Gaming approach for energy efficient building control

• US 10,423,132 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Finnerty, Shaun, Pawlowski, Michael, Hriljac, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E.
• Application Number:
  US14/040,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 700275
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25011 Domotique, I-O bus, home automation, building automation

Abstract

An approach for changing behavior of users of a building automation system by employing gaming function logic and providing feedback to the building automation system users.

Claims

1. An apparatus for modification of behavior when using a building automation system (BAS), comprising:

a change record for the BAS and a user identifier from a plurality of possible user identifiers associated with one or more users reported from a building automation input device that is part of the BAS, where the user identifier is associated with a plurality of set point conditions in the BAS, wherein the building automation input device is in an out of room mode;

a memory that stores the change record for the BAS and the user identifier when a change in set point is received; and

a controller coupled to the memory that executes a plurality of rules on the change record identifying a change in at least one of the plurality of set point conditions in the BAS that identify at least one behavior from a plurality of behaviors and generates an indication of which of the user identifiers from the plurality of user identifiers meets the behavior identified by the BAS,

wherein the change includes a time period of operation of the out of room mode based on a first time when the out of room mode is entered and a second time when the out of room mode is exited.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the indication of which of the user identifiers meets the behavior further includes limiting the indication to a virtual room that is associated with the building automation input device that generated the change record.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, where the behavior is a desired behavior.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a reward for the desired behavior for the user identifier associated with a winner from among the plurality of possible user identifiers associated with the one or more users is triggered by the controller.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, where a penalty for the undesired behavior is triggered by the controller.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the behavior is an undesired behavior.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, where the building automation input device is a thermostat.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, where the building automation input device is a smart device communicating over a wireless network with the building automation system.

9. A system for modification of behavior when using a building automation system, comprising:

a building automation input device that is part of the building automation system in communication with a server that reports a change record and a user identifier from a plurality of possible user identifiers associated with one or more users, where the user identifier is associated with a plurality of set point conditions in the BAS and the change record include changes in BAS set points, wherein the building automation input device is in an out of room mode;

a memory that stores the change record and the user identifier when received by the server; and

a controller coupled to the memory that executes a plurality of rules on the change record identifying a change in at least one of the plurality of set point conditions in the BAS that identify a behavior and generates an indication of which of the user identifiers from the plurality of user identifiers meets the behavior, where the rules are set using a graphical user interface,

wherein the change includes a time period of operation of the out of room mode based on a first time when the out of room mode is entered and a second time when the out of room mode is exited.

10. The system of claim 9, where the indication of which of the user identifiers meets the behavior further includes limiting the indication to a virtual room that is associated with the building automation input device.

11. The system of claim 9, where the behavior is a desired behavior.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a reward for the desired behavior for the user identifier associated with a winner from among the plurality of possible user identifiers associated with the one or more users is triggered by the controller.

13. The system of claim 9, where the behavior is an undesired behavior.

14. The system of claim 13, where a penalty for the undesired behavior is triggered by the controller.

15. The system of claim 9, where the building automation input device is a thermostat.

16. The system of claim 9, where the building automation input device is a smart device communicating over a wireless network with the building automation system.

17. A method for modification of behavior of users of a building automation system, the method includes the steps of:

receiving a change request report from a building automation input device in an out of room mode of the building automation system and a user identifier from a plurality of possible user identifiers associated with one or more users, where the user identifier is associated with a plurality of set point conditions in the BAS;

storing in a memory the change report from the BAS of changes in at least one set point and the user identifier when received;

executing a plurality of rules on the change record identifying a change in at least one of the plurality of set point conditions in the BAS by a controller coupled to the memory that identify an at least one behavior, wherein the change includes a time period of operation of the out of room mode based on a first time when the out of room mode is entered and a second time when the out of room mode is exited; and

generating an indication of which of the user identifiers from the plurality of user identifiers meets the behavior.

18. The method of claim 17, where generating the indication of which of the user identifiers meets the behavior further includes limiting the indication to a virtual room that is associated with the building automation input device.

19. The method of claim 17, where the behavior is an undesired behavior.

20. The method of claim 17, where the building automation input device is a thermostat.

21. The method of claim 17, where receiving further includes communicating with the building automation system over a wireless network, where the building automation input device is a smart device with the building automation system.