METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE OPERATING STATE OF ELECTROMECHANICAL ACTUATORS OF A BUILDING SERVICES SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators of a home automation installation, an associated device for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators and an associated home automation installation.

[0002] The invention is in the field of home automation for commercial, industrial or residential buildings, whether individual or collective.

[0003] Home automation, or "Building Automation Systems" in English, concerns the equipping of buildings with remotely controllable automation systems, aimed at ensuring security, comfort or energy management functions. This involves, for example, the control of heating and air conditioning systems, the remote operation of blinds or roller shutters, or remote security by controlling locking systems.

[0004] In particular, the invention applies to home automation installations comprising motorized occultation devices, for example for closing, or for sun protection, comprising a motorized drive device. A motorized drive device comprises an electromechanical actuator of a mobile occultation element, i.e. for closing or for sun protection, for example a shutter, a door, a gate, a grille, a blind or any equivalent material, more generally called a screen hereinafter. The control of such electromechanical actuators is carried out by control devices, also called motor controllers. The control devices are themselves controlled by commands, coming either from a central control unit of the complete installation, or from local control units controllable by a user.

[0005] In order to facilitate centralized command and control mechanisms, the various elements of the building automation system are equipped with means of communication and a communications network architecture is put in place, with communications being carried out using one or more chosen communication protocols.

[0006] Electromechanical actuator control devices of the type described above are known which are configured to control groups of electromechanical actuators. This is particularly useful, for example, for the automatic control of blackout devices, e.g. shutters or blinds, depending on weather conditions, e.g. sunlight on a building facade or a temperature threshold being exceeded.

[0007] To ensure proper operation, and in particular to ensure the operational safety of the home automation system, it is planned to monitor the operating status of each electromechanical actuator in the system. The operating status indicates in particular information on the position of the moving element of the occultation device (for example open, closed, percentage of opening, percentage of closing) and / or information on proper operation or error (nominal operation, thermal threshold reached, operating fault). When a control device is configured to control a number N of actuators, the recovery of the operating statuses takes a time which increases with this number N, and may, when N is large, exceed a desired responsiveness threshold for proper monitoring of the home automation system.

[0008] Document US2009 / 308543 A1 describes a method for controlling electromechanical actuators of a home automation installation comprising motorized blackout devices.

[0009] The invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art by proposing a more efficient method for monitoring the operating status of actuators.

[0010] To this end, the invention proposes, according to one aspect, a method for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators of a home automation installation, the home automation installation comprising a plurality of motorized occultation devices, each electromechanical actuator associated with a occultation device comprising at least one electric motor, controllable by said electromechanical actuator to move a movable element of the occultation device in opening and / or closing, said electromechanical actuators being controlled by group(s) of electromechanical actuators by a control device, said electromechanical actuators and said control devices being connected in a communication network and being configured to communicate according to a predefined communication protocol.

[0011] This method comprises steps, implemented by a calculation processor of the control device, of: for each group of electromechanical actuators controlled by said control device, obtaining and storing an actuator representative of the group of actuators; over at least one chosen time cycle, iteration of the following steps: obtaining an operating status of the actuator representative of the or each group of actuators; obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device.

[0012] Advantageously, during a time cycle, at each iteration, the operating status of the actuator representative of each group, as well as the operating status of at least one other controlled electromechanical actuator, are obtained for each group of electromechanical actuators. Thus, the recovery of the operating statuses at each iteration is rapid, while allowing satisfactory monitoring of the actuators.

[0013] The method for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators according to the invention may also have one or more of the characteristics below, taken independently or in any technically conceivable combination.

[0014] The operating status of an actuator includes information on the position of the movable element of the occultation device and / or information on the proper functioning or malfunction of the occultation device.

[0015] Position information indicates an opening position or opening percentage, a closing position or closing percentage.

[0016] Obtaining an operating status of the representative actuator of a group of actuators comprises, for each group of actuators, formulating a request for the status of the representative actuator and receiving a response comprising said status of said representative actuator, said request and response comprising an identifier of said representative actuator.

[0017] Obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device comprises a step of selecting said other actuator from among the actuators controlled by said control device not designated as actuators representative of a group of actuators, the selection being carried out according to a predetermined selection order.

[0018] The predetermined selection order successively designates actuators belonging to different actuator groups.

