U.S. patent application number 16/443828 was filed with the patent office on 2019-12-26 for building management system with natural language interface.
The applicant listed for this patent is Honeywell International Inc.. Invention is credited to Patrick Brisbine, Kevin M. Callahan, John Geffe.
Application Number | 20190390866 16/443828 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67001572 |
Filed Date | 2019-12-26 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190390866 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brisbine; Patrick ; et
al. |
December 26, 2019 |
BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH NATURAL LANGUAGE INTERFACE
Abstract
A building management system includes a controller that is
configured to provide a natural language interaction on a remote
user interface via an I/O port and to receive one or more building
management requests from one or more users as well as to ascertain
whether the received one or more building management requests can
be carried out by the building management system. The one or more
building system components of the building are instructed to carry
out the received one or more building management requests unless
one or more building management requests cannot be carried out, in
which case one or more natural language messages on the remote user
interface via the I/O port that informs the user that one or more
of the building management requests cannot be carried out.
Inventors: |
Brisbine; Patrick; (Mill
Creek, WA) ; Callahan; Kevin M.; (Seattle, WA)
; Geffe; John; (Bellevue, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honeywell International Inc. |
Morris Plains |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
67001572 |
Appl. No.: |
16/443828 |
Filed: |
June 17, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62688934 |
Jun 22, 2018 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 11/56 20180101;
G05B 15/02 20130101; G05B 2219/25011 20130101; G05B 2219/2642
20130101; G05B 2219/2614 20130101; G10L 15/22 20130101; G05B 19/042
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/56 20060101
F24F011/56; G10L 15/22 20060101 G10L015/22; G05B 19/042 20060101
G05B019/042 |
Claims
1. A building management system configured to control the operation
of one or more building system components of a building, the
building management system comprising: an I/O port for operative
coupling to a remote user interface; a controller operatively
coupled to the I/O port, the controller configured to provide a
natural language interaction on the remote user interface via the
I/O port and to receive one or more building management requests
from one or more users; the controller further configured to
ascertain whether the received one or more building management
requests can be carried out by the building management system; and
the controller further configured to instruct the one or more
building system components of the building to carry out the
received one or more building management requests unless one or
more building management requests cannot be carried out.
2. The building management system of claim 1, wherein when the one
or more building management requests cannot be carried out, the
controller provides one or more natural language messages on the
remote user interface via the I/O port that informs the user that
one or more of the building management requests cannot be carried
out by the building management system.
3. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller determines that one or more of the building management
requests cannot be carried out due to a building system component
equipment fault.
4. The building management system of claim 3, wherein the
controller is configured to provide an alert via the I/O port to a
building manager regarding the one or more building management
requests that cannot be carried out due to the building system
component equipment fault.
5. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller determines that one or more of the received building
management requests cannot be carried out due to a conflict with
another one of the received building management request.
6. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller determines that one or more of the received building
management requests cannot be carried out because doing so would
result in a building system parameter being outside of a predefined
allowable range.
7. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured to determine a location and/or a zone of a
user within the building that is making one or more of the building
management requests via the natural language interaction on the
remote user interface.
8. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured to institute a temporary change in
operation of one or more building system components in response to
one or more of the building management requests.
9. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured to enable a user to create an event via
the remote user interface by specifying one or more comfort
parameters for a zone within the building and a date and time of
the created event, and once created, the controller is configured
to instruct the one or more building system components of the
building that correspond to the zone to operate in accordance with
the one or more comfort parameters at the date and time of the
created event.
10. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured to automatically change a future operation
of one or more building system components of a building based on
one or more of the received building management requests from the
user.
11. The building management system of claim 9, wherein the
controller executes a learning algorithm that schedules a learned
event in the future operation of one or more building system
components based on one or more of the received building management
requests from the user.
12. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the natural
language interaction via the remote user interface comprises voice
recognition and/or voice synthesis.
13. The building management system of claim 1, wherein the one or
more building system components include an HVAC system components
and the one or more building management requests include a request
for one or more of warm air, cool air and fresh air.
