DIAGNOSTIC DATA BUS FOR ACQUIRING AND COMMUNICATING DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION FROM HVAC SYSTEMS

• US 20160215996A1
• Filed: 01/26/2016
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Blair, Daniel John, Garrett, Carl L., Groskreutz, Mark E., Stewart, Jeffrey L., Mutchnik, Karl J., Daugherty, William David III, Imam, Mahfuz, Chen, Gang (Jacky)
• Granted Patent: US 10,139,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/38 Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0227 Qualitative history assessment, whereby the type of data acted upon, e.g. waveforms, images or patterns, is not relevant, e.g. rule based assessment; if-then decisions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/187 Machine fault alarms

Abstract

A diagnostic data collection device and a diagnostic data bus are disclosed. In an embodiment, the diagnostic data collection device includes a diagnostic communication interface and a flexible interface module. The interface module is configurable to measure one or more electrical properties associated with an HVAC component, such as voltage, current, resistance. Electrical properties may include a sensor output and may include analog and digital signals. The diagnostic data collection device generates an exception message if the sensed property is out of specification. Evaluation rules are provided to detect various types of failures, including transient failures, steady state failures, and trending failures. The diagnostic data collection device self-calibrates by recording electrical properties during normal operation of the HVAC equipment. A plurality of diagnostic data collection devices may be coupled by a diagnostic data bug independent of the HVAC system'"'"'s control bus, to ensure operational integrity of the diagnostic system.

Claims

1. A data gathering device for use with HVAC equipment, comprising:

a controller;

a diagnostic communication interface in operative communication with the controller; and

an interface module in operative communication with the controller and configurable to measure an electrical property associated with an HVAC component and generate a sensor signal corresponding to the measured electrical property.

2. The data gathering device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a data interface in operative communication with the controller; and

wherein the controller is configured to bridge communications between the diagnostic communication interface and the data interface.

3. The data gathering device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the diagnostic interface is configured to communicate with a diagnostic data bus in accordance with a protocol selected from the group consisting of a CANbus protocol, a Z-Wave protocol, and a ZigBee protocol.

4. The data gathering device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an exception module, comprising;

a baseline setting module operatively coupled to the controller and the interface module, the baseline setting module configured to determine a baseline parameter for the HVAC component; and

a change detection module storing a parameter rule indicating an acceptable range for an operational parameter, the change detection module configured to receive the sensor signal, evaluate the sensor signal and the baseline parameter in accordance with the parameter rule, and to issue an exception message if the sensor signal is outside the accepted range defined by the parameter rule.

5. The data gathering device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the baseline parameter is determined by sampling an initial value of the measured electrical property.

6. The data gathering device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the exception message includes data selected from the group consisting of a data gathering device unique identifier, a data gathering device location, an exception identifier, a sensed parameter, a timestamp, and a unique sequence number.

7. The data gathering unit in accordance with claim 1, further comprising in operative communication with the interface module a profile database storing predetermined interface module settings in association with respective identifying characteristics of one or more HVAC components.

8. The data gathering device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the interface module further comprises an input buffer selectively configurable to receive an electrical property selected from the group consisting of voltage, current, and resistance.

9. A method of monitoring an HVAC component, comprising:

selecting an electrical property of the HVAC component for monitoring;

determining a baseline parameter of the HVAC component;

storing the baseline parameter in a data collection unit;

sensing the selected electrical property of the HVAC component during operation of the HVAC component;

evaluating, at the data collection unit, the sensed electrical property to the baseline parameter in accordance with a change rule to determine whether the sensed electrical property is indicative of a fault in the HVAC component; and

communicating an exception message to a diagnostic database in response to a determination that the sensed electrical property is indicative of a fault in the HVAC component.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein determining a baseline parameter includes measuring an electrical characteristic of the HVAC component when the HVAC component is operating without fault.

11. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein determining a baseline parameter includes receiving, from a profile database, a predetermined baseline parameter for the HVAC equipment.

12. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the baseline parameter includes an acceptable range and the change rule includes determining whether the sensed electrical property is outside the acceptable range.

13. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the baseline parameter includes a rate of change and the change rule includes determining whether the sensed electrical property is changing at a rate greater than the rate of change.

14. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein communicating an exception message includes transmitting the exception to a second data collection unit via a diagnostic data bus, and forwarding the exception message by the second data collection unit to the diagnostic database.

15. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein communicating an exception includes transmitting the exception message via a diagnostic data bus to an HVAC device selected from the group consisting of a thermostat and an HVAC controller, and forwarding the exception message by the HVAC device unit to the diagnostic database.

16. An HVAC diagnostic system, comprising:

a plurality of data gathering devices, each comprising an interface module configurable to measure an electrical property associated with an HVAC component, each of the plurality of data gathering devices configured to generate an exception message when the measured electrical property is anomalous;

a diagnostic data bus joining the plurality of data gathering devices in operative communication, wherein at least of one of the data gathering devices of the plurality of data devices bridges the diagnostic data bus with a data network; and

a server in operative communication with the data network and configured to receive an exception message from the at least one data gathering device, calculate a probability of a fault in HVAC component based on the received exception message, and generate an alert in response to the probability of the fault exceeding a predetermined threshold.

17. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of data gathering devices further includes:

an exception module, comprising;

a baseline setting module operatively coupled to the controller and the interface module, the baseline setting module configured to determine a baseline parameter for the HVAC component; and

a change detection module storing a parameter rule indicating an acceptable range for an operational parameter, the change detection module configured to receive the sensor signal, evaluate the sensor signal and the baseline parameter in accordance with the parameter rule, and to issue an exception message if the sensor signal is outside the accepted range defined by the parameter rule.

18. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 17, wherein the baseline parameter is determined by sampling an initial value of the measured electrical property.

19. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 17, wherein the exception message includes data selected from the group consisting of a data gathering device unique identifier, a data gathering device location, an exception identifier, a sensed parameter, a timestamp, and a unique sequence number.

20. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 16, further comprising a database in operative communication with the server, wherein the exception message includes event data comprising a record of an exception event and a date and time of occurrence of the exception event, wherein the server is further configured to:

aggregate the event data;

calculate the probability of the fault based on the aggregated data; and

store, in the database, the aggregated data, the probability calculated, and a record of the alert generated.

21. An HVAC diagnostic system for use with an HVAC system, comprising:

a plurality of data gathering devices, each comprising an interface configured to measure a property associated with the HVAC system;

a diagnostic data bus joining the plurality of data gathering devices in operative communication, wherein at least one of the data gathering devices of the plurality of data devices bridges the diagnostic data bus with a data network;

a server in operative communication with the data network and configured to receive data from at least one data gathering device, determine HVAC system faults utilizing the received data, and generate alerts in response.

22. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the diagnostic data bus is independent of an HVAC system control bus.

23. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the property associated with the HVAC system is selected from the group consisting of a physical parameter and an electrical parameter.

24. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the interface is further configured to communicate with a data port associated with the HVAC system.

25. The HVAC diagnostic system in accordance with claim 24, wherein the data gathering device is further configured to:

receive data from the data port; and

transmit the data received from the data port to the server.