[0019] Obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device comprises a step of selecting the other actuator from among the actuators controlled by said control device not designated as actuators representative of a group of actuators, the selection being carried out randomly from among actuators controlled by the controlled device and not previously selected.

[0020] Obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device is carried out, during each iteration, for each group of actuators.

[0021] The method comprises, at each iteration, following the obtaining of the operating status of the actuator representative of each group of actuators and the obtaining of the operating status of at least one other actuator, an update of the operating statuses of the actuators of a group of actuators from the operating status of the actuator representative of said group of actuators and a command to display said operating statuses obtained for each actuator controlled by said control device.

[0022] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a device for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators, implemented in a device for controlling electromechanical actuators of a home automation installation, the home automation installation comprising a plurality of motorized occultation devices, each electromechanical actuator associated with a occultation device comprising at least one electric motor, controllable by said electromechanical actuator to move a movable element of the occultation device in opening and / or closing, said electromechanical actuators being controlled by group(s) of electromechanical actuators by a control device, said electromechanical actuators and said control devices being connected in a communication network and being configured to communicate according to a predefined communication protocol.This monitoring device comprises a calculation processor configured to implement, for a control device: . a module for obtaining and storing an actuator representative of the group of actuators for each group of electromechanical actuators controlled by said control device; and for implementing iteratively, over at least one chosen time cycle, a module for obtaining an operating status of the actuator representative of the or each group of actuators, and a module for obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device.

[0023] The device for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators is configured to implement a method for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators according to all its embodiments.

[0024] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a home automation installation comprising a plurality of motorized occultation devices controlled by electromechanical actuators, the home automation installation comprising at least one device for controlling electromechanical actuators comprising a device for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators as briefly described above.

[0025] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a programmable electronic device, implement a method of monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators as briefly described above.

[0026] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description given below, for information purposes only and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended figures, among which: [ Fig 1 ] there figure 1 is a schematic view of a home automation installation for a building; [ Fig 2 ] there figure 2 is a schematic example of a communication network for a home automation system; [ Fig 3 ] there figure 3 is a schematic representation of a communication interface of a communicating element belonging to the communication network of the figure 2 ; [ Fig 4 ] there figure 4 is an example of a control device suitable for controlling groups of actuators; [ Fig 5 ] there figure 5 is a flowchart of the main steps of a method for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators according to one embodiment.

[0027] The invention will be described more particularly in the context of its implementation in a home automation installation for a building, in particular a home automation installation allowing the remote control and operation of motorized blackout devices, for example blinds or roller shutters placed in front of openings in the building or sliding doors, for example garage doors. Such an installation provides security, comfort or energy management functions.

[0028] There figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a home automation installation 4 for a building 2. The home automation installation 4 comprises home automation equipment 6 that can be controlled remotely, in particular blackout devices. The invention applies to any type of blackout, closing or solar protection device.

[0029] Preferably, home automation equipment 6 comprises an electromechanical actuator controllable by means of a control signal.

[0030] The electromechanical actuator comprises at least one electric motor coupled with a mechanical load and arranged to adjust or move an element of the building 2.

[0031] For example, in the case of a screening device 6, the mechanical load is a mobile screening element, also called a screen, formed for example by a panel, a curtain, made of canvas or with adjustable slats, controllable by at least one electric motor to move between an open position and a closed position, according to a plurality of intermediate positions.

[0032] The home automation installation 4 also comprises control devices 8, each control device, also called a motor controller, being configured to control and command N electromechanical actuators, N being an integer greater than 1, for example between 2 and 20. The control device 8 is in particular configured to send control signals to the actuators and to receive information from the controlled actuators.

[0033] The home automation installation 4 also comprises local control units 10, intended to receive control instructions from a user. For example, the local control units 10 are in the form of a portable remote control associated with a fixed receiver, or alternatively in the form of a fixed control terminal, for example secured to a wall of the building. These local control units notably comprise a user interface allowing the entry of control orders to one or more home automation devices of the installation.

[0034] The home automation installation 4 also comprises sensors 12, for example, but not limited to, sensors for temperature, humidity level, brightness value, ambient air pressure. Conventionally, each sensor is configured to carry out measurements of physical values, and to transmit these measurements, in the form of an electrical signal, to other elements of the home automation installation.

