HVAC switchable communication bus and power bus control board systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11920816-B2
Application number	US-202217839243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2022
Priority date	Nov 10, 2017
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a control board including a switchable input/output port. The switchable I/O port may provide a switchable communication bus capable of selectively supporting one of multiple different communication protocols and may provide a switchable power bus capable of selectively conducting electrical power from one of multiple different power supplies. As such, the control board may communicatively and/or electrically couple to a wide range of devices. To that end, the control board may support the dynamic interchange and reconfiguration of devices coupled to the control board, allowing a control system including the control board greater operational flexibility.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control board of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a microcontroller programmed to control operation of equipment in the HVAC system;
a plurality of communication buses communicatively coupled to the microcontroller, wherein the plurality of communication buses is configured to transmit data in accordance with communication protocols different from one another; and
a switchable input/output (I/O) port communicatively coupled to the microcontroller via a switchable communication bus, wherein the microcontroller is programmed to communicatively couple the switchable communication bus and a selected communication bus of the plurality of communication buses based on a target communication protocol used by the equipment.

2. The control board of claim 1 , wherein the switchable communication bus is configured to switchably implement the communication protocols associated with the plurality of communication buses.

3. The control board of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to:
communicatively couple the switchable communication bus and a first communication bus of the plurality of communication buses as the selected communication bus based on a determination that the target communication protocol is a first communication protocol utilized to transmit data on the first communication bus; and
communicatively couple the switchable communication bus and a second communication bus of the plurality of communication buses as the selected communication bus based on a determination that the target communication protocol is a second communication protocol utilized to transmit data on the second communication bus,
wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are different from one another.

4. The control board of claim 1 , wherein, based on the target communication protocol, the microcontroller is programmed to:
adjust a data transmission rate of data transmitted on the switchable communication bus,
adjust checksum data included in data transmitted on the switchable communication bus,
adjust error check processing of data received via the switchable communication bus, or any combination thereof.

5. The control board of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to determine the target communication protocol used by the equipment based on an input received by the microcontroller, based on information stored on the control board, or both.

6. The control board of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to determine the target communication protocol used by the equipment based on a test input transmitted to the equipment.

7. The control board of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to update a mapping of addresses of connections of the selected communication bus to include connections of the switchable I/O port based on the target communication protocol.

8. The control board of claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of power buses configured to transmit electrical power with different power parameters;
a switching device electrically coupled to the plurality of power buses, wherein the switching device is configured to electrically isolate the plurality of power buses; and
a switchable power bus electrically coupled to the switching device and to the switchable I/O port.

9. The control board of claim 8 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to instruct the switching device to:
electrically couple the switchable power bus and a selected power bus of the plurality of power buses based on the target communication protocol; and
electrically isolate the switchable power bus from remaining power buses of the plurality of power buses based on the target communication protocol.

10. A control board of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a microcontroller programmed to control operation of equipment in the HVAC system;
a first power bus configured to receive and transmit first electrical power with first power parameters from a first power source;
a second power bus configured to receive and transmit second electrical power with second power parameters from a second power source, wherein the first power parameters and the second power parameters are different from one another;
a switching device electrically coupled to the first power bus and the second power bus, wherein the switching device is configured to electrically isolate the first power bus and the second power bus;
a switchable input/output (I/O) port communicatively coupled to the microcontroller and configured to couple to the equipment; and
a switchable power bus electrically coupled to the switching device and to the switchable I/O port,
wherein the switching device is configured to:
electrically couple the switchable power bus and the first power bus and electrically isolate the switchable power bus from the second power bus based on a first signal received from the microcontroller; and
electrically couple the switchable power bus and the second power bus and electrically isolate the switchable power bus from the first power bus based on a second signal received from the microcontroller.

11. The control board of claim 10 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to:
determine a target communication protocol of the equipment;
output the first signal to the switching device based on a determination that the target communication protocol is a first communication protocol; and
output the second signal to the switching device based on a determination that the target communication protocol is a second communication protocol,
wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are different from one another.

12. The control board of claim 10 , comprising:
a first I/O port configured to couple to a first device of the HVAC system, wherein the first power bus is configured to transmit the first electrical power from the first power source to the first device via the switching device; and
a second I/O port configured to couple to a second device of the HVAC system, wherein the second power bus is configured to transmit the second electrical power from the second power source to the second device via the switching device.

13. The control board of claim 10 , comprising:
a switchable communication bus communicatively coupled to the microcontroller and to the switchable I/O port, wherein the microcontroller is programmed to:
determine a target communication protocol used by the equipment;
when the target communication protocol is a first communication protocol, communicatively couple the switchable communication bus and a first communication bus of the control board; and
when the target communication protocol is a second communication protocol, different from the first communication protocol, communicatively couple the switchable communication bus and a second communication bus of the control board.

14. The control board of claim 10 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to output the first signal or the second signal to the switching device based on an input related to the equipment received by the microcontroller via an interface device of the HVAC system, wherein the input comprises an identity of the equipment, a type of the equipment, a manufacturer of the equipment, a target communication protocol used by the equipment, or any combination thereof.

15. A control board of a building environmental management system, comprising:
a microcontroller programmed to control operation of equipment in the building environmental management syst

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP

Inventors

• Atchison Shaun B
• Rigg Brian D

Classifications

• F24F11/63 Primary

  Electronic processing · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title