Building automation system with smart communications controller for building equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9960962-B2
Application number	US-201514735955-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2015
Priority date	Jun 10, 2015
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A smart communications controller for building equipment includes an equipment port connected to the building equipment and a plurality of autoconfiguration objects. Each of the autoconfiguration objects is configured to perform a protocol testing process for a particular communications protocol. The protocol testing process includes automatically determining whether the communications protocol is used by the building equipment connected to the equipment port. The smart communications controller further includes an autoconfiguration manager configured to cause the autoconfiguration objects to iteratively perform their protocol testing processes until the communications protocol used by the building equipment is identified. The smart communications controller further includes an equipment controller configured to use the identified communications protocol for the building equipment to generate protocol-specific control signals for the building equipment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A smart communications controller for building equipment, the smart communications controller comprising:
an equipment port connected to the building equipment, wherein the building equipment operate to affect a variable state or condition within a building; and
a processing circuit comprising a plurality of autoconfiguration objects, each of the autoconfiguration objects corresponding to a different communications protocol and configured to perform a protocol testing process comprising:
determining whether the corresponding communications protocol supports sending a request for an equipment ID to the building equipment;
selecting a protocol identification technique based on whether the corresponding communications protocol supports sending the request for the equipment ID to the building equipment; and
using the selected protocol identification technique to automatically determine whether the corresponding communications protocol is used by the building equipment connected to the equipment port;

the processing circuit comprising an autoconfiguration manager configured to cause the autoconfiguration objects to iteratively perform their protocol testing processes until the communications protocol used by the building equipment is identified;
the processing circuit comprising an equipment controller configured to use the identified communications protocol for the building equipment to generate protocol-specific control signals for the building equipment and to operate the building equipment to affect the variable state or condition within the building.

2. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the plurality of autoconfiguration objects is configured to report a result of the protocol testing process to the autoconfiguration manager;
the autoconfiguration manager is configured to terminate a first protocol testing process performed by a first autoconfiguration object in response to the first autoconfiguration object reporting a successful result of the first protocol testing process; and
the autoconfiguration manager is configured to cause a second autoconfiguration object to initiate a second protocol testing process in response to the first autoconfiguration object reporting an unsuccessful result of the first protocol testing process.

3. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein the autoconfiguration manager is configured to:
maintain a list of the autoconfiguration objects;
determine whether a currently-active autoconfiguration object is a last autoconfiguration object in the list;
if the currently-active autoconfiguration object is not the last autoconfiguration object in the list, cause a next autoconfiguration object in the list to initiate a next protocol testing process in response to the currently-active autoconfiguration object reporting an unsuccessful result of the protocol testing process; and
if the currently-active autoconfiguration object is the last autoconfiguration object in the list, cause a first autoconfiguration object in the list to initiate a first protocol testing process in response to the currently-active autoconfiguration object reporting an unsuccessful result of the protocol testing process.

4. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein the autoconfiguration manager is configured to:
determine which of the autoconfiguration objects most recently reported a successful result of the protocol testing process;
prior to a device reboot, store an indication of the autoconfiguration object that most recently reported the successful result; and
after the device reboot, cause the autoconfiguration object that most recently reported the successful result to initiate its protocol testing process.

5. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein the protocol testing process comprises:
sending a request message to the building equipment using the corresponding communications protocol, the request message comprising the request for the equipment ID;
receiving a response message from the building equipment in response to the request message; and
determining that the corresponding communications protocol is used by the building equipment in response to the response message including the requested equipment ID.

6. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein the protocol testing process comprises:
receiving a message from the building equipment, the message comprising a plurality of equipment attributes; and
comparing the plurality of equipment attributes to a set of protocol-specific equipment attribute mappings to determine whether the corresponding communications protocol is used by the building equipment.

7. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional ports;
the processing circuit further comprising one or more additional instances of the autoconfiguration manager, each instance of the autoconfiguration manager corresponding to a single port and configured to cause the autoconfiguration objects to perform their protocol testing processes for the corresponding port.

8. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional ports;
wherein the autoconfiguration manager is configured to cause the autoconfiguration objects to perform their protocol testing processes for a plurality of the ports.

9. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of autoconfiguration objects are configured to perform an equipment identification process after the communications protocol used by the building equipment is identified; and
the equipment identification process uses the identified communications protocol to identify the building equipment connected to the equipment port.

10. The smart communications controller of claim 9 , the processing circuit further comprising an equipment model manager configured to receive an identity of the building equipment from the autoconfiguration objects and to use the identity of the building equipment to select an equipment model for the building equipment.

11. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of autoconfiguration objects comprise at least one of:
a Modbus Master autoconfiguration object configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a Modbus Master communications protocol;
a Master/Slave Token passing (MSTP) autoconfiguration object configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a MSTP communications protocol;
a YorkTalk autoconfiguration object configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a YorkTalk communications protocol;
a Zigbee autoconfiguration object to configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a Zigbee communications protocol;
a KNX autoconfiguration object to configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a KNX communications protocol;
an Ethernet autoconfiguration object to configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a Ethernet communications protocol;
a BACnet IP autoconfiguration object to configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a BACnet IP communications protocol; and
a Modbus IP autoconfiguration object to configured to automatically determine whether the building equipment uses a Modbus communications protocol.

12. The smart communications controller of claim 1 , further comprising a building automation system (BAS) port connected to a BAS network;
wherein the protocol testing process further comprises automatically determining whethe

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Hamber Eric W
• Gupta Vivek V
• Galchenko Sergey A
• Leising Daniel F

Classifications

• H04L12/6418

  Hybrid transport · CPC title

• H04L41/0866

  Checking the configuration · CPC title

• H04L12/28

  characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] (wireless communication networks H04W {; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00}) · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G05B2219/2642

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