller determines that the carbon monoxide level has decreased, the controller may continue to increase the inducer speed to the point that the carbon monoxide levels are below the designated threshold level. If, however, the controller determines that the carbon monoxide levels increase after the induced draft motor speed is increased, the controller may reduce the induced draft motor speed. Once the heating appliance is at a steady state condition, the controller may modulate the heating appliance so that the carbon monoxide levels fall below the threshold level. Another example of an action that may be taken is adjusting a gas valve of the heating appliance.

If the carbon monoxide levels in the heating appliance do not reduce below the threshold value in an allotted time, then the controller may disable the heating appliance for a period of time to ensure the carbon monoxide levels do not continue to increase. The controller may re-activate the heating appliance after the period of time has elapsed. This process may be performed in an indefinite loop to ensure the occupied space of the heating appliance maintains a desired temperature while simultaneously ensuring that the carbon monoxide production of the heating appliance is maintained at a satisfactory level.

There are different options when the heating appliance enters subsequent heating cycles. As a first option, after each heating cycle, the controller may return the induced blower speed and/or gas valve setpoint to an initial speed. As a second option, if the induced blower speed and/or gas valve pressure has changed from the previous heating cycle of the heating appliance, then the controller may update the values so that the next heating cycle starts at the previous inducer blower speed and/or gas valve pressure value. Other approaches may also be used.

The system leverages the positive and negative pressures of the heating appliance to provide a carbon monoxide sample to the sensor. Heating appliances use an induced draft blower for removing flue gases from the heat exchanger. By repurposing this existing system, the positive and negative pressure may be leveraged to act like a pump that forces the carbon monoxide sample to the sensor. Specifically, the sensor may be disposed within a sensor housing (various examples of different housing configurations are shown in FIGS. 5A-18 and are described in further detail below) that includes an inlet and an outlet (while reference is made to one inlet and one outlet, this is merely for exemplary purposes and the sensor housing may also include multiple inlets and/or outlets). The inlet may be connected to a portion of the heating appliance that is associated with a positive pressure and the outlet may be connected to a portion of the heating appliance that is associated with a negative pressure. The differential between the positive pressure at the inlet and the negative pressure at the outlet causes the flue gases from the heating appliance to flow through the sensor housing such that the sensor may then obtain the carbon monoxide measurements from the flue gases. However, it should be noted that while reference is made to the use of both the positive and negative pressures, in some instances, only the positive or only the negative pressures may be used.

The sensor housing may be configured to slow the flow of the flue gases and reduce the heat of the flue gases such that the sensor is able to take more effective carbon monoxide measurements. For example, as shown in at least FIGS. 9-18, the sensor housing may include one or more internal walls that separate the interior of the sensor housing into multiple regions. The walls may include apertures that allow for the flue gases to flow through each of the various regions as the flue gases flow from the inlet, through the sensor housing, and into the outlet.

Additionally, the sensor housing may be disposed outside of the flue of the heating appliance. This specific sensor housing placement further decreases the risk of overheating the sensor or introducing moisture into the sensor given that the sensor is positioned away from the potential source of heat and moisture.

During the operation of the heating appliance and the flow of flue gases through the sensor housing, it is possible that moisture may accumulate within the sensor housing. This moisture accumulation would be undesirable given that the moisture may potentially damage or otherwise impact the function of the sensor. Accordingly, the sensor housing may be configured to drain any moisture from the sensor housing. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11-18, the outlet of the sensor housing may be located on the bottom surface of the sensor housing. Any moisture that is accumulated naturally falls to the bottom surface of the sensor housing. Positioning the outlet on the bottom surface thereby allows the moisture to naturally drain from the sensor housing. In some instances, the outlet may also be in fluid communication with a condensate trap, a collection box, or other component that receives any type of moisture produced within the heating appliance. The sensor housing may also be further configured in other ways to direct the moisture into the outlet. For example, as shown in FIGS. 12-13 and 15, the bottom surface of the sensor housing may be slanted towards the outlet. Furthermore, the walls provided in the interior of the sensor housing described above may also serve the dual purpose of preventing the moisture from reaching the sensor by keeping the moisture within one or more regions that are separate from the region in which the sensor is disposed.

While reference is made herein to carbon monoxide measurements and performing actions based on carbon monoxide measurements, the systems and methods described herein may also be applied to measurements for any other types of fluids (including any types of gases and/or liquids). Likewise, reference is made throughout herein to measurements performed using “flue gases,” however, this is also not intended to be limiting and the measurements may also be performed using other types of fluids as well. Additionally, any reference to a “heating appliance” herein is merely for exemplary purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the systems and methods. For example, the approach described herein may also be applicable to systems that are used to cool a space as well. Furthermore, the systems and methods may be applicable in both commercial and residential settings.

Turning to the figures, FIGS. 1A-1B depict an exemplary conventional heating appliance. In particular, the heating appliance illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B is a gas, forced-air furnace 10. However, as indicated above, the description of a gas furnace is merely exemplary and any other heating appliance may also be applicable. Additionally, the specific configuration of the furnace 10 shown in FIGS. 1A-1B is merely one example of a gas furnace 10 and other configurations may also be possible.

In general, furnace 10, which is shown here in an upflow configuration but may also be used in horizontal and downflow configurations, comprises a housing 12 with a cross-section of a generally rectangular shape having upper and lower ends to which supply and return air ductwork (not illustrated) is operatively connected. A vertical wall 14 extends within housing 12 to define a supply plenum and a burner chamber 16. A heat exchanger assembly 18 is positioned within the supply plenum. Similarly, a horizontal wall 20 extends within housing 12 to define a blower chamber 22 which also serves as an inlet plenum. Housing 12 may comprise upper and lower doors 24, 26, which respectively open to burner chamber 16 and blower chamber 22.

