NETWORK CONFIGURATION AND METHOD FOR ASSIGNING OF NETWORK ADDRESSES TO FANS IN A NETWORK

• US 20170048189A1
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ebm-Papst Mulfingen GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Ebm-Papst Mulfingen GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: HUMM, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 10,812,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21028 Address of module determined by position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40045 Details regarding the feeding of energy to the node from the bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for the configuration of a network with network addresses, wherein the network consists of at least one central computer and a plurality of fans, which can communicate via a bus system in wired and/or wireless manner with the central computer, wherein each fan has a rewritable memory and a RFID interface for communication with a preferably mobile communications device, wherein the serial number of the respective fan is saved in its memory and the serial number can be read out by the communications device in the nonoperational voltage-free state of the particular fan.

Claims

1. A network comprising:

at least one central computer, and

a plurality of fans which can be in a voltage-free nonoperational state or in an operational state supplied with voltage, wherein

the fans communicate in a wired and/or a wireless manner via a bus system with the central computer,

each fan has a rewritable memory and a RFID interface for communication with a mobile communications device,

the serial number of the respective fan is stored in its memory, the serial number can be read out in the voltage-free nonoperational state of the respective fan by the communications device,

the central computer is configured such that it can automatically assign network addresses to the voltage-free fans depending on the serial number read out, a position detection device is integrated in or provided in direct proximity to the communications device, the position detection device detecting the position of the communications device at a moment when the serial number of a fan situated closest to the communications device has been read out, in order to relay the detected position in the form of position data directly or indirectly to the memory.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein corresponding position data for the local installation position of the particular fan is saved in the memory of the particular fan.

3. The network according to claim 1, wherein the memory is an EEPROM with a RFID interface.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein the communications device is a mobile communications device on which software is provided for reading out and writing in data in the respective memory of the fan via the respective RFID interface of the fan.

5. The network according to claim 4, wherein the position detection device has a GPS receiver module.

6. The network according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of beacons preferably Bluetooth beacons are provided, distributed in the surroundings of the installation positions of the fans, and the software of the communications device is configured to identify each beacon in its transmission range and detect its signal strength or signal propagation time.

7. The network according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of beacons are Bluetooth beacons.

8. A method for the configuration of the network according to claim 1, wherein after the installation of the particular fan the serial number of the particular fan is read out from its memory by means of the mobile communications device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein after reading out the serial number of the particular fan a distinct network address is assigned to the fan by means of the mobile communications device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein a position detection device is integrated in or provided in immediate proximity to the communications device, which detects the position of the communications device at the moment when the serial number of the closest fan to the communications device is read out and wherein the communications device relays the position detected by the position detection device in the form of position data directly or indirectly to a memory or writes it directly or indirectly into the memory.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein position data for each fan is entered by means of an interface on the communications device or entered manually and after the serial number of the respective fan is read out its position data is assigned to the fan by means of the mobile communications device.

12. A method for assigning of network addresses to fans hooked up in the voltage-free state in the network according to claim 1, wherein a control unit automatically assigns network addresses to the fans in that the fans respond depending on their distinct position data and the network addresses are assigned depending on this and linked to the position data of the respective fan.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is a control unit of the central computer.

14. A fan configured for use in the network according to claim 1, wherein the fan is outfitted with a rewritable and readable memory with a RFID interface.

15. A fan configured for use in the network according to claim 8, wherein the fan is outfitted with a rewritable and readable memory with a RFID interface.