Trane International Inc.

Udhaya Kumar Dayalan

Thomas Christopher Basterash

Mark E Martin

James Kenneth McKeever

Brian Meyers

Mangayarkarasi Sivagnanam

Brian A Kirkman

Jonathan Glaser

A method is provided for controlling electrical load on a power grid from a load facility using demand response. The method includes accessing memory storing computer-readable program code for decision analysis of a specified time interval for a demand-response (DR) event. The method also includes executing the computer-readable program code, via a processor, to cause an apparatus to at least make a decision to participate in or opt out of the DR event. This includes the apparatus receiving values of variables that describe occupancy and usage of the load facility for one or more time intervals. The apparatus applies the values to an algorithm that maps the variables to a decision to participate in or opt out of the DR event for the specified time interval. And the apparatus automatically notifies an operator responsible for the DR event of the decision at least when the decision is to opt out.

Controlling the electrical load of a load facility using demand response

A method and apparatus for controlling a load facility in response to a demand event. The method includes defining a plurality of resources of the load facility based on user input, establishing a response strategy for the demand event, and organizing the resources into the response strategy that specifies the resources and times during the demand event at which the resources are called to execute the one or more measures to reduce power consumption of one or more of the electrical devices, different ones of the resources called at different times during the demand event, and at least one of the resources called to execute the one or more measures, and further including executing the response strategy to reduce demand on the power grid from the load facility during the demand event.

Control of a load facility in response to a demand event

Architectures or techniques are presented that can learn relationships between graphical elements presented by a user interface and physical conditions that exist in an environment. Furthermore, the architectures or techniques can, potentially based on the learned information, present the graphical elements to the user interface in a manner that is determined to be more efficient. For example, graphical elements that were historically accessed when a particular physical condition is true can be identified. These identified graphical elements can then be presented in a location of the user interface that is determined to be favorable to rapid or efficient selection at times with the particular physical condition is determined to be satisfied.

Ranking user interface elements based on physical conditions

An apparatus for controlling heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment includes: a memory configured to store computer-readable program code; and processing circuitry configured to access the memory to execute the computer-readable program code, where executing the computer-readable code causes the processing circuitry to detect that a first HVAC unit has failed to control a first environmental condition of a first confined area serviced by the first HVAC unit to meet a first predetermined setpoint for the first confined area and to draw second conditioned air from a second confined area into the first confined area until the first environmental condition meets the first predetermined setpoint by controlling the first HVAC unit to cause the first HVAC unit to reduce air pressure in the first confined area.

Failure detection and compensation in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for maintaining computer software of a supervisory control unit (SCU) of an industrial control system (ICS) configured to control equipment of a facility. The method includes capturing status information for the SCU and equipment that indicates at least performance of the SCU and the equipment, and connectivity of the SCU with the equipment. The method includes patching the computer software automatically to update, change, fix, or improve the computer software. The method includes capturing corresponding status information for the SCU and equipment and performing an audit of the ICS after the patch in which the status information and the corresponding status information are compared to identify any deviations in the performance or the connectivity of the equipment resulting from the patch. The method includes generating an audit report of the ICS that indicates any of the deviations that satisfy a reporting threshold.

Method and apparatus for maintaining software of a control unit for an industrial control system

A method is provided for controlling heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment configured to control environmental conditions in confined areas of a facility. The method includes monitoring at least one of the HVAC equipment or the confined areas. The method includes detecting a failure of a first of the HVAC equipment to control an environmental condition in a first of the confined areas to a setpoint for the environmental condition, with the environmental condition including at least one of temperature, humidity or air quality. The method includes controlling at least one of the first or a second of the HVAC equipment to cause additional conditioned air to permeate to the first of the confined areas from an adjacent, second of the confined areas to move the environmental condition in the first of the confined areas closer to the setpoint to compensate for the failure, automatically as a direct result of detection of the failure.

Methods and systems for performing an electronic security assessment of a building automation system are provided. The building automation system includes a controller and a network of electronic devices connected in electronic communication. The method includes requesting, by the controller, an electronic security scan of the controller with a data set of the controller via a secured channel to a cloud-based service. The method also includes initiating the electronic security scan of the controller based on the data set of the controller. The method further includes electronically assessing security vulnerabilities of the building automation system. The method also includes electronically assessing, by the controller, security vulnerabilities of the network of electronic devices connected in electronic communication with the controller. Also the method includes determining a recommendation list for resolving security vulnerabilities of the building automation system based on the electronically assessing security vulnerabilities.

Network security management for a building automation system

Systems and methods of improving building automation system (BAS) performance includes collecting performance parameters associated with building automation devices, comparing the parameters to a benchmark, and adjusting the performance benchmark to match the corresponding performance parameter if the corresponding performance parameter exceeds the performance benchmark, or utilizing the performance parameter and the identity of the building automation device associated therewith to remediate the performance defect. The collected performance parameters may be used to prioritize system tasks based on current system performance. A performance monitoring agent included in a building automation system controller or a device controller determines a performance parameter thereof to assess and benchmark BAS performance.

Performance optimization in a building automation system

A data system controller can include one or more application modules configured to receive data from one or more devices, and a data service module in operative communication with the one or more application modules to provide data thereto. The data service module can be configured to receive data from the one or more devices. The data service module can be configured to update data from a respective device of the one or more devices when a data change probability of the respective device is above a probability threshold to provide updated data from the respective device to the one or more application modules.

Probability-based network data updates

Architectures or techniques are presented that can facilitate automatic recovery from a component failure exhibited by a building automation system (BAS) control device and/or a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control device. A failure or fault condition with a software or firmware component can be automatically repaired. A failure or fault condition with a hardware component can be identified, potentially more quickly, and hardware component replacement can be streamlined or simplified.

BAS/HVAC control device automatic failure recovery

Disclosed are systems and methods for operating a Building Automation System (BAS) that communicates with end devices via a master-slave token passing network (MSTP), e.g., BACNet, a local operating network (LON), or any other suitable communications protocol to receive alarm messages. The BAC enables a user to rapidly and effectively respond to an alarm by providing an alarm assistance message that provides the user with detailed remediation procedures concerning the current alarm. The nature and content of the alarm assistance message and/or the attachments is determined based upon on a combination of alarm and system parameters, and may be tailored by an administrator to meet local requirements. The alarm assistance message may include one or more remedial or diagnostic attachments, such as a troubleshooting guide, user manual, a video, graphics, or a firmware update, and may include links to external media or cloud-hosted documents.

System and method to assist building automation system end user based on alarm parameters

A method for configuring a semi-empirical or an empirical computer simulation model of a building automation and control (BAC) system. The method can include a computer processor reading from a non-transitory computer-readable memory a configuration data of a building automation and control network (BACnet) device, wherein the configuration data includes a property value of the BACnet device. The method includes communicating with a real BACnet device of a real existing BAC system, retrieving real data of the real BACnet device, and storing the real data onto the non-transitory computer-readable memory. The property value of the BACnet device stored on the non-transitory computer-readable memory can be changed to another value that is based on the real data, or the property value of the BACnet device can be added to the configuration data.

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White Bear Lake, MN, United States of America

Udhaya Kumar Dayalan