Heat exchanger assembly 18 comprises a plurality of combustor tubes 28 which are horizontally spaced apart and vertically serpentine. Combustor tubes 28 are secured at their inlet ends to an upper portion of vertical wall 14. The outlet ends of combustor tubes 28 are connected to a transition box 30, which is positioned in a lower portion of the supply plenum. A collector box 32 is mounted on vertical wall 14 in generally horizontal facing relationship with transition box 30, and a secondary heat exchanger (which may be of the condenser type) extends therebetween. An outlet 34 of collector box 32 is in fluid communication with an inlet of a draft inducer fan 36, which is disposed in burner chamber 16. Draft inducer fan 36 (the “inducer” or “blower”) has an outlet 38 connectable to an exterior vent stack (not illustrated). Additional information regarding the operation of heat exchangers in gas, forced air furnaces is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,933, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

A burner assembly 40 is supported by fasteners to vertical wall 14 in the upper portion of burner chamber 16. In furnace 10, burner assembly 40 comprises a plurality of “in-shot” type gas burners which are supplied with hydrocarbon fuel (such as natural gas) through fuel supply piping 41 coupled to a supply manifold 42. A gas valve 44, which may be a DC milliamp, constant current control type gas valve, is coupled along the fuel supply piping upstream of manifold 42. The gas burners are spaced outwardly apart from, and face, the open inlet ends of associated combustor tubes 28. As is well known, the gas burners are operative during firing of furnace 10 to flow flames and hot combustion gases into the inlet ends of combustor tubes 28.

Further, a blower assembly 46 for forcing supply air across heat exchanger assembly 18 is secured in blower chamber 22 below horizontal wall 20. An outlet 48 of blower assembly 46 may be coupled with an opening 50 defined in horizontal wall 20 beneath heat exchanger assembly 18. Blower assembly 46 may comprise a variable-speed electronically commutated motor, which may facilitate two-stage operation. Finally, a control board assembly 52 may be disposed in front of blower assembly 46 in blower chamber 22. Control board assembly 52 includes control electronics to control the operation and various components of furnace 10, as is well known. A wiring harness may extend between blower chamber 22 and burner chamber 16, provides electronic communication between the control circuitry of control board assembly 52 (which may be the same as a “controller” described herein) and the various components of furnace 10.

In operation, upon a demand for heat from furnace 10 by a thermostat (not illustrated) located in the space to be heated and in electronic communication with control board assembly 52, the burners of burner assembly 40 and the draft inducer fan 36 are energized. Flames and resulting combustion products from the burners are directed into the open inlet ends of combustor tubes 28, and the combustion products are drawn through the heat exchanger assembly 18 by the operation of draft inducer fan 36. In particular, the received combustion products are drawn sequentially through serpentine primary combustor tubes 28, transition box 30, the secondary heat exchanger, and collector box 32. Combustion products entering the draft inducer fan 36 from collector box 32 are discharged from fan 36 into the associated vent stack.

At the same time, blower assembly 46 draws return air from the conditioned space served by furnace 10 upwardly through return ductwork connected to an opening in the bottom of housing 12 and into blower chamber 22. Air entering chamber 22 enters the inlet of blower assembly 46 and is forced upwardly through opening 50 in horizontal wall 20 and then externally across heat exchanger assembly 18. As it traverses heat exchanger assembly 18, the air receives combustion heat from heat exchanger assembly 18. The heated air then exits housing 12 into supply ductwork for delivery to the conditioned space served by furnace 10.

FIGS. 2A-2B show an interior of another exemplary heating appliance 200 including a sensor provided within a sensor housing as described herein. Although reference is made throughout herein to a single sensor, this is not intended to be limiting and multiple sensors may also be used in some embodiments. The sensors may also be disposed at any number of different combinations of locations within and outside of the heating appliance 200 (or any other heating appliance).

FIGS. 2A-2B specifically illustrate an exemplary placement of a sensor housing 202 (in which the sensor (not visible in FIGS. 2A-2B) may be disposed), as well inlet 204 and outlet 206 that are used to route flue gases through the sensor housing 202 such that the sensor within the sensor housing 202 may obtain carbon monoxide measurements from the flue gases. It should be noted that FIGS. 2A-2B only illustrate one exemplary configuration and any other configuration may also be used. For example, the sensor housing 202 may also be provided at any other location within or outside of the heating appliance 200. The sensor housing 202 may also be any other size and/or shape (for example, the sensor housing 202 may be configured as any of the other housing configurations shown in FIGS. 6A-19). Additionally, the inlet and outlet may also be connected to any other portion of the heating appliance 200 and may be routed through the heating appliance 200 in any other suitable manner. Furthermore, multiple inlet(s) and/or outlet(s) may also be provided in some embodiments.

As indicated above, the heating appliance 200 may leverage the positive and negative pressures that are produced within the heating appliance 200 (for example, the positive and negative pressures produced by the inducer) to direct the flow of the flue gases into, through, and out of the sensor housing 202. Specifically, the inlet 204 may include a first end 208 that is connected to the sensor housing 202 and a second end 210 that is connected to a portion of the heating appliance 200 in which a positive pressure exists. Likewise, the outlet 206 may include a first end 212 that is connected to the sensor housing 202 and a second end 214 that is connected to a portion of the heating appliance in which a negative pressure exists. The differential between the positive pressure at the inlet 204 and the negative pressure at the outlet 206 causes the sample to be drawn into the inlet 204, flow through the inlet 204 into the sensor housing 202, through the sensor housing 202 into the outlet 206, and through and out of the outlet 206 back into the heating appliance 200.

FIGS. 2A-2B also show that the heating appliance 200 includes a controller 240. The controller 240 may be configured to perform any of the processing associated with the operation of the heating appliance 200 based on sensor readings from the sensor provided in the sensor housing 202. For example, the controller 240 may obtain the data from the sensor and may process the data in any manner described herein or otherwise (such as comparing the carbon monoxide levels indicated by the data to threshold values or any other types of processing). The controller 240 may then, based on the data, enact a change in the heating appliance 200, such as adjusting a speed of the inducer 220 or adjusting a gas pressure by adjusting a gas valve of the heating appliance 200. The controller 240 may also enact any other type of change as well.

