RF Sensor Emergency Slot Allocation for Orphaned Building Nodes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Building control systems face challenges in maintaining communication with orphaned sensors, which can prevent critical alarms or events from being transmitted, due to failed wireless communication or device disconnection.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for operating RF nodes to assign non-orphaned and orphaned sensors to specific communication slots, including emergency slots, to ensure emergency messages are transmitted even when primary communication fails, using a controller to manage slot assignments and whitelist management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If wireless communication is used for building control devices, then ease of installation and system flexibility are improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to potential connection failures and device orphaning

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of installationVSAvoidcommunication reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The communication slot table is segmented into multiple slots, with specific slots designated for orphaned devices. This segmentation allows the system to maintain organized communication channels while providing dedicated resources for devices that have lost their primary connection, thereby improving reliability without compromising installation ease.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-allocates communication slots for potential orphaned devices before they actually become orphaned. When a device loses connection, it can immediately access the pre-prepared communication slot without requiring complex real-time resource allocation, ensuring continuous communication reliability while maintaining system simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If communication slots are allocated for all sensors, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to slot management overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidslot management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Orphaned devices automatically identify themselves and request communication slots without requiring manual intervention or complex centralized allocation algorithms. The RF node autonomously manages the slot assignment process by checking the communication slot table and allocating available slots, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The communication slot allocation is dynamic rather than static. Slots are allocated and released based on real-time device status, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions. This dynamic approach maintains reliability by ensuring slots are available when needed while reducing complexity by releasing slots when no longer required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If emergency communication slots are reserved for orphaned sensors, then communication of critical alarms is improved, but loss of information increases due to potential message filtering in non-emergency slots

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency message transmissionVSAvoidmessage information loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Different communication slots have different qualities designated for different purposes. Emergency slots are optimized for critical alarm transmission with higher priority and reliability, while non-emergency slots handle routine communications. This local differentiation ensures emergency messages are reliably transmitted without losing critical information, while non-emergency messages can be filtered or deferred as appropriate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Reliability

If all RF nodes monitor for orphaned sensors, then communication reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases due to continuous monitoring

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveorphaned device detectionVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple RF nodes share the responsibility of monitoring for orphaned sensors through a collaborative approach. Instead of each node independently monitoring all devices, they pool their monitoring capabilities and share the communication slot table information. This merging of monitoring functions maintains high detection reliability while reducing individual energy consumption, as nodes can enter low-power states when not actively monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12557082B2Systems and methods for servicing orphaned sensors in a building control system

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

Each of a plurality of non-orphaned RF sensors may be assigned to a corresponding one of a plurality of communication slots. Emergency messages and non-emergency messages are received from each of the non-orphaned RF sensors. One or more emergency messages and non-emergency messages are sent to a remote device via a building control network. Each of the orphaned RF sensors are assigned to a corresponding one of a plurality of emergency communication slots. Emergency messages are received from each of the orphaned RF sensors that are assigned to one of the emergency communication slots, but not non-emergency messages. One or more emergency messages are sent to the remote device that are based at least in part on the emergency messages received from each of the one or more orphaned RF sensors that are assigned to one of the plurality of emergency communication slots.