AUTOMATIC MASTER-SLAVE SYSTEM AND APPROACH

• US 20170147018A1
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Fei, Meruva, Jayaprakash, Schmieder, Wolfgang, Krishnasamy, Balaji, Prasad, Vinay, Zhou, Yongxi
• Granted Patent: US 10,255,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• 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: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/364 using independent requests or grants, e.g. using separated request and grant lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247

Abstract

An automatic master slave system and approach for coordinated control of a parameter, for example, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning condition, in an area of multiple spaces controlled by room controllers. Changing a layout of a zone/area in a building such as moving, adding or removing a door, increasing or splitting size of a room through movable walls, or by permanently removing partitions, changing offices to a conference room or vice versa, may occur. A size of a room may be altered within minutes, according to customer demand. For instance, rooms may be converted into a single room by removing partitions. The controllers that were controlling temperatures of the rooms independently earlier, may convert automatically into a master-slave configuration and now work together to control a larger room. If the large room is split into multiple rooms, the controllers may automatically revert to their previous configuration.

Claims

1. A master-slave controller system comprising:

one or more controllers in one or more spaces; and

wherein;

two or more spaces are reducible to fewer spaces or one or more spaces are increasable to two or more spaces;

if two or more spaces are combined into a smaller number, including one, of spaces, then virtually all of the one or more controllers in each of the smaller spaces are combined into a master-slave relationship for each of the smaller number of spaces; and

if one or more spaces are split into a larger number of spaces, then for each space there is one or more controllers and a master-slave relationship that exists for each space which has two or more controllers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each group of controllers has a master controller;

each controller has an own ID and a master ID;

if an own ID of a controller is dissimilar from the master ID, then the controller is a slave; and

if an own ID of a controller is the same as the master ID of the controller, then the controller is a master.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein when two or more spaces are combined into a smaller number of spaces, the controllers of the combined spaces are automatically connected into a master-slave relationship.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when one or more spaces are split into a larger number of spaces, then the master-slave relationship is automatically implemented for each space that has two or more controllers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the two or more spaces are combined with one another by removal of one or more partitions or walls;

if any of the one or more partitions or walls is opened or removed, a combining of the two spaces results in a larger space having two or more controllers;

a sensor detects an opening or a removal of the one or more partitions or walls for the combining of the two spaces; and

a signal from the sensor goes to the controllers of the larger space, which selects one controller to be a master and a remaining one or more controllers to be slaves.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more spaces are split into one or more additional spaces with one or more partitions or walls;

a sensor detects a splitting of the one or more spaces into one or more spaces with one or more partitions or walls; and

a signal from the sensor goes to the controllers of the resulting spaces which selects one controller to be a master and remaining one or more controllers of each space that has two or more controllers, to be slaves.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a slave-master relationship incorporates:

a learning phase;

a point value exchange; and

an aggregate calculation and an exchange of calculated value by a master.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the learning phase comprises:

a slave registering with a master;

the master adding the slave to a slave list;

the master requesting the slave to send a list of point role values to be exchanged;

the slave sending the list of point role values to the master;

the master updating the list of point role values of the slave;

the slave requesting the master to send a list of point role values to be exchanged;

the master updating the list of the point role values for the slave; and

the master sending the list of the point role values to the slave.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the point-value exchange comprises:

a local points value from the master to a data point storage and to an aggregate function mechanism;

a first remote value from a first slave to the aggregate function mechanism; and

an nth remote value from an nth slave to the aggregate function mechanism; and

wherein;

nth refers to virtually any of 2nd through nth remote values from 2nd through nth slaves, respectively, to the aggregate function mechanism; and

the aggregate function mechanism provides an output of an average, a sum, a minimum, a maximum or last write/wins to the data point storage.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the master comprises the aggregate function mechanism and the data point storage.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the controllers provide control of the spaces for one or more conditions selected from a group comprising temperature, lighting, sun-blinds and security.

12. A method for master-slave configuring comprising:

combining two or more spaces, each space having at least one controller, into one or more resulting spaces;

selecting one controller of each resulting space as a master; and

connecting remaining one or more controllers of each resulting space as slaves to the master; and

wherein;

the combining the two or more spaces into the one or more resulting spaces is detected by a sensor; and

a signal from the sensor detecting the combining the two or more spaces goes to an interface circuit connected to controllers of a resulting space to automatically implement selecting a controller of each resulting space as a master and configuring remaining one or more controllers of each resulting space as slaves of the master.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the controllers manage one or more parameters of the spaces; and

the one or more parameters are selected from a group comprising temperature, lighting, sun-blinds, and security.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

each controller runs one or more application instances;

each application instance has its own identifier and a master identifier;

when a master identifier and an own identifier of an application instance are different, then the application instance runs as a slave; and

when a master identifier and an own identifier of an application instance are the same, then the application instance runs as a master.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

reversing the combining two or more spaces into previously uncombined two or more spaces; and

wherein the reversing the combining the two or more spaces is detected by the sensor and a signal goes from the sensor to the interface circuit to automatically return the controllers to their previous slave and master configurations that were present just prior to the combining the two or more spaces.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein:

each master has a set of one or more slaves for each control domain; and

one or more control domains may be selected from a group comprising HVAC control domains, lighting domains, sun-blind domains, and security domains.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the one controller of each resulting space selected as a master covers a first control domain; and

another controller of each resulting space selected as a master covers a second control domain.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

additional controllers of each resulting space are selected as masters that cover additional control domains respectively; and

one or more control domains are selected from a group comprising temperature, lighting, sun-blinds and security.

19. A master-slave arrangement comprising:

one or more rooms; and

one or more controllers for controlling a parameter in each of the one or more rooms; and

wherein;

any of the two or more rooms are combinable into one or more larger rooms; and

upon combining the two or more rooms into one or more larger rooms, the one or more controllers for controlling a parameter in each of the two or more rooms are automatically connected as slave controllers and a master controller.

20. The arrangement of claim 19, further comprising:

a detector situated in at least one or more rooms of the two or more rooms being combined into one or more larger rooms; and

an interface circuit connected to the detector and the controllers of the one or more rooms being connected; and

wherein;

the detector senses a combining of the two or more rooms into one or more larger rooms and provides a signal indicting the combining to the interface circuit; and

the interface circuit effects one controller to be a master and remaining controllers to be slaves, of the one or more larger rooms.

21. The arrangement of claim 19, wherein the parameter is selected from a group comprising temperature, lighting, sun blocking, and security.

22. The arrangement of claim 19, wherein a largeness of a room is determined by floor area.