Although FIGS. 2A-2B show the controller 240 as being separate from the heating appliance 200, the controller 240 may be provided within or on the heating appliance 200. The controller 240 may also be located remotely from the heating appliance 200. In some instances, multiple controllers 240 may be provided. In such instances, all of the controllers may be provided within or on the heating appliance, may be located remotely from the heating appliance 200, or may be a combination of the local and remote controllers.

Additionally, the controller 240 may be configured to communicate (through any suitable wired or wireless communication protocol) with another device such that a user may control operation of the heating appliance 240 via the device and/or may view information about the operation of the heating appliance 200. For example, the device may be a smartphone, laptop or desktop computer, tablet, and/or any other type of device. The device may have an application that presents a user interface to the user. The user interface may present any information about the heating appliance 200, such as the carbon monoxide data captured by the sensor, an alarm when the controller 240 determines that the carbon monoxide levels fail to satisfy the threshold value, and/or any other types of information. The user may also provide control instructions to the controller 240 via the device, such as instructions for the controller 240 to increase or decrease the inducer speed, adjust the gas valve, activate or de-activate the heating appliance 200, etc.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the heating appliance 200 may also include any other known components of any type of heating appliance and the configuration shown in FIGS. 2A-2B is merely shown for illustrative purposes.

FIGS. 3-4 depict flow diagrams 300 and 400 for modulation based on carbon monoxide sensor data. The operations shown in the flow diagrams 300 and 400 may be performed in any other order and also may include fewer or additional operations as well. The operations of the flow diagrams 300 and 400 may be performed by a controller (for example, controller 240 or any other controller described herein or otherwise). It should be noted that the flow diagrams 300 and 400 are merely exemplary and the process may also include fewer or greater steps or the steps may be performed in any other order.

Beginning with FIG. 3, the flow diagram 300 begins with operation 302 which involves receiving sensor data from a sensor. For example, the data may be carbon monoxide data that is obtained by a sensor (such as sensor 620 or any other sensor described herein or otherwise). The sensor may either continuously or periodically measure the carbon monoxide levels. Additionally, while reference is made to receiving data from a single sensor, this is merely for exemplification purposes and data may also be received from multiple sensors as well.

As the data is received from the sensor, the controller may compare the data to a threshold value. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the threshold value is 150 ppm, however, any other threshold value may also be used. Condition 304 may involve determining if the data fails to satisfy a threshold value. The use of the terms “satisfies” and “fails to satisfy” with respect to a threshold as described herein may generally refer to a temperature being greater than or equal to, greater than, less than or equal to, or less than the threshold depending on the particular threshold that is used as the point of comparison. In the example shown in flow diagram 300, “satisfying” the threshold may refer to the data being less than the threshold value and “failing to satisfy” the threshold value may refer to the data being greater than the threshold. This is because it is undesirable for the carbon monoxide levels within the heating appliance to be above the threshold value. However, this is not intended to be limiting, and satisfying the threshold may refer to the data being greater than or equal to the threshold value and/or failing to satisfy the threshold may refer to the data being greater than or equal to the threshold.

If condition 304 is not met (that is, the data satisfies the threshold value), then operation 306 involves the controller not making any changes to the operation of the heating appliance (e.g., maintaining the speed of the inducer, the gas valve pressure, etc.). The flow diagram 300 then returns to operation 302 and continues to receive and process data from the sensor.

If, however, condition 304 is met (that is, the data fails to satisfy the threshold value), then operation 308 involves the controller enacting a change within the heating appliance, such as increasing the speed of the inducer and/or decreasing the pressure of the gas valve (other types of changes may also be enacted in an attempt to decrease the carbon monoxide levels).

Following operation 308, condition 310 may involve determining if the carbon monoxide levels are decreasing. For example, this determination may be made using additional sensor data from the sensor that is used to perform the initial carbon monoxide measurements associated with operation 302. If it is determined that condition 310 is satisfied (the carbon monoxide levels are decreasing), then operation 314 involves maintaining the prior change or further progressing the change (for example, maintaining the increased inducer speed and/or decreasing the gas pressure or further increasing these parameters, etc.). However, if condition 310 is not satisfied (that is, the carbon monoxide levels are either increasing or staying the same after operation 308 is performed), then operation 312 involves decreasing the inducer speed and/or gas pressure (or enacting a different change). That is, if the initial change enacted in operation 308 is unsuccessful in reducing the carbon monoxide levels, the opposite change is attempted to reduce the carbon monoxide levels.

Following either operation 312 or operation 314, condition 316 (similar to condition 304) involves again determining if the carbon monoxide levels fail to satisfy the threshold value. As indicated above, the particular threshold shown in the figure is 150 ppm, however, this threshold is merely exemplary and any other threshold may be used. If condition 316 is not satisfied (meaning the carbon monoxide levels have fallen below the threshold value), then the flow diagram returns back to operation 302.

If condition 316 is satisfied, then condition 318 involves determining if an allotted amount of time has elapsed since condition 304 was met and operation 308 was enacted. If condition 318 is met, then operation 320 involves disabling the unit for a period of time. That is, if the carbon monoxide levels are unable to be lowered below the threshold value in the allotted time, then the heating appliance may be disabled to prevent further production of carbon monoxide by the heating appliance to then allow the carbon monoxide levels to reduce as the heating appliance is disabled. Once the allotted time has elapsed, then the controller may activate the heating appliance again and the flow diagram 300 may iterate to determine if the carbon monoxide levels have reduced below the threshold value.

The allotted time may be based on the specific value of the carbon monoxide data. For example, if the value is 500 or above, the allotted time may be 15 minutes, if the value is between 400 and 499, the allotted time may be 30 minutes, if the value is between 300 and 399, the allotted time may be 40 minutes, if the value is between 200 and 299, the allotted time may be 50 minutes, and if the value is between 150-199, then the allotted time may be 60 minutes. These value ranges and corresponding allotted times are merely exemplary and other ranges and corresponding allotted times may also be used.

However, if condition 318 is not met, then the flow diagram 300 returns to operation 310 and data is again received and processed to determine if the carbon monoxide levels are decreasing. This process is iterated until the carbon monoxide levels drop below the threshold value or the heating appliance is disabled in operation 320.

