Wireless building management system and method using a building model

• US 8,326,465 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Rosca, Justinian, Ahmed, Osman, Sastry, Chellury R., LeBlanc, Richard John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/553,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/410, 455/450, 455/446, 340/521, 340/531, 340/539.22, 700/275, 700/276, 700/299, 703/1, 703/6
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment

Abstract

A building system includes a communication network, a plurality of wireless nodes, a plurality of passive wireless devices, a plurality of sensors, and a processing circuit. The wireless nodes are disposed within a building and are operably coupled to the communication network. Each passive wireless device is affixed to an object within the building, and contains first information regarding at least one property of the object. Each the passive wireless device is configured to communicate wirelessly to the wireless nodes using power derived from communication signals detected in the passive wireless device. The sensors are configured to generate second information representative of sensed temperature throughout the building, each sensor operably connected to the communication network. The processing circuit is operably coupled to receive the first information from the wireless devices and the second information from the sensors. The processing circuit is configured to generate control information regarding the building based on the first information and the second information.

Claims

1. A building system, comprising:

a) a communication network;

b) a plurality of wireless nodes within a building operably coupled to the communication network;

c) a plurality of passive wireless devices, each passive wireless device affixed to or within an object within the building, each passive wireless device containing first information regarding at least one property of the object, each of the passive wireless devices configured to communicate wirelessly to at least one of the wireless nodes using power derived from communication signals detected in the passive wireless device;

d) a plurality of sensors configured to generate second information representative of sensed temperature throughout the building, each sensor operably connected to the communication network;

e) a processing circuit operably coupled to receive the first information from the wireless devices and the second information from the sensors, the processing circuit configured to generate control information regarding the building based on the first information and the second information.

2. The building system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to generate a model based in part upon the first information, and to generate control information based on the model and the second information.

3. The building system of claim 2, wherein the building system includes a plurality of controllers, and wherein the control information includes one or more set points for at least some of the controllers.

4. The building system of claim 2, wherein at least some of the plurality of sensors are disposed within one or more of the plurality of wireless nodes.

5. The building system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to generate a model based in part upon the first information and the second information, to generate a plurality of simulated control strategies based upon the thermal model, and to generate control information based on one of the plurality of simulated control strategies.

6. The building system of claim 1, wherein each passive wireless device includes:

an RF circuit;

a processing circuit operably coupled to the RF circuit;

a power harvest circuit, wherein the power harvest circuit is configured to obtain energy from RF signals received by the RF circuit and provide the obtained energy as bias power for the processing circuit.

7. The building system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit includes a memory, and wherein the memory includes information identifying physical characteristics regarding the object.

8. The building system of claim 7, wherein the memory further includes identification information regarding the object.

9. The building system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to cause the RF circuit to transmit the information identifying physical characteristics regarding the object to the wireless node.

10. The building system of claim 7, wherein the memory of at least one passive wireless device includes information identifying at least one physical dimension of the object.

11. The building system of claim 7, wherein the memory of at least one passive wireless device includes information identifying at least one of the group consisting of a thermal property of the object and an optical property of the object.

15. The building system of claim 1, wherein each passive wireless device includes:

an RF circuit;

a power harvest circuit, wherein the power harvest circuit is configured to obtain energy from RF signals received by the RF circuit and provide the obtained energy as bias power for the RF circuit.

12. The building system of 1, wherein the first information includes information identifying physical characteristics regarding the object.

13. The building system of claim 12, wherein first information includes information identifying at least one physical dimension of the object.

14. The building system of claim 12, wherein first information includes information identifying at least one of the group consisting of a thermal property of the object and an optical property of the object.

16. The building system of 15, wherein the first information includes information identifying static physical characteristics regarding the object.

17. The building system of claim 16, wherein first information includes information identifying at least one physical dimension of the object.

18. The building system of claim 16, wherein first information includes information identifying at least one of the group consisting of a thermal property of the object and an optical property of the object.