Building automation system data management

• US 20070055759A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Eiynk, Benedict, Richards, David, McCoy, Sean, Mairs, Susan
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

A building automation system (BAS) comprising a plurality of end devices, at least one communication network, and a protocol-independent server engine. The end devices are each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus. The communication network supports a plurality of communication protocols and communicatively couples at least a portion of the plurality of end devices. The server engine is communicatively coupled to the at least one communication network and includes means for selectively implementing a dynamic extensibility capability for the BAS that establishes communications with and control of the plurality of end devices over the plurality of communication protocols, and means for selectively implementing an automatic configuration capability for the BAS that supports addition of end devices to the plurality of end devices by determining at least one characteristic of each end device. Methods of establishing communications with unknown end devices in a building automation system (BAS) based upon metadata descriptors provided by known and unknown end devices are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of end devices each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus;

at least one communication network communicatively coupling at least a portion of the plurality of end devices and supporting a plurality of communication protocols;

a protocol-independent server engine communicatively coupled to the at least one communication network, the server engine including;

programming means for selectively implementing a dynamic extensibility capability for the BAS that establishes communications with and control of the plurality of end devices over at least one of the plurality of communication protocols; and

programming means for selectively implementing an automatic configuration capability for the BAS that supports addition of end devices to the plurality of end devices by determining at least one characteristic of each end device, the at least one characteristic being selected from the set consisting of a self-describing status and a non-self-describing status, including;

for an end device having a self-describing status, programming means for accepting and storing data and metadata descriptors communicated from the end device; and

for an end device having a non-self-describing status, programming means for searching a database of data and metadata descriptors for end devices maintained by the server engine for data and metadata descriptors based on the non-self-describing status of the end device and for automatically requesting supplemental manually programmed data and metadata descriptors for the end device if the non-self-describing status of the device is not sufficient to retrieve data and metadata descriptors for the end device from the database.

2. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

3. The BAS of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the communication network is wireless.

4. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the server engine further comprises programming means for determining a communication protocol for an end device having a self-describing status based upon the data and metadata descriptors communicated from the end device.

5. The BAS of claim 4, wherein the plurality of communication protocols comprises at least one protocol selected from the group consisting of a BACnet protocol, a LonTalk protocol, and a protocol native to the BAS.

6. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the data and metadata descriptors communicated from the end device comprise information related to at least one of the set consisting of a communication protocol of the end device;

a communication protocol version of the end device;

a vendor of the end device;

a type of the end device;

a version of the end device;

a status of the end device;

a location of the end device;

an intra-BAS relation of the end device with at least one of a space, a system, a subsystem, a building, a campus, or another end device;

a schedule of the end device;

a schedule of the BAS; and

an extension needed by the end device.

7. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the BAS further comprises user interface means for presenting a request for, and accepting a response of, supplemental manually programmed data and metadata descriptors for an end device.

8. A method for establishing communications with unknown end devices in a building automation system (BAS) based upon metadata descriptors provided by known and unknown end devices, the method comprising the steps of:

discovering an unknown end device on a communication network, the unknown end device associated with at least one of a point, a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or campus;

querying the unknown end device for a communication protocol metadata descriptor;

classifying the unknown end device as a self-describing end device if the unknown end device provides a communication protocol metadata descriptor in response to the query and selecting a communication protocol that corresponds to the communication protocol metadata descriptor for the unknown end device; and

classifying the unknown end device as a non-self-describing end device if the unknown end device does not provide a communication protocol metadata descriptor in response to the query.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

automatically requesting supplemental manually programmed communication protocol descriptors for a non-self-describing end device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

comparing the non-self-describing end device to known end devices of the BAS for at least one similar characteristic; and

selecting a general communication protocol of a known end device for the non-self-describing end device if a similar characteristic is found.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of classifying the unknown end device as a self-describing end device further comprises:

establishing operational communications with the self-describing end device according to the selected communication protocol;

automatically configuring the self-describing end device within the BAS; and

dynamically extending the BAS to include the self-describing end device.

12. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of control/sensor means for measuring and communicating data about at least one of a point, a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or campus;

communication means for communicatively coupling at least a portion of the plurality of control/sensor means and supporting a plurality of communication protocols; and

protocol-independent computing and storage means for controlling the plurality of control/sensor means through the communication means, the computing and storage means including;

programming means for selectively implementing a dynamic extensibility capability for the BAS that establishes communications with and control of the plurality of control/sensor means over the plurality of communication protocols; and

programming means for selectively implementing an automatic configuration capability for the BAS that supports addition of control/sensor means to the plurality of control/sensor means by determining at least one characteristic of each control/sensor means, the at least one characteristic being selected from the set consisting of a self-describing status and a non-self-describing status, including;

for a control/sensor means having a self-describing status, programming means for accepting and storing data and metadata descriptors communicated from the control/sensor means; and

for a control/sensor means having a non-self-describing status, programming means for searching a database of data and metadata descriptors for control/sensor means maintained by the computing and storage means for data and metadata descriptors based on the non-self-describing status of the end device and automatically requesting supplemental manually programmed data and metadata descriptors for the end device if the non-self-describing status of the device is not sufficient to retrieve data and metadata descriptors for the end device from the database.

13. The BAS of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of control/sensor means is selected from the set consisting of:

a panel, a sensor, a controller, a microprocessor-controlled device, a converter, a thermostat, a furnace, a heating system, a chiller, a cooling system, an air conditioner, an air filter, an air purifier, a fire and life safety system, a security system, an alarm system, an occupancy sensor, an electrical system monitor and controller, a lighting system monitor and controller, a ventilation system monitor and controller, a smoke sensor, a light sensor, a motion sensor, a humidity sensor, a pump, an air handler, fluid and air moving and handling equipment, a terminal device, life science and pharmacological control equipment and monitoring systems, a positive pressure clean room, a negative pressure clean room, industrial automation and control equipment and systems, and a programmable logic controller.

14. The BAS of claim 12, wherein the data and metadata descriptors comprise a schedule of the control/sensor means.

15. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a plurality of end devices each associated with at least one of a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or a campus;

at least one communication network communicatively coupling at least a portion of the plurality of end devices and supporting a plurality of communication protocols;

a protocol-independent server engine communicatively coupled to the at least one communication network, the server engine including;

software instructions adapted to implement a dynamic extensibility capability for the BAS and establish communications with and control of the plurality of end devices over at least one of the plurality of communication protocols; and

software instructions adapted to implement an automatic configuration capability for the BAS to support addition of end devices to the plurality of end devices by determining at least one characteristic of each end device, the at least one characteristic being selected from the set consisting of a self-describing status and a non-self-describing status, including;

for an end device having a self-describing status, software instructions adapted to accept and store data and metadata descriptors communicated from the end device; and

for an end device having a non-self-describing status, software instructions adapted to search a database of data and metadata descriptors for end devices maintained by the server engine for data and metadata descriptors based on the non-self-describing status of the end device and to requesting supplemental manually programmed data and metadata descriptors for the end device if the non-self-describing status of the device is not sufficient to retrieve data and metadata descriptors for the end device from the database.

16. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

means for discovering an unknown end device on a communication network, the unknown end device associated with at least one of a point, a space, a system, or a subsystem for at least a portion of a building or campus;

means for querying the unknown end device for a communication protocol metadata descriptor;

means for classifying the unknown end device as a self-describing end device if the unknown end device provides a communication protocol metadata descriptor in response to the query and for selecting a communication protocol that corresponds to the communication protocol metadata descriptor for the unknown end device; and

means for classifying the unknown end device as a non-self-describing end device if the unknown end device does not provide a communication protocol metadata descriptor in response to the query.

17. The BAS of claim 16, further comprising:

means for automatically requesting supplemental manually programmed communication protocol descriptors for a non-self-describing end device.

18. The BAS of claim 16, further comprising:

means for comparing the non-self-describing end device to known end devices of the BAS for at least one similar characteristic; and

means for selecting a general communication protocol of a known end device for the non-self-describing end device if a similar characteristic is found.

19. The BAS of claim 16, wherein the means for classifying the unknown end device as a self-describing end device further comprises:

means for establishing operational communications with the self-describing end device according to the selected communication protocol;

means for automatically configuring the self-describing end device within the BAS; and

means for dynamically extending the BAS to include the self-describing end device.