CONFIGURING A SET OF DEVICES OF A STRUCTURE

• US 20140031987A1
• Filed: 09/28/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Mohan, Tanuj, Gupta, Saurabh, Ericsson, Bo E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,575,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatuses for configuring a set of devices of a structure are disclosed. One method includes loading a structure plan to a mobile computing device, wherein the structure plan is associated with the structure, communicating, by the mobile computing device, with one or more of the set of devices, communicating, by each of the one or more of the set of devices, a device identifier and proximity dependent information of the device back to the mobile computing device, wherein the proximity dependent information allows the mobile computing device to estimate a proximate location of the device, and placing, by the mobile computing device, each of the one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan based at least in part on the proximity dependent information.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a set of devices of a structure, comprising:

loading a structure plan to a mobile computing device, wherein the structure plan is associated with the structure;

communicating, by the mobile computing device, with one or more of the set of devices;

communicating, by each of the one or more of the set of devices, a device identifier and proximity dependent information of the device back to the mobile computing device, wherein the proximity dependent information allows the mobile computing device to estimate a proximate location of the device; and

placing, by the mobile computing device, each of the one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan based at least in part on the proximity dependent information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising further communicating by each of the one or more of the set of devices, an observable feedback to an operator of the mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein observable feedback allows the operator to identify and place the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a user-interface of the mobile computing device provides an in-range list of devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the list of devices are listed in an estimated order of proximity to the mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface allows the user to select a device from the list, and further, communicate a command to the device, wherein the device provides a user-observable feedback in response to being selected.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the mobile computing device uploading the placement of each of the one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan to a central server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplementing the placement of one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan through activation of a user-selected device of the one or more of the set of device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a user-interface that depicts at least a portion of the structure floor plan and at least a portion of the set of devices, and further depicts the user-selected device, and further facilitates communication to the user-selected device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the indicator is visual, audible, or physical.

11. The method claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device communicates with the one or more of the set of devices through a wireless channel that a central server or a gateway uses to communicate with each of the set of devices.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising physically transporting the mobile computing device about the structure, and the mobile computing device communicating with one or more of the set of devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity dependent information includes a received signal strength of communication received by the device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity dependent information includes a Link Quality Indicator of communication received by the device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifier includes a MAC address of the device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating at least a portion of the set of devices as repeater devices, wherein repeater devices receive communication signals from either a gateway or another repeater device, and transmit the communication signals to another device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the gateway device is located on the floor plan, and the portion of the set of devices are designated as repeater devices based on a proximity of the portion of the set of devices relative to the gateway.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of device includes lighting fixtures and sensors.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a transmit power of the communication by the mobile computing device, thereby adjusting a number of the one or more of the set of devices that respond to the communication by the mobile computing device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein a timing of the communication by each of the one or more of the set of devices is selected based on a media access control (MAC) address of each of the one or more of the set of devices.

21. A mobile computing device configuring a set of devices of a structure, wherein the mobile computing device is operative to:

upload a structure floor plan, wherein the structure floor plan is associated with the structure;

communicate with one or more of the set of devices;

receive from each of the one or more of the set of devices, a device identifier and proximity dependent information the device back to the mobile computing device; and

place each of the one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan.

22. The mobile communication device of claim 21, further comprising adjusting a transmit power level of the communicating with the one or more of the set of devices, thereby adjusting a number of the one or more of the set of devices that receive the communication from the mobile communication device.

23. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein a timing of the communicating received back from each of the one or more of the set of devices is based at least in part on a media access control (MAC) address of the device.