Smart building manager

• US 9,429,927 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Nesler, Clay G., Drees, Kirk H., Kummer, James P., Supple, Derek, Andraca, Marc D., Ruiz, John I., Rode, Paul Harrison
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US14/091,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 700/295, 705/412, 706/21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49068 Minimum cost adaptive
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/163 Real estate management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00001 characterised by the display of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition systems [SCADA] or graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/16 The load or loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 : Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 : Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 : Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 : Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 : General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 : characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 : Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A building manager includes a communications interface configured to receive information from a smart energy grid. The building manager further includes an integrated control layer configured to receive inputs from and to provide outputs to a plurality of building subsystems. The integrated control layer includes a plurality of control algorithm modules configured to process the inputs and to determine the outputs. The building manager further includes a fault detection and diagnostics layer configured to use statistical analysis on the inputs received from the integrated control layer to detect and diagnose faults. The building manager yet further includes a demand response layer configured to process the information received from the smart energy grid to determine adjustments to the plurality of control algorithms of the integrated control layer.

Claims

1. A building manager comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive time-of-use pricing information from a smart energy grid; and

a processing circuit comprising a processor and non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions executable by the processor stored thereon, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

an integrated control layer configured to receive inputs from a plurality of building subsystems and to provide outputs to the plurality of building subsystems, the integrated control layer including a plurality of control algorithm modules configured to process the inputs and to determine the outputs; and

a demand response layer configured to process the time-of-use pricing information received from the smart energy grid to determine adjusted setpoints for the plurality of control algorithm modules of the integrated control layer, the adjusted setpoints comprising setpoint energy transfer rates into thermal energy storage tanks and out of thermal energy storage tanks;

wherein the integrated control layer is configured to use the setpoint energy transfer rates to generate control signals for the plurality of building subsystems and provide the control signals as the outputs to the plurality of building subsystems.

2. The building manager of claim 1, further comprising:

an enterprise applications layer configured to provide a building occupant interface to a plurality of building occupants.

3. The building manager of claim 1, comprising:

an automated measurement and validation layer configured to measure energy use or track energy savings based on representations of the inputs stored in memory according to an international performance management and verification protocol (IPMVP).

4. The building manager of claim 3, further comprising:

an enterprise applications layer configured to provide services to enterprise level applications for communicating with the integrated control layer, the demand response layer, and the automated measurement and validation layer.

5. The building manager of claim 1, wherein the communications interface is at least one of a power line carrier interface, an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, and a wireless interface.

6. The building manager of claim 1, wherein the integrated control layer and the demand response layer each comprise multiple computer code modules stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium;

wherein the multiple computer code modules configure the processing circuit to provide functions of the integrated control layer and the demand response layer.

7. The building manager of claim 3, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer is further configured to validate an energy consumption measurement against data received from another calculation or source.

8. The building manager of claim 7, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer is configured to store pricing data received from the smart energy grid and to use the stored pricing data to compute an energy cost savings for a control strategy or for a period of time.

9. The building manager of claim 8, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer is configured to validate the energy cost savings computed by the automated measurement and validation layer using a standardized energy savings calculation method.

10. The building manager of claim 3, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer is configured to monitor energy consumption for a building based on inputs from building subsystems.

11. The building manager of claim 10, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer completes a calculation of energy consumption for the building without using inputs from a utility meter or power provider.

12. The building manager of claim 11, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer is configured to validate energy use information provided by a utility or meter using the calculation of energy consumption for the building that is calculated without using inputs from the utility meter or power provider.

13. The building manager of claim 3, wherein the automated measurement and validation layer is included within a server that includes both the integrated control layer and the demand response layer.

14. The building manager of claim 1, wherein the integrated control layer is configured to use inputs from the smart energy grid, building energy loads, and/or building energy storage in a control algorithm configured to reduce energy costs based on the inputs.

15. The building manager of claim 14, wherein the demand response layer is configured to adjust or affect the control algorithm of the integrated control layer by planning a control strategy based on received real time pricing (RTP) information or forecasted pricing information for energy from a utility.

16. The building manager of claim 15, wherein the demand response layer is further configured to calculate an estimate of demand loads for the building for upcoming time periods based on at least one of historical information, forecasted pricing, scheduled facility control events, and inputs from the building subsystems.

17. The building manager of claim 16, wherein the demand response layer is further configured to provide the calculated estimate of demand loads for the building to the smart energy grid for an energy provider.

18. The building manager of claim 1, further comprising:

a building subsystem integration layer configured to translate communications from a plurality of disparately protocolled building devices or subsystems for use by the integrated control layer as inputs.

19. The building manager of claim 1, further comprising a fault detection and diagnostics layer configured to utilize exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control charting to identify faults in building subsystem operation, wherein the fault detection and diagnostics layer is configured to trigger expanded data logging and expanded fault detection and diagnostics activities in response to the detection of a fault.

20. The building manager of claim 1, further comprising a fault detection and diagnostics layer configured to cause fault information to be displayed via a graphical user interface, wherein the fault detection and diagnostics layer is configured to use a performance model to detect faults and to identify a significance associated with the detected fault.