Turning to FIG. 4, the flow diagram 400 includes two sub-flow diagrams (sub-flow diagram 402 and sub-flow diagram 410). The two sub-flow diagrams relate to “low stage” operation (for example, operation of the heating appliance at a low firing rate, such as 50-75% (however, a “low” firing rate may generally refer to any firing rate below 100%) and “high stage” operation (for example operation of the heating appliance at a high firing rate, such as 100%). The flow diagram 400 may be applicable in heating appliances in which the inducer speed is unable to be modulated or the gas valve is unable to be more incrementally modulated. The flow diagram 400, however, may also be applicable in heating appliances in which the inducer speed is able to be modulated or the gas valve is able to be incrementally modulated, but a change from one firing rate to another is sufficient to reduce the carbon monoxide levels below the threshold value.

Beginning with the sub-flow diagram 402, operation 404 involves receiving data from a sensor. For example, the data may be carbon monoxide data that is obtained from a sensor configured to obtain such carbon monoxide data (such as sensor 620 or any other sensor described herein or otherwise). The data may be received continuously from the sensor or may be obtained periodically. Additionally, while reference is made to receiving data from a single sensor, this is merely for exemplification purposes and data may also be received from multiple sensors as well.

Similar to the flow diagram 200, as the data is received from the sensor, the controller may compare the data to a threshold value. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the threshold value is 150 ppm, however, any other threshold value may also be used. Condition 404 may involve determining if the data fails to satisfy a threshold value. The use of the terms “satisfies” and “fails to satisfy” with respect to a threshold as described herein may may generally refer to a temperature being greater than or equal to, greater than, less than or equal to, or less than the threshold depending on the particular threshold that is used as the point of comparison. In the example shown in flow diagram 400, “satisfying” the threshold may refer to the data being less than the threshold value and “failing to satisfy” the threshold value may refer to the data being greater than the threshold. However, as with the flow diagram 200, this is not intended to be limiting, and satisfying the threshold may refer to the data being greater than or equal to the threshold value or failing to satisfy the threshold may refer to the data being greater than or equal to the threshold.

If condition 404 is met (that is, if the data fails to satisfy the threshold value), then the sub-flow diagram 402 proceeds to condition 406. If condition 404 is not met (that is, if the data satisfies the threshold value), then the flow diagram returns to operation 404 and the sub-flow diagram 402 iterates until condition 404 is met.

Condition 406 involves determining if the current firing rate of the heating appliance is an initial firing rate or a corrected firing rate. If the firing rate is the initial firing rate, then the flow diagram 400 proceeds to operation 412 of the sub-flow diagram 410. That is, the heating appliance is transitioned to the high firing rate. However, if the firing rate is a corrected firing rate, then the sub-flow diagram 402 proceeds to operation 408. Operation 408 involves disabling the unit for a given period of time. The sub-flow diagram 402 then returns to operation 404.

Turning to sub-flow diagram 410, operation 412, similar to operation 404, also involves receiving data from a sensor. Similar to sub-flow diagram 402, as the data is received from the sensor, the controller may compare the data to a threshold value. That is, condition 414 may also involve determining if the data fails to satisfy a threshold value. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the threshold value is 150 ppm, however, any other threshold value may also be used. If condition 414 is met (that is, if the data fails to satisfy the threshold value), then the sub-flow diagram 410 proceeds to condition 416. If condition 414 is not met (that is, if the data satisfies the threshold value), then the flow diagram returns to operation 414 and the sub-flow diagram 410 iterates until condition 414 is met.

Similar to condition 406, condition 416 involves determining if the current firing rate of the heating appliance is an initial firing rate or a corrected firing rate. If the firing rate is the initial firing rate, then the flow diagram 400 proceeds to operation 404 of the sub-flow diagram 402. That is, the heating appliance is transitioned to the low firing rate. However, if the firing rate is a corrected firing rate, then the sub-flow diagram 410 proceeds to operation 418. Operation 418 involves disabling the unit for a given period of time. The sub-flow diagram 410 then returns to operation 412.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary control loop 500 for modulation based on carbon monoxide sensor data. The control loop begins with inputs (a first input 502 that is the target carbon monoxide value and a second input 503 that is the actual carbon monoxide value 503) being received. The second input 503 is subtracted from the first input 502 to produce a first output 505. The first output 505 is the difference between the target value and the actual value. This first output 505 is then fed into a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loop 506, which produces a second output 508. The second output 508 is the change that is to be enacted within the heating appliance to correct for the difference between the target value and the actual value. For example, the change may be a change in inducer speed, a change in the gas valve, and/or any other type of change described herein or otherwise that may reduce the carbon monoxide level in the heating appliance. The resulting carbon monoxide values may then be obtained by the sensor 510 and fed back to the beginning of the control loop 500 to be subtracted from the first input 502 (the target value). This process may iterate any number of times.

FIGS. 6A-19 depict various exemplary sensor housings. Beginning with FIGS. 6A-6B a first embodiment of a sensor housing 600 is shown. The housing 600 is shown without a top cover such that the internal structure of the sensor housing 600 is visible, however, when the sensor housing 600 is fully assembled and provided in the heating appliance, the sensor housing 600 may be a full enclosure.

The sensor housing 600 includes a first wall 601 and a second wall 603 that separate the interior of the sensor housing 600 into multiple regions, including a first region 602, a second region 604, and a third region 606. The first region 602 is configured to receive and hold the sensor 620. As shown in FIGS. 6A-6B, the sensor 620 may be generally cylindrical in shape and may include a first end 621 and a second end 623. However, the sensor 620 shown in FIGS. 6A-6B is merely exemplary and the sensor 620 may also be any other shape and/or size as well.

The sensor housing 600 may also include structures that are provided to more securely hold the sensor 620 within the sensor housing 600. For example, the first region 602 is shown as including structure 625 that is provided to receive the sensor 620. Specifically, the structure 625 includes a cutout that is semi-circular or substantially semi-circular in shape such that the cutout generally conforms with the cylindrical shape of the sensor 620. Thus, the sensor 620 may be placed within the cutout of the structure 625 such that the sensor 620 is more securely held within the first region 602. The structure 625 is merely one example of a type of structure that may be provided in the first region 620 and any other structure or combination of structures may also be provided to more securely hold the sensor 620. The structure or structures may vary in shape and/or size depending on the shape and/or size of the sensor that is used.

