Systems for monitoring smart utilities

Abstract

Disclosed is a system comprising one or more smart utilities and a personal smart device, the personal smart device being configured to: communicate with the one or more smart utilities via one or more networks; instruct the one or more smart utilities to return self-identification information; and instruct one or more of the one or more smart utilities to activate identification beacons individually or as a sub-group.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Embodiments herein relate to monitoring systems, and more particularly to monitoring systems for monitoring smart utility installations.

[0002] When trying to maintain an inventory of location information and also help any technician locate the equipment, the technician or building owner may find it difficult to identify the installed locations of various equipment including controllers for chillers, elevators, fire and security equipment, etc. Summary of the invention

[0003] Disclosed is a system comprising: one or more smart utilities distributed in a building or another location (perhaps external); and a personal smart device configured to: communicate with the one or more smart utilities via one or more networks; instruct the one or more smart utilities to return self-identification information; and instruct one or more of the multiple smart utilities that respond with the self-identification information to activate an identifying beacon, either individually or as a sub-group.

[0004] Further disclosed is a method wherein a smart device communicates with one or more smart utilities over one or more networks, instructs the one or more smart utilities to return self-identification information, and instructs one or more of the one or more smart utilities to activate identification beacons individually or as a sub-group.

[0005] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, the self-identification information also includes one or more of the following: the type of smart utility; the geographic location identifying whether it is inside a building or an external location; the floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and the subdivision in the building in which the smart utility is located.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, the personal smart device aggregates the received self-identification information from one or more smart utilities into a data set and forwards the aggregated data set to a building management system (BMS).

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, the subgroups are one or more of: a type of smart utility; a floor in a building on which the smart utility is located; and a division of the building in which the smart utility is located.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, in one embodiment, the type of smart utility is one or more of a utility controller, an HVAC device, a safety device or component, and a transportation device.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, in one embodiment, the type of smart utility is one or more of a cooler, an elevator, a fire extinguisher, and a hazard detector.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, in one embodiment, the personal smart device communicates with one or more smart utilities via corresponding one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, in one embodiment, one or more of the dissimilar telecommunication networks include one or more of a personal area network, a wired local area network, and a wireless local area network.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, in one embodiment, the identification beacon is one or more of a visual and an audible marker.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features disclosed above, in one embodiment, the identification beacon is one or more of a light emitting diode (LED) and a speaker.

[0014] Unless otherwise expressly indicated, the features and elements of the foregoing may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity. These features and elements and their operation will become more apparent in view of the following description and drawings. However, it should be understood that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature, rather than restrictive. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of examples and not limited in the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements.

[0016] Figure 1 illustrates components of the disclosed embodiments; and

[0017] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates steps performed by components according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Come and see Figure 1 , disclosed is a system 200 that includes: one or more smart utilities 210 distributed in a building 220; and a personal smart device 230 configured to communicate with the utilities 210.

[0019] Come and see Figure 2 , the smart device 230 is configured to perform a process S200 of accounting for the installed smart utilities 210. Step S210 includes the smart device 230 communicating with one or more smart utilities 210 via one or more telecommunication networks. At step S220, the smart device 230 transmits a first instruction to the one or more smart utilities 210 to return self-identification information. At step S230, the smart device 230 transmits a second instruction to one or more of the one or more smart utilities to activate an identifying beacon 250 individually or as a subgroup 240. In one embodiment, the smart device 210 transmits the second instruction only to the one or more smart utilities that return self-identification information in response to the first instruction.

[0020] In one embodiment, the self-identification information includes one or more of the following: the type of smart utility; a geographic location identifying whether the smart utility is within a building or at an external location; the floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and the subdivision in the building in which the smart utility is located. In one embodiment, the personal smart device 230 aggregates the received self-identification information from one or more smart utilities 210 into a data set and forwards the aggregated data set to a building management system (BMS) 260 described in more detail below.

[0021] In one embodiment, the subgroups 240 are one or more of: the type of smart utility; the floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and the division in the building in which the smart utility is located. A division can be a partitioned area, such as a laboratory, a utility room, a hotel wing, a conference center, a dining area, etc.

[0022] In one embodiment, the type of smart utility 210 may be one or more of a utility controller, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) device, a safety device or component, and a transportation device (e.g., an elevator and an escalator). As another example, the type of smart utility 210 may be one or more of a chiller, an elevator, a fire extinguisher, and a hazard detector.

[0023] In one embodiment, the personal smart device 230 communicates with the one or more smart utilities 210 via corresponding one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks 270. For example, the one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks 270 may include one or more of a personal area network (PAN) 280 (e.g., such as Bluetooth communicating via a PAN beacon 285), a wired local area network (W-LAN) 290, a wireless local area network (LAN) 300, and an ad hoc network 310 (wired and wireless). These are non-limiting examples of networks with which the disclosed system can communicate.

[0024] According to another aspect of the disclosed embodiment, the identification beacon 250 can be one or more of a visual and an audible identifier. For example, the identification beacon 250 can be a light emitting diode (LED) or a speaker.

[0025] The embodiments disclosed above provide for locating various devices or equipment, including fire and security devices or other equipment or devices, controllers for HVAC chillers or elevators in a building or another location or facility. Such locating is provided by a smart device, such as a smart device using a mobile app to broadcast an identification code request to various utilities. The broadcast may be transmitted over various communication channels, including Bluetooth, LAN including Wi-Fi. The device may respond to the broadcast request with location information and other details for identifying the device. According to the disclosed embodiments, the smart device may transmit an "identify yourself" request to any intended device or group of devices, and the device or group of devices may turn on an LED or any other visual or audible mechanism to identify the intended device.

