Mobile communication device and method for managing operation of a plurality of actuators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10419911-B2
Application number	US-201415039538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A mobile communication device (2) comprises a mobile radio communication module, configured for data communication in a mobile radio communication network, and a close range radio communication module, configured to establish a local communication link (43) to an actuator (3) via a close range radio communication interface (33) that is connected to the actuator (3) and located in communication range of the close range radio communication module. The mobile communication device (2) further comprises a processing unit connected to the mobile radio communication module and the close range radio communication module (23), and configured to exchange location-specific data with a remote data server (8) via the mobile radio communication network, the contents of the location-specific data being dependent on identification information associated with the local communication link (43) to the actuator (3).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile communication device comprising:
a mobile radio communication module configured for data communication in a mobile radio communication network;
a close range radio communication module, in addition to the mobile radio communication module, configured to establish a local communication link to an actuator of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and cooling (HVAC) system via a close range radio communication interface that is connected to the actuator and located in communication range of the close range radio communication module; and
a processing unit connected to the mobile radio communication module and the close range radio communication module, and configured to:
determine actuator identification information of the actuator associated with the established local communication link;
receive location-specific actuator data from a data store of the actuator via the established local communication link and transmit the location-specific actuator data to a remote data server via the mobile radio communication network, the location-specific actuator data specifying the actuator and including operation-related actuator data, related to operation of the actuator and recorded by the actuator; and
receive from the remote data server remote actuator data for defining further operation of the actuator and transmit the received remote actuator data to data store of the actuator via the established local communication link, the contents of the location-specific actuator data being dependent on the determined actuator identification information associated with the established local communication link to the actuator.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine interface identification information, which identifies the close range radio communication interface associated with the local communication link, the location-specific actuator data being defined by the interface identification information.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the actuator identification information, which identifies the actuator associated with the local communication link, the location-specific actuator data being defined by the actuator identification information.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the close range radio communication module is further configured to establish automatically the local communication link to the close range radio communication interface upon the close range radio communication interface being located in communication range of the close range radio communication module.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine actuator identification information of one or more actuators connected to the close range radio communication interface, to show on a display screen the actuator identification information by displaying at least one of: identification numbers of the actuators, descriptive names of the actuators, visual representations of the actuators, location indication of the actuators, a floor plan including markings of the actuators, and a wiring plan including markings of the actuators.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 5 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to receive from a user selection instructions for selecting at least one of the actuators connected to the close range radio communication interface, and to establish the local communication link via the close range radio communication interface to the at least one actuator defined by the selection instructions.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to show a floor plan on a display screen, and to indicate on the floor plan a particular actuator dependent on the identification information associated with the local communication link to the actuator.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the remote actuator data includes at least one of: program code for the actuator, configuration parameters for the actuator, and a value of altitude.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the location-specific actuator data includes configuration data stored in the actuator, and
wherein the operation-related actuator data indicates for the actuator at least one of: number of cycles, number of movements, maximum travel angle, minimum travel angle, current position, maximum position, minimum position, current sensor values, a combination of sensor values, state of an energy storage element of the actuator, a type of valve connected to the actuator, a Kvs value of the valve, and malfunction information of the actuator.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the location-specific actuator data specifies the actuator by identifying the close range radio communication interface associated with the local communication link, or by identifying the actuator associated with the local communication link.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the location-specific actuator data includes program code for controlling a processor of the actuator.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to drive valves and/or dampers for controlling a flow of fluids in the HVAC system.

13. A method of managing operation of a plurality of actuators of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and cooling (HVAC) system, the method comprising:
establishing a local communication link from a mobile communication device to one of the actuators via a close range radio communication interface that is connected to the actuator and located in communication range of a close range radio communication module of the mobile communication device;
determining by a processing unit of the mobile communication device actuator identification information of the one of the actuators associated with the established local communication link;
receive location-specific actuator data by the mobile communication device from a data store of the actuator via the established local communication link and transmit the received location-specific actuator data to a remote data server via a mobile radio communication network, the location-specific actuator data specifying the actuator and including operation-related actuator data, related to operation of the actuator and recorded by the actuator; and
receive, from the remote data server by the mobile communication device, remote actuator data for defining further operation of the actuator and transmit the received remote actuator data to the data store of the actuator via the established local communication link, the contents of the location-specific actuator data being dependent on the determined actuator identification information associated with the established local communication link to the actuator.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises determining by the processing unit interface identification information, which identifies the close range radio communication interface associated with the local communication link, the location-specific actuator data being defined by the interface identification information.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises determining by the processing unit actuator identification information, which identifies the actuator associated with the local communication link, the location-specific actuator data being defined by the actuator identification information.

Assignees

• Belimo Holding Ag

Inventors

• Schmidlin Peter
• Thuillard Marc
• Meier Kurt
• Roner Daniel

Classifications

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W4/70

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title

• H04W4/38 Primary

  for collecting sensor information · CPC title

• H04M1/72533

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/72415 Primary

  for remote control of appliances · CPC title