[0035] Of course, the sensors are represented schematically and can be autonomous or integrated into other elements of the home automation system.

[0036] In particular, each occulting device comprises one or more sensors, for example temperature sensors for detecting overheating of the motor, and position sensors for indicating an opening or closing position of the screen of the occulting device.

[0037] The home automation system also includes a central control unit 14, also called a BMS unit for “Building Management System”, also equipped with a human-machine interface accessible to an operator.

[0038] The elements 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 of the home automation installation are equipped with communication interfaces and are interconnected in a communication network 16, shown schematically in figure 1 .

[0039] Each element of the home automation installation equipped with a communication interface is a communicating element of the communication network 16.

[0040] The architecture of the communication network 16, the connection mode and the communication protocol(s) used are chosen when setting up the home automation installation in a building 2.

[0041] For example, but not limited to, a hierarchical architecture comprising hierarchy levels associated with areas of the building, as described in patent application FR3070808 A1, is implemented.

[0042] Communication is carried out according to a given communication protocol.

[0043] For example, communication takes place through an exchange of messages, for example in the form of packets, each of these messages having a header, which includes a destination of the message, and useful data, for example a control order or a value of a physical quantity measured by a sensor.

[0044] For example, the communication protocol used is an IP (for "Internet Protocol") protocol, for example IPv6 or a proprietary communication protocol.

[0045] For example, the communication protocol used is the KNX ® building automation protocol.

[0046] Different protocols may be used in various parts of the communications network 16.

[0047] There figure 2 illustrates a schematic example of a communication network 16 of a home automation installation 4.

[0048] In this example, the communication network 16 comprises a backbone physical link 20, and a plurality of communicating elements, connected to this backbone link 20 either directly by wired link, or indirectly by radio communication between a communicating element provided with a radio communication interface and a communicating element directly connected to this backbone link 20 by means of a wired connection.

[0049] For example, a first local control unit 10A of the remote control type is connected, by radio communication means 19, to a gateway device 22. The radio communication 19 is for example carried out according to the Bluetooth or Wifi standard.

[0050] A gateway device is a device intended to interconnect two separate parts of the network, for example, of different technologies or using different communication protocols, and includes a communication interface adapted for each technology or communication protocol implemented.

[0051] The backbone link 20 is a common data bus, such as a multi-drop bus allowing bidirectional connections, for example of the RS485 type. Alternatively, the backbone link 20 is a wired link of the Ethernet type (IEEE 802.3 standard), for example Ethernet 100Mbits / s or higher.

[0052] According to another variant, the communication network 16 comprises portions connected by gateway equipment, and the respective portions use data communication buses of different types.

[0053] For example, the first local control unit 10A is configured to communicate control signals, according to a first communication protocol, to the gateway equipment 22 which carries out the transition from the first communication protocol to a second communication protocol, for example the KNX ®< protocol.

[0054] The network 16 further comprises, in the example illustrated in figure 2 , a second local control unit 10B, directly connected to the backbone link 20, for example configured to communicate control signals according to the KNX protocol, then to the home automation equipment via the gateway 22.

[0055] The network 16 further comprises a central computing and control device 26, also called a “Master controller”, and adapted to control the entire installation. In the example illustrated, the central computing and control device 26 is connected to a plurality of sensors 12, configured to provide physical measurements, these sensors 12 being part, for example, of a weather station, making it possible to provide a set of physical values ​​of measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity level in the air, etc. The central computing and control device 26 comprises one or more computing units (not shown). The central computing and control device 26 is further configured to communicate with the central control unit 14, for example radio 21, for example Wifi, or a wired connection.

[0056] The network 16 further comprises control devices 8A, 8B for electromechanical actuators 30 1 , 30 2 , 30 3 , 30 4 , 30 5 , 30 6 for occultation devices (not shown in the figure 2 ).

[0057] In the illustrated schematic example, the control device 8A is also a gateway device of the network, which allows the interconnection between a first portion of the network and a second portion of the network, configured to communicate according to different communication protocols.

[0058] The control device 8A is adapted to control electromechanical actuators 30 1 , 30 2 , each actuator being for example configured to control the total or partial opening and / or closing of a screen, for example a roller blind. In one embodiment, the control device 8A is connected to an intermediate device which has an interface function between the electromechanical actuators and the network or the communication network portion, for example between electromechanical actuators adapted to communicate according to a proprietary communication protocol and a portion of the RS485 network.