The second region 604 is in fluid communication with the inlet 604 of the sensor housing 600 and the third region 606 that is in fluid communication with the outlet 607 of the sensor housing 600. That is, second region 604 may include an aperture (not visible in the perspective shown in FIG. 6A) that is aligned with the inlet 605 such that flue gases (or any other types of fluids that are being measured by the sensor 620) may travel through the inlet 605 and into the second region 604 and the third region 606 may also include an aperture 610 that is aligned with the outlet 607 such that the flue gases may travel through the third region 606 into the outlet 607. Additionally, the second region 604 may include aperture 612 that provides an interface between the first region 602 and the second region 604 to allow the flue gases to flow from the second region 604 to the first region 602. Likewise, the third region 606 may include aperture 614 that provides an interface between the first region 602 and the third region 606 to allow the flue gases to flow from the first region 602 to the third region 606.

To facilitate the flow of the flue gases through the second region 604, into the first region 602, and into the third region 606, the inlet 605 may be connected to a portion of the heating appliance in which a positive pressure exists and the outlet 607 may be connected to a portion of the heating appliance in which a positive pressure exists. Accordingly, a positive pressure may exist in the second region 604 and a negative pressure may exist within the third region 606. The differential between the positive pressure and the negative pressure facilitates the flow of the flue gases from the inlet 605, into the second region 604, through the aperture 612 into the first region 602, through the aperture 614 into the third region 606 and through the aperture 610 into the outlet 607. As the flue gases flow through the first region 602, the flue gases may be detected by the sensor 620 that is disposed within he first region 602. Accordingly, the sensor 620 may take carbon monoxide level measurements from the flue gases as the flue gases flow through the first region 602.

Turning to FIGS. 7-18, different variations of the sensor housing 600 are shown. It should be noted that these figures merely illustrate the structure of the sensor housing and do not necessarily show the sensor disposed within the sensor housing. Beginning with FIG. 7 the sensor housing 700 also includes inlet 702 and outlet 704 but does not include any of the separating walls that are included in the sensor housing 600. Accordingly, the sensor housing 700 only includes a single internal region 706 in which the sensor is provided. FIG. 8 shows a sensor housing 800 that also includes inlet 802 and outlet 804 and a single wall 806. The wall 806 separates the sensor housing 800 into a first region 808 in which the sensor may be disposed and a second region 810. The flue gases flow from the inlet 802 and into the second region 810. The wall 806 may include one or more apertures such that at least some of the flue gases may enter the first region 808 to be detected by the sensor. The flue gases may exit from the sensor housing 800 via the outlet 804.

The sensor housing 900 shown in FIG. 9 also includes a first wall 912 and a second wall 914 that separate the sensor housing 900 into a first region 906, a second region 908, and a third region 910. The sensor housing 900 also includes an inlet 902 and an outlet 904. The sensor housing 900 differs from the sensor housing 600 in that the sensor housing 900 does not include the structure 625 that receives the sensor.

The sensor housing 1000 shown in FIG. 10 also includes an inlet 1002 and an outlet 1004. Instead of including two walls, the sensor housing 1000 includes a first wall 1012, a second wall 1013, and a third wall 1014. Similar to the two walls of the sensor housing 600 and the sensor housing 900, the first wall 1012, second wall 1013, and third wall 1014 separate the sensor housing 1000 into a first region 1006, a second region 1008, and a third region 1010. However, the first wall 1012 and the second wall 1013 are angled towards the third wall 1014. By providing the first wall 1012 and the second wall 1013 at this angle, the flue gases that enter the sensor housing 100 are more easily directed into the apertures on the third wall 1014.

The sensor housing 1100 shown in FIG. 11 also includes an inlet 1102 and an outlet 1104. However, the outlet 1104 is provided at a bottom portion of the sensor housing 1100 rather than the side of the sensor housing 1100. This is to prevent or mitigate moisture accumulation within the sensor housing 1100, which may damage or otherwise degrade the operation of the sensor within the sensor housing 1100. That is, given that the outlet 1104 is provided on the bottom of the sensor housing 1100, the moisture can more effectively drain from the sensor housing 1100 via the outlet. The outlet 1104 may be in fluid communication with a condensate trap or collector box of a heating appliance, for example.

The sensor housing 1100 also includes a first wall 1112 and a second wall 114 that separate the sensor housing 1110 into a first region 1106 a second region 1108 and a third region 1110. The sensor housing also includes apertures 1116 and 1118 such that flue gases may flow from the third region 1110 into the first region 1106 and then from the first region 1106 into the second region 1108. The second wall 1114 is also provided at an angle such that the flue gases are more easily directed into the aperture 1116 after entering the third region 1110.

The sensor housing 1200 shown in FIG. 12 includes similar elements as the sensor housing 1100. For example, the sensor housing 1200 includes a first wall 1212 and a second wall 1214 that separate the sensor housing 1210 into a first region 1206 a second region 1208 and a third region 1210. The sensor housing also includes apertures 1216 and 1218 such that flue gases may flow from the third region 1210 into the first region 1206 and then from the first region 1206 into the second region 1208. The sensor housing 1200 differs from the sensor housing 1100 in that the outlet 1204 is larger in diameter than the outlet 1204. For example, the outlet 1104 can be a 0.250″ hose whereas the outlet 1204 can be a 0.500″ hose (however, these values are merely exemplary). These exemplary diameters may also apply to FIGS. 13-16 as well.

The sensor housing 1300 shown in FIG. 13 includes similar elements as the sensor housing 1200. For example, the sensor housing 1300 includes a first wall 1312 and a second wall 1314 that separate the sensor housing 1310 into a first region 1306 a second region 1308 and a third region 1310. The sensor housing also includes apertures 1316 and 1318 such that flue gases may flow from the third region 1310 into the first region 1306 and then from the first region 1306 into the second region 1308. The sensor housing 1300 differs from the sensor housing 1200 in that a bottom surface 1305 of the sensor housing 1300 is slanted downward to direct moisture into the outlet 1304 as described with respect to FIG. 11.

