U.S. patent application number 14/638855 was filed with the patent office on 2016-09-08 for wall module with close range communication.
The applicant listed for this patent is Honeywell International Inc.. Invention is credited to William Bray, Cory Grabinger, Josef Hladky, Miroslav Mikulica.
Application Number | 20160258640 14/638855 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56849733 |
Filed Date | 2016-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160258640 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Grabinger; Cory ; et
al. |
September 8, 2016 |
WALL MODULE WITH CLOSE RANGE COMMUNICATION
Abstract
A wall module for use in a building control system includes a
wall module controller and a first communications module
operatively coupled to the wall module controller for establishing
wired communication with a remote building controller, and for
receiving instructions and/or data from the remote building
controller and for sending instructions and/or data to the remote
building controller via the established wired communication. The
wall module includes a second communications module operatively
coupled to the wall module controller for establishing short range
wireless communication having a communication range of less than 60
feet with a portable handheld device, and for receiving
instructions from the portable handheld device and for sending data
to the portable handheld device via the establishing short range
wireless communication.
Inventors: |
Grabinger; Cory; (Maple
Grove, MN) ; Mikulica; Miroslav; (Brno, CZ) ;
Hladky; Josef; (Rudikov, CZ) ; Bray; William;
(Minneapolis, MN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honeywell International Inc. |
Morristown |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56849733 |
Appl. No.: |
14/638855 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05B 15/02 20130101;
F24D 19/1084 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/00 20060101
F24F011/00; F24D 19/10 20060101 F24D019/10 |
Claims
1. A wall module for use in a building control system, the wall
module comprising: a wall module controller; a first communications
module operatively coupled to the wall module controller for
establishing wired communication with a remote building controller,
and for receiving instructions and/or data from the remote building
controller and for sending instructions and/or data to the remote
building controller via the established wired communication; and a
second communications module operatively coupled to the wall module
controller for establishing short range wireless communication
having a communication range of less than 60 feet with a portable
handheld device, and for receiving instructions from the portable
handheld device and for sending data to the portable handheld
device via the establishing short range wireless communication.
2. The wall module of claim 1, wherein the wall module controller
is configured to direct one or more instructions received from the
portable handheld device via the second communications module to
the remote building controller via the first communications
module.
3. The wall module of claim 1, wherein the wall module controller
is configured to direct at least some data received from the remote
building controller via the first communications module to the
portable handheld device via the second communications module.
4. The wall module of claim 1, wherein the wall module controller
is further configured to provide one or more control signals to one
or more components of the building control system.
5. The wall module of claim 4, wherein the one or more components
of the building control system comprises one or more of an HVAC
component, a lighting component and a security system
component.
6. The wall module of claim 1, wherein the portable handheld device
is a smartphone.
7. The wall module of claim 1, wherein the portable handheld device
is a tablet.
8. A wall module for use in a building control system, the wall
module comprising: a wall module controller; a first communications
module operatively coupled to the wall module controller for
establishing communication with a remote building controller and
for receiving instructions and/or data from the remote building
controller and for sending instructions and/or data to the remote
building controller; a second communications module operatively
coupled to the wall module controller for establishing
communication with a portable handheld device and for receiving
instructions from the portable handheld device and for sending data
to the portable handheld device; and wherein the first
communications module implements a different communication protocol
than the second communications module.
9. The wall module of claim 8, wherein the first communications
module is configured to establish wired communication with the
remote building controller.
10. The wall module of claim 8, wherein the second communications
module is configured to establish wireless communication with the
portable handheld device.
11. The wall module of claim 10, wherein the second communications
module is configured to establish short-range wireless
communication having a range of less than 60 feet.
12. The wall module of claim 10, wherein the second communications
module is configured to establish WiFi communication with the
portable handheld device.
13. The wall module of claim 8, wherein the wall module controller
is configured to direct one or more instructions received from the
portable handheld device via the second communications module to
the remote building controller via the first communications
module.
14. The wall module of claim 8, wherein the wall module controller
is configured to direct at least some data received from the remote
building controller via the first communications module to the
portable handheld device via the second communications module.
15. The wall module of claim 8, wherein the wall module controller
is further configured to provide one or more control signals to one
or more components of the building control system.
16. The wall module of claim 15, wherein the one or more components
of the building control system comprises one or more of an HVAC
component, a lighting component and a security system
component.
