Abstract

A distributed control system, comprising a data network with a plurality of controller nodes that maintain and share their internal states with one another while controlling a function. The controller nodes can be luminaires that are capable of controlling the ambient lighting within a building area. There are one or more ambient light sensors within the data network for sensing and reporting the ambient light level. The controller luminaire nodes are members of a defined group of nodes that share, with one another, information for synchronizing their internal states, based in part on the ambient light levels that the one or more sensors are reporting. Meanwhile, each luminaire node also continually updates its own internal state based on the synchronization data received from the other nodes.

IPC Classes  ?

• H04L 29/08 - Transmission control procedure, e.g. data link level control procedure
• H04L 12/28 - Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
• H05B 37/02 - Controlling
• G05B 11/42 - Automatic controllers electric with provision for obtaining particular characteristics, e.g. proportional, integral, differential for obtaining a characteristic which is both proportional and time-dependent, e.g. P. I., P. I. D.
• H04W 4/38 - Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes for collecting sensor information
• H04W 4/70 - Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A commissioning system and method that applies a design configuration, representative of a building automation and control system, to a mesh network of network-capable devices. A cloud-based server system works in concert with an installing device, such as a smartphone or tablet, to apply the relevant configuration of scenarios and spaces, as defined in the design configuration during a design phase, to each mesh node in the mesh network. The commissioning system first transforms the defined scenarios and spaces, which essentially represent a logical configuration of the building automation and control system, into a network-centric configuration. Then, the system decomposes the network-centric configuration into a physical configuration of each mesh node, resulting in a set of parameters for each mesh node. The commissioning system then transmits the set of parameters, including one or more group addresses, to the applicable mesh node, for each affected mesh node in the network.

IPC Classes  ?

• H05B 37/02 - Controlling

Abstract

A system of luminaires, which are connected to one another within a mesh network, and which interoperate in accordance with the disclosed method. Each luminaire in the mesh network is capable of originating a notification message whenever one of a predefined set of state changes is detected by the luminaire's controller. Also, a given type of state change might correlate to more than one type of event having occurred. For example, a particular type of state change can be attributed to any of i) a sensing of occupancy in the vicinity of the luminaire, ii) manual actuation of a light switch, iii) a timer going off, and iv) an external command being received. The luminaire's controller is also capable of receiving and processing notification messages originated by other luminaires, and of relaying, to other luminaires in the mesh network, information from received notification messages.

IPC Classes  ?

• H05B 37/02 - Controlling
• H05B 33/08 - Circuit arrangements for operating electroluminescent light sources

Abstract

An automation system that does not require any of the source node devices transmitting packets of information to have knowledge of the recipients of those packets. The automation system comprises sensor nodes and actor nodes. The sensor nodes transmit information via a wireless network based on conditions that are sensed by the sensors, such as a button being pushed, motion being detected, or the current ambient light level. The actor nodes detect the information that is transmitted over the wireless network and control their device functions, such as lighting and climate control, based on the information detected. In particular, the actor nodes monitor the network for packets that contain information that is relevant to each node, such as one or more sensor node source addresses previously configured to be of interest to each actor node and which are used in the decision-making that is performed by each actor node.

IPC Classes  ?

• H04L 29/08 - Transmission control procedure, e.g. data link level control procedure
• H04W 4/00 - Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor