Facility maintenance and management system

• US 8,645,495 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Johnson, Derek Mallough, Friedrich, Nickolas Gerhard, Walser, Brian John, Warner, Russell Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): MIAH, RAZU A
• Application Number:
  US12/617,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 700276-291
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatuses and methods for that provide for a central command and control center that controls, monitors, and analyzes the systems and components of various remote facilities. Generally, the system comprises a control panel installed at each of a plurality of remote facilities. The control panel is connected through a wide area network to the command and control center. The control panel is also connected through a local area network to the facility'"'"'s lighting systems, single point devices, HVAC systems, and/or other power-using systems and devices for monitoring these systems. The single point devices may include but are not limited to people counters, outside air temperature sensors, space/CO2 humidity sensors, space temperature sensors, branch power meters, and, in some cases, motion detectors and outside photocells. The command and control center can control the lighting systems, HVAC systems, and other facility systems, as well as receive information relating to the operation of the facility and its power-using systems.

Claims

1. A facility maintenance and management system comprising:

a central command and control center comprising a wide area network (WAN) communication interface, a user interface, a memory, and a processor operatively coupled to the WAN communication interface, the user interface, and the memory; and

a plurality of facilities located geographically remote from the central command and control center,

wherein each of the plurality of facilities comprises;

a control panel located at the facility and comprising a wide area network (WAN) communication interface, a local area network (LAN) communication interface, and a processor operatively coupled to the WAN communication interface and the LAN communication interface;

one or more sensors located at the facility and each of the one or more sensors comprising a LAN communication interface, wherein each of the one or more sensors is configured to obtain data regarding facility operation and use its LAN communication interface to communicate the data to the control panel located at the facility; and

at least one controller located at the facility and operatively coupled to an energy-using system device located at the facility to thereby control operation of the energy-using system device, the controller comprising a LAN communication interface to communicate with the control panel located at the facility,

wherein the control panel located at the facility is configured to at least use its LAN communication interface to receive the data from the one or more sensors located at the facility and communicate with the at least one controller, and

wherein the control panel located at the facility is configured to use its WAN communication interface to communicate the data from the facility to the central command and control center,

wherein the central command and control center is configured to use its WAN communication interface to receive data regarding at least one monitorable facility operation from the control panel located at each of the plurality of facilities and to use its user interface to present data regarding at least one monitorable facility operation of the plurality of facilities, and to communicate a command to a control panel located at a facility, wherein the command is to be provided to the at least one controller, wherein the central command and control system is configured to generate the command automatically based on received data regarding at least one monitorable facility operation and on a rule stored in the memory,

wherein the control panel located at the facility is configured to use its WAN communication interface to receive the command and use its LAN communication interface to communicate the command to a controller located at the facility,

wherein the controller is configured to use its LAN communication interface to receive the command and further configured to operate an energy-using system device located at the facility based on the command.

2. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the central command and control center comprises a rule stored in its memory, wherein the central command and control center is configured to determine when the data regarding facility operation satisfies the rule, and wherein the central command and control center is further configured to use its user interface to present an alarm based on a determination that the data regarding at least one monitorable facility operation satisfies the rule.

3. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a display device and a user input device, wherein the central command and control center is configured to receive from the user input device an indication of a selected facility from the plurality of facilities, and wherein the central command and control device is configured to use the display device to display data about operation of the selected facility in real-time or near-real-time.

4. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the central command and control system is configured to generate the command based on user input received from the user interface.

5. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a carbon dioxide sensor.

6. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 5, wherein the central command and control center is configured to control a facility'"'"'s ventilation system based, at least partially, on carbon dioxide sensor data received from the facility.

7. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a temperature sensor.

8. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 7, wherein the central command and control center is configured to control a facility'"'"'s heating or cooling system based at least partially on data received from the facility'"'"'s temperature sensor.

9. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise people counters located at a facility'"'"'s entrances and exits.

10. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 9, wherein the central command and control center is configured to use data received from a facility'"'"'s people counters to determine current occupancy at the facility and is further configured to display the current occupancy using the user interface.

11. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 9, wherein the central command and control center is configured to control a facility'"'"'s heating, cooling, or lighting system based at least partially on data received from the facility'"'"'s people counters.

12. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a humidity sensor.

13. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 12, wherein the central command and control center is configured to control a facility'"'"'s ventilating, heating, or cooling system based at least partially on data received from the facility'"'"'s humidity sensor.

14. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a photocell, and wherein the central command and control center is configured to control a facility'"'"'s lighting system based at least partially on data received from the facility'"'"'s photocell.

15. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the central command and control center'"'"'s processor is configured to calculate sunrise and sunset at each of the plurality of facilities based on each facility'"'"'s location, and wherein the central command and control center is configured to control a facility'"'"'s lighting system based at least partially on the calculated sunrise and sunset at the facility.

16. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of facilities comprises a plurality of separate and distinct lighting systems separated by type of lighting function, and wherein the central command and control center is configured to control each of the plurality separate and distinct lighting systems based on separate rules stored in the memory for each type of lighting function.

17. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a lighting system current sensor configured to detect electrical current drawn by the lighting system, wherein the memory comprises current thresholds for the lighting system based on lighting system status, and wherein the central command and control system is configured to present an alarm or take other action automatically based on the electrical current drawn by the lighting system, the status of the lighting system, and the current thresholds stored in the memory.

18. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise weather sensors, and wherein the central monitoring and control system is configured to control a facility'"'"'s heating, cooling, or lighting systems based on data received from the facility'"'"'s weather sensors.

19. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a facility energy meter and a heating or cooling energy meter.

20. The facility maintenance and management system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of facilities is one of two or more types of facilities monitored and controllable by the central command and control center, and wherein each of the two or more types of facilities comprises disparate operation systems.