The sensor housing 1400 shown in FIG. 14 includes similar elements as the sensor housing 1300. For example, the sensor housing 1400 includes a first wall 1412 and a second wall 1414 that separate the sensor housing 1410 into a first region 1406 a second region 1408 and a third region 1410. The sensor housing also includes apertures 1416 and 1418 such that flue gases may flow from the third region 1410 into the first region 1406 and then from the first region 1406 into the second region 1408. The sensor housing 1400 differs from the sensor housing 1300 in that the outlet 1404 is larger in diameter than the outlet 1304.

The sensor housings 1500 and 1600 include similar elements as the sensor housing 1400. For example, the sensor housings 1500 and 1600 include a first wall 1512 and 1612 and a second wall 1514 and 1614 that separate the sensor housings 1500 and 1600 into a first region 1506 and 1606 a second region 1508 and 1608 and a third region 1510 and 1610. The sensor housings 1500 and 1600 also include apertures 1516 and 1616 and 1518 and 1618 such that flue gases may flow from the third region 1510 and 1610 into the first region 1506 and 1606 and then from the first region 1506 and 1606 into the second region 1508 and 1608. The sensor housings 1500 and 1600 differ from the sensor housing 1400 in that in that the inlets 1502 and 1602 are and the outlets 1504 and 1604 are larger in diameter than the inlet 1402 and outlet 1404.

The sensor housings 1700 and 1800 of FIGS. 17 and 18 differ from the previously described sensor housings in that the sensor housings 1700 and 1800 include two inlets instead of a single inlet and a single outlet. For example, FIG. 17 shows that sensor housing 1700 includes first inlet 1702, second inlet 1704 and outlet 1706. Accordingly, the sensor housing 1700 may be separated into four regions, including a first region 1708, second region 1710, third region 1712, and fourth region 1714. The two inlets may both be connected to portions of the heating appliance associated with positive pressure and the outlet 1706 may be connected a portion of the heating appliance associated with negative pressure. Similar to the sensor housings 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, and 1600, the sensor housing 1700 includes the outlet 1706 on a bottom surface of the sensor housing 1700 such that the outlet 1706 may also serve as a drain for moisture that may accumulate within the sensor housing 1700. The sensor housing 1800 is similar in structure to the sensor housing 1700 and includes first inlet 1802, second inlet 1804 and outlet 1806 that separate the sensor housing 1800 into a first region 1808, second region 1810, third region 1812, and fourth region 1814. However, the outlet 1806 of the sensor housing 1800 is larger in diameter than the outlet 1706 of the sensor housing 1700.

The various sensor housing configurations shown in FIGS. 6A-18 are merely exemplary and merely intended to illustrate some of the structure that a sensor housing may include. The sensor housing may also be any other size and/or shape and may include any other structures as well. For example, a sensor housing may include any other number of internal regions of any different sizes, any number of different apertures of any size and/or shape to allow for the flow of flue gases between the regions, any other number of inlets and outlets provided in any size and/or shape, as well as any position on the sensor housing, etc.

Sensor Housing Examples

• • Embodiment One. A sensor housing comprising an inlet that is in fluid communication with a portion of the heating appliance associated with a positive pressure, and an outlet that is in fluid communication with a portion of the heating appliance associated with a negative pressure.
  • Embodiment Two. The sensor housing of Embodiment One, wherein the outlet is disposed at a bottom portion of the sensor housing.
  • Embodiment Three. The sensor housing of Embodiment Two, further comprising a second inlet.
  • Embodiment Four. The sensor housing of any of Embodiments One to Three, further comprising a first wall and a second wall, wherein the first wall and the second wall separate an interior of the sensor housing into a first region, a second region, and a third region, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the first region, wherein the outlet is in fluid communication with the second region, and wherein the sensor is disposed within the third region.
  • Embodiment Five. The sensor housing of any of Embodiments One to Four, further comprising a first aperture that provides an interface between the first region and the third region to allow the flue gases to flow from the first region to the third region, and a second aperture that provides an interface between the second region and the third region to allow flue gases to flow from the third region to the second region.

Referring now to FIG. 19, an example method 1900 for modulation based on carbon monoxide sensor data is shown. Some or all of the blocks of the process flows or methods in this disclosure may be performed in a distributed manner across any number of devices or systems (for example, any of the controllers, such as controller 240, etc., computing device(s) 2000, etc.). The operations of the method 1900 may be optional and may be performed in a different order.

At block 1902 of the method 1900, the device or system may receive second data from the sensor, the second data indicative of a second carbon monoxide level within the heating appliance at a second time. At block 1904 of the method 1900, the device or system may compare the second data to the threshold value. At block 1906 of the method 1900, the device or system may determine that the second data satisfies the threshold value. At block 1908 of the method 1900, the device or system may cause, based on determining that the second data satisfies the threshold value, at least one of: a decrease in the speed of the inducer or a change in the pressure of the gas valve.

Referring now to FIG. 20, a schematic block diagram of one or more illustrative computing device(s) 2000 is shown. The computing device(s) 2000 may include any suitable computing device including, but not limited to, a server system, a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, a wearable device, or the like; a desktop computer; a laptop computer; or the like. The computing device(s) 2000 may correspond to an illustrative device configuration for any of the devices (e.g., any of the controllers described herein, such as controller 240, etc.).

