Distributed control system for hospitality management

• US 9,261,866 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holzman, Louis M., Howes, Ronald B. Jr., Skaff, Stephen X., Dao, Quang Van, Buck, Christopher A., Diller, Chris D.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNN, DARRIN D
• Application Number:
  US13/475,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20120296447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2, 700/9, 700/17, 700/19, 700/22, 700/65, 700/83, 700/286, 700/295, 700/297, 715/700, 715/713, 715/736, 715/740, 715/741, 715/755, 715/757, 715/791, 715/961, 709/201, 709/208, 709/220
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/064 by time modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0018 having an electronic display
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/061 sealed by a gasket held between a removable cover and a body, e.g. O-ring, packing

Abstract

A controlling and monitoring control application associated with one or more work operations of one or more utility devices is disclosed. The controller is programmed for controlling one or more external work operations associated with one or more utility devices. An I/O board is connected in communication with the primary controller having a module with a plurality of device-specific control applications associated with one or more device-specific work operations. The housing of the controller includes one or more cable access points for plugging a cable into the controller. The cable access points are sealed to prevent water from entering into the housing. A mounting bracket assembly provides flexibility for mounting the controller at various orientations and/or positions. The controller also includes a DC control circuit for controlling backlight luminance over the entire dimming ratio.

Claims

1. A controller for hospitality or healthcare services configured for simultaneous operation of multiple associated utility devices, comprising:

a primary controller having a multitasking operating system and a plurality of native control applications for controlling one or more native work operations, the primary controller including a primary control board, the primary control board including a field programmable gate array, the primary control board connected in communication with an input/output board for a ware washing machine wherein the input/output board for the ware washing machine includes a conductivity module, a valve drive module, a ware wash dispensing I/O microprocessor module, a control system network communications module, a thermistor module and a digital sensor input module;

a plurality of external control applications loaded onto the primary controller for controlling at least one or more external work operations associated with a utility device for providing hospitality or healthcare services to said plurality of external control applications including an application for controlling at least one ware washing dispensing device;

one or more of the native and external control applications operated simultaneously to monitor and control the native and external work operations;

a user interface having sensory outputs associated with the plurality of native and external control applications;

said sensory outputs further comprising a training option, tutorial option and an assistance option for the one or more work operations of a hospitality or healthcare device, and wherein the training, tutorial and assistance options include text, audio or video selected based on a sensitivity to at least;

a. a specific operation;

b. a specific application;

c. a specific product;

d. a specific utility device; and

said primary controller encased in a controller housing that is separate from the at least one ware washing dispensing device and said housing including at least one water tight seal for use with a cable.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the external work operations are associated with a single hospitality device or healthcare device.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein the external work operations are associated with two or more different hospitality devices or healthcare devices.

4. The controller of claim 1 further comprising a first set of hospitality or healthcare device controls for one external work operation and a second set of hospitality or healthcare device controls for another external work operation.

5. The controller of claim 1 further comprising two or more sets of hospitality or healthcare device controls for one or more external work operations controlled or monitored simultaneously by the primary controller.

6. The controller of claim 1 wherein said native and external work operations are monitored and controlled simultaneously.

7. The controller of claim 1 further comprising a user interface having a display with one or more graphical elements associated with the native and external work operations.

8. The controller of claim 1 further comprising one or more graphical elements on a display associated with the plurality of external control applications programmed onto the primary controller.

9. The controller of claim 1 wherein the sensory output includes a visual and an audio output.

10. The controller of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional I/O board connected in communication with the primary controller having a module with a plurality of device-specific control applications associated with one or more hospitality or healthcare device-specific work operations.

11. The controller of claim 10 further comprising a device-specific code loaded onto the primary controller for executing and monitoring the one or more hospitality or healthcare device-specific work operations.

12. The controller of claim 1 further comprising at least one hospitality or healthcare device-specific module connected to the primary controller to monitor and control the one or more external work operations.

13. The controller of claim 1 further comprising a display connected electrically in operable communication with a DC control circuit for controlling back light dimming of the display.

14. The controller of claim 13 wherein the DC control circuit includes:

a) a DC output current adapted for powering a lamp associated with the display; and

b) a capacitance filter for filtering the output current to the lamp by pulse width modulation.

15. A controller for simultaneous operation of multiple hospitality devices, comprising:

a primary controller having a multitasking operating system and a plurality of native control applications for controlling one or more native work operations, the primary controller including a primary control board, the primary control board including a field programmable gate array, the primary control board connected in communication with an input/output board for a ware washing machine wherein the input/output board for the ware washing machine includes a conductivity module, a valve drive module, a ware wash dispensing I/O microprocessor module, a control system network communications module, a thermistor module and a digital sensor input module;

a plurality of external control applications loaded onto the primary controller for controlling an on-site chemistry dispensing device and ware washing dispensing device and at least one more hospitality operation associated with a hospitality device;

one or more of the native and external control applications operated simultaneously to monitor and control the native control applications and the hospitality operations associated with a hospitality device; and

a user interface having sensory outputs associated with the plurality of native and external control applications, wherein the outputs include a language option to select a nationality appropriate language, selected from;

a. a primary language; and

b. one or more secondary languages; and

said sensory outputs further comprising a training option, tutorial option and an assistance option for the one or more work operations of a hospitality or healthcare device, and wherein the training, tutorial and assistance options include text, audio or video selected based on a sensitivity to at least;

a. a specific operation;

b. a specific application;

c. a specific product; and

d. a specific utility device;

said primary controller encased in a controller housing that is separate from the at least one ware washing dispensing device and said housing including at least one water tight seal for use with a cable.

16. The controller of claim 15 wherein the hospitality device includes one of:

a. an on-premise laundry device;

b. a pool or spa device;

or

c. a water conditioning device.

17. The controller of claim 16 further comprising two or more sets of hospitality device controls for one or more hospitality device operations controlled or monitored simultaneously by the primary controller.

18. The controller of claim 15 further comprising at least one additional I/O board connected in communication with the primary controller having a module with a plurality of hospitality device-specific control applications associated with one or more hospitality device-specific work operations.

19. A controller for simultaneous operation of multiple utility devices, comprising:

a primary controller having a multitasking operating system and a plurality of native control applications for controlling one or more native work operations, the primary controller including a primary control board, the primary control board including a field programmable gate array, the primary control board connected in communication with an input/output board for a ware washing machine wherein the input/output board for the ware washing machine includes a conductivity module, a valve drive module, a ware wash dispensing I/O microprocessor module, a control system network communications module, a thermistor module and a digital sensor input module;

a plurality of external control applications loaded onto the primary controller for controlling a ware washing device and at least one more external work operation associated with a service industry utility device;

one or more of the native and external control applications operated simultaneously to monitor and control the native and external work operations performed by the service industry utility device; and

a user interface having sensory outputs associated with the plurality of native and external control applications, wherein the outputs include a language option to select a nationality appropriate language, selected from;

a. a primary language; and

b. one or more secondary languages; and

said sensor outputs further comprising a training option, tutorial option and an assistance option for the one or more work operations of a hospitality or healthcare device, and wherein the training, tutorial arid assistance options include text, audio or video selected based on a sensitivity to at least;

a. a specific operation;

b. a specific application;

c. a specific product; and

d. a specific utility device;

said primary controller encased in a controller housing that is separate from the at least one ware washing dispensing device and said housing including at least one water tight seal for use with a cable.

20. The controller of claim 19 wherein the service industry utility device includes at least one of:

a. an on-premise laundry device;

b. a pool or spa device;

c. an on-site chemistry generation and dispensing device;

d. a water conditioning device.