Automatic master-slave system and approach

• US 10,255,212 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Meruva, Jayaprakash, Schmieder, Wolfgang, Krishnasamy, Balaji, Prasad, Vinay, Zhou, Yongxi, Chen, Fei
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Long K
• Application Number:
  US14/946,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 700277
• 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 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/364 using independent requests or grants, e.g. using separated request and grant lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247

Abstract

An automatic master slave system and approach for coordinated control of a parameter, for example, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning condition, in an area of multiple spaces controlled by room controllers. Changing a layout of a zone/area in a building such as moving, adding or removing a door, increasing or splitting size of a room through movable walls, or by permanently removing partitions, changing offices to a conference room or vice versa, may occur. A size of a room may be altered within minutes, according to customer demand. For instance, rooms may be converted into a single room by removing partitions. The controllers that were controlling temperatures of the rooms independently earlier, may convert automatically into a master-slave configuration and now work together to control a larger room. If the large room is split into multiple rooms, the controllers may automatically revert to their previous configuration.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a building automation system of a room, the room configured to be separated into at least three spaces, the system comprising:

at least one sensor for detecting partitions between the at least three spaces; and

three or more controllers operatively coupled to the at least one sensor and each controller from the three or more controllers is configured to;

manage one or more parameters for a space from the at least three spaces by controlling and adjusting a heating and cooling operation of a fan coil unit from the building automation system;

provide instructions for controlling and adjusting the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the one or more parameters, when in a master state, to another controller from the three or more controllers that shares the space, wherein the space is shared when a partition is not detected by the at least one sensor; and

accept instructions for controlling and adjusting the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the one or more parameters, when in a slave state, from a different controller from the three or more controllers that shares the space, wherein the different controller is in the master state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a first controller from the three or more controllers is configured to enter the master state and a second controller and a third controller from the three or more controllers are configured to enter the slave state based on the three or more controllers sharing the space.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first controller is configured to enter the master state and the second controller is configured to enter the slave state based on the first controller and the second controller sharing the space.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first controller is configured to enter the master state and the third controller is configured to enter the slave state based on the first controller and the third controller sharing the space.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second controller is configured to enter the master state and the third controller is configured to enter the slave state based on the second controller and the third controller sharing the at least one space.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each controller from the three or more controllers has a unique identifier, and each controller is further configured to compare its unique identifier with a master identifier and enter the master state when its unique identifier matches the master identifier and enters the slave state when its unique identifier does not match the master identifier.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, when in the slave state, each controller is further configured to register to the different controller that is in the master state and enter a slave-master relationship that incorporates:

a learning phase;

a point value exchange; and

an aggregate calculation and an exchange of calculated value by a master.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the learning phase comprises:

the master adding the slave to a slave list;

the master requesting the slave to send a list of point role values to be exchanged;

the slave sending the list of point role values to the master;

the master updating the list of point role values of the slave;

the slave requesting the master to send a list of point role values to be exchanged;

the master updating the list of the point role values for the slave; and

the master sending the list of the point role values to the slave.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the point-value exchange comprises:

a local points value from the master to a data point storage and to an aggregate function mechanism;

a first remote value from a first slave to the aggregate function mechanism; and

an nth remote value from an nth slave to the aggregate function mechanism; and

wherein;

nth refers to virtually all of 2nd through nth remote values from 2nd through nth slaves, respectively, to the aggregate function mechanism; and

the aggregate function mechanism provides an output of an average, a sum, a minimum, a maximum or last write/wins to the data point storage.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the master comprises the aggregate function mechanism and the data point storage.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters for the space are selected from a group comprising temperature, lighting, sun-blinds and security.

