Networked facilities management system

• US 6,115,713 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Nesler, Clay G., Rasmussen, David E., Decious, Gaylon M., Burkhardt, Dennis E., Mageland, Otto M., Woest, Karen L., Wagner, Michael E., Pascucci, Gregory A., Vairavan, Vairavan, Koch, David L., Spacek, Dan J., Hyzer, Susan M., Garbe, James R., Standish, Darrell E., Madaus, Paul W., Gottschalk, Donald A. Jr., Stark, James K., Singers, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US08/706,194
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 709/200-203, 714/1, 714/2, 714/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/22 Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A networked system having a wide variety of applications and particularly applicable to facilities management systems has multiple levels of software in processing nodes. The levels include a "features" processing level which communicates requests for data to a software object level containing databases of processes and attributes and database managers. The database managers in the software object level operate to provide data to the high level features in the same format. The software object level communicates with a hardware object level which also contains databases and database managers to mask differences between operational hardware units. By categorizing operational units by type, additional units of a known type can be added with only low level hardware object database changes. Adding units of a new type is facilitated by software changes confined to the lower level hardware and software objects, avoiding software changes at high level features. Individual software objects are tailored for typical types of inputs and output devices encountered by facilities management systems. Universal drive circuitry also provides applicability to a broad range of devices.

Claims

1. A method of allocating high reliability data in a system including nodes communicating with each other over a network, the nodes each including a processing means for executing, a sensor interface for receiving sensor data elements from sensors in the system, and a memory means for storing programmed high level features, the processor means executing the programmed high level features to control a process, the method comprising steps of:

storing in the memory means of a first node of the nodes expected ranges of values of at least one of the sensor data elements for use by the high level features;

receiving a received data element of the sensor data elements from the sensor interface of the first node at the programmed high level features and comparing the received data element with an expected range of the ranges of values corresponding to the received data element in the first node at the programmed high level features;

if the received data element is within the expected range, tagging the received data element with an indicator that the received data element is reliable and using the received data element in further execution of the programmed high level features to control the process in the first node;

if the received data element is not within the expected range, seeking via the network from a second node of the nodes the received data element and substituting a value representative of the received data element within the expected range obtained from the second node; and

wherein the step of seeking from the second node further comprises searching directories in the second node of the nodes for alternate storage locations for the received data element and for an alternate sensor of the sensors for producing a sensor data element corresponding to the received data element.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the step of seeking from the second node further comprises processing in the first node of the nodes to derive substitute data for the received data element from other data from the second node.

3. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining in the processing means of the first node by executing the programmed high level features whether a previous value of the received data element is useful if no alternate source of the unreliable data element is found; and

if useful, preventing replacement of the previous value and storing an indication of the prevention.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the network forms a facilities management system and the nodes are configured as network controllers, further comprising the step of monitoring at least one control process.

5. A system including a plurality of nodes, the system for allocating high reliability data to control a process monitored by the nodes, the nodes communicating with each other over a network, each of the nodes configured to have high level processing feature and an object level, the object level receiving sensor data from a plurality of sensors, the high level processing feature utilizing the sensor data from the object level to control the process, the system comprising:

a first node being part of the network including;

a first memory means for storing expected ranges of values for first data elements related to first sensor data of the sensor data passed between a first high level processing feature in the first node and a first object level in the first node;

a first processing means for executing the first high level processing feature;

a first means, in the first high level processing feature, for transferring the first data elements to the first high level processing feature from the first object level and for comparing the first data elements with the expected ranges of values corresponding to the first data elements, the first data elements being related to the first sensor data;

a first means, in the first high level processing feature, for tagging a first data element of the first data elements with a first indicator that the first data element is reliable if the first data element is within a first range of the expected ranges of values stored in the first memory means, and for transferring the first data element for further processing by the first high level processing feature if the first indicator indicates that the first data element is reliable; and

a first means, in the first high level processing feature, for seeking the first data element from a second node if the first data element is not within the first range, the first processing means communicating over the network to obtain the first data element from the second node and providing the first data element from the second node to the first high level processing feature; and

wherein the second node being part of the network includes;

a second memory means for storing expected ranges of values for second data elements related to second sensor data of the sensor data passed between a second high level processing feature in the second node and a second object level in the second node;

a second processing means for executing the second high level processing feature;

a second means, in the second high level processing feature, for transferring the second data elements to the second high level processing feature from the second object level and for comparing the second data elements with the expected ranges of values corresponding to the second data elements, the second data elements being related to the second sensor data;

a second means, in the second high level processing feature, for tagging a second data element of the second data elements with a second indicator that the second data element is reliable if the second data element is within a second range of the expected ranges of values, and for transferring the second data element for further processing by the second high level processing feature if the second indicator indicates that the second data element is reliable; and

a second means, in the second high level processing feature, for seeking the second data element from the first node if the second data element is not within the second range, the processing means communicating over the network to obtain the second data element from the first node and providing the second data element from the first node to the second high level feature, wherein the first means, in the first high level processing feature, for seeking further comprises means for searching directories in the second node for alternate storage locations for the first data element and for alternate sensors producing the first sensor data corresponding to the first data element.

6. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the first means, in the first high level processing feature, for seeking derives the first data element from other data in the second node, the other data being related to the first data element.

7. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the first processing means determines whether a previous value of the first data element is useful if the second node cannot provide the first data element and, if useful, prevents replacement of the previous value of the first data element with a new data value and records an indication of the prevention of replacement.

8. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the network forms a facilities management system, the system further comprising means for monitoring at least one process.

9. A facilities management system arranged as a network, the system comprising:

a first network controller; and

a second network controller, the second network controller being coupled to the first network controller and capable of communicating with the first network controller via the network;

wherein the first network controller includes;

a memory means for storing a first high level processing feature;

a processing means for executing the first high level processing feature;

means for storing in the memory means of the first network controller expected ranges of values of identifiable data elements transmitted over the network;

means for receiving the identifiable data elements at the first high level processing feature of the first network controller from within the first network controller and comparing the identifiable data elements with the expected ranges stored in the memory means of the first network controller corresponding to the identifiable data elements;

means, in the first high level processing feature of the first network controller, for tagging an identifiable data element of the identifiable data elements with an indicator that the identifiable data element is reliable and for using the identifiable data element in further processing of the first high level processing feature if the identifiable data element is within an expected range of the expected ranges; and

means for seeking via the network an alternate reliable source of the identifiable data element from the second network controller and for substituting the identifiable data element from the second network controller if the identifiable data element from the second network controller is within the expected range, wherein the means for seeking in the first network controller further include means for searching via the network directories in the second network controller for alternate storage locations for the identifiable data element and for alternate sensors producing the identifiable data element.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein the means for seeking in the first network controller further include means for substituting data for the identifiable data element from other data available on the network.

11. The system as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

means for determining in the processing means of the first network controller whether a previous value of the identifiable data element is useful if the second network controller cannot provide the identifiable data element; and

means for preventing replacement of the previous value in the first high level processing feature in the first network controller and storing an indication of the prevention if the previous value is useful, and for indicating to the first high level processing feature that the identifiable data element is unreliable.

12. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein the network forms a facilities management system further including network controllers configured as the nodes for monitoring at least one control process.