IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,742,441
Granted Patent B2
US 10,742,441 · App. 16/287,773 · Granted Aug 11, 2020

Unified building management system

Inventors: Beth A. Ray (Oak Creek, WI); Sheri L. Meyer (Wauwatosa, WI); Radu M. Dorneanu (Greendale, WI)
Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
H04L12/2827H04L12/2809H04L12/2816
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,742,441
App. No.
16/287,773
Granted
Aug 11, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A controller for a space controls a plurality of devices, where each device is associated with one of a plurality of different building domains. The controller includes one or more processors operably coupled to one or more computer-readable storage media and configured to execute instructions stored in the computer-readable storage media to determine a plurality of use cases defined for the space, each use case associated with a required set of building domains, determine, for each of the different building domains, whether devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space, determine a set of enabled use cases by, for each use case, enabling the use case if devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space for each building domain in the required set of the different building domains and control the plurality of devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases.

Claims (93)

1. A controller for a space served by a plurality of devices, each device associated with one of a plurality of different building domains, the controller comprising:

one or more processors operably coupled to one or more computer-readable storage media and configured to execute instructions stored in the computer-readable storage media to:

determine a plurality of use cases defined for the space, each use case associated with a required set of building domains;

determine, for each of the different building domains, whether devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space;

determine a set of enabled use cases by, for each use case, enabling the use case if the devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space for each building domain in the required set of building domains; and

control the plurality of devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases.

2. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the computer-readable storage media to:

obtain an indication that an additional device associated with an additional domain became operational to serve the space; and

extend a first use case of the set of enabled use cases to include the additional domain.

3. The controller of claim 2 wherein the devices operational to serve the space comprise a first device associated with a first domain and the additional device associated with the additional domain;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to extend the first use case of the set of enabled use cases to include the additional domain by:

enabling a portion of the use case corresponding to the additional domain; and

modifying a portion of the use case corresponding to the first domain.

4. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the computer-readable storage media to:

determine that the devices of building equipment for a first domain of the plurality of different building domains became non-operational;

update the set of enabled use cases by, for each use case in the set of enabled use cases, disabling the use case if the required set of building domains for the use case comprises the first domain.

5. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the computer-readable storage media to:

obtain an indication that an additional device associated with an additional domain became operation to serve the space; and

update the set of enabled use cases by:

enabling a first use case of the plurality of use cases, the set of required domains for the first use case comprising the additional domain; and

disabling a second use case of the set of enabled use cases in response to a determination that the first use case is preferred over the second use case.

6. The controller of claim 1 , wherein each use case specifies a trigger condition and settings for a subset of the devices; and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to control the plurality of devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases by:

detecting an occurrence of the trigger condition; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the trigger condition, distributing the settings to the subset of devices, wherein distributing the settings to the subset of the devices causes the subset of devices to operate in accordance with the settings.

7. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to determine, for each of the different building domains, whether the devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space by:

detecting a presence of the devices; and

obtaining, for each of the devices, an indication of a domain of the device.

8. The controller of claim 7 , wherein obtaining the indication of the domain of the device comprises reading a device domain attribute from a common data model used by the one or more processors and the devices.

9. The controller of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to:

for each building domain for which the devices are determined to be operational, determine a type of each of the devices;

enable capabilities of the enabled use cases based on the type of each of the devices; and

control the devices to provide the capabilities in accordance with the enabled use cases.

10. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to:

determine that a device of a first type has become non-operational;

disable a first capability corresponding to the first type.

11. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to disable a first capability of the enabled use cases in response to enabling a second capability of the enabled use cases, the second capability preferred over the first capability.

12. A method of controlling a plurality of devices that serve a space, each device associated with one of a plurality of different building domains, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of use cases defined for the space, each use case associated with a required set of building domains;

determining, for each of the different building domains, whether devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space;

determining a set of enabled use cases by, for each use case, enabling the use case if the devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space for each building domain in the required set of building domains; and

controlling the plurality of devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising:

obtaining an indication that an additional device associated with an additional domain became operational to serve the space; and

extending a first use case of the set of enabled use cases to include the additional domain.