The computing device(s) 2000 may be configured to communicate via one or more networks. Such network(s) may include, but are not limited to, any one or more different types of communications networks such as, for example, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks (e.g., frame-relay networks), wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network), or any other suitable private or public packet-switched or circuit-switched networks. Further, such network(s) may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, such network(s) may include communication links and associated networking devices (e.g., link-layer switches, routers, etc.) for transmitting network traffic over any suitable type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire (e.g., twisted-pair copper wire), optical fiber, a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, a microwave medium, a radio frequency communication medium, a satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative configuration, the computing device(s) 2000 may include one or more processors (processor(s)) 2002, one or more memory devices 2004 (generically referred to herein as memory 2004), one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 2006, one or more network interfaces 2008, one or more sensors or sensor interfaces 2010, one or more transceivers 2012, one or more optional speakers 2014, one or more optional microphones 2016, and data storage 2020. The computing device(s) 2000 may further include one or more buses 2018 that functionally couple various components of the computing device(s) 2000. The computing device(s) 2000 may further include one or more antenna(e) 2034 that may include, without limitation, a cellular antenna for transmitting or receiving signals to/from a cellular network infrastructure, an antenna for transmitting or receiving WiFi signals to/from an access point (AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna for receiving GNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmitting or receiving Bluetooth signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting or receiving NFC signals, and so forth. These various components will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The bus(es) 2018 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus, an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit the exchange of information (e.g., data (including computer-executable code), signaling, etc.) between various components of the computing device(s) 2000. The bus(es) 2018 may include, without limitation, a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and so forth. The bus(es) 2018 may be associated with any suitable bus architecture including, without limitation, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), an Enhanced ISA (EISA), a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) architecture, an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) architecture, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) architecture, a PCI-Express architecture, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) architecture, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) architecture, and so forth.

The memory 2004 of the computing device(s) 2000 may include volatile memory (memory that maintains its state when supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when not supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage, as that term is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain example embodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access than non-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments, certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable faster read/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

In various implementations, the memory 2004 may include multiple different types of memory such as various types of static random access memory (SRAM), various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), various types of unalterable ROM, and/or writeable variants of ROM such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and so forth. The memory 2004 may include main memory as well as various forms of cache memory such as instruction cache(s), data cache(s), translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further, cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache organized as a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

The data storage 2020 may include removable storage and/or non-removable storage, including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical disk storage, and/or tape storage. The data storage 2020 may provide non-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data. The memory 2004 and the data storage 2020, removable and/or non-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used herein.

The data storage 2020 may store computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loadable into the memory 2004 and executable by the processor(s) 2002 to cause the processor(s) 2002 to perform or initiate various operations. The data storage 2020 may additionally store data that may be copied to the memory 2004 for use by the processor(s) 2002 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 2002 may be stored initially in the memory 2004, and may ultimately be copied to the data storage 2020 for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage 2020 may store one or more operating systems (O/S) 2022; one or more database management systems (DBMSs) 2024; and one or more program module(s), applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like. Some or all of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 2020 may include any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware may include computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loaded into the memory 2004 for execution by one or more of the processor(s) 2002. Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 2020 may support functionality described in reference to corresponding components named earlier in this disclosure.

The data storage 2020 may further store various types of data utilized by the components of the computing device(s) 2000. Any data stored in the data storage 2020 may be loaded into the memory 2004 for use by the processor(s) 2002 in executing computer-executable code. In addition, any data depicted as being stored in the data storage 2020 may potentially be stored in one or more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS 2024 and loaded in the memory 2004 for use by the processor(s) 2002 in executing computer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, but are not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like.

The processor(s) 2002 may be configured to access the memory 2004 and execute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. For example, the processor(s) 2002 may be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions of the various program module(s), applications, engines, or the like of the computing device(s) 2000 to cause or facilitate various operations to be performed in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 2002 may include any suitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processing the input data in accordance with stored computer-executable instructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 2002 may include any type of suitable processing unit including, but not limited to, a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor, a complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so forth. Further, the processor(s) 2002 may have any suitable microarchitecture design that includes any number of constituent components such as, for example, registers, multiplexers, arithmetic logic units, cache controllers for controlling read/write operations to cache memory, branch predictors, or the like. The microarchitecture design of the processor(s) 2002 may be capable of supporting any of a variety of instruction sets.

Referring now to functionality supported by the various program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6, the module(s) 2026 may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s) 2002 may perform any of the functions associated with the monitoring of carbon monoxide levels within a heating appliance or other type of system and the operation of the heating appliance based on the carbon monoxide levels as described herein.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being stored in the data storage 2020, the O/S 2022 may be loaded from the data storage 2020 into the memory 2004 and may provide an interface between other application software executing on the computing device(s) 2000 and the hardware resources of the computing device(s) 2000. More specifically, the O/S 2022 may include a set of computer-executable instructions for managing hardware resources of the computing device(s) 2000 and for providing common services to other application programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among various application programs). The O/S 2022 may include any operating system now known or which may be developed in the future, including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

The DBMS 2024 may be loaded into the memory 2004 and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulating data stored in the memory 2004 and/or data stored in the data storage 2020. The DBMS 2024 may use any of a variety of database models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a variety of query languages. The DBMS 2024 may access data represented in one or more data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including, but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which the computing device(s) 2000 is a mobile device, the DBMS 2024 may be any suitable lightweight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the computing device(s) 2000, the input/output (I/O) interface(s) 2006 may facilitate the receipt of input information by the computing device(s) 2000 from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information from the computing device(s) 2000 to one or more I/O devices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capture device, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may be integrated into the computing device(s) 2000 or may be separate. The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, and so forth.

The I/O interface(s) 2006 may also include an interface for an external peripheral device connection such as a universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, Thunderbolt, Ethernet port or other connection protocol that may connect to one or more networks. The I/O interface(s) 2006 may also include a connection to one or more of the antenna(e) 2034 to connect to one or more networks via a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as WiFi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and/or a wireless network radio, such as a radio capable of communication with a wireless communication network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3G network, etc.

The computing device(s) 2000 may further include one or more network interface(s) 2008 via which the computing device(s) 2000 may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s) 2008 may enable communication, for example, with one or more wireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more web servers, and the like via one or more networks.

The antenna(e) 2034 may include any suitable type of antenna depending, for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receive signals via the antenna(e) 2034. Non-limiting examples of suitable antennae may include directional antennae, non-directional antennae, dipole antennae, folded dipole antennae, patch antennae, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennae, or the like. The antenna(e) 2034 may be communicatively coupled to one or more transceivers 2012 or radio components to which or from which signals may be transmitted or received.

