DUAL COMMUNICATION-INTERFACE FACILITY MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20130215903A1
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Visonic Ltd (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Kotlicki, Oren, Kotlicki, Yaacov
• Granted Patent: US 9,548,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system, the system including a multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices, the devices including at least one of at least one facility monitoring sensor and at least one facility management device, the facility monitoring sensors being operative to monitor at least a part of a facility, the facility management devices being operative to manage at last part of the facility, a facility communication gateway operative to facilitate electronic communication between a local area network (LAN) associated with the facility and an a wide area network (WAN) external to the facility, and a dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem operative to communicate with each of the multiplicity of devices via at least one of a first multiplicity of communication protocols and to communicate with the facility communication gateway via at least one of a second multiplicity of communication protocols.

Claims

1. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system, said system comprising:

a multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices, said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices comprising at least one of at least one facility monitoring sensor and at least one facility management device, said at least one facility monitoring sensor being operative to monitor at least a part of a facility, said at least one facility management device being operative to manage at last part of said facility;

a facility communication gateway operative to facilitate electronic communication between a local area network (LAN) associated with said facility and an a wide area network (WAN) external to said facility; and

a dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem operative to communicate with each of said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices via at least one of a first multiplicity of communication protocols and to communicate with said facility communication gateway via at least one of a second multiplicity of communication protocols.

2. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem is also operative to receive facility monitoring information collected by said at least one facility monitoring sensor and to communicate said facility monitoring information to a user employing a communicator device connected to said local area network via said facility communication gateway.

3. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem is also operative to receive facility monitoring information collected by said at least one facility monitoring sensor and to communicate said facility monitoring information to a user employing a communicator device connected to said wide area network via said facility communication gateway.

4. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem is also operative to receive at least one facility management instruction from a user employing a communicator device connected to said local area network via said facility communication gateway and to communicate said at least one facility management instruction to said at least one facility management device.

5. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem is also operative to receive at least one facility management instruction from a user employing a communicator device connected to said wide area network via said facility communication gateway and to communicate said at least one facility management instruction to said at least one facility management device.

6. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said first multiplicity of communication protocols and said second multiplicity of communication protocols are at least partially mutually exclusive.

7. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one facility monitoring sensor is a security camera.

8. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one facility monitoring sensor is a motion detector.

9. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one facility management device is a remote controlled light dimmer.

10. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said first multiplicity of communication protocols comprises at least one of Z-Wave, ZigBee, PowerG and DECT-ULE.

11. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein communication between said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem and said facility monitoring\management devices is at least one of wired or wireless.

12. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said second multiplicity of communication protocols comprises at least one of Wi-Fi, 3G\LTE cellular protocols and DECT ULE.

13. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein communication between said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem and said facility communication gateway is at least one of wired or wireless.

14. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem is implemented in a USB adaptor device.

15. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 14 and wherein said USB adaptor device is mounted on a USB mounting device which is inserted into an electric wall socket, thereby providing electric power to said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem.

16. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 14 and wherein said USB adaptor device is mounted on a USB mounting device which is wire connected to said facility communication gateway.

17. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 14 and wherein said USB adaptor device is inserted into an appropriate USB port in said facility communication gateway for direct communication therewith.

18. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system is operative to communicate with a central cloud service management platform, said central cloud service management platform being operable for receiving monitoring signals received from said at least one facility monitoring sensor via said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem and said facility communication gateway of said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system, and to provide corresponding alerts to a manager of said facility.

19. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system according to claim 1 and wherein said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system is operative to communicate with a central cloud service management platform, said central cloud service management platform being operable to relay facility management instructions to said at least one facility management device of said facility via said facility communication gateway and said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management subsystem of said dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management system.

20. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method, said method comprising:

communicating with each of a multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices via at least one of a first multiplicity of communication protocols and communicating with a facility communication gateway via at least one of a second multiplicity of communication protocols;

said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices comprising at least one of at least one facility monitoring sensor and at least one facility management device, said at least one facility monitoring sensor being operative to monitor at least a part of a facility, said at least one facility management device being operative to manage at last part of said facility; and

said facility communication gateway being operative to facilitate electronic communication between a local area network (LAN) associated with said facility and an a wide area network (WAN) external to said facility.

21. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said communicating with each of said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices comprises receiving facility monitoring information collected by said at least one facility monitoring sensor and communicating said facility monitoring information to a user employing a communicator device connected to said local area network via said facility communication gateway.

22. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said communicating with each of said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices comprises receiving facility monitoring information collected by said at least one facility monitoring sensor and communicating said facility monitoring information to a user employing a communicator device connected to said wide area network via said facility communication gateway.

23. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said communicating with each of said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices comprises receiving at least one facility management instruction from a user employing a communicator device connected to said local area network via said facility communication gateway and to communicate said at least one facility management instruction to said at least one facility management device.

24. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said communicating with each of said multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices comprises receiving at least one facility management instruction from a user employing a communicator device connected to said wide area network via said facility communication gateway and to communicate said at least one facility management instruction to said at least one facility management device.

25. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said first multiplicity of communication protocols and said second multiplicity of communication protocols are at least partially mutually exclusive.

26. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said at least one facility monitoring sensor is a security camera.

27. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said at least one facility monitoring sensor is a motion detector.

28. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said at least one facility management device is a remote controlled light dimmer.

29. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said first multiplicity of communication protocols comprises at least one of Z-Wave, ZigBee, PowerG and DECT-ULE.

30. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said communicating with each of a multiplicity of facility monitoring\management devices is at least one of wired or wireless.

31. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said second multiplicity of communication protocols comprises at least one of Wi-Fi, 3G\LTE cellular protocols and DECT ULE.

32. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and wherein said communicating with a facility communication gateway is at least one of wired or wireless.

33. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and also comprising communicating monitoring signals received from said at least one facility monitoring sensor of said facility to a central cloud service, said central cloud service operable for providing corresponding alerts to a manager of said facility.

34. A dual communication-interface facility monitoring and management method according to claim 20 and also comprising communicating with a central cloud service management platform, said central cloud service management platform being operable to relay facility management instructions from a manager of said facility to said at least one facility management device of said facility.