[0059] The control device 8B is configured, in this example, to control actuators 30 3 , 30 4 , 30 5 , 30 6 .

[0060] Hereinafter, electromechanical actuators will simply be called actuators.

[0061] Preferably, each actuator control device 8, 8A, 8B is configured to carry out grouped commands for one or more groups of actuators.

[0062] For example, the grouping of actuators into groups is carried out according to positioning criteria, for example in the case of actuators intended to control the opening / closing of occultation devices located for example on the same facade of a building, on the same floor or more generally in an area exposed to similar weather conditions (e.g. sunshine, temperature). In addition, advantageously, the grouped control makes it possible to obtain, for example, perfect alignment of the movable screens of the occultation devices, for example blinds, thus making it possible to obtain an overall aesthetic effect. Advantageously, this functionality of grouped control of actuators allows the user to choose to control, in a single command, a set of motors or electrical loads (several windows controlled together in an office, "open space", meeting room, a lighting device and a blind controlled jointly, etc.)

[0063] There figure 3 schematically illustrates a communication interface 40 of a communicating element of the communication network 16.

[0064] The communication interface of a communicating element has the function of connecting this communicating element to one or more communication networks. It thus allows it to communicate with the other communicating elements of the network(s) to which it is connected.

[0065] As illustrated in the figure 3 , each communication interface 40 comprises a network controller 42, an electronic memory unit 44 and an input-output module 46, also called a “transceiver” in English, the input-output module 46 being here provided with a connector arranged to physically connect the input-output module 46 to a physical layer of the communication network 16.

[0066] The network controller 42 comprises an electronic computer, for example one or more processors, microprocessors or any other equivalent means, programmed to ensure the processing of data passing through the communication network 16 and through the connector of the input-output module 46.

[0067] For example, the network controller 42 is programmed to automatically process the data received by the input-output module 46 and intended for the communication interface 40. The processing may for example consist of extracting and decoding the content of packets received by the communication interface and / or transmitting this content to home automation equipment.

[0068] Additionally, the network controller 42 is programmed to automatically prepare the data transmitted by the home automation equipment with which it is associated, with a view to sending them to one or more home automation equipment connected to the communication network 16.

[0069] The memory unit 44 contains in particular a network address, a part of a network address or at least one identifier, making it possible to uniquely identify the communication interface 40 on the communication network 16.

[0070] The communication interface 40 is for example compatible with the IPv6 protocol.

[0071] Furthermore, the memory unit 44 advantageously contains executable program code instructions to provide the previously described operation of the network controller 42.

[0072] There figure 4 schematically illustrates an example of control / command of groups of actuators. The control device 8 comprises a communication interface 40, as described with reference to the figure 3 , adapted to make the connection with the communication network 16 and to carry out the processing of the data passing through the communication network 16, according to the chosen communication protocol, an electronic calculation unit 50, for example a processor, and an electronic memory 52, adapted to communicate via an internal communication bus 48 or arranged on the same printed circuit.

[0073] In an alternative embodiment, the network controller 42 of the communication interface 40 is implemented by the electronic computing unit (eg the processor) 50.

[0074] The control device 8 is configured to control a maximum of N actuators, for example N=18.

[0075] In the illustrated example, the control device 8 controls seven actuators which are grouped into two groups, a first group G 1 comprising three actuators and a second group G 2 comprising four actuators.

[0076] Each actuator 30 i also includes a communication interface 58 (shown on only one of the actuators of the figure 4 ), physically similar to the communication interface 40 described with reference to the figure 3 , to make the connection with the control device 8 and to carry out the processing of the data according to the chosen communication protocol, for example a proprietary communication protocol based on the IPv6 protocol. The actuators 30 i are connected to the control device 8 by RS485 wired links and possibly by gateways ensuring compatibility between the communication protocol of the actuators 30 i with the communication network 16.

[0077] The grouping of actuators into groups is carried out, for example, during the installation of the home automation system, in a configuration phase.

[0078] For example, membership of a group, identified by a group identifier, is stored by the control device 8 and / or by each actuator 30 i.

[0079] The control device 8 is a programmable electronic device, configured to implement a method for monitoring the operating status of actuators. It comprises a module 54 for obtaining, for each group of controlled actuators, an actuator representative of the group, and a module 56 for obtaining an operating status of the actuator representative of each group of actuators and the operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by the control device 8. Thus, in one embodiment, the control device 8 forms a device for monitoring the operating status of actuators.

