Logical Groupings of Intelligent Building Fixtures

• US 20120130544A1
• Filed: 01/29/2012
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Mohan, Tanuj, Ashar, Premal, Patel, Sanjeev, Perkins, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and systems of building control, are disclosed. One system includes a plurality of building fixtures and at least one sensor interfaced with at least one of the plurality of building fixtures. Further, each building fixture includes a communication port and a controller. For this embodiment, each controller is configured to independently control at least one of an environmental load or a security device, either receive or help designate the building fixture as belonging to a logical group of building fixtures, and share at least one of sensor or state information with other building fixtures within the logical group of building fixtures, through the communication port.

Claims

1. A building control system, comprising:

a plurality of building fixtures;

at least one sensor interfaced with at least one of the plurality of building fixtures;

wherein

each building fixture comprising;

a communication port;

a controller, the controller configured to;

independently control at least one of an environmental load or a security device;

either receive or help designate the building fixture as belonging to a logical group of building fixtures;

share at least one of sensor or state information with other building fixtures within the logical group of building fixtures, through the communication port.

2. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is incorporated into at least one of the building fixtures.

3. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a light sensor, a motion sensor, or an environment sensor.

4. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable without receiving any commands from a central controller.

5. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the controller independently controlling at least one of an environmental load and a security device comprises the controller controlling at least one of a lighting intensity, an environmental control, or a building security control.

6. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising the controller operative to independently control the at least one of the environmental load or the security device based on at least one of shared sensor or shared state information received from at least one other of the plurality of building fixtures within the logical group.

7. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising the controller being operative to help designate one or more of the plurality of building fixtures as belonging to the logical group.

8. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising at least a sub-plurality of the plurality of building fixtures auto-determining the logical group.

9. The building control system of claim 8, wherein auto-determining comprises at least one of the building fixtures receiving a sensed input of a different building fixture, and the at least one building fixture auto-designating itself into a logical group that includes the different building fixture based on an proximity of the at least one building fixture to the different building fixture.

10. The building control system of claim 9, wherein the at least one building fixture determines its proximity to the different building fixture based on a three-dimensional x, y, z location of the at least one building fixture relative to a three-dimensional x, y, z location of the different building fixture.

11. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising the controller configured to additionally control at least one of the environmental load or the security device based on its proximity to a sensed input.

12. The building control system of claim 1, wherein an administrator specifies which of the plurality of building fixtures belong to the logical group.

13. The building control system of claim 1, wherein a manual operator specifies which of the plurality of building fixtures belong to the logical group.

14. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising each of the building fixtures of the logical group additionally operative to receive an input from a device, wherein the building fixture responds to the input if the input includes an identifier associating the input with the logical group.

15. The building control system of claim 1, further comprising building fixtures within the logical group restarting a clear-state-timer upon sensing of motion or light by a building fixture within the logical group.

16. The building control system of claim 15, wherein sensing of motion or light by building fixtures within the logical group within a predetermined amount of time after restarting a lighting on-time are ignored.

17. The building control system of claim 1, wherein if a building fixture receives an indication of sensing of light or motion, the building fixture ignores its own sensing of light or motion for a predetermined period of time.

18. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the logical group comprises a motion sensing group.

19. The building control system of claim 18, further comprising building fixtures of a corridor determining they are in a corridor, and auto-designating themselves to be included within a common logical group.

20. The building control system of claim 18, wherein the motion sensing group comprises a corridor look-ahead behavior, comprising a plurality of overlapping logical groups of building fixtures that provide propagation of light along a corridor.

21. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the logical group comprises an ambient light group.

22. The building control system of claim 21, further comprising at least a subset of the plurality building fixtures auto-designating themselves to be within the ambient light group.

23. The building control system of claim 1, wherein if at least one of the building fixtures of the logical group sense a motion or light senses a blindness condition, then the at least one building fixture retrieving sensing information from other building fixtures within a common logical group to determine a motion level or an ambient light level.

24. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the logical group comprises a logical switch group.

25. The building control system of claim 24, wherein the logical group is designated by a group id, and building fixtures that are members of the logical group having the group id are controlled by at least one of a logical switch and a physical switch, wherein the member building fixtures are controlled to provide predetermined scenes.

26. The building control system of claim 1, wherein at least one building fixture of the logical group receives a reference or baseline value for at least one of a motion sensor input or a light sensor input from another building fixture in the logical group.

27. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the logical group comprises a logical temperature group.

28. The building control system of claim 27, wherein a building fixture receives at least one of an occupancy input and a temperature sensor input from at least one of the other fixtures in the logical group to control an environmental load.

29. The building control system of claim 1, wherein the logical group comprises an emergency path groups, and wherein the emergency path group responds to reception of an emergency indicator, and further responds to sensed conditions of one or more sensors of other building fixtures.

30. The building control system of claim 29, wherein the emergency path group provides a safe path indicator for directing occupants to a safe path when the emergency indicator is received.

31. A building control apparatus, comprising:

a communication port;

a controller, the controller configured to;

independently control at least one of an environmental load or a security device;

either receive or help designate the building control apparatus as belonging to a logical group of building control apparatuses;

share at least one of sensor or state information with other building control apparatuses within the logical group, through the communication port.

32. The building control apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a sensor, wherein the sensor senses at least one of light, motion, or an environmental condition.

33. The building control apparatus of claim 31, the controller independently controlling at least one of an environmental load and a security device comprises the controller controlling at least one of a lighting intensity, an environmental control, or a building security control.

34. The building control apparatus of claim 31, further comprising the controller operative to independently control the at least one of the environmental load or the security device based on at least one of shared sensor or shared state information received from at least one other of the plurality of building control apparatuses within the logical group.

35. The building control apparatus of claim 31, further comprising the building control apparatus restarting a clear-state-timer upon sensing of motion or light by at least one building control apparatus within the logical group.

36. The building control apparatus of claim 35, wherein sensing of at least one of motion and light by at least one building control apparatus within the logical group within a predetermined amount of time after restarting a lighting on-time are ignored.

37. The building control apparatus of claim 31, wherein if at least one other building control apparatus of the plurality of building control apparatuses of the logical group receives an indication of sensing of light or motion, the building control apparatus ignores its own sensing of light or motion for a predetermined period of time.

38. A method of operating a building control fixture, comprising:

designating the building fixture as belonging to a logical group of building fixtures, wherein the designating comprises at least one of receiving the designation or the building fixture aiding in the designation;

independently controlling, by the building control fixture, at least one of an environmental load or a security device; and

sharing, by the building control fixture, at least one of sensor or state information with other building fixtures within the logical group of building fixtures, through a communication port of the building control fixture.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising the building control fixture receiving a sensor input, wherein the sensor input comprises at least one of light, motion, or an environmental condition.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein independently controlling at least one of an environmental load and a security device comprises controlling, by the building control fixture, at least one of a lighting intensity, an environmental control, or a building security control.

41. The method of claim 38, further comprising independently controlling the at least one of the environmental load or the security device based on at least one of shared sensor or shared state information received from at least one other of the plurality of building fixtures within the logical group.

42. The method of claim 38, further comprising building fixtures within the logical group restarting, by the building fixture, a clear-state-timer upon sensing of motion or light by at least one other building fixture within the logical group.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein sensing of motion or light by building fixtures within the logical group within a predetermined amount of time after restarting a lighting on-time are ignored.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein if the building fixture receives an indication of sensing of light or motion, the building fixture ignores its own sensing of light or motion for a predetermined period of time.