17. A method of securely communicating building control information
in a building control system including a building controller and a
wall module both disposed within a building, the wall module remote
from the building controller, the method comprising: communicating
building control information between the building controller and
the wall module over a first communications network; communicating
building control information between the wall module and a portable
handheld device over a second communications network, the second
communications network comprising a short range wireless
communications protocol having a communication range that is less
than 60 feet; wherein an individual using the portable handheld
device can communicate directly with the wall module over the
second communications network.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the building control
information communicated between the building controller and the
wall module comprises one or more instructions received from the
portable handheld device via the second communications network.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the building control
information communicated between the wall module and the portable
handheld device comprises data received from the building
controller via the first communications network.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing one or
more control signals from the wall module to one or more components
of the building control system, wherein the one or more components
of the building control system comprises one or more of an HVAC
component, a lighting component and a security system component.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The disclosure relates generally to building control systems
that include wall modules and more particularly to wall modules
that enable close field communication.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A variety of building control systems are known, and enable
control of a variety of building systems such as HVAC systems,
security systems, lighting systems and the like. Many of these
systems employ wall modules that communicate with a building
management system, with at least some of the logic operating the
building management system being located remotely from the wall
module(s). There is a desire for building occupants, particularly
commercial building occupants, to gain remote access to information
and/or features of the building management system in a secure
manner.
SUMMARY
[0003] The disclosure pertains to building control systems that
include wall modules for controlling features of the building
control system. In an example, the disclosure pertains to a wall
module for use in a building control system. The wall module
includes a wall module controller and a first communications module
operatively coupled to the wall module controller for establishing
wired (or wireless) communication with a remote building
controller, and for receiving instructions and/or data from the
remote building controller and for sending instructions and/or data
to the remote building controller via the established wired
communication. The wall module further includes a second
communications module operatively coupled to the wall module
controller for establishing short range wireless communication
having a communication range of less than, for example, 60 feet
with a portable handheld device, and for receiving instructions
from the portable handheld device and for sending data to the
portable handheld device via the establishing short range wireless
communication.
[0004] The preceding summary is provided to facilitate an
understanding of some of the features of the present disclosure and
is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of
the disclosure can be gained by taking the entire specification,
claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The disclosure may be more completely understood in
consideration of the following description of various illustrative
embodiments of the disclosure in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a building control
system in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a building control
system in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method that may be
carried out using the building control systems of FIGS. 1 and 2;
and
[0009] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method that may be
carried out using the building control systems of FIGS. 1 and
2.
[0010] While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications
and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of
example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should
be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the
disclosure to the particular illustrative embodiments described
herein. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all
modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the
spirit and scope of the disclosure.
DESCRIPTION
[0011] The following description should be read with reference to
the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements
throughout the several views. The description and drawings show
several examples that are meant to be illustrative of the claimed
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 1 provides a schematic illustration of a building
control system 10 that includes a wall module 12 and a building
component 14. The building control system 10 may be configured to
control or assist in controlling any variety of building components
and/or systems. Illustrative but non-limiting examples of building
systems include HVAC systems, security systems, lighting systems
and the like. The wall module 12 may be configured to communicate
with one or more building components, such as building component
14. If, for example, the building control system 10 is configured
to control an HVAC system, the building component 14 may be a
furnace, a boiler, a heat exchanger, an air conditioner, a
humidifier, a zone damper, or the like.
[0013] The wall module 12 may, in some cases, directly control the
building component 14 by providing one or more wired or wireless
control signals to the building component 14. In some embodiments,
however, the wall module 12 communicates with a building controller
16 (shown in phantom), which in turn controls the building
component 14. For example, in the case of an HVAC system, the wall
module 12 may include a thermometer such that the wall module can
display a current temperature, and/or in some cases a temperature
set point. In some cases, the wall module 12 may include a user
interface that permits a user to change a temperature set point, or
to simply turn the building component 14 on and off. In some
embodiments, the wall module 12 may obtain and/or display
information received from the building component 14 and/or the
building controller 16. In some cases, the building controller 16
may send data to and receive data from a remote server 18 via a
gateway 19. The gateway 19 may provide an interface between a Wide
Area Network (WAN) 21 and a Local Area Network (LAN) 23. In some
cases, the remote server 18 may be responsible for controlling a
number of building controllers 16 within one or more buildings,
and/or may provide remote access to the building controller(s) 16
via the WAN 21.
