Apparatus and process for data communication, in particular for the parameterization and remote monitoring of heating installations

• US 20020120671A1
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viessmann Werke GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Viessmann Werke GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Jorg, Heinmoller, Gerhard, Daffner, Klaus-Josef, Ciliox, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,158,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• 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 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus and a process for the data communication between a system unit (8) and technical facilities (2, 3, 4) in buildings for the flexible and convenient parameterization and remote monitoring of the facilities (2, 3, 4), an existing communication infrastructure being usable to reduce the expenditure resulting from cabling and to enable cost-effective data communication. The apparatus comprises a system unit (8) which is suited for data transmission according to a first data transmission protocol, at least one facility (2, 3, 4) which is suited for data transmission according to a second data transmission protocol, a protocol converter (1) which is connected to system unit (8) and converts data of the first data transmission protocol into data of the second data transmission protocol and vice versa, and a bus system (5) to which the facilities (2, 3, 4) and the protocol converter (1) can be connected.

Claims

1. An apparatus, in particular for the parameterization and remote monitoring of heating installations, comprising

a system unit (8) suited for data transmission according to a first data transmission protocol,

at least one facility (2, 3, 4) suited for data transmission according to a second data transmission protocol,

a protocol converter (1) connected to system unit (8) and converting data of the first data transmission protocol into data of the second data transmission protocol and vice versa, and

a bus system (5) to which facilities (2, 3, 4) and protocol converter (1) can be connected.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facilities (2, 3, 4) connectable to bus system (5) are heating, air conditioning and/or cooling installations and/or measuring or control units for operating heating, air conditioning and/or cooling installations.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bus system (5) is a house or field bus and/or the second data transmission protocol is a LON protocol.

4. The apparatus according to any least one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first data transmission protocol is a protocol on the basis of the Internet Protocol IP, in particular the Simple Network Management Protocol SNMP, the Hypertext Transport Protocol HTTP, the Transport Control Protocol TCP or the LonWorks Network Protocol.

5. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the protocol converter (1) retrieves predetermined data from facilities (2, 3, 4) at given intervals, stores them, sends them to system unit (8) and/or holds them in store for inquiry by system unit (8).

6. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protocol converter (1) includes a memory (6) for storing the data retrieved from the facilities.

7. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the protocol converter (1) sends data received from system unit (8) and determined for a certain facility (2, 3, 4) via the bus system (5) to the corresponding facility (2, 3, 4).

8. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protocol converter (1) activates a predetermined connection when a trouble or maintenance report was received from one of the facilities (2, 3, 4).

9. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the protocol converter (1) sends a given message, in particular a facsimile message, a voice message, an e-mail, or an SMS message, when a trouble or maintenance report was received from one of the facilities (2, 3, 4) and the connection to system unit (8) is troubled.

10. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the connection between protocol converter (1) and system unit (8) is established via an analog and/or digital telephone line and has an analog modem, a GSM modem or an ISDN modem (7, 9).

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the connection between protocol converter (1) and system unit (8) is established via a call-back procedure.

12. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 11, wherein system unit (8) connects to protocol converter (1) at given intervals and retrieves predetermined data which were previously retrieved from facilities (2, 3, 4) and buffered by protocol converter (1).

13. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the system unit (8) connects to protocol converter (1) and/or sends data for a certain facility (2, 3, 4) to protocol converter (1) and/or receives data of a certain facility (2, 3, 4) from protocol converter (1).

14. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 13, wherein system unit (8) has a database (10) containing the configuration, commissioning, maintenance and/or operation data of facilities (2, 3, 4) and/or the protocol converter (1), in particular trouble and maintenance reports.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the system unit has an internet and/or WAP server for access to database (10).

16. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 15, wherein system unit (8) sends a given message, in particular a facsimile message, a voice message, an e-mail or SMS message, when a certain trouble or maintenance report was received from one of facilities (2, 3, 4).

17. The apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 16, wherein several system units (8, 11) connect to protocol converters (1) and/or receive data from the protocol converters (1) and/or send data to the protocol converters (1), system units (8, 11) being connectable to each other via the internet.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein one of the system units (8) has a central database (10) to which the other system units (11) send data updates and/or with which the databases (12) of the other system units (11) are collated.

19. A method, in particular for the parameterization and remote monitoring of heating installations, comprising the steps of:

data transmission according to a first data transmission protocol between a system unit (8) and a protocol converter (1),

conversion of data of the first data transmission protocol into data of a second data transmission protocol and vice versa in the protocol converter (1), and

data transmission according to the second data transmission protocol between the protocol converter (1) and at least one facility (2, 3, 4).