Actuator having an address selector

• US 9,041,319 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Grabinger, Cory, McMillan, Scott, Carlson, Nathan, Waseen, Daniel, McNallan, Torrey William
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, THAI T
• Application Number:
  US13/293,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20130116833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 318/3, 318/560, 318/568.14, 318/625, 318/626, 318/663, 318/466, 318/467, 318/468
• US Class Current: 318/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21071 Configuration, each module has a settable address, code wheel, encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

A system incorporating an actuator connected to a polarity-insensitive two-wire communications bus. The actuator may have an electromechanical mover, a processor connected to the electromechanical mover, and a potentiometer, having a number of address settings, connected to the processor. A setting of the number of settings of the potentiometer may be a selection of an address for the actuator on the communications bus. There may be additional actuators and a controller connected to the communications bus. Each actuator may have an address which is different from an address of the other actuators connected to the communications bus. If an actuator is substituted with a replacement actuator, then a setting of a plurality of settings on a potentiometer of the replacement actuator may be selected to obtain an address that is the same as the address of the actuator which is substituted.

Claims

1. An actuator system for a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

an HVAC actuator; and

a communications bus connected to the actuator, wherein the HVAC actuator is configured to be positioned at one or more network addresses along the communication bus; and

wherein;

the actuator comprises;

an electromechanical mover;

a processor connected to the electromechanical mover; and

a potentiometer connected to the processor, the potentiometer is configured to be set to one of a plurality of network address settings; and

a setting of the plurality of network address settings of the potentiometer is a selection of a network address for the actuator on the communications bus.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more additional actuators connected to the communications bus; and

wherein each actuator connected to the communication bus has a network address which is different from a network address of the other actuators connected to the communications bus.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein if one of the actuators connected to the communications bus is substituted with a replacement actuator, then a setting of a plurality of network address settings on a potentiometer of the replacement actuator is selected to obtain a network address that is the same as the network address of the actuator which is substituted.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a controller connected to the communications bus.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the communications bus comprises two polarity-insensitive wires.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller via the communications bus can override a setting of the plurality of network address settings of the potentiometers for the actuators connected to the communications bus and select another or the same address for one or more of the actuators connected to the communications bus.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a network address defines an actuator in terms of one or more items of a group consisting of an activation program, actuator stroke speeds, one or more sensor outputs, input/output requirements, slot assignment on the communications bus, one or more parameters of the actuator, and sensor prioritization.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that encloses the actuator; and

wherein access to the potentiometer for making or changing a selection of a network address is available on at least two places of the housing.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least two places of the housing reveal visible indications and physical features for manually making or changing a selection of a network address on the potentiometer.

10. An actuator system for a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a gear train having an HVAC actuator output shaft coupling;

a motor mechanically connected to the gear train;

an actuator processor connected to the motor;

a potentiometer, having a selected value from a plurality of values, connected to the actuator processor; and

a communications bus connected to the actuator processor; and

wherein;

the selected value from the plurality of values of a potentiometer is a network address of the actuator processor on the communications bus; and

other values from the plurality of values besides the selected value can be other network addresses for actuator processors on the communications bus.

11. The actuator system of claim 10, wherein a selected value of the potentiometer as the network address is an analog input to the actuator processor.

12. The actuator system of claim 11, wherein:

the potentiometer is a voltage divider for a selection of the analog input from various values available for an analog input indicating a network address; and

the analog input is converted into a digital input at the processor.

13. The actuator system of claim 10, wherein a replaced gear train, motor, actuator processor and potentiometer with a substitute gear train, motor, actuator processor and potentiometer comprises selecting a value on the substitute potentiometer which is the same value on the replaced potentiometer so that the substitute actuator processor has a network address which is the same as the network address of the replaced processor on the communications bus.

14. The actuator system of claim 13, further comprising:

a housing that encloses the gear train, motor, actuator processor and potentiometer; and

wherein the potentiometer is accessible on at least two places of the housing for selecting a value on the potentiometer to be a network address of the actuator processor on the communications bus.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the communications bus comprises two polarity-insensitive wires.

16. A method for establishing an address for an actuator in a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

setting an address for a processor of an HVAC actuator on a communications bus by providing an input to the processor;

connecting the processor to a motor; and

connecting the motor to a gear train having an HVAC actuator shaft coupling; and

wherein;

the input to the processor is provided by a selection on a potentiometer to set the address for the processor depending on a position of the HVAC actuator relative to one or more other HVAC actuators on the communication bus;

the potentiometer has a plurality of selections having different inputs to the processor;

the different inputs provide different addresses for the processor on the communications bus; and

the actuator shaft coupling can mechanically operate an apparatus in a heating, ventilating and air conditioning system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

enclosing the processor, the motor, the gear train having the actuator shaft coupling, and the potentiometer in a housing; and

wherein the housing, enclosing the processor, the motor, the gear train having the actuator shaft coupling, and the potentiometer, is regarded as the actuator.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein access to the potentiometer for selecting an address is available at two or more places on the housing.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

replacing the actuator with a second HVAC actuator; and

setting the potentiometer of the second actuator to an address that is the same as an address of the replaced actuator.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting an address for the processor via a controller and the communications bus; and

wherein the communications bus is a polarity-insensitive two-wire system.

21. An actuator system for a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a first HVAC actuator;

a second HVAC actuator;

a communications bus connected to the first HVAC actuator and the second HVAC actuator; and

wherein;

the each of the first HVAC actuator and the second HVAC actuator comprises;

an electromechanical mover;

a processor connected to the electromechanical mover; and

a potentiometer, having a plurality of address settings, connected to the processor; and

a setting of the plurality of settings of the potentiometer is a selection of an address for the respective HVAC actuator on the communications bus; and

the first HVAC actuator has a first setting of its potentiometer and the second actuator has a second setting of its potentiometer different than the first setting.