12. A method for controlling a building automation system of a room, the room configured to be separated into at least three spaces, the method comprising:

detecting, using a sensor, a removal of a first partition between the at least three spaces;

comparing, using a first controller for a first space from the at least three spaces, a first unique identifier of the first controller to a master identifier;

determining, using the first controller, the first unique identifier matches the master identifier;

placing the first controller into a master state in response to the first unique identifier matching the master identifier;

comparing, using a second controller for a second space from the at least three spaces, a second unique identifier of the second controller to the master identifier;

determining, using the second controller, the second unique identifier does not match the master identifier;

placing the second controller into a slave state in response to the second unique identifier not matching the master identifier;

registering the second controller to the first controller to establish a slave-master relationship; and

providing instructions from the first controller to the second controller for controlling and adjusting a heating and cooling operation of a fan coil unit from the building automation system to manage one or more parameters for the first and second space in response to the established slave-master relationship; and

controlling and adjusting the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the one or more parameters for the first and second spaces using at least the second controller and based on the provided instructions.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, using the sensor, a removal of a second partition between the at least three spaces;

comparing, using a third controller for a third space from the at least three spaces, a third unique identifier of the third controller to a master identifier;

determining, using the third controller, the third unique identifier does not match the master identifier;

placing the third controller into the slave state in response to the third unique identifier not matching the master identifier;

registering the third controller to the first controller to establish the slave-master relationship; and

providing instructions from the first controller to the third controller for controlling and adjusting the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the one or more parameters for the first, second, and third spaces in response to the established slave-master relationship.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising-:

detecting, using the sensor, the first partition between the at least three spaces;

placing the first controller into a normal state;

comparing, using the second controller, the second unique identifier to a new master identifier;

determining, using the second controller, the second unique identifier matches the new master identifier;

placing the second controller into the master state in response to the second unique identifier matching the new master identifier;

comparing, using the third controller, the third unique identifier of the third controller to the new master identifier;

determining, using the third controller, the third unique identifier does not match the new master identifier;

placing the third controller in the slave state in response to the third unique identifier not matching the new master identifier;

registering the third controller to the second controller to establish the slave-master relationship; and

providing instructions from the second controller to the third controller for controlling and adjusting the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the one or more parameters for the second and third spaces in response to the established slave-master relationship.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the slave-master relationship incorporates:

a learning phase;

a point value exchange; and

an aggregate calculation and an exchange of calculated value by a master.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the learning phase comprises:

the master adding the slave to a slave list;

the master requesting the slave to send a list of point role values to be exchanged;

the slave sending the list of point role values to the master;

the master updating the list of point role values of the slave;

the slave requesting the master to send a list of point role values to be exchanged;

the master updating the list of the point role values for the slave; and

the master sending the list of the point role values to the slave.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the point-value exchange comprises:

a local points value from the master to a data point storage and to an aggregate function mechanism;

a first remote value from a first slave to the aggregate function mechanism; and

an nth remote value from an nth slave to the aggregate function mechanism; and

wherein;

nth refers to virtually all of 2nd through nth remote values from 2nd through nth slaves, respectively, to the aggregate function mechanism; and

the aggregate function mechanism provides an output of an average, a sum, a minimum, a maximum or last write/wins to the data point storage.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from a group comprising temperature, lighting, sun-blinds and security.

19. A master-slave arrangement comprising:

three or more rooms, wherein the three or more rooms are combinable into one or more larger rooms; and

at least one sensor for detecting partitions between the three or more rooms; and

three or more controllers each controlling a parameter in at least one and only one of the three or more rooms; and

wherein each of the three or more controllers is configured to;

provide instructions for controlling and adjusting a heating and cooling operation of a fan coil unit to manage the parameter, when in a master state, to another controller from the three or more controllers that shares the one or more larger rooms, wherein the one or more larger rooms is shared when at least one partition is not detected by the at least one sensor between the three or more rooms;

accept instructions for controlling and adjusting the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the parameter, when in a slave state, from a different controller from the three or more controllers that shares the one or more larger rooms, wherein the different controller is in the master state; and

control and adjust the heating and cooling operation of the fan coil unit to manage the parameter based on the instructions when in the slave state.

20. The arrangement of claim 19, wherein a first controller from the three or more controllers is configured to enter the master state and a second controller and a third controller from the three or more controllers are configured to enter the slave state based on the three or more controllers sharing the one or more larger rooms.

21. The arrangement of claim 20, wherein the first controller is configured to enter the master state and the second controller is configured to enter the slave state based on the first controller and the second controller sharing the one or more larger rooms.

22. The arrangement of claim 21, wherein the second controller is configured to enter the master state and the third controller is configured to enter the slave state based on the second controller and the third controller sharing the one or more larger rooms.