[0080] The implementation of the module 56 is iterated at regular time intervals dt over a chosen time cycle ΔT. For example, the duration of the time cycle ΔT is determined as a function of the number of groups and, optionally, the communication speed, i.e. the time required to recover the status of an actuator, for example ΔT=900ms for 4 groups, and the time intervals dt are between 100ms and 500ms, for example dt=180ms.

[0081] The operating status of an actuator includes information on the position of the moving element (screen) of the occultation device associated with the actuator (open, closed, percentage of opening, percentage of closing reached) and / or information on the correct operation or malfunction of the occultation device (nominal operation, motor stoppage, operating fault, thermal threshold reached at the motor).

[0082] Modules 54 and 56 are stored by the electronic memory unit 52.

[0083] For example, modules 54, 56 are implemented in the form of executable code instructions and form a computer program.

[0084] In one embodiment, this computer program is stored on an information medium readable by a programmable electronic device. For example, the readable medium is an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM memory, a RAM memory, any type of non-volatile memory (for example EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, NVRAM), a magnetic card or an optical card.

[0085] In a variant not shown, these modules are produced in the form of a dedicated integrated circuit, such as an ASIC (from the English Application Specific Integrated Circuit ).

[0086] There figure 5 is a flowchart of the main steps of a method for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators of a home automation installation according to one embodiment.

[0087] In this embodiment, the method is implemented by the processor of a control device 8, which is configured to control N actuators, N>1, which are grouped into one or more groups in a prior configuration phase.

[0088] The method comprises a step 60 of obtaining a representative actuator per group of actuators. For example, a representative actuator per group of actuators is designated and stored during a configuration step, by an installer of the home automation installation.

[0089] The selection of an actuator representative of a group is carried out according to a criterion: spatial position in the building of the actuator and the associated occultation device, spatial proximity of the actuator to the control device.

[0090] Alternatively, the selection of a representative actuator per group is, for example, carried out randomly, when all the actuators in the same group have similar technical characteristics.

[0091] For example, in the figure 4 , actuator 30 2 is designated as the representative actuator of group G 1 and actuator 30 6 is designated as the representative actuator of group G 2 .

[0092] The control device receives a representative actuator identifier per actuator group and stores this identifier in association with the corresponding actuator group.

[0093] The representative identifier is, for example, a network address associated with the communication interface of the chosen representative actuator(s).

[0094] For example, a request for the identifier of the actuator representative of a group is issued, the request comprising an identifier of the group, and one of the actuators of the group responds with the identifier of the actuator representative of the group to which the request is addressed.

[0095] The method then comprises the following steps, repeated at regular time intervals dt, and implemented by the control device 8A, 8B.

[0096] It comprises a step 62 of obtaining, for each group G i controlled by the control device 8, an operating status of the actuator representative of the group G i .

[0097] Step 62 includes a sub-step 64 of formulating, for each group G i of actuators, a request for the operating status of the actuator representative of the group G i and sending the formulated request to the group G i of actuators.

[0098] For example, the request is formulated based on the chosen communication protocol and includes an identifier of the actuator representing the group.

[0099] Alternatively, the request for the operating status is addressed directly to the actuator representing each group G i .

[0100] Step 62 also comprises a sub-step 66 of receiving a response, from the representative actuator of the group G i , comprising the operating status of the representative actuator, which is stored.

[0101] Successively or substantially in parallel, a step 68 of obtaining an operating status of another actuator controlled by the control device is implemented.

[0102] Step 68 comprises a sub-step 70 of selecting said other actuator from among the remaining actuators, which are not designated as a representative actuator of a group of actuators.

[0103] For example, the selection is performed in a predetermined selection order, for example according to a previously recorded ordering list, with another actuator, different from the one previously chosen, being chosen at each iteration. For example, the ordering list is constituted in such a way that said other chosen actuator belongs to a different group at each iteration, preferably by successively traversing all the groups.

[0104] Alternatively, the selection of the other actuator is performed randomly. Preferably, an identifier of the actuator selected in the previous iteration is stored so as not to select the same other actuator twice in a row.

