Building system with network operation monitoring

• US 20040210348A1
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Anderson, Thomas, Imhof, Raphael
• Application Number:
  US10/818,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210348A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• 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

Abstract

An arrangement for use in a building system includes a building control station that is operably connected to a first network. The building control station has a first network address on the first network. The building control station further includes a building control object, a network monitor, and a network interface. The building control object is operable to process building control data. The network monitor is operable to determine at least a first statistic regard the first network. The network interface is operable to receive first and second messages on the first network, and to provide first messages to the building control object and the network monitor. The network interface is further operable to provide second messages only to the network monitor.

Claims

10. A method comprising:

receiving at a first computing device a first message from a first network, the first message including a first destination address and building control data pertaining to the operation of one of a plurality of building control devices;

updating a first network usage statistic maintained in the first computing device responsive to receiving a first message; and

processing the building control data in the first computing device responsive to receiving the first message if the first destination address corresponds to the first computing device.

11. The method of claim 11, further comprising

receiving a request for the building control data from an external input,

causing the network interface to send a request message over the first network, the request message configured to obtain the requested building control data.

1. An arrangement for use in a building system comprising:

a building control station operably connected to a first network, the building control station having a first network address on the first network, the building control station further comprising,

a network interface operable to receive first and second messages on the first network,

a building control object operably coupled to receive first messages from the network interface, the building control object operable to process building control data based on at least some of the received first messages, and

a network monitor object operably coupled to receive first messages and second messages from the network interface, the network monitor object operable to determine at least a first statistic regarding the first network based on the first messages and second messages.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the first messages include a destination address that corresponds to the first network address, and the second messages include a destination address that corresponds to one or more of a plurality of different network addresses.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the building control object is operable to receive a request for building control information from an external input,

cause the network interface to send a request message over the first network, the request message configured to obtain the requested building control information.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the building control data includes data relating to the operation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the network monitor object is configured to determine at least a first usage statistic regard the first network,

6. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the usage statistic includes a message count, the message count representative of a count of first and second messages.

7. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the building control station is further operable to communicate on a second network to a plurality of other computing devices.

8. The arrangement of claim 7 wherein the building control station is further operable to communicate information representative of the at least one statistic regarding the first network to one of the plurality of other computing devices using the second network.

9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the one of the plurality of other computing devices includes an Internet server, the Internet server operable to provide the information representative of the at least one statistic to a remote computer using the Internet.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the building control data includes data relating to the operation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the usage statistic includes a message count, the message count representative of a count of messages communicated on the first network.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising communicating information representative of the usage statistic to one of the plurality of other computing devices using the second network.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising communicating information representative of the usage statistic to one of the plurality of other computing devices using the Internet.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising updating a plurality of network usage statistics maintained in the first computing device responsive to receiving a first message.

15-1. The method of claim 11 further comprising

communicating information representative of the usage statistic to an Internet server using a second network;

and

employing the Internet server to provide the information representative of the usage statistic to a remote computer using the Internet.

17. A method comprising:

receiving at a first computing device a first message from a first network, the first message including a first destination address and building control data pertaining to the operation of one of a plurality of building control devices, at least some of the building control devices operably connected to the first network;

updating a first network usage statistic maintained in the first computing device responsive to receiving the first message; and

communicating information representative of the first network usage statistic to one of the plurality of other computing devices using the Internet.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the communicating step further comprises:

.

communicating information representative of the first network usage statistic to an Internet server using a second network; and

employing the Internet server to provide the information representative of the usage statistic to a remote computer using the Internet.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the first network is a token bus network.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising

updating a plurality of network usage statistics maintained in the first computing device responsive to receiving the first message;

and

communicating information representative of a select set of network usage statistics from the plurality of network usage statistics to one of the plurality of other computing devices using the Internet.