14. An HVAC management system configured to control operation of
one or more HVAC system components of a building, the HVAC
management system comprising: an I/O port for operative coupling to
a remote user interface; a controller operatively coupled to the
1/0 port, the controller configured to: provide a natural language
interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to
receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more users;
determine an HVAC operational parameter change in response to one
or more of the HVAC comfort requests; and instruct the one or more
HVAC system components to institute the determined HVAC operational
parameter change for a period of time, and then to return to a
previous setting for the HVAC operational parameter.
15. The HVAC management system of claim 14, wherein the controller
is configured to communicate with the one or more HVAC system
components in order to confirm that the determined HVAC operational
parameter change is being executed.
16. The HVAC management system of claim 14, wherein the one or more
HVAC system components include a variable air volume (VAV) box.
17. The HVAC management system of claim 14, wherein the HVAC
comfort requests from the one or more users comprise a statement
that the user is too cold or too warm.
18. The HVAC management system of claim 14, wherein the period of
time during which the determined HVAC operational parameter change
is in effect comprises an adjustable time period.
19. The HVAC management system of claim 18, wherein the controller
is further configured to adjust the adjustable time period in
response to a history of HVAC comfort requests.
20. An HVAC management system configured to control operation of
one or more HVAC system components of a building, the HVAC
management system comprising: an I/O port for operative coupling to
a remote user interface; a controller operatively coupled to the
I/O port, the controller configured to: provide a natural language
interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to
receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more users;
determine a location of the user within the building that is making
one or more of the HVAC comfort requests; determine an HVAC
operational parameter change for a specific HVAC zone from a
plurality of HVAC zones that corresponds to the determined location
of the user that is making one or more of the HVAC comfort
requests; and instruct the one or more HVAC system components to
institute the determined HVAC operational parameter change in the
specific HVAC zone.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 62/688,934 filed Jun. 22, 2018, entitled
BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH NATURAL LANGUAGE INTERFACE, which
application is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure pertains generally to systems for
managing building systems and more particularly to systems for
managing a HVAC system within a building.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Building control systems are often used to help control a
building's environment, such as the temperature, humidity, air
quality, lighting, security and other aspects of a building's
environment. An example building control system may include a
Heating, Ventilation, and/or Air Conditioning (HVAC) system used to
control the comfort level within a building. Another example
building control system may include a lighting controller that
controls the lighting in the building. Another example building
control system may include a security system controller that
controls the security of the building.
[0004] Many building control systems have a master or central
building controller. Such a building controller may have a user
interface for allowing designated users to interact with the
building controller. In some cases, some users may be restricted as
to the kinds of changes that they can make to the operation of the
building control system. For example, a tenant or occupant of a
building may be more restricted as to the kinds of changes that can
be made relative to, for example, a facility management staff
member. What would be desirable is a system and method that allows
occupants of a building to interact with a building control system
in an easy and intuitive manner, and in some cases, get the
facility management staff involved when necessary.
SUMMARY
[0005] The disclosure relates generally to systems for managing
operation of building control systems. In a particular example of
the disclosure, a building management system is configured to
control the operation of one or more building system components of
a building. The building management system includes an I/O port for
operative coupling to a remote user interface as well as a
controller that is operatively coupled to the I/O port. The
controller is configured to provide a natural language interaction
on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to receive one or
more building management requests from one or more users as well as
to ascertain whether the received one or more building management
requests can be carried out by the building management system. The
controller is further configured to instruct the one or more
building system components of the building to carry out the
received one or more building management requests unless one or
more building management requests cannot be carried out, whereby
the controller provides one or more natural language messages on
the remote user interface via the I/O port that informs the user
that one or more of the building management requests cannot be
carried out by the building management system.
[0006] In another example of the disclosure, an HVAC management
system is configured to control operation of one or more HVAC
system components of a building. The HVAC management system
includes an I/O port for operative coupling to a remote user
interface and a controller that is operatively coupled to the I/O
port. The controller is configured to provide a natural language
interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to
receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more users,
to determine an HVAC operational parameter change in response to
one or more of the HVAC comfort requests and to instruct the one or
more HVAC system components to institute the determined HVAC
operational parameter change for a period of time, and then to
return to a previous setting for the HVAC operational
parameter.
