Building control system to operate a building based on characteristics of selected groups of building sensor fixtures

• US 10,585,406 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2015
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Mohan, Tanuj, Krishnamurthy, Vijayalakshmi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duy T
• Application Number:
  US14/852,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20160004237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,641 Days
• Field of Search: 700297
• 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 11/58 using Internet communication
• 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: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• 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

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods and systems of a building control system are disclosed. One building control system includes a plurality of building sensor fixtures, wherein at least one of the plurality of building sensor fixtures includes a sensor, a controller and a communication port. The building control system further includes a system controller. At least one of the system controller and one or more controllers of the plurality of building sensor fixtures is operative to determine a plurality of selected groups of the plurality of building sensor fixtures, compare a first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups, and identify deviations of the compared first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups.

Claims

1. A building control system, comprising:

a plurality of building sensor fixtures, at least one of the plurality of building sensor fixtures comprising a sensor, a controller and a communication port; and

a system controller, wherein at least one of the system controller and one or more controllers of the plurality of building sensor fixtures is operative to;

determine a plurality of selected groups of the plurality of building sensor fixtures, the plurality of selected groups including a first logical group and a second logical group having commonality in sensing;

compare a first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups;

identify deviations of the compared first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups, wherein the first logical group includes building sensor fixtures located within a room, and the second logical group includes a building sensor fixture within the room and another building sensor fixture located outside of the room; and

at least one of adjust an operating parameter of one or more of the plurality of selected groups based on the identified deviations, or provide a system user with suggestions for physical changes to a structure associated with the building control system based on the identified deviations, wherein the building sensor fixtures of the first logical group and the building sensor fixture within the room of the second logical group each ignores its own sensing of motion or light in response to motion or light detection by both building sensor fixtures of the second logical group.

2. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the identified deviation includes a deviation of energy consumed by one of the plurality of selected groups compared to energy consumed by another of the plurality of selected groups.

3. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the identified deviation includes a deviation of occupancy use of one of the plurality of selected groups compared to occupancy use of another of the plurality of selected groups.

4. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the identified deviation includes a deviation of productivity of occupants of one of the plurality of selected groups compared productivity of occupants of another of the plurality of selected groups.

5. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the identified deviation includes a deviation occupant interaction of one of the plurality of selected groups compared occupant interaction of occupants of another of the plurality of selected groups.

6. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the identified deviation includes a deviation of utilization of space of one of the plurality of selected groups compared utilization of space of occupants of another of the plurality of selected groups.

7. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising selecting the first characteristic.

8. The building control system of claim 7, further comprising selecting the first characteristic based on achieving a desired result within a building associated with the building control system.

9. The building control system of claim 7, wherein the first characteristic is adaptively selected based on the determine plurality of groups of the plurality of building sensor fixtures.

10. The building control system of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of groups of the plurality of building sensor fixtures comprises selecting the plurality of groups based on a second characteristic.

11. The building control system of claim 10, further comprising selecting the second characteristic based on achieving a desired result within a building associated with the building control system.

12. The building control system of claim 10, wherein the second characteristic is selected based upon observed correlations between sensed values of each of the plurality of building sensor fixtures.

13. The building control system of claim 10, wherein the second characteristic is selected based upon identification of operating behaviors of each of the building sensors of each group being within threshold ranges.

14. The building control system of claim 10, wherein the second characteristic is selected based upon the first characteristic.

15. The building control system of claim 10, wherein the first characteristic is selected based upon the second characteristic.

16. The building control system of claim 10, wherein the second characteristic is a same characteristic as the first characteristic.

17. The building control system of claim 1, wherein at least one building sensor fixture auto-designates a logical group based on location and/or proximity of a sensor that generates a sensed input.

18. A method of a building control system, comprising:

determining, at a system controller of the building control system, a plurality of selected groups of a plurality of building sensor fixtures, the plurality of selected groups including a first logical group and a second logical group having commonality in sensing;

comparing, at the system controller, a first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups;

identifying, at the system controller, deviations of the compared first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups, wherein the first logical group includes building sensor fixtures located within a room, and the second logical group includes a building sensor fixture within the room and another building sensor fixture located outside of the room; and

at least one of adjusting, at the system controller, an operating parameter of one or more of the plurality of selected groups based on the identified deviations, or providing, at the system controller, a system user with suggestions for physical changes to a structure associated with the building control system based on the identified deviations, wherein the building sensor fixtures of the first logical group and the building sensor fixture within the room of the second logical group each ignores its own sensing of motion or light in response to motion or light detection by both building sensor fixtures of the second logical group.

19. A building control system, comprising:

a plurality of building sensor fixtures, at least one of the plurality of building sensor fixtures comprising a sensor, a controller and a communication port; and

a system controller, wherein at least one of the system controller and one or more controllers of the plurality of building sensor fixtures is operative to;

determine a plurality of selected groups of the plurality of building sensor fixtures, the plurality of selected groups including a first logical group and a second logical group having commonality in sensing;

compare a first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups;

identify deviations of the compared first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups, wherein;

the first logical group includes a first building sensor fixture that forecasts arrival of a user by utilizing information from at least one other building sensor fixture within the first logical group; and

the second logical group includes a second building sensor fixture that forecasts arrival of the user by utilizing information from at least one other building sensor fixture within the second logical group; and

at least one of adjust an operating parameter of one or more of the plurality of selected groups based on the identified deviations, or provide a system user with suggestions for physical changes to a structure associated with the building control system based on the identified deviations.

20. A method of a building control system, comprising:

determining, at a system controller of the building control system, a plurality of selected groups of a plurality of building sensor fixtures, the plurality of selected groups including a first logical group and a second logical group having commonality in sensing;

comparing, at the system controller, a first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups;

identifying, at the system controller, deviations of the compared first characteristic between the plurality of the selected groups, wherein;

the first logical group includes a first building sensor fixture that forecasts arrival of a user by utilizing information from at least one other building sensor fixture within the first logical group; and

the second logical group includes a second building sensor fixture that forecasts arrival of the user by utilizing information from at least one other building sensor fixture within the second logical group; and

at least one of adjusting, at the system controller, an operating parameter of one or more of the plurality of selected groups based on the identified deviations, or providing, at the system controller, a system user with suggestions for physical changes to a structure associated with the building control system based on the identified deviations.