Apex Standards Claim Construction


Patent: US7860495B2
Filed: 2004-08-09
Issued: 2010-12-28
Patent Holder: (Original Assignee) Siemens Industry Inc     (Current Assignee) Ollnova Technologies Ltd
Inventor(s): Norman R. McFarland

Title: Wireless building control architecture

Abstract: On a first level of the wireless building automation architecture, sensors and associated actuators communicate directly. The sensor performs control processes appropriate for the sensor and regardless of the type of actuator being used. The actuator performs control processes specific to the actuator regardless of the type of sensor being used. By direct wireless communication between sensors and actuators, the opportunity for a failed communications link using a hub and spoke arrangement may be avoided. Communication redundancy is provided by receiving the outputs of sensors at a controller, such as a controller on a second high speed or high bandwidth tier of the architecture. Regional control is implemented in the higher level tier. The higher level tier may override or control operation of components of the lower level tier as needed. The distributed control processing allows for more convenient room level integration. Where a problem is detected, such as a fire, corrective action begins within the immediate region of the sensor generating an alarm signal. The corrective action occurs without routing the alarm signal to upper levels of control processes or across different systems. The alarm signal is also propagated to upper level control systems for generating appropriate responses in other zones. To provide the different zones and avoid interference, the transmit power of the sensors and actuators is controlled as a function of two or more other devices.

The First Claim: 1. A control system for wireless building automation control, the control system comprising: a first wireless network in a building having first wireless communications protocol; and a second wireless network in the building having a second wireless communications protocol, the first wireless communications protocol different than the second wireless communications protocol; wherein the first wireless network is operable to control, free of communications with the second wireless network, building components in response to sensors operable within the first wireless network, and wherein the first wireless network is also operable to control the building components in response to data from the second wireless network.


