System, method and apparatus for grouping building automation objects for group communication within a building automation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658607-B2
Application number	US-201313851695-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2013
Priority date	Oct 3, 2011
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A system is provided for communicating common data associated with building automation objects between building automation devices across a network. The common data corresponds to a group of one or more building automation objects representing points associated with a plurality of field devices controlled or monitored in a building by the building automation devices. The system comprises a first building automation device having a group master object that includes a group identifier. A second building automation device includes a group member object having the same group identifier as the group master object. The group master object exchanges the common data to each of the building automation devices having a group member object that has the same group identifier as the group master object.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for communicating common data between a plurality of building automation devices across a network, the common data corresponding to a group of one or more building automation objects representing points associated with a plurality of field devices controlled or monitored in a building by the plurality of building automation devices, the system comprising:
a first of the plurality of building automation devices including a first control program and a group master object having a group identifier and configured to receive a command from the first control program;
a second of the plurality of building automation devices including a second control program, and a first group member object having the same group identifier as the group master object; and
a third of the plurality of building automation devices including a third control program, and a second group member object having the same group identifier as the group master object,
wherein, in response to receiving the command from the first control program, the group master object is configured to exchange the common data corresponding to the group of the building automation objects with each of the building automation devices of the plurality of building automation devices where the first and second group member objects have the same group identifier as the group master object, the exchange using the group identifier.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the group identifier is a group category identifier, the group master object further has a group number identifier, and the group master object is configured to exchange the common data corresponding to the group of the building automation objects with each of the plurality of building automation devices where the first and second group member objects have the same group category identifier and the same group number identifier as the group master object.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein, before identifying a network address associated with the group master object, at least the first group member object is configured to broadcast a first message on the network that includes the group category identifier and the group number identifier and reflects a request for any group master object to respond with a second message indicating that the responding group master object is the group master object for the group category identifier and the group number identified in the first message and providing the network address associated with the group master object.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein, after identifying a network address associated with the group master object, at least the first group member object is configured to periodically transmit a third message on the network to the group master object requesting a response indicating that the group master object is still active.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein, upon receiving the third message, the group master object transmits a reply message on the network to the first group member object providing a heartbeat interval reflecting a time between common data broadcasts on the network to each group member object having the same group category identifier and the same group number identifier as the group member object.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein, the group master object is configured to determine whether the first group member object has transmitted the third message to the group master object within a pre-determined heartbeat interval and, if it is determined that the first group member object has not transmitted the third message to the group master object within the pre-determined heartbeat interval, the first group member object removes an identification of the first group member object from a member list stored by the first group member object for identifying each group member object to broadcast common data.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first group member object has a member item list that includes one or more of semantic information units each corresponding to a respective one of the group of building automation objects, the member item list further including a plurality of attributes assigned to each of the semantic information units, a first of the plurality of attributes is a group data tag that identifies the purpose and usage of a common data value of the respective one of the group of building automation objects of the corresponding semantic information unit.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein a second of the plurality of attributes is an operation property that identifies one of a write, read and update command to be performed by the first group member object on the respective one of the group of building automation objects of the corresponding semantic information unit.

9. The system of claim 8 , when the common data for the group of building automation objects is received by the first group member object from the group master object and the operation property for a respective one of the group of building automation objects is a write command, the first group member object writes the common data value of the respective one of the group building automation objects to a counterpart building automation object stored by another building automation device under the control of the second building automation device.

10. The system of claim 8 , when the common data for the group of building automation objects is received by the first group member object from the group master object and the operation property for a respective one of the group of building automation objects is an update command, the first group member object writes the common data value of the respective one of the group building automation objects to a counterpart building automation object stored locally by the second building automation device.

11. The system of claim 8 , when the operation property for a respective one of the group of building automation objects is a read command, the first group member object periodically reads the value of the respective one of the group building automation objects stored locally on the second building automation device or stored by another building automation device under the control of the second building automation device, and transmits the value to the group master object upon one of a change in the value and upon a predetermined interval.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first of the building automation devices further includes a first view node object connected between the first control program and the group master object, the first view node object having a first list of a plurality of semantic information units, each of the semantic information units in the first list identifies and is linked to a corresponding one of the group of the building automation objects.

13. A method for communicating common data between a plurality of building automation devices across a network, the common data being associated with a group of one or more building automation objects representing points associated with a plurality of field devices controlled or monitored in a building by the plurality of building automation devices, the method comprising:
providing, in a first of the plurality of building automation devices, a first control program, and a group master object having a group identifier;
providing, in a second of the plurality of building automation devices, a second control program, and a first group member object having the same group identifier as the group master object
providing, in a third of the plurality of building automation devices, a third control program, and a second group member object having the same group identifier as the group master object; and
providing,

Assignees

• Coogan James J
• Choi William
• Brun Gerhard
• Siemens Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Coogan James J
• Choi William
• Brun Gerhard

Classifications

• G05B2219/23255

  Object oriented programming, OOP · CPC title

• G05B13/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G06F8/34

  Graphical or visual programming · CPC title

• G05B2219/2642

  Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house · CPC title