[0007] In another example of the disclosure, an HVAC management
system is configured to control operation of one or more HVAC
system components of a building. The HVAC management system
includes an I/O port for operative coupling to a remote user
interface and a controller that is operatively coupled to the I/O
port. The controller is configured to provide a natural language
interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to
receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more users,
to determine a location of the user within the building that is
making one or more of the HVAC comfort requests, to determine an
HVAC operational parameter change for a specific HVAC zone from a
plurality of HVAC zones that corresponds to the determined location
of the user that is making one or more of the HVAC comfort requests
and to instruct the one or more HVAC system components to institute
the determined HVAC operational parameter change in the specific
HVAC zone.
[0008] 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
[0009] 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:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a building employing
an illustrative building management system;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a portion of a
building illustrating zones within the building;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative
building management system;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative HVAC
management system;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method that
may be carried out by the illustrative HVAC management system of
FIG. 4; and
[0015] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method that
may be carried out by the illustrative HVAC management system of
FIG. 4.
[0016] 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 aspects
of the disclosure to the particular illustrative embodiments
described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all
modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the
spirit and scope of the disclosure.
DESCRIPTION
[0017] The following description should be read with reference to
the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like
elements. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, are not
intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some of the
figures, elements not believed necessary to an understanding of
relationships among illustrated components may have been omitted
for clarity.
[0018] All numbers are herein assumed to be modified by the term
"about", unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The
recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers
subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75,
3, 3.80, 4, and 5).
[0019] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the
singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include the plural referents
unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this
specification and the appended claims, the term "or" is generally
employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the content clearly
dictates otherwise.
[0020] It is noted that references in the specification to "an
embodiment", "some embodiments", "other embodiments", etc.,
indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not
necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or
characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily
referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection
with an embodiment, it is contemplated that the feature, structure,
or characteristic may be applied to other embodiments whether or
not explicitly described unless clearly stated to the contrary.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a building system 10
that may utilize an illustrative building management system 12 in
controlling at least some operational features of a building 14. As
illustrated, the building 14 includes a building component 16a, a
building component 16b and a building component 16c. It will be
appreciated that the building 14 may include any number of building
components 16, and that the three shown are merely illustrative. It
will also be appreciated that the building components 16 may
generally represent various HVAC components, security system
components, lighting system components, and the like. In some
cases, the building components 16 may be operably coupled via a
wired or a wireless connection to corresponding sensors 18.
Depending on the function of the building components 16, the
corresponding sensors 18 may be temperature sensors, occupancy
sensors and the like. As illustrated, a sensor 18a is operably
coupled to the building component 16a and a sensor 18b is operably
coupled to the building component 16b. In some cases, one or more
sensors may be coupled directly to a building controller, such as
building controller 20a.
[0022] In some cases, one or more building controllers 20 may
control at least some functions and/or operation of the building
components 16. For example, a building controller 20a may be
operably coupled to the building component 16a while a building
controller 20b may be operably coupled to the building component
16b and to the building component 16c. This is just an example, as
a particular building controller 20 may control functions and/or
operation of any number of the building components 16. In some
instances, as shown, the building controllers 20 may be operably
coupled to a building network 22, but this is not required in all
instances.
[0023] A user 24 may be disposed within the building 14. It will be
appreciated that while one user 24 is shown, the building 14 may
include any number of different users 24. In some cases, the user
24 (or one or more of a plurality of users 24) may desire a change
in operation of one or more of the building components 16. For
example, the user 24 may desire to alter operation of a security
system, such as but not limited to turning the security system on
or off, or perhaps canceling a false alarm. The user 24 may desire
to make changes in a global lighting scheme within the building 14,
or perhaps just change the lighting in their particular portion of
the building 14. In some cases, the user 24 may feel uncomfortable,
expressing for example that they feel cold, or that they feel hot.