[0026] Benefits of the disclosed embodiments include making it easier to locate or identify any type of smart utility and / or any type of controller (such as the types of controllers described above) in a building to help technicians or building owners easily maintain the building infrastructure. An aggregated list of device locations can be automatically transmitted to a central repository (such as a building management system).

[0027] The above-mentioned building management system (BMS) may be otherwise referred to as a building automation system (BAS). A BMS is a computer-based control system that is installed in a building that may have a need for controlling and monitoring mechanical and electrical equipment (such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire protection systems, security systems, fire alarm systems, and elevator systems). In addition to controlling the internal environment in a building, a BMS system may also provide access control (access doors) that implements building security protocols or control other security systems (such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) and motion detectors). A BMS may be responsible for controlling equipment that accounts for a large portion of the energy usage in a building.

[0028] As used herein, "smart device" may include one or more processors having the ability to communicate with other such devices by applying wired and / or wireless telecommunication protocols. Non-limiting examples of smart devices include mobile phones, personal data assistants (PDAs), tablets, watches, wearable or other processor-based devices. The protocols applied by the smart device may include local area network (LAN) protocols and / or private area network (PAN) protocols. The LAN protocol may apply Wi-Fi technology, which is a technology based on the section 802.11 standard from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (ie, IEEE). The PAN protocol includes, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), which is a wireless technology designed and marketed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) for exchanging data over short distances using short wavelength radio waves. The PAN protocol may also include Zigbee, i.e., a technology based on the section 802.15.4 protocol from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). More specifically, Zigbee represents an advanced communication protocol suite used to create a personal area network with small, low-power digital radio devices for low-power, low-bandwidth needs, and is best suited for small-scale projects using wireless connectivity. The wireless protocol may further include a short-range communication (SRC) protocol that can be used with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID can be used to communicate with an integrated chip (IC) on an RFID smart card. The wireless protocol may further include a long-range low-powered wide area network (LoRa and LPWAN) protocol that enables low data rate communications to be performed over long distances by sensors and actuators for machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

[0029] As described above, embodiments may take the form of processor-implemented processes and apparatus (such as a processor) for practicing those processes. Embodiments may also take the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in a tangible medium (such as a network cloud storage device, an SD card, a flash drive, a floppy disk, a CD ROM, a hard drive, or any other computer-readable storage medium), wherein when the computer program code is loaded into a computer and executed by the computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the embodiments. Embodiments may also take the form of, for example, computer program code stored in a storage medium, loaded into a computer, and / or executed by a computer, or computer program code transmitted through some transmission medium, loaded into a computer, and / or executed by a computer, or computer program code transmitted through some transmission medium (such as through wires or cables, through optical fibers, or via electromagnetic radiation); wherein when the computer program code is loaded into a computer and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the embodiments. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

[0030] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises and / or comprising" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components and / or groups thereof.

[0031] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various example embodiments are shown and described herein, each having certain features in a particular embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements that are not described above but are commensurate with the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, although various embodiments of the present disclosure are described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure cannot be viewed as limited by the foregoing description, but is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a smart utility, the system comprising one or more smart utilities and a personal smart device, the personal smart device being configured to: communicating with the one or more smart utilities via one or more networks, wherein, The type of smart utility is one or more of the following: utility controller; HVAC equipment; safety devices or components including one or more of fire extinguishers and hazard detectors; and transportation equipment; transmitting a first instruction to the one or more smart utilities to return self-identification information, wherein the self-identification information includes one or more of: a type of smart utility; a geographic location identifying whether the smart utility is within a building or at an external location; a floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and a subdivision in the building in which the smart utility is located, and A second instruction is transmitted to one or more of the one or more smart utilities to activate an identification beacon individually or as a subgroup, wherein the subgroup is one or more of: the type of smart utility; the floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and the subdivision of the building in which the smart utility is located.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein: The personal smart device transmits the second instruction only to one or more smart utilities that return self-identification information in response to the first instruction.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein: The personal smart device aggregates the received self-identification information from the one or more smart utilities into a data set and forwards the aggregated data set to a building management system (BMS).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein: The personal smart device communicates with the one or more smart utilities via corresponding one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein: The one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks include one or more of a personal area network, a wired local area network, and a wireless local area network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein: The identification beacon is one or more of a visual and an audible marker.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein: The identification beacon is one or more of a light emitting diode (LED) and a speaker.

8. A method of identifying one or more smart utilities, comprising: Using a personal smart device to communicate with the one or more smart utilities via corresponding one or more networks, wherein the types of smart utilities are one or more of the following: utility controllers; HVAC equipment; safety devices or components including one or more of fire extinguishers and hazard detectors; and transportation equipment; Using the personal smart device to transmit a first instruction to the one or more smart utilities to return self-identification information, wherein the self-identification information includes one or more of the following: the type of smart utility; a geographic location identifying whether the smart utility is within a building or at an external location; the floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and the division in the building in which the smart utility is located, and using the personal smart device to transmit a second instruction to one or more of the one or more smart utilities to activate an identification beacon individually or as a sub-group, wherein the sub-group is one or more of the following: the type of smart utility; the floor in the building on which the smart utility is located; and the division in the building in which the smart utility is located.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: The personal smart device transmits the second instruction only to one or more smart utilities that return self-identification information in response to the first instruction.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein: The personal smart device aggregates the received self-identification information from the one or more smart utilities into a data set and forwards the aggregated data set to a building management system (BMS).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein: The personal smart device communicates with the one or more smart utilities via corresponding one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The one or more dissimilar telecommunication networks include respective one or more of a personal area network, a wired local area network, and a wireless local area network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein: The identification beacon is one or more of a visual and an audible marker.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein: The identification beacon is one or more of a light emitting diode (LED) and a speaker.

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