Networked facilities management system with updated data based on aging time

• US 5,884,072 A
• Filed: 12/17/1993
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Service Company
• Inventors: Rasmussen, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US08/170,086
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 395/600, 395/700, 395/200.01, 395/200.05, 395/200.16, 364/569, 364/131, 364/132, 364/221.9, 364/242.96, 364/550
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/22 Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A networked system having a wide variety of applications and particularly applicable to facilities management systems has multiple levels of software in processsing nodes. The levels include a "features" processing level which communicates requests for data to a software object level containing databases of processes and attributes and database managers. The database managers in the software object level operate to provide data to the high level features in the same format. The software object level communicates with a hardware object level which also contains databases and database managers to mask differences between operational hardware units. By categorizing operational units by type, additional units of a known type can be added with only low level hardware object database changes. Adding units of a new type is facilitated by software changes confined to the lower level hardware and software objects, avoiding software changes at high level features. Individual software objects are tailored for typical types of inputs and output devices encountered by facilities management systems. Universal drive circuitry also provides applicability to a broad range of devices. Data is stored with an aging time such that during a time period when a data item is valid, requests for that particular data item are serviced with the stored data. A request for the particular data item which occurs after the data item aging time is serviced with a new value of the data which is again valid for the aging time.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to at least one data item available on a network having a first master controller and a second master controller, the second master controller being coupled to at least one slave controller, the slave controller being coupled to at least one sensor and receiving the data item, the first master controller being coupled to the second master controller across a communication link, the slave controller having processing means for transmitting the data item and the first master controller having storage means for storing information, the method comprising steps of:

i) transmitting a request from the first master controller to the second master controller for a current data item value of the data item;

ii) transmitting the current data item value and a current aging time value corresponding to the current data item value from the second master controller to the first master controller during a data valid time in response to the request, the data valid time being a period of time when the current aging time value is in a predetermined relationship with a predetermined threshold, the current aging time value being related to a time when the data item was received by the slave controller;

iii) storing in the storage means of the first master controller the current data item value and storing in the storage means of the first master controller the current aging time value for the current data item value;

iv) during the data valid period, servicing other requests for the current data item value by providing the current data item value from the storage means of the first master controller; and

at a first request for the current data item value after the data valid time, repeating steps i) through iv).

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

producing the current data item value in the slave controller;

transferring the current data item value from the slave controller to the second master controller and storing the current data item value in the second master controller; and

storing the current aging time value corresponding to the current data item value in the second master controller.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising a step of storing the current data item value in the first master node as entries in a stored data table, each entry having an associated aging time threshold indicative of a length of time of the data valid time for the data item.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the aging time threshold with the current data item value.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the network forms a facilities management system and further comprising the steps of monitoring and controlling at least one process.

6. In a network for communicating data across at least one communication link, the network including a plurality of master controllers coupled to the communication link and a plurality of slave controllers coupled to the master controllers, the slave controllers including a slave processing means for providing a data item, each of the aster controllers comprising:

processing means for requesting and retrieving a requested data item from the slave controllers;

means for storing at master controller the requested data item and an aging time value for the requested data item, the aging time values defining a data valid time period measured from the storage time;

means for during the data valid period, servicing by the first master controller requests from other master controllers for the requested data item by transmitting on the communication link the data item form the storage means at the first master controller to the other master controllers; and

means for retrieving the requested data item after the data valid period from the slave controller.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein the storage means for the requested data item and the aging time comprise data tables stored in the means for storing of the master controller.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 6 further comprising means for transmitting the aging time for the requested data item and preventing further requests over the network for the requested data item from the slave controller.

9. The apparatus recited in claim 6 wherein the network forms a facilities management system, further comprising means for at least monitoring at least one control process.

10. A storage medium including stored indicia of a plurality of operating instructions controlling access to at least one data item on a network having a first master controller and a second master controller, the second master controller being coupled to at least one slave controller, the slave controller being coupled to at least one sensor and receiving the data item, the first master controller being coupled to the second master controller across a communication link, the slave controller having processing means for transmitting the data item and the first master controller having storage means for storing information, the instructions including instructions for:

i) transmitting a request from the first master controller to the second master controller for a current data item value of the data item;

ii) transmitting the current data item value and a current aging time value corresponding to the current data item value from the second master controller to the first master controller during a data valid time in response to the request, the data valid time being a period of time when the current aging time value is in a predetermined relationship with a predetermined threshold, the current aging time value being related to a time when the data item was received by the slave controller;

iii) storing in the storage means of the first master controller the current data item value and storing in the storage means of the first master controller the current aging time value for the current data item value;

iv) during the data valid period, servicing other requests for the current data item value by providing the current data item value from the storage means of the first master controller; and

at a first request for the current data item value after the data valid time, repeating steps i) through iv).

11. Stored indicia as recited in claim 10 wherein the instructions further include instructions for:

producing the current data item value in the slave controller;

transferring the current data item value from the slave controller to the second master controller and storing the current data item value in the second master controller; and

storing the current aging time value corresponding to the current data item value in the second master controller.

12. Stored indicia as recited in claim 10 wherein the instructions further include instructions for storing the data item value in the master controller as entries in stored data tables, each entry having an associated aging timer threshold indicative of a length of time of the data valid time.

13. Stored indicia as recited in claim 10 wherein the instructions further include instructions for transmitting the aging time value to a network entity requesting the data item and preventing further requests over the network from the entity until the data invalid time.