Wireless control devices and methods

• US 10,237,631 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2017
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Senseware, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Senseware, Inc.
• Inventors: Stamatakis, Julien G., Al-Momen, Serene
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Leon Viet Q
• Application Number:
  US15/657,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20170328736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 604 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00842 the system comprising a plurality of damper doors; Air distribution between several outlets
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40228 Modbus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/04 Network management architectures or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 : using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 : using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 : using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 : for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/80 : Arrangements in the sub-station, i.e. sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/82 : where the sensing device takes the initiative of sending data
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/06 : between gateways and public network devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 : Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A wireless sensor network at a monitored location can be configured to generate sensor channel(s) of data to assess operational conditions at the monitored location. Inputs based on the sensor channel(s) of data are provided to a host system for analysis of a demand to one or more resources at the monitored location. Response messages can be generated based on the demand analysis and transmitted to actuator(s) at the monitored location to effect an adjustment to the operational conditions.

Claims

1. A wireless control device, comprising:

a wireless communication module that includes a wireless transceiver and a first controller, the wireless transceiver enabling wireless communication with a gateway device, the gateway device having a wide area network connection with a host system remote from a building, the wireless transceiver enabling the wireless control device to receive a control message from the gateway device, the control message based on an analysis by the host system of sensor data measurements performed in the building; and

an actuator module that is connected to the wireless communication module via a wired communication interface, the actuator module including a second controller and a wired control interface that connects to an actuator device in the building, the second controller configured to receive control information, which is based on the control message, from the first controller in the wireless communication module via the wired communication interface, and to initiate, in response to the received control information, transmission of a response action control signal to the actuator device via the wired control interface for control of a physical environment condition in the building.

2. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver communicates with the gateway device using the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

3. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the response action control signal adjusts a consumption of a resource in the building.

4. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the response action control signal controls a status of a measurable physical condition in the building.

5. The wireless control device of claim 4, wherein the measurable physical condition is a usage condition.

6. The wireless control device of claim 4, wherein the measurable physical condition is an environmental condition.

7. The wireless control device of claim 6, wherein the measurable physical condition is a temperature or humidity condition.

8. The wireless control device of claim 6, wherein the measurable physical condition is an air quality condition.

9. The wireless control device of claim 6, wherein the measurable physical condition is CO2.

10. The wireless control device of claim 9, wherein the response action control signal controls an HVAC system component in the building.

11. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the response action control signal controls a display at the building.

12. The wireless control device of claim 1, wherein the response action control signal controls adjusts a consumption of a resource at the building.

13. The wireless control device of claim 1, further including one or more sensors.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a gateway device, sensor data generated based on measurements by one or more sensors supported by a wireless node device in a building;

transmitting, by the gateway device via a wide area network, the received sensor data to a host system at a location remote from the building;

receiving, by the gateway device via the wide area network, a control message from the host system, the control message generated by the host system in response to the sensor data;

forwarding, by the gateway device via wireless communication, the control message to a wireless control device in the building, the wireless control device having a wireless communication module that includes a wireless transceiver and a first controller, the wireless transceiver enabling wireless communication with the gateway device;

transmitting, by the first controller, control information to a second controller in an actuator module in the wireless control device via a wired communication interface that connects the wireless communication module to the actuator module; and

initiating, by the second controller in response to the control information, a transmission of a response action control signal to an actuator device in the building via a wired control interface for control of a physical environment condition in the building.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the response action control signal adjusts a consumption of a resource in the building.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the response action control signal controls a status of a measurable physical condition in the building.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the measurable physical condition is a usage condition.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the measurable physical condition is an environmental condition.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the measurable physical condition is an air quality condition.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the response action control signal controls an HVAC system component in the building.