[0105] For example, in the case illustrated schematically in figure 4 , the actuator 30 1 is chosen as another actuator in the selection step 70 during the first iteration, and the actuator referenced 30 i on the figure 4 is chosen as another actuator in the selection step 70 during the second iteration. Preferably, the method performs the successive selection of all the actuators which have not been designated as representative actuators of a group of actuators, so as to obtain, after a number of iterations depending on the number N of actuators and the number of groups of actuators, the operating status of each actuator controlled by the control device.

[0106] For example, considering the example of the figure 4 , the operating statuses of all the actuators of the actuator groups G 1 and G 2 are obtained after 5 iterations, the operating statuses of the actuators 30 2 , 30 6 as well as of another selected actuator being obtained at each iteration.

[0107] Step 70 is followed by a step 72 of formulating a request for the operating status of the other actuator selected in step 70, and sending the formulated request, and a step 74 of receiving a response, from said other actuator comprising the operating status of said other representative actuator, which is stored.

[0108] Advantageously, obtaining the operating statuses at each iteration is rapid, since the number of requests / responses is small, while ensuring the reception at each iteration of the operating status of at least one actuator per group of actuators.

[0109] The steps 62 of obtaining an operating status of an actuator representative of each group of actuators, and 68 of obtaining an operating status of another actuator are iterated (step 76), at regular time intervals dt, for example every second or every 180ms.

[0110] In addition, the operating statuses of each group representative actuator and said other actuator are processed during a processing step 78. For example, the processing consists of ordering a display of the operating statuses obtained, the processing comprising sending the operating statuses, via the communication network, to the central calculation and control device 26 (“Master controller”) and / or to the central control unit 14. For example, the central control unit displays information related to the operating statuses on a human-machine interface, to allow a user to remotely monitor the opening / closing of the occulting devices. For example, the percentage of opening or closing of each screen is displayed almost in real time.

[0111] In one embodiment, the statuses of all actuators (representative actuators of each group and other actuators) queried in the previous iteration are displayed.

[0112] In one embodiment, the statuses of the actuators that were not queried in the previous iteration are updated from the status of the actuator representative of their group. Thus, the interface makes it possible to view the statuses of all the actuators, the displayed statuses being updated at each iteration, even though the interrogation time differs from one actuator to another, depending on the iteration during which they were queried.

[0113] For example, in the event of a malfunction (e.g. operating status indicating, for example, an error or an exceeding of the temperature threshold at the level of the controlled motor) an alarm is sent to the central control unit or to other equipment connected to the communication network 16.

[0114] According to an optional variant, in the event of a malfunction being observed (i.e. the operating status includes error or malfunction information) for an actuator representative of a group of actuators during an iteration, at the following iteration, a new actuator representative of this group is selected. For example, this is an actuator designated during configuration as "alternate representative actuator". The steps of the status monitoring method are then carried out with this new actuator representative of the group.

[0115] In the case where an actuator group comprises only one actuator, this is automatically designated as the representative actuator and its status is requested at each iteration of the process.

[0116] According to a variant of the method described above, for each group of actuators, the method comprises a step of selecting a second actuator, called another actuator, analogous to step 70 described above, followed by formulating a request for the grouped operating status of the actuators representative of each group Gi of actuators and said other selected actuator.

[0117] According to a variant, the operating status of several other actuators in addition to the representative actuators of each group is requested. For example, considering that the representative actuators of each group of actuators are first actuators, the method comprises a step of selecting a second actuator, distinct from the representative group actuators, then a third actuator, distinct from the first actuators and the second actuator; then one or more requests for the operating status of the first actuators, as well as said second and said third actuator.

[0118] Preferably, when the control device is configured to control at least two groups of actuators, the second selected actuator and the third selected actuator belong to separate groups of actuators.

[0119] According to another variant, at each iteration, the operating status of the actuator representative of each group of actuators is obtained as well as of another actuator of each group of actuators. In this variant, if for example the control device is configured to control 4 groups of actuators, the operating statuses of 8 actuators (2 per group of actuators) are obtained at each iteration.

[0120] According to another variant, step 62 of obtaining an operating status of an actuator representative of each group of actuators is implemented differently, each representative actuator sending, at regular time intervals, its operating status in a message intended for the control device 8, without prior request from this device. In this variant, the control device 8 receives and records the status of each actuator representative of the group. The control device nevertheless performs the selection of another actuator (step 70), the request for the operating status of the other actuator (step 72) and the reception and storage of the operating status of the other actuator (step 74).

