Multi-capability facilities monitoring and control intranet for facilities management system

• US 6,363,422 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Modius, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Netbrowser Communications
• Inventors: Hunter, Robert R., Cheong, Leslie, Vogt, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cardone, Jason D.
• Application Number:
  US09/104,039
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/224, 709/250, 709/317, 709/318
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

One or more client devices are coupled to a system server through a network link, with the network adapted to support TCP/IP packet-based data transmission protocols. The system server provides initial set-up parameters and continuing operating instructions to each client device over the network link. Subsequently, client devices carry out normal monitoring functions locally, over their local communication link. Intervention by the system server is no longer required unless and until a client device determines that one of its supported pieces of infrastructure equipment is functioning outside of its normal operating parameters. The System server gives the appropriate control information to the client which communicates the control code to the out-of-parameter device in its native language protocol.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a standards-based network;

a facilities-type infrastructure device capable of generating and receiving I/O information over a communication interface;

a programmable client device for monitoring and controlling the infrastructure device, the client device being coupled to the infrastructure device by a first communication link matching the communication interface of the infrastructure device and coupled to the network by a network interface, wherein all rules for monitoring and controlling each infrastructure device coupled to the client device are programmed and operational on the client device; and

a server coupled to the client by the network, the server operational to provide alarm and viewing management services for the client, wherein the server is operable to provide over the network, and the client is operable to receive, all rules required by the client for monitoring and automatically controlling in the event of a change in operating condition each infrastructure device coupled to the client.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the infrastructure device generates and receives I/O information in accordance with a vendor defined native language protocol, the client device recognizing the native language protocol and effecting all bi-directional communication with the infrastructure device in the native language protocol.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the network interface link is an Ethernet interface.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein bi-directional communication between the server and the client device is in accordance with an Internet Protocol packet-based transmission protocol.

5. The system according to claim 4, comprising software supplied to the client device, the software for gathering, on the client machine, monitoring information from the infrastructure device, and for reporting the gathered management information to the server on a periodic basis.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the server comprises Web browser accessible software for supporting viewing management services for the client device, the server further comprising software, associated with the Web browser accessible software, for processing monitoring information gathered from the client device, the server providing operating instructions to the client device in response thereto.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the server is operable to receive a monitoring indication from the client device that the infrastructure device is operating outside normal operating parameters and to determine in accordance with the rules for controlling that device an action to take in response to the monitoring indication to appropriately adjust the operating condition of the device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the server comprises an operational database defining a decision tree specifying what action the server is to take in response to any particular out-of-tolerance condition indicated by any client device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is operable to send a notification message to a human user in response to the monitoring indication.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the client device is coupled to the facilities-type infrastructure device over a serial communication interface.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the serial communication interface is selected from the group consisting of RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 and contact closure harnessing communication interfaces.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the client device generates an exception signal and transmits it to the server over the network in the event the infrastructure device become out of tolerance; and

the server responds to the exception signal by determining whether the infrastructure device is a controllable device and, if so, determining in accordance with the rules for controlling that device what responsive action to take, and then communicating that responsive action to the client device to be performed by the client device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the client device receives the responsive action and obtains one or more responsive control codes appropriate to perform the responsive action on the infrastructure device from a library of codes, the responsive control codes being control codes native to the infrastructure device; and

the client device communicates the responsive control codes to infrastructure device in a native language protocol of the infrastructure device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure device communicates over the communication interface in accordance with a native language protocol, and wherein the client device has programming comprising:

data and executable instructions defining an operating section; and

a library of equipment protocol codes accessible to the operating section to enable the client device to communicate with each respective infrastructure device coupled to the client device using a protocol code native to the respective infrastructure device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the client is operable to perform all routine management tasks for the infrastructure device locally.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the client device is placed in local proximity to the infrastructure device.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the client device is disposed within the infrastructure device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the client device is operable to be added to the network and, upon being added to the network, to inform the server of characteristics of every infrastructure device that the client device will manage.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the infrastructure device is selected from the group consisting of power distribution equipment, environmental control equipment, security monitoring equipment and health/safety and fire equipment; and

the network supports a TCP/IP packet-based information transmission protocol.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a time period is established in which the server expects periodically to receive some form of information from the client device; and

the client device, in the course of normal operations, pushes a “

keep alive”

packet to the server within each time period, the packet containing information indicating to the server whether or not the client device is operating normally.

21. A method for providing monitoring and control for facilities equipment distributed over multiple sites interconnected with a pre-existing standards-based network, the method comprising:

providing multiple client devices and coupling each client device to a pre-existing standards-based network by a network interface;

assigning one of the multiple client devices to each one of multiple facilities-type infrastructure devices, the multiple infrastructure devices being distributed over multiple sites interconnected by the pre-existing standards-based network, each client device being physically local to all of the infrastructure devices to which the client device is assigned;

wherein each infrastructure device is capable of generating information and receiving instructions over a communication interface and each client device is configured for monitoring and controlling the infrastructure devices assigned the client device, each client device being coupled to each assigned infrastructure device by a communication link matching the communication interface of the corresponding assigned infrastructure device; and

providing a server coupled to the client devices by the network, the server operational to provide alarm and viewing management services for the client devices, the server further providing initial setup parameters and continuing operating instructions to the client devices, wherein the server is operable to provide over the network, and the client devices are operable to receive and carry out, all rules required by the client devices for monitoring and automatically controlling in the event of a change in operating condition their respective assigned infrastructure devices.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the server is operable to provide over the network, and each client device is operable to receive over the network, all rules required by each client device for monitoring and controlling each infrastructure device assigned to the client device;

each infrastructure device is assigned to exactly one client device; and

each client device is placed in local proximity to all the infrastructure devices to which the client device is assigned.