Triangulation of position for automated building control components

• US 7,378,980 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Building Technologies Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: McFarland, Norman R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunnings; Travis R
• Application Number:
  US10/953,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.6, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/540, 340/541, 340/539.13, 340/539.14, 340/539.1, 340/539.2, 340/525, 340/3.1, 340/3.5
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

In a building environment, coordinate locations for building automation devices is determined. The location may be based on triangulation methods for determining coordinate locations from wireless distance information for the building automation devices. Erroneous determinations for coordinate location are identified and a corrected coordinate location determined according to distance determinations.

Claims

1. A method for locating building automation devices, the method comprising:

(a) determining distances from a reference source to a plurality of building automation devices configured for directional wireless communication, the distances being determined using directional wireless communication between each of the plurality of building automation devices and the reference source, the reference source being a building automation device, controller, processor, or other object located at a known coordinate location within a reference system and each of the plurality of building automation devices being located at an unknown coordinate location;

(b) determining projection angles from the reference source to each of the plurality of building automation devices, the projection angles being determined using directional wireless communication between each of the plurality of building automation devices and the reference source;

(c) calculating a coordinate location for each of the plurality of building automation devices having an unknown coordinate location using the (1) the distances from the reference source to a corresponding one of the plurality of building automation devices determined via directional wireless communication and (2) the projection angle from the reference source to the corresponding one of the plurality of building automation devices determined via directional wireless communication;

(d) storing the coordinate location calculated for each of the plurality of building automation devices using the distances and the projection angles determined via directional wireless communication in an electronic storage medium; and

(e) subsequently determining an actual position of one of the plurality of building automation devices based upon the corresponding stored coordinate location.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping the coordinate locations determined via directional wireless communication with respect to the coordinate system for the building.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one reference source comprises a predetermined coordinate location and the distances are determined using time-of-flight information.

4. The method of claim 3 where the predetermined coordinate location comprises an origin of the coordinate system.

5. The method of claim 4 where the coordinate system comprises a three-dimensional coordinate system for the building.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the coordinate location is further determined according to time-of-flight information associated with wireless communication between the reference source and at least one of the plurality of building automation devices.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising triangulating one coordinate position using one or more distances that are determined using one-way or two-way time-of-flight information.

8. The method of claim 1 where step (a) comprises determining a distance to at least three reference sources for the plurality of building automation devices.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising calculating a set of coordinate locations for at least one device using the distances determined to the at least three reference sources;

and

correcting an erroneous distance determination from the at least one device to one of the at least three reference sources using a correct coordinate location within the set of determined coordinate locations for the at least one device.

10. A method for identifying building automation devices, the method comprising:

(a) determining a coordinate location for at least one building automation device located at an unknown location, the coordinate location being determined using data acquired via wireless communication between a reference source located at a known location and the at least one building automation device; and

(b) propagating the coordinate location for the at least one building automation device determined using data acquired via wireless communication to a device outside the range of communication of the reference source, wherein an actual position of the at least one building automation devices is determined by the device or controller outside the range of communication of the reference source based upon the coordinate location determination propagated.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising identifying an erroneous coordinate location for the at least one building automation device by comparing a plurality of coordinate location determinations for the at least one building automation device calculated using data acquired via wireless communication between the at least one building automation device and multiple reference sources.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising correcting the erroneous coordinate location by using one or more other coordinate locations calculated using data acquired via wireless communication and identified as being correct.

13. A building automation system, the method comprising:

a reference source located at a known coordinate location;

a plurality of building automation devices located at unknown coordinate locations in wireless communication with the reference source and configured for directional wireless communication with the reference source; and

a processor configured to determine a coordinate location for at least one building automation device solely as a function of (1) distance information determined using one-way or two-way time-of-flight information associated with directional wireless communication between the reference source and the at least one building automation device and (2) a projection angle also determined via directional wireless communication between the reference source and the at least one building automation device such that a physical location of the at least one building automation device may be determined based upon the coordinate location.

14. The system of claim 13 where the processor is configured to propagate the coordinate location determined via directional wireless communication to another device outside the range of communication of the reference source.

15. A building automation system, comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart building automation devices configured to communicate over a wireless network using a wireless network communication protocol; and

a controller in wireless communication with the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices, the controller configured to determine a coordinate location for at least one of the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices according to distance information for the at least one of the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices, the coordinate location being determined using triangulation between (1) a reference source located at a known coordinate location, (2) the at least one of the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices located at an unknown location, and (3) a second one of the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices whose location is determined using data acquired via wireless communication, wherein the coordinate location is used to determine a physical location of the at least one of the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices.

16. The building automation system of claim 15, where the controller is further configured to determine a corresponding coordinate location for each of the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices according to distance information for the plurality of spaced apart building automation devices acquired via wireless communication.