Method of logical operations in home automation

• US 5,510,975 A
• Filed: 07/01/1994
• Issued: 04/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atlantic Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Atlantic Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Ziegler, Eldon W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US08/268,618
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 395/54, 395/510, 395/51, 395/3, 395/11, 395/61, 395/900, 395/75, 395/76, 395/903, 395/904, 395/906, 395/907, 395/275, 395/821, 395/823, 395/836, 364/138, 364/139, 364/148, 364/140, 364/141
• US Class Current: 700/49
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/028 using expert systems only

Abstract

A home automation system is provided that has addressable input modules and sensors that provide input signals relating to at least one of the condition of the input modules or a sensed condition, an interface coupled to the input modules and sensors to receive and transmit the input signals and control signals, and a computer coupled to the interface and which receives the input signals from the interface and transmits the control signals to the interface. The computer receives the input signals from the interface, determines which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on the input values, produces output values in accordance with those rules that are determined to be dependent on the input values, with at least one such rule producing output values via an arithmetic operation having more than two distinct values, generates control signals as a function of the output values, and transmits the control signals to the interface. Addressable output modules are coupled to the interface and receive the control signals from the interface. The addressable output modules perform a specified action in accordance with the control signals.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a system having input modules and sensors that provide input signals relating to at least one of a condition of a module and sensed conditions, and output modules that perform actions in response to control signals, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the input signals, which are indicative of input values from the input modules and sensors;

determining which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on said input values;

producing output values in accordance with those rules that are dependent on said input values, wherein at least one such rule produces output values via an arithmetic operation, having more than two distinct values;

generating control signals as a function of the output values and transmitting the control signals to the output modules; and

performing an action with the output modules in accordance with the control signals;

wherein each of said input modules and sensors has a specified address, and wherein said receiving step comprises transmitting said input signals from each of said respective input modules and sensors to a respective input node for receiving input signals, which node has an address that matches that of an input module or sensor; and

wherein the step of producing output values includes steps of weighting the input values, and adding weighted input values in an intermediate node according to at least one of said rules to produce one of the output values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an output of the intermediate node to an input node, wherein the output node generates one of said control signals when the output satisfies a pre-determined condition.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an output of the intermediate node as an input to another intermediate node.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising one of:

setting an output value, adding an output value and subtracting an output value, to at least one of the nodes, including the input nodes, intermediate nodes and output nodes.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of determining whether a node to which an output value was set, added or subtracted is an output node.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of outputting the control signal from a node if it is determined to be an output node, and returning to the step of determining which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on said input values, wherein the output value of the node is substituted for said input values.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate node in which the weighted input values are added also functions as at least one of an input node and an output node.

8. A method of operating a home automation system which has input modules and sensors that provide input signals relating to at least one of a condition of a module and sensed conditions, and output modules that perform actions in response to control signals, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the input signals, which are indicative of input values from the input modules and sensors;

determining which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on said input values;

producing output values in accordance with those rules that are dependent on said input values, wherein at least one such rule produces output values via an arithmetic operation, having more than two distinct values;

generating control signals as a function of the output values and transmitting the control signals to the output modules; and

performing an action with the output modules in accordance with the control signals;

wherein each of said input modules and sensors has a specified address, and wherein said receiving step comprises transmitting said input signals from each of said respective input modules and sensors to a respective input node for receiving input signals, which node has an address that matches that of an input module or sensor;

wherein the step of producing output values includes steps of weighting the input values, and adding weighted input values in an intermediate node according to at least one of said rules to produce one of the output values.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing an output of the intermediate node to an output node, wherein the output node generates one of said control signals when the output satisfies a pre-determined condition.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing an output of the intermediate node as an input to another intermediate node.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising one of:

setting an output value, adding an output value and subtracting an output value, to at least one of the nodes, nodes including the input nodes, intermediate nodes and output nodes.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of determining whether a node to which an output value was set, added or subtracted is an output node.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of outputting the control signal from a node if it is determined to be an output node, and returning, when the node is determined to be other than an output node, to the step of determining which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on said input values, wherein the output value of the node is substituted for said input values.

14. Method according to claim 8, wherein the intermediate node in which the weight input values are added also functions as at least one of an input node and an output node.

15. A home automation system comprising:

addressable input modules and sensors that provide input signals containing input values relating to a condition of the input modules or a sensed condition;

an interface coupled to the input modules and the sensors to receive and transmit input signals and control signals;

a computer coupled to the interface, which computer receives input signals from the interface and transmits control signals to the interface, the computer including means for receiving input signals from the interface, means for determining which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on said input values, means for producing output values in accordance with those rules that are determined to be dependent on said input values, wherein at least one such rule produces output values via an arithmetic operation, having more than two distinct values, means for generating control signals as a function of the output values, and means for transmitting the control signals to the interface; and

addressable output modules coupled to the interface and receiving the control signals from the interface, the addressable output modules including means for performing a specified action in accordance with the control signals;

wherein the means for producing output values includes a node structure that has input nodes which correspond to the input modules and sensors, intermediate nodes which receive input values from the input nodes, and output nodes which receive output values from the intermediate nodes and generate control signals as a function of received output values.

16. The home automation system of claim 15, wherein the intermediate nodes are indicator nodes in which the input values are combined according to stored rules.

17. The home automation system of claim 16, further comprising means for weighting the input values in the indicator nodes as defined by a user of the home automation system.

18. The home automation system of claim 17, wherein the indicator nodes include means for adding the weighted input values together.