The user 24 may express that their particular portion of the
building 14 is stuffy, and thus is in need of ventilation.
Accordingly, the user 24 may express a desire for, for example,
cool air, warm air, and/or fresh air, among other things.
[0024] The user 24 may indicate their desire for a change in
operation of one or more of the building components 16 by using a
remote user interface 26. In this, "remote" indicates that the
remote user interface 26 is remote, or at a different location,
from a building management system 12. The building management
system 12 may be at a particular location within the building or
outside of the building such as in the cloud. The building
management system 12 may provide a centralized control function for
the building system 10. The remote user interface 26 may be
accessible to the user 24 from within the building 14. For example,
the remote user interface 26 may be manifested within an
application running on a smartphone of the user 24. In some cases,
the remote user interface 26 may be a chat bot running on a
computer that the user 24 is using (at the user's desk). The remote
user interface 26 may be a textual interface, or may utilize voice
recognition. In some cases, the remote user interface 26 may
receive voiced statements from the user 24, and in response the
remote user interface 26 may talk back to the user 24 in an
interactive manner. These are just examples.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a portion of the
building 14, showing a ZONE A labeled as 28, and a ZONE B labeled
as 30. The ZONE A may for example include a total of three spaces,
including a SPACE 1 labeled as 28a, a SPACE 2 labeled as 28b and a
SPACE 3, labeled as 28c. The ZONE B may for example include a total
of four spaces, including a SPACE 4 labeled as 30a, a SPACE 5
labeled as 30b, a SPACE 6 labeled as 30c and a SPACE 7 labeled as
30d. The number of spaces in each zone 28, 30 is merely
illustrative, as each zone 28, 30 may include any number of spaces.
In an office setting, the spaces may correspond to offices,
conference rooms or other spaces, as desired. As shown, a user 24a
is currently located in SPACE 1 labeled as 28a, while another user
24b is currently located in SPACE 6 labeled as 30c. The user 24a
has access to a remote user interface 26a and the user 24b has
access to a remote user interface 26b. The remote user interface
26a and the remote user interface 26b may independently display a
chat bot running on the respective user's computer, or perhaps an
application running on the respective user's smartphone.
[0026] It will be appreciated that various conditions, including
lighting and environmental conditions such as temperature and
ventilation may vary from zone to zone, or even within various
portions of a single zone. It will also be appreciated that
individual users 24 may have differing preferences. Perhaps the
user 24a is always cold, while the user 24b is always hot, for
example. Accordingly, the building management system 12 (FIG. 1)
enables the user 24a to send to the building management system 12,
via the remote user interface 26a, a message that they are
uncomfortable, perhaps saying "I am cold", or "It's too cold in
here". Similarly, the user 24b is able to send to the building
management system 12, via the remote user interface 26b, a message
that they are uncomfortable, perhaps saying "I am hot", or "It's
too warm in here".
[0027] In some cases, before determining what, if anything, to do
in response, the building management system 12 may determine the
location of the user 24 issuing a comfort request. In the example
shown in FIG. 2, perhaps the SPACE 1 labeled as 28a is actually the
assigned office for the user 24a, while the SPACE 6 labeled as 30c
is a conference room, and is not the assigned office for the user
24b. Regardless of which space the user 24 is currently in, it is
recognized that users move around, and thus it may not be
appropriate to make assumptions as to their current location. In
some cases, the specific remote user interface 26 may have a
network address, for example, which identifies its location. In
other cases, beacons placed around the space may be used to
identify the location of a user's smart phone or an RFID tag in a
user's badge. These are just examples.
[0028] In some cases, the building management system 12 may create
a natural language interaction on the remote user interface 26 in
order to ascertain the current location of the user. In some
instances, the building management system 12 may instead ask one or
more questions of the user via the remote user interface 26, such
as "Are you at your desk?", or "What is your name?", or perhaps
"Are you in the conference room?", or "Are you in the lunchroom?".
