Remote access gateway configurable control system

• US 9,122,255 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Bo, Lemire, Patrick, Lv, Cherry
• Primary Examiner(s): HARTMAN JR, RONALD D
• Application Number:
  US13/621,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20140081465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,081 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/19, 700/83, 700/276
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25168 Domotique, access through internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31348 Gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level

Abstract

A remote access gateway configurable control system. There may be a series of control commands to set or adjust a gateway device'"'"'s running parameters and modify the behavior of the device or start process action. There may be configuration commands for remote control of the device and server commands for unattended devices.

Claims

1. A gateway control system for residential building equipment comprising:

a gateway device;

heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment connected to the gateway device; and

a remote access mechanism connected to the gateway device and an internet cloud; and

wherein;

signals, for configuring and/or controlling the gateway, are provided from the internet cloud to the remote access mechanism;

commands from a service application to the internet cloud remotely configure and/or control the gateway device and/or affect a behavior of the gateway device or start a process action;

for each command, the service application should receive a response;

the service application sends a keep-alive message periodically to ensure that a data circuit is kept open;

the keep-alive message is sent even if there is a command pending for or from the gateway device; and

the keep-alive message uses a command with no data.

2. A gateway control system for residential building equipment comprising:

a gateway device;

heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment connected to the gateway device; and

a remote access mechanism connected to the gateway device and an internet cloud; and

wherein;

signals, for configuring and/or controlling the gateway, are provided from the internet cloud to the remote access mechanism;

the gateway device has communications with a server;

the communications comprise one or more data sessions and/or an asynchronous message;

when a session is opened to activate a gateway device, a service application can request a data session to send a registration command; and

successful registration is declared when the gateway device has received a registration command with a registration flag from the service application.

3. A gateway control system for residential building equipment comprising:

a gateway device;

heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment connected to the gateway device; and

a remote access mechanism connected to the gateway device and an internet cloud; and

wherein;

signals, for configuring and/or controlling the gateway, are provided from the internet cloud to the remote access mechanism;

a check-in process for a pending data session is virtually always active to ensure that the service application can request a data session; and

an exception is when the service application sends a command to stop the check-in process.

4. A gateway control system for residential building equipment comprising:

a gateway device;

heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment connected to the gateway device; and

a remote access mechanism connected to the gateway device and an internet cloud; and

wherein;

signals, for configuring and/or controlling the gateway, are provided from the internet cloud to the remote access mechanism;

the service application sends a data session request to a server infrastructure to establish a connection between the gateway device and the server; and

the data session request comprises a command, a media access control (MAC) identification (ID) and an expiration type of the data session request.

5. An approach for gateway control for residential equipment comprising:

providing a gateway device;

connecting heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment to the gateway device; and

connecting a remote access mechanism to the gateway device, an internet cloud and a network; and

wherein;

signals for configuring and/or controlling the gateway are provided from the internet cloud or network to the remote access mechanism;

commands from a service application to the internet cloud remotely configure and/or control the gateway device and/or affect a behavior of the gateway device or start a process action;

for each command, the service application should receive a response;

the service application sends a keep-alive message periodically to ensure that a data circuit is kept open;

the keep-alive message is sent even if there is a command pending for or from the gateway device; and

the keep-alive message uses a command with no data.