As previously described, the antenna(e) 2034 may include a cellular antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 3G standards (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), CDMA2000, etc.), 4G standards (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, etc.), direct satellite communications, or the like.

The antenna(e) 2034 may additionally, or alternatively, include a WiFi antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(e) 2034 may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals within any suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum.

The antenna(e) 2034 may additionally, or alternatively, include a GNSS antenna configured to receive GNSS signals from three or more GNSS satellites carrying time-position information to triangulate a position therefrom. Such a GNSS antenna may be configured to receive GNSS signals from any current or planned GNSS such as, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the GLONASS System, the Compass Navigation System, the Galileo System, or the Indian Regional Navigational System.

The transceiver(s) 2012 may include any suitable radio component(s) for—in cooperation with the antenna(e) 2034—transmitting or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 2000 to communicate with other devices. The transceiver(s) 2012 may include hardware, software, and/or firmware for modulating, transmitting, or receiving—potentially in cooperation with any of antenna(e) 2034—communications signals according to any of the communications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to, one or more WiFi and/or WiFi direct protocols, as standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or more cellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s) 2012 may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSS signals. The transceiver(s) 2012 may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 2000. The transceiver(s) 2012 may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, a digital baseband, or the like.

The sensor(s)/sensor interface(s) 2010 may include or may be capable of interfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, for example, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, and so forth. Example types of inertial sensors may include accelerometers (e.g., MEMS-based accelerometers), gyroscopes, and so forth.

The speaker(s) 2014 may be any device configured to generate audible sound. The microphone(s) 2016 may be any device configured to receive analog sound input or voice data.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications, computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 20 as being stored in the data storage 2020 are merely illustrative and not exhaustive and that processing described as being supported by any particular module may alternatively be distributed across multiple module(s) or performed by a different module. In addition, various program module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), application programming interface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable code hosted locally on the computing device(s) 2000, and/or hosted on other computing device(s) accessible via one or more networks, may be provided to support functionality provided by the program module(s), applications, or computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 6 and/or additional or alternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularized differently such that processing described as being supported collectively by the collection of program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6 may be performed by a fewer or greater number of module(s), or functionality described as being supported by any particular module may be supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, program module(s) that support the functionality described herein may form part of one or more applications executable across any number of systems or devices in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, for example, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. In addition, any of the functionality described as being supported by any of the program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6 may be implemented, at least partially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number of devices.

It should further be appreciated that the computing device(s) 2000 may include alternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmware components beyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. More particularly, it should be appreciated that software, firmware, or hardware components depicted as forming part of the computing device(s) 2000 are merely illustrative and that some components may not be present or additional components may be provided in various embodiments. While various illustrative program module(s) have been depicted and described as software module(s) stored in the data storage 2020, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being supported by the program module(s) may be enabled by any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. It should further be appreciated that each of the above-mentioned module(s) may, in various embodiments, represent a logical partitioning of supported functionality. This logical partitioning is depicted for ease of explanation of the functionality and may not be representative of the structure of software, hardware, and/or firmware for implementing the functionality. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being provided by a particular module may, in various embodiments, be provided at least in part by one or more other module(s). Further, one or more depicted module(s) may not be present in certain embodiments, while in other embodiments, additional module(s) not depicted may be present and may support at least a portion of the described functionality and/or additional functionality. Moreover, while certain module(s) may be depicted and described as sub-module(s) of another module, in certain embodiments, such module(s) may be provided as independent module(s) or as sub-module(s) of other module(s).

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, and use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be performed by a device having the illustrative configuration depicted in FIG. 6, or more specifically, by one or more engines, program module(s), applications, or the like executable on such a device. It should be appreciated, however, that such operations may be implemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processing capabilities described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by any other device or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations and architectures have been described in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to example embodiments. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be implemented by execution of computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additional components and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of the block and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Program module(s), applications, or the like disclosed herein may include one or more software components, including, for example, software objects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such software component may include computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution, cause at least a portion of the functionality described herein (e.g., one or more operations of the illustrative methods described herein) to be performed.

A software component may be coded in any of a variety of programming languages. An illustrative programming language may be a lower-level programming language such as an assembly language associated with a particular hardware architecture and/or operating system platform. A software component including assembly language instructions may require conversion into executable machine code by an assembler prior to execution by the hardware architecture and/or platform.

Another example programming language may be a higher-level programming language that may be portable across multiple architectures. A software component including higher-level programming language instructions may require conversion to an intermediate representation by an interpreter or a compiler prior to execution.

Other examples of programming languages include, but are not limited to, a macro language, a shell or command language, a job control language, a script language, a database query or search language, or a report writing language. In one or more example embodiments, a software component including instructions in one of the foregoing examples of programming languages may be executed directly by an operating system or other software component without having to be first transformed into another form.

A software component may be stored as a file or other data storage construct. Software components of a similar type or functionally related may be stored together such as, for example, in a particular directory, folder, or library. Software components may be static (e.g., pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g., created or modified at the time of execution).

Software components may invoke or be invoked by other software components through any of a wide variety of mechanisms. Invoked or invoking software components may include other custom-developed application software, operating system functionality (e.g., device drivers, data storage (e.g., file management) routines, other common routines, and services, etc.), or third party software components (e.g., middleware, encryption, or other security software, database management software, file transfer or other network communication software, mathematical or statistical software, image processing software, and format translation software).

Software components associated with a particular solution or system may reside and be executed on a single platform or may be distributed across multiple platforms. The multiple platforms may be associated with more than one hardware vendor, underlying chip technology, or operating system. Furthermore, software components associated with a particular solution or system may be initially written in one or more programming languages, but may invoke software components written in another programming language.

Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto a special-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that execution of the instructions on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus causes one or more functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams to be performed. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement one or more functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process.

Additional types of CRSM that may be present in any of the devices described herein may include, but are not limited to, programmable random access memory (PRAM), SRAM, DRAM, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the information and which can be accessed. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of CRSM. Alternatively, computer-readable communication media (CRCM) may include computer-readable instructions, program module(s), or other data transmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transmission. However, as used herein, CRSM does not include CRCM.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.