It will be appreciated that these examples are merely illustrative,
and are not intended to be limiting in any manner.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative
building management system 12 that may be configured to control the
operation of one or more building system components 44a-44b of the
building 14. In some cases, as shown, the illustrative building
management system 12 may include an I/O port 40 that is configured
to be operatively coupled to the remote user interface 26 and a
controller 42 that is operatively coupled to the I/O port 40. In
some cases, the controller 42 is configured to provide a natural
language interaction on the remote user interface 26 via the I/O
port 40 and to receive one or more building management requests
from one or more users 24. As illustrated, there is a building
system component 44a and a building system component 44b. In some
cases, there may be only one building system component 44a, or
there may be three, four or more distinct building system
components 44a-44b. The building system components 44a-44b may
represent lighting system components, security system components,
and/or HVAC components.
[0030] In some cases, the controller 42 may be configured to
ascertain whether the one or more building management requests
received from the users can actually be carried out by the building
management system 12. There are a variety of reasons that a
particular building management request could not be carried out.
For example, the controller 42 may determine that one or more of
the building management requests cannot be carried out due to a
building system component equipment fault. In other words, one or
more of the building system components 44a-44b may not be working
properly. In some cases, if there is a building system component
fault, the controller 42 may be configured to provide an alert via
the I/O port to a building manager regarding the one or more
building management requests that cannot be carried out due to the
building system component equipment fault(s).
[0031] As another example, the controller 42 may determine that one
or more of the received building management requests cannot be
carried out due to a conflict with another one of the received
building management requests. This might occur, for example, if one
user 24 says "I am cold" while another user 24, who is in the same
zone, or even in the same office, says "I am hot".
[0032] As another example, the controller 42 may determine that one
or more of the received building management requests cannot be
carried out because doing so would result in a building system
parameter being outside of a predefined allowable range. In some
cases, if the building components 44a-44b are HVAC components
currently set in a heating mode, a user request that would require
air conditioning may not be able to be carried out. As another
example, if there is an allowable temperature range, in the heating
mode, of 65 to 78 degrees, and the current temperature is already
78 degrees, any further increase would violate the allowable
temperature range.
[0033] The controller 42 may be further configured to instruct the
building system components 44a-44b of the building 14 to carry out
the received one or more building management requests unless the
one or more building management requests cannot be carried out,
whereby the controller 42 provides one or more natural language
messages on the remote user interface via the I/O port that informs
the user that the one or more of the building management requests
cannot be carried out by the building management system 12. In some
cases, the controller 42 may be configured to institute a temporary
change in operation of the building system components 44a-44b in
response to one or more of the building management requests, and
then to return the one or more building system components 44a-44b
after a predetermined period of time. In other cases, the
controller 42 may be configured to institute a permanent change
(e.g. until a user changes again) in operation of the building
system components 44a-44b in response to one or more of the
building management requests.
[0034] In some cases, the controller 42 may be configured to enable
a user to create an event via the remote user interface 26 by
specifying one or more comfort parameters for a zone within the
building 14 and a date and time of the created event, and once
created, the controller 42 may be configured to instruct the
building system components 44a-44b that correspond to the zone to
operate in accordance with the one or more comfort parameters at
the date and time of the created event. For example, a user at a
school may create an event for the gym on the following Friday from
3:00-4:00 PM, and the controller 42 may instruct the building
system components that correspond to the gym to operate in
accordance with occupied comfort parameters on Friday from
3:00-4:00 PM. The occupied comfort parameters may pre-defined and
may be more comfortable but less energy efficient than un-occupied
parameters.
[0035] In some cases, the controller 42 may be configured to
automatically learn one or more future operations of the building
system components 44a-44b based on one or more received building
management requests from the user. For example, in some cases, the
controller 42 may be configured to execute a learning algorithm
that schedules a learned event in the future operation of one or
more building system components based on one or more of the
received building management requests from the user. For example, a
particular user 24 may express "I am cold" every day after lunch.
