Microcontroller Unit Module for Building Management System Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building equipment controllers face challenges in compatibility due to disparate configurations of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and microcontrollers (MCUs), leading to difficulties in facilitating communication and initiating automated actions across different devices within building management systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a microcontroller unit (MCU) module with a plurality of pads and receivers to connect to a circuit board, enabling signal routing and communication between devices with different configurations, allowing for the generation of profiles that correlate device data and MCU data to initiate automated actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If disparate configurations of PCBs and MCUs are used in building equipment controllers, then device versatility and adaptability are improved, but communication compatibility and system reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal communication protocol that enables different PCB and MCU configurations to interoperate through a standardized interface. The system defines common communication standards and data formats that allow diverse building equipment devices to communicate reliably, making the controller adaptable to various hardware configurations while maintaining consistent communication behavior across all device types
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary communication layer that translates between different device configurations and a standardized internal protocol. This mediator layer handles protocol conversion, data mapping, and compatibility mediation, allowing disparate PCB-MCU combinations to communicate without direct compatibility requirements between specific hardware variants
2Reliability
If standardized connection interfaces are implemented across all devices, then communication compatibility is improved, but device complexity and configuration flexibility worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication interface into standardized connection points and pads that separate the physical connection layer from the functional configuration layer. This segmentation allows different device configurations to connect through identical physical interfaces while maintaining flexibility in how each device utilizes the available connection points for specific functions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing specific connection points and pads to have specialized functions while maintaining a standardized overall interface structure. Different regions of the interface can be configured for different purposes (power, data, control signals), enabling complex device functionality through a simple standardized connection framework
Data Source
AI summary
A building device including a circuit board having a plurality of connection points, and a microcontroller (MCU) module having a plurality of pads and a plurality of receivers, each of the plurality of pads to connect to one of the plurality of connection points of the circuit board, and each of the plurality of receivers to removably couple a pin of a plurality of pins of a microcontroller. The microcontroller configured, via an interface, to route a signal from a pin of the plurality of pins of the microcontroller to a connection point of the plurality of connection points of the circuit board, via a pad of the plurality of pads of the MCU module.