Wireless actuator service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11927352-B2
Application number	US-202016892077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2020
Priority date	Mar 5, 2015
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

A wireless actuator assembly for use in a building control system includes an actuated component such as a damper or a valve and an actuator that is configured to move the actuated component between a first position and a second position. The assembly includes a short range wireless communication module having a nominal communication range of less than 60 feet and an actuator controller that is operably coupled to the actuator and the short range wireless communication module. The actuator controller may be configured to receive one or more actuator commands from a portable handheld device via the short range wireless communication module and to send information to the portable handheld device via the short range wireless communication module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable handheld device for interacting with a damper actuator that is installed or will be installed at a particular installation site in a particular building, wherein the damper actuator includes an actuatable damper, an actuator configured to move the actuatable damper and an NFC wireless communication module, and wherein the damper actuator is configured to receive and execute operational control commands from a building management system of the particular building, the portable handheld device comprising:
an NFC wireless module for communicating with the NFC wireless communication module of the damper actuator;
a user interface including a display;
a controller operatively coupled to the NFC wireless module and the display, the controller configured to:
establish an NFC communication channel between the NFC wireless module of the portable handheld device and the NFC wireless communication module of the damper actuator;
retrieve directly from the damper actuator operational data from the damper actuator;
display at least some of the retrieved operational data on the display of the portable handheld device, wherein the operational data that is displayed on the portable handheld device include:
a number of open and/or close cycles undergone by the damper actuator to date;
a minimum operating temperature experienced by the damper actuator to date; and
a maximum operating temperature experienced by the damper actuator to date;

retrieve directly from the damper actuator fault information stored by the damper actuator via the NFC communication channel;
display at least some of the retrieved fault information on the display of the portable handheld device;
retrieve directly from the damper actuator via the NFC communication channel a current configuration parameter value for each of a plurality of configuration parameters stored by the damper actuator, wherein the configuration parameters configure the damper actuator for the particular installation site in the particular building and for subsequent use in executing operational control commands from the building automation system of the particular building;
display one or more configuration screens on the display of the portable handheld device, the one or more configuration screens configured to display the current configuration parameter value for one or more of the plurality of configuration parameters retrieved from the damper actuator, wherein the plurality of current configuration parameter values that are displayed on the portable handheld device include:
an opening speed parameter value for the damper actuator that controls an opening speed of the damper actuator in response to an open command from the building management system; and
a control signal type value that specifies a format of the control commands from the building management system of the particular building;

receive an updated configuration parameter value for each of one or more of the configuration parameters of the damper actuator from the user of the portable handheld device via the one or more configuration screens; and
send one or more configuration commands via the NFC communication channel to the damper actuator that are based at least in part on the one or more updated configuration parameter values received via the one or more configuration screens to cause the damper actuator to change one or more of the configuration parameters of the damper actuator to the corresponding updated configuration parameter value received from the user of the portable handheld device via the one or more configuration screens.

2. The portable handheld device of claim 1 , wherein the controller of the portable handheld device is configured to retrieve via the NFC communication channel information pertaining to an appropriate replacement part for the damper actuator.

3. The portable handheld device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
receive one or more user inputs via the user interface of the portable handheld device, wherein the one or more user inputs cause the controller to send via the NFC communication channel one or more test commands to the damper actuator for execution by the damper actuator for performing a test sequence on the damper actuator.

4. The portable handheld device of claim 1 , wherein the operational data that is displayed on the portable handheld device further includes one or more of:
a current operating temperature of the damper actuator;
a current control voltage of the damper actuator; and
a current power supply voltage supplied to the damper actuator.

5. The portable handheld device of claim 1 , wherein the NFC communication channel is based on inductive coupling between the NFC wireless module of the portable handheld device and the NFC wireless communication module of the damper actuator.

6. The portable handheld device of claim 1 , wherein the updated configuration parameter value comprises an updated opening speed setting for the damper actuator.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Waseen Daniel
• Bellos Sophia
• Penttila Carl
• Mccarthy Timothy
• Sibilski Robert

Classifications

• F24F11/0001 Primary

  for ventilation (F24F11/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/70

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

• H04W4/80 Primary

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

• F24F11/56

  Remote control · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title