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Reference	Claim Element / Subject Matter	Feature	Meaning	Claim Construction & Interpretation
[1]	1 . A control system [1]	control system [1]	[Meaning 1] system [Meaning 2] method [Meaning 3] control [Meaning 4] communication system [Meaning 5] wireless system [Meaning 6] building system [Meaning 7] method and system [Meaning 8] control system operable [Meaning 9] control system and method [Meaning 10] system and associated method [Meaning 11] control system in an architecture [Meaning 12] system and computer program product [Meaning 13] control system for building automation control [Meaning 14] system and computer readable storage medium	[Interpretation 1] system for wireless building automation control in an environment in which wireless communications are not available to the building automation control system or to other systems used [Interpretation 2] wireless building automation control system for controlling building components in response to sensors and data
[2]	for wireless building automation control [2]	building automation control [2]	[Meaning 1] networks [Meaning 2] communications [Meaning 3] buildings [Meaning 4] building components [Meaning 5] home automation [Meaning 6] control of buildings [Meaning 7] communications in building systems [Meaning 8] communications in an industrial environment [Meaning 9] control of building automation systems [Meaning 10] building automation in an environment [Meaning 11] control of components in an environment [Meaning 12] building components in an industrial building [Meaning 13] building components in response to wireless sensors [Meaning 14] communications in an in situ control system	[Interpretation 1] building automation systems in buildings in which wireless building automation systems are to be used [Interpretation 2] network based building management and control and building automation systems in an energy efficient manner [Interpretation 3] control of building components in an industrial building in response to sensors operable therein [Interpretation 4] network based building control and monitoring and for wireless network based building energy management [Interpretation 5] building automation systems in buildings having wireless communications protocols different from one another and
[3]	, the control system [1] comprising (being characterized by comprising, having the following features, comprising the following elements, for building automation control comprising, including at least the following, comprising at least one of, being in wireless communication with) : a first wireless network [3]	network [3]	[Meaning 1] networks [Meaning 2] communications network [Meaning 3] control network [Meaning 4] network operable [Meaning 5] building automation network [Meaning 6] network for use [Meaning 7] network for building automation [Meaning 8] networks operable within or [Meaning 9] networking system for use [Meaning 10] network operable to control components [Meaning 11] networking system comprising at least one node [Meaning 12] networking system operable within the first wireless network [Meaning 13] networking system operable to provide access to building components	[Interpretation 1] networking system operable to communicate with building automation devices in the first wireless network [Interpretation 2] wireless network in the building comprising at least one wireless base station operable
[4]	in a building [4]	building [4]	[Meaning 1] housing [Meaning 2] location [Meaning 3] premises [Meaning 4] building and [Meaning 5] first building [Meaning 6] controlled building [Meaning 7] control room [Meaning 8] building having nodes [Meaning 9] wireless communications network [Meaning 10] room of the building [Meaning 11] structure of the building [Meaning 12] building of the type [Meaning 13] first building automation system [Meaning 14] building the first wireless network	[Interpretation 1] wireless building automation system in an interior of the building the first wireless network [Interpretation 2] first wireless area network of the building and the first wireless area network
[5]	having (having at least one, in accordance with the, operable according to the, and operable using the, of the type having the, comprising wireless devices having an, having wireless communications using the) first wireless communications protocol [5]	communications protocol [5]	[Meaning 1] communications [Meaning 2] protocol [Meaning 3] communication protocol [Meaning 4] network protocol [Meaning 5] communication protocol communications [Meaning 6] protocol for wireless communications [Meaning 7] protocols for building automation [Meaning 8] communications protocol and functionality [Meaning 9] communications protocol and building components [Meaning 10] protocol and operable to control building components [Meaning 11] communications protocol and operable to communicate wirelessly [Meaning 12] network communications and the first wireless communications protocol [Meaning 13] network communications and sensors operable within the wireless network	[Interpretation 1] protocols and first wireless communications protocols different from each other and operable to control building components in response to sensors operable within the first wireless communications protocol
[6]	; and a second wireless network [3] in the building [4] having a second wireless communications protocol [5] , the first wireless communications protocol [5] different than the second wireless communications protocol [5] ; wherein the first wireless network [3] is operable to control (monitor and to control, communicate with and control, control by wireless communications, operate in the building, control at least one of, operate in the absence of, communicate with the second wireless network) , free of communications [6]	communications [6]	[Meaning 1] communication [Meaning 2] interaction [Meaning 3] physical contact [Meaning 4] data exchange [Meaning 5] data exchange directly [Meaning 6] establishing an internet connection [Meaning 7] physical inter ali linking [Meaning 8] data exchange and without communication [Meaning 9] the second wireless network and concurrently [Meaning 10] direct physical connection to and communication [Meaning 11] data exchange and without data exchange [Meaning 12] data from the second wireless network and [Meaning 13] any direct connection of the building components [Meaning 14] wire or cable and in wireless communication	[Interpretation 1] intervention by the second wireless network and without requiring the building to communicate
[7]	with the second wireless network [3] , building components [7]	building components [7]	[Meaning 1] components [Meaning 2] building [Meaning 3] architectural components [Meaning 4] buildings components [Meaning 5] building components automatically [Meaning 6] components of the building [Meaning 7] building components in operation [Meaning 8] building components in the first wireless network
[8]	in response [8]	response [8]	[Meaning 1] relation [Meaning 2] responsive [Meaning 3] addition [Meaning 4] close proximity [Meaning 5] direct response [Meaning 6] response only [Meaning 7] response to inputs [Meaning 8] the building responsive [Meaning 9] accordance with inputs [Meaning 10] dependence upon inputs [Meaning 11] response to data relating [Meaning 12] accordance with data relating [Meaning 13] dependence upon data relating [Meaning 14] an automated manner in response	[Interpretation 1] an area of the building in which the first wireless network is located in response
[9]	to sensors [9]	sensors [9]	[Meaning 1] data [Meaning 2] commands [Meaning 3] instructions [Meaning 4] software [Meaning 5] an application [Meaning 6] user inputs [Meaning 7] control commands [Meaning 8] building commands [Meaning 9] an automation controller [Meaning 10] data from devices [Meaning 11] user input devices [Meaning 12] control data locally [Meaning 13] control signals that are [Meaning 14] instructions from control devices	[Interpretation 1] first wireless control signals received from the second wireless network and in response to data from at least one building automation device [Interpretation 2] commands from the second wireless network and data from the building components that is not
[10]	operable within the first wireless network [3] , and wherein the first wireless network [3] is also operable to control the building components [7] in response [8] to data from the second wireless network [3] .