SYNERGISTIC INTERFACE SYSTEM FOR A BUILDING NETWORK

• US 20130054033A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Casilli, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 10,505,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality

Abstract

An interface system for a building includes at least one mobile computing device configured to read building information indicia positioned within the building, with the building information indicia defining indicia data. The at least one mobile computing device is in wireless communication with a building control system within the building. The building control system is configured to send control signals to a plurality of field devices within the building. The at least one mobile computing devices is configured to transmit indicia data defined by the building information indicia to the building control system. The building control system is configured to control the field devices based at least in part on the indicia data received from the mobile computing devices.

Claims

1. An interface system for a building comprising:

a building control system configured to send control signals to a plurality of field devices within the building;

building information indicia positioned at a location in the building, the building information indicia defining indicia data; and

at least one mobile computing device in wireless communication with the building control system, the at least one mobile computing device configured to read the building information indicia and transmit the indicia data to the building control system;

wherein the building control system is configured to control the field devices based at least in part on the indicia data received from the at least one mobile computing device.

2. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the at least one mobile computing device is one of a plurality of mobile computing devices, the interface system further comprising a user database associating each of the plurality of mobile computing devices with a user profile, wherein the building control system is configured to control the field devices based at least in part on both the indicia data and the user profile associated with the mobile computing device that transmitted the indicia data.

3. The interface system of claim 2 wherein each user profile is either a private user profile or a public user profile.

4. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the building information indicia is a first of a plurality of building information indicia positioned at different locations in the building, wherein the indicia data includes building location data.

5. The interface system of claim 4 wherein the building control system includes a building information database, the building information database including building layout data, wherein the building control system is configured to transmit the building layout data to the mobile computing device after receiving the indicia data from the mobile computing device.

6. The interface system of claim 5 wherein the building control system is further configured to transmit user location data to the mobile computing device in association with the building layout data, and wherein the mobile computing device is configured to display a building map and a present location marker on a screen of the mobile computing device based on the building layout data and the present location data received from the building control system.

7. The interface system of claim 4 wherein the indicia data includes equipment identification data, wherein the building control system includes a building information database including equipment operational data associated with the equipment identification data, and wherein the building control system is configured to transmit the equipment operational data to the mobile computing device after receiving the indicia data from the mobile computing device.

8. The interface system of claim 7 wherein the mobile computing device is configured to display a graphical representation of the building equipment associated the equipment data received from the building control system.

9. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the building information indicia includes electronic indicia provided on a screen connected to the building, and wherein the electronic indicia is dynamic indicia such that the electronic indicia changes with time.

10. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the at least one mobile computing device is one of a plurality of mobile computing devices, the interface system further comprising a user database associating each of the plurality of mobile computing devices with a building location, and wherein the building control system is a mass notification system configured to transmit messages to selected mobile computing devices based on the building location associated with the selected mobile computing devices.

11. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the building control system is an environmental control system including a plurality of field panels connected to the plurality of field devices, and wherein the plurality of field devices include environmental control devices selected from the group consisting of air conditioners, heaters, thermostats, dampers, and lights.

12. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the building control system is a security system, and wherein the plurality of field devices include door locks.

13. The interface system of claim 1 wherein the mobile computing device includes a camera, a processor, and a transceiver, the camera configured to obtain an image of the building information indicia, the processor configured to transfer the image into the indicia data, and the transceiver configured to transmit the indicia data to the building control system.

14. A method of controlling field devices in a building, the method comprising:

receiving indicia data from a mobile computing device, the indicia data associated with one of a plurality of building information indicia positioned at different locations in the building; and

controlling the operation of at least one of a plurality of field devices within the building based at least in part on the indicia data received from the mobile computing device and a user profile associated with the mobile computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the indicia data is first indicia data, the method further comprising:

receiving second indicia data from the mobile computing device, the second indicia data associated with another of the plurality of building information indicia positioned at different locations in the building; and

changing the operation of the at least one of the plurality of field devices based upon receipt of the second indicia data; and

controlling the operation of another of the plurality of field devices based at least in part on the second indicia data received from the mobile computing device and the user profile associated with the mobile computing device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of field devices include environmental control devices.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising transmitting building layout data and user location data to the mobile computing device after receiving the indicia data from the mobile computing device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying a building map and a present location marker on a screen of the mobile computing device.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising transmitting equipment data associated with the indicia data to the mobile computing device after receiving the indicia data from the mobile computing device.

20. A control system for a building comprising:

a plurality of environmental control devices configured to control an environmental condition in the building;

at least one communication circuit configured to communicate with the plurality of environmental control devices using a building network;

a wireless transceiver configured to receive wireless signals from a plurality of mobile computing devices, the wireless signals indicative of building locations; and

a processing circuit configured to

receive the wireless signals from the plurality of mobile computing devices;

associate a building location and a user profile with each of the mobile computing devices;

generate control signals for the plurality of environmental control devices based at least in part on the building location and user profile associated with each of the mobile computing devices; and

deliver the control signals to the at least one communication circuit for communication to the environmental control devices.