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators in a home automation installation, the home automation installation comprising a plurality of motorised occultation devices, each electromechanical actuator associated with an occultation device comprising at least one electric motor, that can be controlled by said electromechanical actuator to move a movable element of the occultation device so as to open and / or close, said electromechanical actuators being controlled in group(s) of electromechanical actuators by a control device (8, 8A, 8B), said electromechanical actuators and said control devices being connected in a communication network (16) and being configured to communicate according to a predefined communication protocol, the method being characterised in that it comprises the steps, implemented by a calculation processor (50) of the control device (8, 8A, 8B), of: - for each group of electromechanical actuators controlled by said control device, obtaining and storing (60) an actuator representative of the group of actuators; - on at least one selected time cycle, iteration of the following steps: - obtaining (62) an operating status of the actuator representative of the or each group of actuators; - obtaining (68) an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating status of an actuator comprises information about the position of the movable element of the occultation device and / or information about the correct operation or malfunction of the occultation device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the position information indicates an open position or an opening percentage, a closed position or a closing percentage.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein obtaining (62) an operating status of the actuator representative of a group of actuators comprises, for each group of actuators, formulating (64) a request for the status of the representative actuator and receiving (66) a response comprising said status of said representative actuator, said request and response comprising an identifier of said representative actuator.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step (68) of obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device comprises a step (70) of selecting said other actuator from among the actuators controlled by said control device not designated as actuators representative of a group of actuators, the selection (70) being carried out according to a predetermined selection order.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined selection order successively designates actuators belonging to different actuator groups.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device comprises a step of selecting the other actuator from among the actuators controlled by said control device not designated as actuators representative of a group of actuators, the selection being made randomly from among actuators controlled by the control device and not previously selected.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the step of obtaining (68) an operating status of at least one other actuator controlled by said control device is carried out, during each iteration, for each group of actuators.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising, at each iteration, following obtaining of the operating status of the actuator representative of each group of actuators and the obtaining of the operating status of at least one other actuator, the updating of the operating statuses of the actuators of a group of actuators on the basis of the operating status of the actuator representative of said group of actuators and a command (78) for displaying said operating statuses obtained for each actuator controlled by said control device.

10. A computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a programmable electronic device, implement a method of monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators in accordance with claims 1 to 9.

11. A device for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators of a home automation installation (4), the home automation installation (4) comprising a plurality of motorised occultation devices (6), each electromechanical actuator (301, ..., 30i, ...306) associated with an occultation device comprising at least one electric motor, controllable by said electromechanical actuator (301, ..., 30i, ..., 306) to move a movable element of the occultation device (6) so as to open and / or close, said electromechanical actuators (301, ..., 30i, ..., 306) being controlled in group(s) of electromechanical actuators by a control device (8, 8A, 8B), said electromechanical actuators (301, ..., 30i, ..., 306) and said control devices (8, 8A, 8B) being connected in a communication network (16) and being configured to communicate according to a predefined communication protocol, the monitoring device being characterised in that it comprises a calculation processor (50) configured to implement, for a control device (8): - a module (54) for obtaining and storing an actuator (302, 306) representative of the group of actuators (G1, G2) for each group of electromechanical actuators controlled by said control device; - and to implement iteratively, over at least one selected time cycle: - a module (56) for obtaining an operating status of the actuator (302, 306) representative of the or each group of actuators (G1, G2); - a module (56) for obtaining an operating status of at least one other actuator (301, 30i) controlled by said control device.

12. A home automation installation (4) comprising a plurality of motorised occultation devices (6), each motorised occultation device having an associated electromechanical actuator (301, ..., 30i, ..., 306), each electromechanical actuator comprising at least one electric motor, that can be controlled by said electromechanical actuator to move a movable element of the occultation device so as to open and / or close, the home automation installation (4) further comprising at least one control device (8, 8A, 8B) configured to control said electromechanical actuators (301, ..., 30i, ..., 306) in group(s) of actuators, said actuators (301, ..., 30i, ..., 306) and said control devices (8, 8A, 8B) being connected in a communication network (16) and being configured to communicate according to a predefined communication protocol, the home automation installation including at least one device for monitoring the operating status of electromechanical actuators according to claim 11.