Structure and behavior of a building automation system

• US 9,519,276 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2012
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Brun, Gerhard, Fehr, Andreas, Meier, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Application Number:
  US13/573,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20130085610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23255 Object oriented programming, OOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A system for automating a building has an object describing a building section and at least one object describing an automation function and a functional unit having at least one open-loop and/or closed-loop control program, with the object describing a building section having an overview list, in which semantic information units for the building section concerned are able to be stored. A semantic information unit for the building section concerned identifies an automation function which is provided in the building section. The object describing the automation function has an overview list, in which semantic information units for the automation function concerned are able to be stored. The semantic information unit includes a relation to a further object. The relation is implemented such that a bidirectional exchange of data between the corresponding objects is made possible. The system may enable field devices to the replaced or assigned without the need to make modifications in the program code of the open-loop and/or closed-loop control program, since the data exchange is conducted via the describing object.

Claims

1. A system for addressing field devices running on a processor to automate a building or a campus having a plurality of buildings, the system comprising:

a plurality of objects, comprising;

an object describing a building section, a field device associated with the building section;

an object describing an automation function;

a functional unit associated with the object describing the automation function, the functional unit comprising an open-loop and/or closed-loop control program; and

an input/output module running on the processor and connecting the system to the field device,

wherein the object describing the building section has a building section overview list in which semantic information units for the building section are stored, each identifying an automation function which is provided in the building section,

wherein the object describing the automation function has an automation function overview list in which semantic information units are stored for the automation function,

wherein each semantic information unit has an identifier to identify the semantic information unit and has a relation,

wherein each relation defines a type of relation between the object having the semantic information unit stored therein, and another object,

wherein each relation makes possible a bidirectional exchange of data between the object having the semantic information stored therein and the other object,

wherein there are at least two different relation types and each relation corresponds to precisely one of the relation types,

wherein the system is configured to allow installation or replacement of the field device without changing the open-loop or the closed-loop control program, and

wherein the system is configured to control the field device using the functional unit in accordance with the automation function.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein there are first and second relation types,

wherein the second relation type requires that related objects must be copied, moved or deleted together, and

wherein the object having the semantic information unit stored therein is related to the other object according to the second relation type.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the first relation type is a contacts relation, and

wherein the second relation type is an owns relation.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the object describing the automation function is related according to the second relation type, to the functional unit comprising the open-loop and/or closed-loop control program.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the building has at least first and second building sections,

a first building object describes the first building section,

a second building object describes the second building section, and

the building section overview list of the first building object describing the first building section has a semantic information unit with a relation to the second building object describing the second building section.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein for each semantic information unit, the identifier has a character string data type.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object describing the automation function is related according to the second relation type, to the functional unit comprising the open-loop and/or closed-loop control program.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the building has at least first and second building sections,

a first building object describes the first building section,

a second building object describes the second building section, and

the building section overview list of the first building object describing the first building section has a semantic information unit with a relation to the second building object describing the second building section.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein for each semantic information unit, the identifier has a character string data type.