System and method for space-driven building automation and control including an actor node subscribed to an address that is representative of a space within a building

• US 10,591,882 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2019
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silvair sp. z o.o.
• Original Assignee: Silvair sp. z o.o.
• Inventors: Slupik, Szymon, Gembala, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Daniel C.
• Application Number:
  US16/417,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20190271956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• 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: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

A system and method involving actor nodes within a building that is being controlled, to be subscribed to a set of addresses, including one or more addresses that are representative of one or more respective spaces within the building being controlled. Such addresses are referred to as “space addresses.” Each of the actor nodes acts upon received data packets only if a space address is received along with the data packets and the actor node has been subscribed to the space address. Concurrently, one or more sensor nodes in the system are configurable to transmit the one or more space addresses and the data packets. A user device in the system receives commands from a user via a user interface and transmits a set of signals such that the actor nodes are subscribed to the appropriate space addresses and the sensor nodes are configured to transmit the space addresses.

Claims

1. A system for automation and control within a building, comprising a first actor node configured to operate within a wireless network, wherein the first actor node comprises:

a receiver configured to detect data packets that are transmitted by other nodes configured to operate within the wireless network;

a processor configured to;

i) subscribe the first actor node to a first non-empty set of addresses, including a first space address that is representative of a first predetermined space within the building, wherein the first space address is stored in a memory, and

ii) generate a control signal in response to detecting a first data packet in the data packets, only if the first space address is both a) received in the first data packet and b) subscribed to by the first actor node; and

an output unit configured to perform a predetermined function based on the control signal.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a first set of signals, and wherein the first actor node is subscribed to the first space address based on the first set of signals.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the output unit is a lamp and the predetermined function is lighting control.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the lamp is configured to change its brightness based on the processor generating the control signal.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first sensor node configured to transmit, within the wireless network, i) a first source address that identifies the first sensor node and ii) the first data packet comprising the first space address.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first sensor node is configured to i) sense occupancy of a space within the building and ii) transmit the first data packet based on the first sensor node sensing the occupancy.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a second sensor node configured to transmit, within the wireless network, i) a second source address that identifies the second sensor node and ii) a second data packet comprising the first space address;

wherein the processor of the first actor node is further configured to act upon the second data packet, based on the first space address being received in the second data packet.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless network is a mesh network, and wherein the first actor node further comprises a transmitter configured to relay the first data packet through the mesh network.

9. A method for automation and control within a building, comprising:

receiving, by a first actor node configured to operate within a wireless network, a first set of signals for subscribing the first actor node to a first non-empty set of addresses, including a first space address that is representative of a first predetermined space within the building;

detecting, by the first actor node, data packets that are transmitted by other nodes configured to operate within the wireless network;

generating, by the first actor node, a control signal in response to detecting a first data packet in the data packets, only if the first space address is both a) received in the first data packet and b) subscribed to by the first actor node; and

performing, by the first actor node, a predetermined function based on the control signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the control signal controls a lamp and the predetermined function is lighting control.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the lamp is configured to change its brightness based on the first actor node generating the control signal.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting, by a first sensor node configured to operate within the wireless network, i) a first source address that identifies the first sensor node and ii) the first data packet comprising the first space address.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sensing, by the first sensor node, occupancy of a space within the building;

wherein the transmitting of the first data packet is based on the first sensor node sensing the occupancy.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting, by a second sensor node configured to operate within the wireless network, i) a second source address that identifies the second sensor node and ii) a second data packet comprising the first space address;

wherein the first actor node generates the control signal in response to detecting the second data packet in the data packets, only if the first space address is received in the second data packet.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the wireless network is a mesh network, and further comprising relaying, by the first actor node, the first data packet through the mesh network.

16. A system for automation and control within a building, comprising:

a first sensor node configured to operate within a wireless network, wherein the first sensor node is configured to transmit i) a first source address that identifies the first sensor node, ii) a first space address that is representative of a first predetermined space within the building, and iii) a first plurality of data packets; and

a first actor node configured to operate within the wireless network, wherein the first actor node is configured to;

i) detect data packets that are transmitted by other nodes configured to operate within the wireless network, including the first sensor node,

ii) generate a control signal in response to detecting a first data packet in the first plurality of data packets, only if the first space address is both a) received in the first data packet and b) subscribed to by the first actor node, and

iii) perform a predetermined function based on the control signal.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a second sensor node configured to operate within the wireless network, wherein the second sensor node is configured to transmit i) a second source address that identifies the second sensor node, ii) the first space address, and iii) a second plurality of data packets;

wherein the first actor node is further configured to generate the control signal in response to detecting a second data packet in the second plurality of data packets, only if the first space address is both a) received in the second data packet and b) subscribed to by the first actor node.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a second sensor node configured to operate within the wireless network, wherein the second sensor node is configured to transmit i) a second source address that identifies the second sensor node, ii) a second space address that is representative of a second predetermined space within the building, and iii) a second plurality of data packets;

wherein the first actor node is further configured to generate the control signal in response to detecting a second data packet in the second plurality of data packets, only if the second space address is both a) received in the second data packet and b) subscribed to by the first actor node.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the control signal controls a lamp and the predetermined function is lighting control, and wherein the lamp is configured to change its brightness based on the first actor node generating the control signal.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the first sensor node is further configured to sense occupancy of a space within the building, and wherein the first sensor node is configured to transmit the first plurality of data packets, including the first packet, further based on the first sensor node sensing the occupancy.