[0014] While a single wall module 12 is illustrated in FIG. 1, it
will be appreciated that in some cases there may be a plurality of
wall modules 12 in a building. For example, in a retail mall
situation, each individual store may have one or more wall modules
12. In an office building situation, each individual office or zone
of offices may have a wall module 12. In some cases, each of the
one or more wall modules 12 may report back to a building
controller 16, which in some cases, the building controller 16
operates building components 14 appropriately. In some cases, one
or more of the wall modules 12 may directly control one or more
building components 14, and may also communicate with building
controller 16.
[0015] In FIG. 1, an individual 20 is seen holding a handheld
device 22. In some embodiments, the handheld device 22 permits the
individual 20 to share data with the wall module 12 using any of a
variety of short range communication protocols. In some
embodiments, the handheld device 22 may be configured to
communicate with the wall module 12 using a short range
communications protocol having a nominal communication range of,
for example, 500 feet or less, 300 feet or less, 200 feet or less,
100 feet or less, 60 feet or less, or 30 feet or less. Because of
this limited nominal communication range, controlled physical
access to the building, and thus the space near the wall module,
also provides controlled communication access with the wall module
12. That is, having physical control of the space around the wall
module also provides some level of control over communication with
the wall module. In some cases, a password or other security
measure may also be required before access to certain or all
building control information is provided. In any event, these may
help provide convenient yet more secure access to the building
control system.
[0016] In some cases, the remote server 18 may securely communicate
with the building controller 16 via the WAN 21, which can in turn
securely communicate with the building controller 16 and/or wall
module 12. As noted above, because of the short range communication
between the handheld device 22 and the wall module 12, it will be
appreciated that the handheld device 22 would need to be relatively
close (e.g. about 60 feet or less) to the wall module 12 in order
to communication with the wall module 12. Accordingly, someone at a
location that is further from the wall module 12 than the short
nominal communication range (e.g. 80 feet) would not be able to
communicate with the wall module and access building control system
10 using a mobile device 22.
[0017] Illustrative but non-limiting examples of short range
communications protocols include one or more wireless communication
protocols such as ZigBee, REDLINK.TM., Bluetooth, WiFi, IrDA,
dedicated short range communication (DSRC), EnOcean, and/or any
other suitable common or proprietary wireless protocol, as desired.
In some embodiments, the handheld device 22 may be configured to
communicate with the wall module 12 via one or more of these short
range communications protocols.
[0018] FIG. 2 provides further details regarding an illustrative
wall module 12. In some embodiments, the wall module 12 may include
a wall module controller 24 that is configured to carry out the
functionality assigned to the wall module 12. In the case of an
HVAC system, for example, the wall module controller 24 may be
configured to receive a current temperature value from a
thermometer (e.g. temperature sensor) located within the wall
module 12 and to communicate the current temperature to a building
controller 16 remote from the wall module 12. The wall module
controller 24 may be operably coupled to a user interface (not
shown) that enables a user to enter a temperature set point, which
may also be communicated to the building controller 16.
[0019] In some instances, as illustrated, the wall module 12 may
include a first communications module 26 that is operatively
coupled to the wall module controller 24 in order to establish
communication with a remote building controller 16 via a first
communications protocol for receiving instructions and/or data from
the remote building controller 16 and for sending instructions
and/or data to the remote building controller 16. In some
embodiments, the first communications module 26 is configured to
establish wired communication with the remote building controller
16, and for receiving instructions and/or data from the remote
building controller 16 and for sending instructions and/or data to
the remote building controller 16 via the established wired
communication. In some embodiments, the first communications module
26 is configured to establish wireless communication with the
remote building controller 16, and for receiving instructions
and/or data from the remote building controller 16 and for sending
instructions and/or data to the remote building controller 16 via
the established wireless communication.
[0020] The wall module 12 may, as illustrated, also include a
second communications module 28 that is operatively coupled to the
wall module controller 24 for establishing communication with the
portable handheld device 22 via a second communications protocol
different from the first communications protocol in order to
receive instructions from the portable handheld device 22 and/or to
send data to the portable handheld device 22. In some embodiments,
the second communications module 28 may be configured to establish
short range wireless communication having a nominal communication
range of, for example less than 60 feet, with the portable handheld
device 22, and for receiving instructions from the portable
handheld device 22 and for sending data to the portable handheld
device 22 via the establishing short range wireless
communication.
