Dynamically extensible and automatically configurable building automation system and architecture

• US 8,050,801 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2005
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Richards, David M., McCoy, Sean M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): NORTON, JENNIFER L
• Application Number:
  US11/208,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20070043476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: 700/19, 700/20, 700/276, 709/220, 709/224, 709/230, 709/200, 709/227, 370/220, 370/224, 370/230, 370/254, 370/310
• 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 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• 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

Abstract

A building automation system (BAS) architecture is disclosed. The BAS comprises, in one embodiment, an architecture comprising a communication network and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability; an engine communicatively coupled to the communication network; and at least one control device communicatively coupled to the communication network, the control device being known or unknown to the engine. The engine can be adapted to selectively implement the dynamic extensibility capability to establish communications with and to control both known and unknown control devices. The engine can be further adapted to selectively implement the automatic configuration capability to determine at least one characteristic of both known and unknown control devices. A method of adding a control device to a building automation system (BAS) by dynamically extending and automatically configuring an architecture of the BAS is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a system architecture of a building site comprising a communication network compatible with a plurality of communication protocols and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability;

a server engine communicatively coupled to the communication network and compatible with at least a portion of the plurality of communication protocols; and

at least one building subsystem control device communicatively coupled to the communication network, wherein the control device is known or unknown to the server engine, and wherein a known building subsystem control device comprises a portion of the system architecture;

wherein the server engine includes;

software instructions configured to implement the dynamic extensibility capability such that the server engine capability is extended to establish communications with and to control both known and unknown building subsystem control devices through the communication network, wherein the dynamic extensibility capability includes a proprietary extension layer which comprises a protocol stack configured to support the plurality of communication protocols,

software instructions configured to implement the automatic configuration capability such that the server engine receives at least one characteristic from both known and unknown building subsystem control devices such that the automatic configuration capability determines if the at least one building subsystem control device is known or unknown to the server engine, and

software instructions configured to expand the architecture to include in the proprietary extension layer at least one characteristic of a known building subsystem control device that was previously unknown to the server engine after implementation of the dynamic extensibility capability and the automatic configuration capability.

2. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a communication protocol, a communication protocol version, a vendor, a product, a type, and a version.

3. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the server engine further comprises software instructions such that the server engine is configured to store the characteristic as a definition in a program utilized by the server engine.

4. The BAS of claim 3, wherein the server engine need not recompile the program after storing the definition.

5. The BAS of claim 3, further comprising a database communicatively coupled to the communication network and operably controlled by the server engine, wherein the program is stored in the database.

6. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the server engine comprises a generally compatible communication protocol to establish communications with known and unknown building subsystem control devices through the communication network.

7. The BAS of claim 1, wherein a first building subsystem control device is compatible with a first communication protocol, wherein a second building subsystem control device is compatible with a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol compatibility, and wherein the plurality of communication protocols comprise the first and second communication protocols.

8. The BAS of claim 7, wherein the first and second communication protocols differ by a communication standard, a version, or any combination thereof.

9. The BAS of claim 8, wherein the server engine further comprises software instructions such that the server engine is configured to concurrently implement both the first and second protocols.

10. The BAS of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises an Intranet network, an Internet network, or any combination thereof.

11. The BAS of claim 10, wherein the server engine comprises a single address and the building subsystem control device comprises a network address.

12. The BAS of claim 11, wherein the server engine discovers the network address of the building subsystem control device according to the dynamic extensibility capability.

13. The BAS of claim 10, wherein the network address of the building subsystem control device is manually programmed.

14. A building automation system (BAS) comprising:

a system architecture of a building site comprising a communication network compatible with a plurality of communication protocols and having a dynamic extensibility capability and an automatic configuration capability;

a server engine communicatively coupled to the communication network and compatible with at least a portion of the plurality of communication protocols; and

at least one building subsystem control device communicatively coupled to the communication network, wherein the building subsystem control device is known or unknown to the server engine, and wherein a known building subsystem control device comprises a portion of the system architecture;

wherein the server engine includes

means for dynamically extending the capability of the server engine to establish communications with and to control both known and unknown building subsystem control devices through the communication network,

means for automatic configuring of the server engine with a capability to determine at least one characteristic of both known and unknown building subsystem control devices communicatively coupled to the communication network, and

mean for expanding the architecture to include a known building subsystem control device that was previously unknown after implementation of the dynamic extensibility capability and the automatic configuration capability.

15. The BAS of claim 14, wherein the at least one characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a communication protocol, a communication protocol version, a vendor, a product, a type, and a version.

16. The BAS of claim 14, wherein the server engine further comprises software means for storing the characteristic as a definition in a program utilized by the server engine.

17. The BAS of claim 16, wherein the server engine need not recompile the program after storing the definition.

18. The BAS of claim 16, further comprising a database communicatively coupled to the communication network and operably controlled by the server engine, wherein the program is stored in the database.

19. The BAS of claim 16, wherein the means for dynamically extending the capability of the server engine comprises a means for integrating an unknown control device into the architecture as a known control device by adding or altering a definition in the program.

20. The BAS of claim 14, wherein the server engine comprises a means for communicating with a generally compatible communication protocol to establish communications with known and unknown building subsystem control devices.

21. The BAS of claim 14, wherein a first building subsystem control device is compatible with a first communication protocol, wherein a second building subsystem control device is compatible with a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol compatibility, and wherein the plurality of communication protocols comprise the first and second communication protocols.

22. The BAS of claim 21, wherein the first and second communication protocols differ by a communication standard, a version, or any combination thereof.

23. The BAS of claim 22, wherein the server engine further comprises means for concurrently communicating over the first communication protocol with the first building subsystem control device and the second communication protocol with the second building subsystem control device.

24. The BAS of claim 14, wherein the communication network comprises an Intranet network, an Internet network, or any combination thereof.

25. The BAS of claim 24, wherein the server engine comprises a single address on the communication network and the building subsystem control device comprises a network address on the communication network.

26. The BAS of claim 25, wherein the means for dynamically extending the capability of the server engine further comprises a means for discovering the network address of the building subsystem control device on the communication network.

27. The BAS of claim 25, wherein the network address of the building subsystem control device is manually programmed.