Building control system

• US 6,405,103 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comfort Systems USA
• Original Assignee: Comfort Systems USA
• Inventors: Ryan, Thomas M., Ryan, James M., Santiago, Louis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rao, Sheela S.
• Application Number:
  US09/216,245
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2, 700/19, 700/95, 700/275, 700/276, 700/277, 700/299, 707/200, 707/102, 340/825.06, 340/825.07
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23027 Database with information on how to control or test different appliances
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for controlling appliances of at least one building, each appliance being associated with a local controller and having a control input and at least one control point. The system includes a central processor computer having an operator interface and an equipment interface, a network connected to the equipment interface and having a plurality of nodes for communicating with each of the appliances, a log file being stored with respective area, description, and address fields containing corresponding data of the control points. A control program in the computer feeds the equipment interface to drive the control inputs of the appliances in response to a database, the database being populated from a tagname dictionary. A conversion program produces the tagname dictionary as a transfer file, the program including instructions for accessing the area, description, and address fields of the log file, generating for each point a tagname as a concatenation of the area and description fields, and an item including contents of the address field, and storing the tagnames and associated items with the header in the transfer file, whereby the system drives the control inputs of the appliances in response to the control point data of the log file. The conversion program can include a mode selector for directing conditional, unconditional and test modes of a utility process populating the database. Also disclosed is a process for controlling multiple appliances of at least one building.

Claims

1. A computer program for producing a tagname dictionary transfer file for feeding a database population process using control point parameter data contained in respective area, description, and address fields of a log file, the log file also having a header and additional data fields, the program comprising:

(a) instructions for accessing the area, description, and address fields;

(b) instructions for generating for each point a tagname as a concatenation of the area and description fields, and an item comprising contents of the address field;

(c) instructions generating an output header; and

(d) instructions for storing the tagnames and associated items with the header as a transfer file to be read by the process.

2. The computer program of claim 1, further comprising instructions for defining a graphical interface for receiving operator input.

3. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the operator input includes an input file path definition.

4. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the operator input includes an output file path definition.

5. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the operator input includes a mode selection for directing the database population process, the program further comprising means for inserting a mode batch instruction into the transfer file in response to the mode selection.

6. The computer program of claim 5, wherein the mode selection includes a conditional mode wherein changes to existing database records are conditioned on further operator input, and an unconditional mode wherein database records are stored without regard to previously stored data.

7. The computer program of claim 6, wherein the mode selection further includes a test mode for verifying the tagnames and associated data without changing records of the database.

8. A process for controlling appliances of at least one building using the program of claim 1, the process comprising the steps of:

(a) connecting the appliances to a computer having an interface for driving control inputs of the appliances and for receiving data from respective control points of the appliances;

(b) forming the log file by storing respective area, description, and address data for the control points;

(c) operating the program for producing and storing the transfer file;

(d) populating a control database using the transfer file; and

(e) controlling the appliances by feeding the control inputs thereof in response to values of the database.

9. The process of claim 8, comprising the further steps of:

(a) in the step of operating the program, receiving an operator selection of mode;

(b) inserting a mode batch instruction in the transfer file; and

(c) conditioning the step of populating in response to the mode batch instruction.

10. A system for controlling appliances of at least one building, each appliance being associated with a local controller and having a control input and at least one control point, the system comprising:

(a) a central processor computer having an operator interface and an equipment interface;

(b) a network connected to the equipment interface and having a plurality of nodes for communicating with each of the appliances;

(c) means for storing a log file having respective area, description, and address fields containing corresponding data of the control points;

(d) a control program in the computer for feeding the equipment interface to drive the control inputs of the appliances in response to a database;

(e) means for populating the database from a tagname dictionary; and

(f) a conversion program for producing the tagname dictionary as a transfer file, the program comprising;

(i) instructions for accessing the area, description, and address fields of the log file;

(ii) instructions for generating for each point a tagname as a concatenation of the area and description fields, and an item comprising contents of the address field; and

(iii) instructions for storing the tagnames and associated items with the header in the transfer file,

whereby the system drives the control inputs of the appliances in response to the control point data of the log file.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for populating the database comprises a batch processing utility, the conversion program further comprising:

(a) instructions for defining a graphical interface for receiving operator input, the operator input including a mode selection for directing the database population process, including a conditional mode wherein changes to existing database records are conditioned on further operator input, and an unconditional mode wherein database records are stored without regard to previously stored date; and

(b) instructions for inserting a mode batch instruction to the transfer file for directing the batch processing utility in response to the mode selection.