[0021] As discussed with respect to FIG. 1, using a short range
communications protocol to communicate between the wall module 12
and the handheld device 22 may enhance data security as this
communication requires the physical presence of the individual 20
(FIG. 1) near the wall module 12 (e.g. in the building), and does
not require data to leave the immediate area (e.g. outside of the
building) or otherwise travel over a wide area network such as the
Internet. In some instances, the handheld device 22 may be a
smartphone, a tablet, a laptop computer, a specialty handheld
device, and/or any other suitable handheld device.
[0022] In some instances, the second communications module may be a
wired communication module, and the individual 20 may plug-in the
handheld device 22 to a communications port on the wall module 12.
For example, the individual 20 may plug the handheld device 22 into
a USB communications port on the wall module 12 to establish wired
communication with the wall module 12 over the wired connections.
The handheld device 22 may then securely access building control
information from the remote building controller 16.
[0023] In some embodiments, the wall module controller 24 is
programmed or otherwise configured to direct one or more
instructions received from the portable handheld device 22 via the
second communications module 28 to the remote building controller
16 via the first communications module 26. Examples of such
instructions may include changing a set point such as a temperature
set point, or changing from heating to cooling and vice versa,
requesting access to and/or display of certain building control
information, parameters, and/or settings of the remote building
controller 16, changing certain building control information,
parameters, and/or settings of the remote building controller 16
and/or wall module 12, and/or any other suitable instructions. In
some cases, the wall module controller 24 is programmed or
otherwise configured to direct at least some data received from the
remote building controller 16 via the first communications module
26 to the portable handheld device 22 via the second communications
module 28. In some embodiments, the wall module controller 24 is
further programmed or otherwise configured to provide one or more
control signals to one or more building components 14.
[0024] FIG. 3 provides a flow diagram illustrating an illustrative
method that may be carried out using the building control systems
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, FIG. 3 illustrates an
illustrative method of securely communicating building control
information in a building control system including a building
controller (such as the building controller 16) and a wall module
(such as the wall module 12) both disposed within a building such
that the wall module is remote from the building controller.
Building control information is communicated between the building
controller and the wall module over a first communications network
as generally indicated at block 30. In some embodiments, the
building control information communicated between the building
controller and the wall module includes one or more instructions
received from the portable handheld device via the second
communications network.
[0025] As seen at block 32, building control information is
communicated between the wall module and a portable handheld device
over a second communications network. In some cases, the building
control information communicated between the wall module and the
portable handheld device includes data received from the building
controller via the first communications network. In some
embodiments, the second communications network includes a short
range wireless communications protocol having a nominal
communication range that is, for example less than 60 feet, such
that an individual using the handheld device can communicate
directly with the wall module over the second communications
network.
[0026] FIG. 4 provides a flow diagram illustrating an illustrative
method that may be carried out using the building control systems
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates a method
of securely communicating building control information in a
building control system that includes a building controller and a
wall module both disposed within a building such that the wall
module is remote from the building controller. Building control
information is communicated between the building controller and the
wall module over a first communications network as generally
indicated at block 30. In some instances, the building control
information communicated between the building controller and the
wall module includes one or more instructions received from the
portable handheld device via the second communications network.
[0027] As seen at block 32, building control information is
communicated between the wall module and a portable handheld device
over a second communications network. In some cases, the building
control information communicated between the wall module and the
portable handheld device includes data received from the building
controller via the first communications network. In some
embodiments, the second communications network includes a short
range wireless communications protocol having a nominal
communication range that is, for example less than 60 feet, such
that an individual using the handheld device can communicate
directly with the wall module over the second communications
network.
[0028] In some cases, and as generally indicated at block 34, the
method may further include providing one or more control signals
from the wall module to one or more components of the building
control system, sometimes based on communications received from the
handheld device and/or the building controller. In some
embodiments, the one or more components of the building control
system includes one or more of an HVAC component, a lighting
component and a security system component.
[0029] The disclosure should not be considered limited to the
particular examples described above. Various modifications,
equivalent processes, as well as numerous structures to which the
disclosure can be applicable will be readily apparent to those of
skill in the art upon review of the instant specification.
* * * * *