Johnson Controls Technology Company

Tyco Fire + Security Gmbh

Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings Llp

Gary A Romanowich

Robert Kenneth Alexander

Kevin A Weiss

Bernard Clement

Christopher Merkl

Russell T Jenks

Daniel R Rumler

Steven L Whitsitt

Nicholas P Prato

Russell W Diamond

Duane S Freimuth

Kyle M Bero

Brian D Klarkowski

Michael R Brownie

Nathan J Vandermause

Gerald A Duenkel

George J Dietz

Stephanie P Lynn

David R Fuhr

Jeff S Flannery

Kirk H Drees

Donald A Gottschalk

Abu Bakr Khan

Marcello Passoni

Dinesh Trikha

Hunter R Hobgood

Herbert J Doll

Lawrence J Strojny

Cory C Strebe

Aaron D Wagner

Rick Van Buren

Mattia Lovati

Matthew A Ward

Joseph F Mann

Rick A Van Buren

Ralph L Arndt, Jr

Joe Mann

A method of determining a lifetime parameter of a capacitor in a failsafe device includes measuring an amount of energy required to return the failsafe device to a failsafe position, measuring an effective capacitance of the capacitor, and comparing the amount of energy to the effective capacitance to determine the lifetime parameter of the capacitor.

Systems and methods for controlling super capacitor charge voltage to extend super capacitor life

A sensor in a building HVAC system includes a transducer configured to measure a variable in the building HVAC system and to generate a sensor reading indicating a value of the measured variable. The sensor includes a communications interface configured to provide the sensor reading to a control device in the building HVAC system and a near field communication (NFC) circuit separate from the communications interface. The NFC circuit is configured to facilitate bidirectional NFC data communications between the sensor and a mobile device. The sensor includes a processing circuit having a processor and memory. The processing circuit is configured to wirelessly transmit data stored in the memory of the sensor to the mobile device via the NFC circuit, wirelessly receive data from the mobile device via the NFC circuit, and store the data received from the mobile device in the memory of the sensor.

Systems and methods for configuring and communicating with HVAC devices

A system on a chip for enabling communication between a building management system (BMS) device and a BMS network. The system on a chip includes a device interface, a network interface, and a processing circuit. The device interface is configured to connect the system on a chip to the BMS device via a serial communication link. The network interface configured to connect the system on a chip to the BMS network. The processing circuit is configured to identify and update an attribute of an equipment object associated with the BMS device that corresponds to a command received from the BMS network via the network interface and transmit a message to the BMS device via the device interface using the updated attribute of the equipment object.

Devices and methods for network integration of an HVAC device

A system for predicting HVAC equipment failure includes an actuator and a controller. The actuator is coupled to the HVAC equipment and configured to drive the HVAC equipment between multiple positions. The actuator includes a processing circuit configured to collect internal actuator data characterizing an operation of the actuator and a communications circuit coupled to the processing circuit. The communications circuit is configured to transmit the internal actuator data outside the actuator. The controller is configured to provide control signals to the actuator and receive the internal actuator data from the actuator. The controller includes a failure predictor configured to use the internal actuator data to predict a time at which the HVAC equipment failure will occur.

HVAC system with equipment failure warning

An actuator in a HVAC system includes a mechanical transducer, a processing circuit, a wireless transceiver, and a power circuit. The processing circuit includes a processor and memory and is configured to operate the mechanical transducer according to a control program stored in the memory. The wireless transceiver is configured to facilitate bidirectional wireless data communications between the processing circuit and an external device. The power circuit is configured to draw power from a wireless signal received via the wireless transceiver and power the processing circuit and the wireless transceiver using the drawn power. The processing circuit is configured to use the power drawn from the wireless signal to wirelessly transmit data stored in the memory of the actuator to the external device via the wireless transceiver, wirelessly receive data from the external device via the wireless transceiver, and store the data received from the external device in the memory.

Building device with near field communication circuit

A method of determining a lifetime parameter of a capacitor in a failsafe device including measuring an amount of energy required to return the failsafe device to a failsafe position, measuring an effective capacitance of the capacitor, and comparing the amount of energy to the effective capacitance to determine the lifetime parameter of the capacitor.

An integrated device in an HVAC system is configured to modify an environmental condition of a building. The integrated device includes a valve configured to regulate a flow of a fluid through a conduit and an actuator. The actuator includes a motor and a drive device. The drive device is driven by the motor and coupled to the valve for driving the valve between multiple positions. The integrated device further includes a processing circuit coupled to the motor. The processing circuit is configured to detect device identifying information for the valve or the actuator and to detect the integrated device location within the building.

Integrated smart actuator and valve device applications

An actuator in a HVAC system includes a motor and a drive device driven by the motor. The drive device is coupled to a movable HVAC component for driving the movable HVAC component between multiple positions. The actuator includes an input connection configured to receive an input signal and a processing circuit coupled to the motor. The processing circuit is configured to determine whether the input signal is an AC voltage signal or a DC voltage signal. The processing circuit is configured to operate the motor using an AC motor control technique in response to determining that the input signal is an AC voltage signal and configured to operate the motor using a DC motor control technique in response to determining that the input signal is a DC voltage signal.

Plug and play universal input actuator

An actuator includes a drive device, and energy storage element and an actuator controller. The energy storage element is charged during operation of the actuator using power from an external power source. The drive device drives a valve member to a failsafe setpoint using energy from the energy storage element in the event of a power loss during operation of the actuator. The actuator controller provides a drive signal to the drive device indicating the valve member orientation (i.e. the failsafe setpoint) to which the drive device is to drive the valve member. The failsafe setpoint is determined based on the last fluid source that was controlled by the actuator of the fluid system prior to the power outage.

Failsafe system for a 270 degree actuator

An actuator controls the operation of a valve member to achieve desired flow or no-flow states through different inlet ports of the valve in response to different types of input signals from one or more input sources. In some embodiments, the actuator drives the valve member along a first portion of a travel path to regulate flow through a first inlet port using analog or binary input signal(s) from a first input source, and drives the valve member along a second portion of the travel path to regulate flow through a second inlet port using analog or binary input signal(s) from a second input source. In some embodiments the actuator drives the valve member along the entire travel path to regulate flow through each of the first inlet port and the second inlet port responsive to an analog input signal from a single input source.

Three position 270 degree actuator

Systems and methods for configuring and communicating with hvac devices

Growing community of inventors

Slinger, WI, United States of America

Gary A Romanowich