14. The method of claim 12 , comprising:

determining that the devices of building equipment for a first domain of the plurality of different building domains became non-operational;

updating the set of enabled use cases by, for each use case in the set of enabled use cases, disabling the use case if the required set of building domains for the use case comprises the first domain.

15. The method of claim 12 , comprising:

obtaining an indication that an additional device associated with an additional domain became operation to serve the space; and

updating the set of enabled use cases by:

enabling a first use case of the plurality of use cases, the set of required domains for the first use case comprising the additional domain; and

disabling a second use case of the set of enabled use cases in response to a determination that the first use case is preferred over the second use case.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein each use case specifies a trigger condition and settings for a subset of the devices; and

wherein controlling the plurality of devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases comprises:

detecting an occurrence of the trigger condition; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the trigger condition, distributing the settings to the subset of devices, wherein distributing the settings to the subset of the devices causes the subset of devices to operate in accordance with the settings.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining, for each of the different building domains, whether the devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space comprises:

detecting a presence of the devices; and

obtaining, for each of the devices, an indication of a domain of the device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein obtaining the indication of the domain of the device comprises reading a device domain attribute from a common data model used by one or more processors and the devices.

19. The method of claim 12 , comprising:

for each building domain for which the devices are determined to be operational, determining a type of each of the devices;

enabling capabilities of the enabled use cases based on the type of each of the devices; and

controlling the devices to provide the capabilities in accordance with the enabled use cases.

20. The method of claim 19 , comprising:

determining that a device of a first type has become non-operational;

disabling a first capability corresponding to the first type.

21. The method of claim 19 , comprising disabling a first capability of the enabled use cases in response to enabling a second capability of the enabled use cases, the second capability preferred over the first capability.

22. The method of claim 12 , wherein enabling the use case comprises:

retrieving a use case profile from a repository; and

installing the use case profile on a space controller.

23. The method of claim 12 , wherein enabling the use case comprises populating a destination field of a use case profile for each device in a subset of the devices, the destination field facilitating network communications between a space controller and the device.

24. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a plurality of use cases defined for a space, each use case associated with a required set of building domains;

determining, for each of different building domains, whether devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space;

determining a set of enabled use cases by, for each use case, enabling the use case if the devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space for each building domain in the required set of building domains; and

controlling the devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24 , the operations further comprising:

obtaining an indication that an additional device associated with an additional domain became operational to serve the space; and

extending a first use case of the set of enabled use cases to include the additional domain.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24 , wherein each use case specifies a trigger condition and settings for a subset of the devices; and

wherein controlling the plurality of devices in accordance with the set of enabled use cases comprises:

detecting an occurrence of the trigger condition; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the trigger condition, distributing the settings to the subset of devices, wherein distributing the settings to the subset of the devices causes the subset of devices to operate in accordance with the settings.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24 , wherein determining, for each of the different building domains, whether the devices of building equipment are operational to serve the space comprises:

detecting a presence of the devices; and

obtaining, for each of the devices, an indication of a domain of the device.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24 , the operations comprising:

for each building domain for which devices are determined to be operational, determining a type of each of the devices; and

enabling capabilities of the enabled use cases based on the type of each of the devices;

controlling the devices to provide the capabilities in accordance with the enabled use cases.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24 , wherein enabling the use case comprises populating a destination field of a use case profile for each device in a subset of the devices, the destination field facilitating network communications between a space controller and the device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 28, 2019
From: RAY, BETH A.; MEYER, SHERI L.; DORNEANU, RADU M.
To: JOHNSON CONTROLS TECHNOLOGY COMPANY
Reel/Frame 048730/0461 →
Continuity (8)
Continuation In Part 16261301 · Jan 29, 2019
Continuation In Part 16132045 · Sep 14, 2018
Continuation In Part 15952173 · Apr 12, 2018
Provisional Application 62636504 · Feb 28, 2018
Provisional Application 62623939 · Jan 30, 2018
Provisional Application 62560567 · Sep 19, 2017
Provisional Application 62485282 · Apr 13, 2017
Related Publication 20190199548A1 · Jun 27, 2019