Site management in an on-demand system

• US 10,305,323 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Wester, Gregory, Paiz, Matthew, Shulman, Aleksandr
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnes-Bullock, Crystal J
• Application Number:
  US15/187,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/80 for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25011 Domotique, I-O bus, home automation, building automation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25329 Each module, segment has only either a sensor or an actuator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2639 Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31093 Communication between sensors, actuators and gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 5/00 Systems for regulating electric variables by detecting deviations in the electric input to the system and thereby controlling a device within the system to obtain a regulated output
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 : characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 : Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities 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 H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 : Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 : General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 : Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 : the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 : characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 : using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for managing environmental conditions and energy usage associated with a site. One exemplary method of regulating an environment condition at a site involves a server receiving environmental measurement data from a monitoring system at the site via a network, determining an action for an electrical appliance at the site based at least in part on the environmental measurement data and one or more monitoring rules associated with the site, and providing an indication of the action to an actuator for the electrical appliance.

Claims

1. A method of regulating an environmental condition at a site by a server coupled to a network, the method comprising:

providing, to a client device over the network, an instance of a virtual application including one or more graphical user interface elements for defining one or more monitoring rules associated with the site;

storing the one or more monitoring rules in a database in association with the site;

receiving, by the server via the network, environmental measurement data from a monitoring system at the site;

determining, by the server, an action for an electrical appliance at the site based at least in part on the environmental measurement data and the one or more monitoring rules associated with the site;

providing an indication of the action to an actuator for the electrical appliance;

providing, by the server on the client device, a graphical user interface display within the instance of the virtual application, the graphical user depicting environmental conditions at the site and operational status of a plurality of electrical appliances at the site; and

providing, by the server on the client device, one or more graphical representations of the environmental measurement data for a particular sensor device of a plurality of sensor devices of the monitoring system in response to selection of a selectable graphical user interface element on the graphical user interface display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the server on the client device, a graphical user interface display within the instance of the virtual application, the graphical user interface display depicting environmental conditions at the site and operational status of a plurality of electrical appliances at the site.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining, by the server from the database, the environmental measurement data obtained by one or more sensor devices at the site;

obtaining, by the server from the database, information pertaining to the operational status of the plurality of electrical appliances at the site; and

providing graphical representations of the environmental measurement data and the operational status on the client device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the providing graphical representations of the environmental measurement data comprises, for each respective sensor device of the one or more sensor devices, a graphical representation of a most recently measured value of one or more of the environmental conditions in a vicinity of the respective sensor device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more graphical representations depicts previously measured values for one or more environmental conditions in a vicinity of the particular sensor device.

6. The method of claim 1, the monitoring system including a hub device, wherein:

the hub device is communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensor devices via a wireless network distinct from the network;

the hub device receives the environmental measurement data from the plurality of sensor devices at the site via the wireless network;

the hub device is coupled to the network; and

receiving the environmental measurement data comprises the server periodically receiving batches of the environmental measurement data from the hub device at the site.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

providing the indication comprises transmitting the indication to the hub device via the network;

the hub device transmits the indication to the actuator via the wireless network; and

the actuator operates the electrical appliance in response to receiving the indication; and

operation of the electrical appliance influences the environmental condition at the site.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing an association between the site and a first tenant of a plurality of tenants supported by the database coupled to the server;

receiving criteria for a monitoring rule from the client device via the one or more graphical user interface elements;

establishing an association between the monitoring rule and the site based on the association between the site and the first tenant when a user of the client device is associated with the first tenant; and

storing the criteria for the monitoring rule in the database in association with the site.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the action comprises:

obtaining the criteria for the monitoring rule from the database; and

comparing the environmental measurement data to the criteria to identify the action.

10. A method of regulating an environmental condition at a site by a server coupled to a network, the method comprising:

providing, to a client device over the network, an instance of a virtual application including one or more graphical user interface elements for defining one or more monitoring rules associated with the site;

storing the one or more monitoring rules in a database in association with the site;

determining, by the server, a sampling frequency for a sensor device of the monitoring system based on timing criteria for the one or more monitoring rules;

automatically configuring the sensor device for the sampling frequency;

receiving, by the server via the network, environmental measurement data from a monitoring system at the site, wherein the environmental measurement data comprises measured values for the environmental condition sampled with the sampling frequency;

determining, by the server, an action for an electrical appliance at the site based at least in part on the environmental measurement data and the one or more monitoring rules associated with the site; and

providing an indication of the action to an actuator for the electrical appliance.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the server from the monitoring system via the network, a request for configuration information, the request including identifying information pertaining to the sensor device at the site;

obtaining, by the server, the configuration information from the database coupled to the server based on the identifying information; and

providing, via the network, the configuration information to the sensor device, wherein the sensor device autonomously operates in accordance with the configuration information.

12. A method of regulating an environmental condition at a site by a server coupled to a network, the method comprising:

providing, to a client device over the network, an instance of a virtual application including one or more graphical user interface elements for defining one or more monitoring rules associated with the site;

storing the one or more monitoring rules in a database in association with the site;

determining, by the server, an upload frequency for a hub device of the monitoring system based on timing criteria for the one or more monitoring rules;

automatically configuring the hub device for the upload frequency;

periodically receiving, by the server via the network, batches of the environmental measurement data from the hub device at the site with the upload frequency;

determining, by the server, an action for an electrical appliance at the site based at least in part on the environmental measurement data and the one or more monitoring rules associated with the site; and

providing an indication of the action to an actuator for the electrical appliance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

receiving the environmental measurement data comprises receiving a first measured value for the environmental condition and a second measured value for a second environmental condition at the site; and

determining the action comprises determining the action based on the first measured value and the second measured value.

14. A system comprising:

a database maintaining an association between a monitoring system at a site, one or more monitoring rules for the site, and a first tenant of a plurality of tenants; and

a server coupled to the database and a network to provide an instance of a virtual application including one or more graphical user interface elements for defining the one or more monitoring rules to a client device over the network, receive criteria for a monitoring rule of the one or more monitoring rules from the client device having a user associated with the first tenant, store the criteria of the monitoring rule in the database in association with the first tenant, receive environmental measurement data from the monitoring system via the network, obtain the criteria from the database using the association between the site and the first tenant, determine an action for modifying an environmental condition at the site based at least in part on comparing the environmental measurement data to the criteria, provide indication of the action to an actuator for an electrical appliance at the site via the network, and provide, to the client device coupled to the network, a graphical user interface display within the instance of the virtual application, wherein;

the graphical user interface display depicts environmental conditions at the site and operational status of a plurality of electrical appliances at the site; and

the graphical user interface display includes, for each respective sensor device of one or more sensor devices at the site, a graphical representation of a most recently measured value of one or more of the environmental conditions in a vicinity of the respective sensor device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the monitoring system comprises:

a hub device directly coupled to the network, the hub device being configured to establish a wireless mesh network; and

a sensor device communicatively coupled to the hub device via the wireless mesh network to obtain the environmental measurement data and transmit the environmental measurement data to the hub device via the wireless mesh network, the hub device periodically uploading batches of the environmental measurement data to the server via the network.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the server obtains the environmental measurement data obtained by one or more sensor devices at the site and information pertaining to the operational status of the plurality of electrical appliances at the site from the database and provides graphical representations of the environmental measurement data and the operational status on the graphical user interface display.