Remote HVAC control with building floor plan tool

• US 7,702,421 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Sullivan, Daniel J., Moore, Kevin B., Ho, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Douglas S.
• Application Number:
  US11/845,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20090057425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 700/275, 700/276, 707/203, 709/200, 709/203, 709222-225, 709/229, 713/324, 236/51
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/14 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads

Abstract

An HVAC control system that accommodates and/or facilitates control from a remote location. The HVAC control system may include a web-enabled building control appliance having a controller, a first port and a second port. The controller may implement a web server that is coupled to the first port for serving up one or more web pages on a first network and for receiving a number of responses. The controller may be coupled to the second port so as to communicate with one or more communicating thermostats via a second network. The web server may provide one or more web-pages via the first port that display a graphical floor plan of the building, and permit a user to drag and drop individual building control device images that correspond to the one or more building control devices onto the floor plan.

Claims

1. A web enabled building control appliance for a building having one or more building control devices, the web enabled building control appliance comprising:

a controller;

a first port coupled to the controller, the first port configured to communicate over a first network;

a web server implemented by the controller and coupled to the first port for serving up one or more web-pages on the first network via the first port;

a second port coupled to the controller, the second port configured to be coupled to one or more thermostats via a second network, wherein each of the one or more thermostats are configured to communicate with the controller over the second network; and

the web server configured to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that display a graphical floor plan of the building, and permit a user to drag and drop individual images of building control devices that correspond to the one or more building control devices onto the floor plan.

2. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the second port is configured to be coupled to two or more thermostats via the second network.

3. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the web server is configured to display, on the one or more web-pages that display the graphical floor plan of the building, a plurality of individual building control device images in a list.

4. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the individual building control device images are positioned on the graphical floor plan in accordance to their actual positions within the building represented by the graphical floor plan.

5. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the web server is configured to permit a user to upload an image file containing the graphical floor plan.

6. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the web server is configured to display information pertaining to a particular building control device when a user clicks on a corresponding building control device image on the floor plan.

7. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more thermostats correspond to one of the building control devices.

8. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive sensor information from the two or more thermostats via the second network.

9. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed with a control algorithm that issues commands to the one or more thermostats via the second network to activate or deactivate HVAC equipment that is connected to the one or more thermostats.

10. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more thermostats has a controller that is capable of issuing commands to HVAC equipment that is connected to the at least one thermostat, based at least in part on a programmed local schedule, but the programmed local schedule of the at least one thermostat is not used.

11. A web enabled building control appliance for a building having one or more building control devices, the web enabled building control appliance comprising:

a controller;

a first port coupled to the controller, the first port configured to communicate over a first network;

a web server implemented by the controller and coupled to the first port for serving up one or more web-pages on the first network via the first port;

a second port coupled to the controller, the second port configured to be coupled to two or more thermostats via a second network, wherein each of the two or more thermostats are configured to communicate with the controller over the second network;

the web server configured to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that display a graphical floor plan of the building, and permit a user to drag and drop individual building control device images that correspond to the one or more building control devices onto the floor plan; and

wherein the web server is configured to display information pertaining to a particular building control device when a user clicks on a corresponding building control device image on the floor plan.

12. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 11, wherein each of the at least two thermostats correspond to one of the building control devices.

13. A method of configuring building control devices, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a web page that displays a graphical floor plan;

providing a list of building control devices on the web page, the list comprising a plurality of individual building control device images; and

permitting a user to drag-n-drop individual building control device images from the list onto the graphical floor plan;

wherein the individual building control device images are positioned on the graphical floor plan in accordance to their actual positions within a building space represented by the graphical floor plan.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the web page permits the user to click on a particular building control device image displayed on the graphical floor plan in order to display control parameters of the building control device represented by the particular building control device image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein clicking on the particular building control device image causes the web page to display temperature data pertaining to the building control device represented by the particular building control device image.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein clicking on the particular building control device image causes the web page to display humidity data pertaining to the building control device represented by the particular building control device image.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein clicking on the particular building control device image causes the web page to display schedule data pertaining to the building control device represented by the particular building control device image.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the web page is displayed on a first computer, and is generated by a second computer that is remotely located with respect to the first computer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first computer is in communication with the second computer via a network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the network includes the Internet.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the web page permits the user to upload an image file containing the graphical floor plan.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the individual building control device images comprise icons identifying the building control devices.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the building control devices comprise HVAC controllers.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the building control devices comprise communicating thermostats.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein the web page permits the user to scale the graphical floor plan in order to, as desired, view an entirety of the graphical floor plan or to expand and view only a portion of the graphical floor plan.