DEVICES AND METHODS FOR INTERACTING WITH A CONTROL SYSTEM THAT IS CONNECTED TO A NETWORK

• US 20140330435A1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Stoner, Marcus D., Kolavennu, Soumitri, Paine, Brad, Goh, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,145,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/57 using telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/40 Noise
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities 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 H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A building automation system may be controlled in response to a natural language voice message. The natural language voice message may be recorded and then sent to a voice command manager via a network. The natural language voice message is then translated into a command recognizable by a building automation controller of the building automation system. Voice recognition software may be used to create a natural language text based message from the recorded natural voice message, and the natural language text based message may then be translated into the command recognizable by the building automation controller. In response to the command, the building automation controller may perform the desired action.

Claims

1. A system of controlling a network connected building automation system servicing a building, comprising:

a network;

a voice command manager connected to the network, the voice command manager including;

a memory; and

a processor;

a first voice sensor device in communication with the voice command manager over the network, the first voice sensor device configured to receive and store natural language commands from a user, and to communicate the received natural language commands to the voice command manager over the network;

a second voice sensor device in communication with the voice command manager over the network, the second voice sensor device configured to receive and store natural language commands from a user, and to communicate the natural language commands to the voice command manager over the network;

a building automation controller; and

wherein the voice command manager translates the received natural language commands received from the first voice sensor device and the second voice sensor device into one or more commands understandable by the building automation controller, and transmits one or more commands to the building automation controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein when the first voice sensor device communicates a received natural language command for the building automation controller to the voice command manager and the second voice sensor device communicates a received natural language command for the building automation controller to the voice command manager, the voice command manager translates both of the received natural language commands into corresponding commands understandable by the building automation controller, and if there is an identified conflict, determines which of the corresponding commands, if any, is communicated to the building automation controller.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the voice command manager communicates back to the first voice sensor device, the second voice sensor device, or both, which command of the corresponding commands was communicated to the building automation controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice command manager communicates back to the first voice sensor device, the second voice sensor device, or both, with natural language acknowledgements.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voice sensor device is a phone.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voice sensor device is a thermostat.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice command manager is implemented on a server located outside of the building.

8. A voice command manager for a building automation system of a building, comprising:

an input port for receiving a natural language voice command over a network;

a memory for storing the received natural language voice command;

a processor configured to translate the natural language voice command stored in the memory into one or more commands understandable by the building automation controller; and

an output port for sending the one or more commands understandable by the building automation controller to the building automation controller for execution.

9. The voice command manager of claim 8, wherein the voice command manager is implemented in a server outside of the building.

10. The voice command manager of claim 8, wherein the voice command manager is implemented in a computer inside of the building, and wherein the input port of the voice command manager is in communication with a wireless network and receives the natural language voice command via the wireless network.

11. The voice command manager of claim 10, wherein the input port receives the natural language voice command from a voice sensor device located within the building via the wireless network.

12. The voice command manager of claim 8, wherein the input port receives the natural language voice command from a voice sensor device located within the building.

13. The voice command manager of claim 12, wherein the voice sensor device is one or more of a thermostat, a security system panel, a sensor module, and a dedicated voice reception panel.

14. The voice command manager of claim 8, wherein the input port receives the natural language voice command from a voice sensor device located outside of the building.

15. The voice command manager of claim 14, wherein the voice sensor device is one or more of a smart phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, and a lap top computer.

16. The voice command manager of claim 8, wherein the building automation system includes at least two sub-systems, wherein the processor is configured to determine which of the at least two sub-systems to send the one or more commands, and then sends the one or more commands to the appropriate sub-system via the output port for execution.

17. The voice command manager of claim 16, wherein the at least two sub-systems include one or more of an HVAC system, a security system, a lighting control system, a water heater system, a refrigerator, a clothes washer, a clothes dryer, and an oven.

18. A method of interfacing with a building automation system, the method comprising:

receiving a natural language voice message at one or more of a first voice reception unit and a second voice reception unit;

communicating a natural language command for one of one or more building automation controllers to a computing device;

translating the natural language command with the computing device to a command understandable by the one of the one or more building automation controllers; and

sending the command understandable by the one of the one or more building automation controllers to the one of the one or more building automation controllers for execution.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the natural language command is the natural language voice message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the natural language command is a text string derived from the natural language voice message via voice recognition software.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

through one or more of the first voice reception unit and the second voice reception unit, providing a verbal communication of an action taken by the one of the one or more building automation controllers in response to the received command.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of natural language voice messages form a plurality of voice reception units, where the plurality of natural language voices messages comprise two or more commands for a single building automation controller; and

selecting with the computing device which of the two or more commands for the single building automation controller to send to the single building automation controller as a command understandable by the single building automation controller for execution.