The controller 42 may learn this, and automatically increase a
temperature set point each day at 1 pm in a particular zone
corresponding to the location of the particular user 24. In another
example, the controller 42 may learn that a large number of users
congregate in the lunch room each day around 9 am for a coffee
break, and the corresponding collective body heat causes one or
more users 24 each day to express "I am hot" at that time.
Accordingly, the controller 42 may learn to drop the temperature in
the lunch room starting each day at 8:30 am. These are just
examples.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative HVAC
management system 50 that is configured to control operations of
one or more HVAC system components of a building. The illustrative
HVAC management system 50 includes an I/O port 52 for operative
coupling to the remote user interface 26 as well as a controller 54
that is operatively coupled to the I/O port 52. In some cases, the
controller 54 may be configured to provide a natural language
interaction on the remote user interface 26 via the I/O port 52 and
to receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more
users. HVAC comfort requests may include a request for cooler air,
for warmer air and/or for fresh air. In some instances, HVAC
comfort requests may simply include statements such as "I am cold",
"I am hot", "I feel stuffy" and the like.
[0037] The controller 54 may be configured to determine an HVAC
operational parameter change in response to one or more of the HVAC
comfort requests and to instruct the one or more HVAC system
components 56 to institute the determined HVAC operational
parameter change. In some cases, the determined HVAC operational
parameter change is instituted for a period of time, and then
returned to the previous setting for the HVAC operational
parameter. While an HVAC system component 56a and an HVAC system
component 56b are illustrated, it will be appreciated that there
may be a single HVAC system component 56, or a plurality of HVAC
system components 56. In some cases, at least some of the HVAC
system components 56 may be variable air volume (VAV) boxes.
[0038] In some cases, the controller 54 may be configured to
communicate with the one or more HVAC system components 56 in order
to confirm that the determined HVAC operational parameter change is
being executed. The period of time during which the determined HVAC
operational parameter change is instituted and in effect may be an
adjustable time period. For example, the period of time may default
to a relatively short period of time, say ten minutes or twenty
minutes. However, if a particular user is making a request for a
new change shortly after the previous change expired, the
controller 54 may automatically lengthen the period of time in
order to reduce the number of requests and/or to improve the
comfort of that particular user, as long as accommodating that
particular user isn't contrary to other user's comfort
requests.
[0039] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method 60
that may be carried out by the illustrative HVAC management system
50 (FIG. 4). At block 62, a statement that a user is uncomfortable
is received and understood. This may be an indication that the user
is cold, or that the user is too warm, for example. At decision
block 64, there is a determination made as to whether the received
request can be accommodated. In some cases, for example, this may
include equipment readiness and/or the nature of the received
request. If the request cannot be accommodated, a message to that
effect may be sent to building management personnel, as indicated
at block 66. In some cases, the user may also be informed, as
indicated at block 68. If the decision is made that the request can
be carried out, control passes to block 70, and the user is
informed that relief is forthcoming. This may simply be a message
such as "OK, we can do that" or something to that effect. At block
72, the relief (cooler air or warmer air) is implemented for a
period of time. Once that period of time is up, control passes to
block 74 and the system returns to its previous operation.
[0040] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method 80
that may be carried out by the illustrative HVAC management system
50 (FIG. 4). The illustrative method 80 may be considered as
presenting some of the details considered within the decision block
64 (FIG. 5). At decision block 84, a determination is made as to
whether the HVAC equipment is capable of carrying out the request.
This may involve checking for any equipment faults, for example. If
not, control passes to block 86 where management is informed, and
optionally to block 88 where the user is informed. If the
determination is yes, however, control passes to decision block 90,
where a determination is made as to whether the requested change is
within an allowable range. If not, control reverts to block 86.
Otherwise, if yes, control passes to decision block 92, where a
determination is made as to whether the requested change conflicts
with any other requested changes. If so, control reverts to block
86. If not, control passes to block 94 and the change is
implemented. In some cases, the implementation is temporary.
[0041] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present
disclosure may be manifested in a variety of forms other than the
specific embodiments described and contemplated herein.
Accordingly, departure in form and detail may be made without
departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as
described in the appended claims.
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