Patents Assigned to Control Technology
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Patent number: 11041652Abstract: A system including a valve positioned in a conduit, wherein the valve is configured to change fluid flow through the conduit. The system includes an actuator having a motor that is configured to selectively rotate the valve toward a desired valve orientation. The system is configured to receive a request for a desired valve orientation, control the motor to move the valve into the desired valve orientation, and sense a condition corresponding to a current valve orientation following movement by the motor. The system is configured to determine if the sensed condition indicates that the current valve orientation matches the desired valve orientation from the request, and, responsive to determining that the current valve orientation does not match the desired valve orientation from the request, control the motor to selectively rotate the valve in a direction to move the valve towards the desired valve orientation.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2019Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Russell T. Jenks
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Patent number: 11042144Abstract: A system for managing communication between building management system (BMS) devices includes a memory and a controller. The memory includes instructions stored thereon. The controller is configured to execute the instructions to implement an agent manager, a zone manager, and a channel manager. The agent manager is configured to generate an agent for each of the BMS devices. The zone manager is configured to define at least one zone relating to a physical location zone or a building control zone. The channel manager is configured to generate a communication channel associated with the at least one zone. The channel manager is further configured to manage registration of an agent to the communication channel, wherein an agent is configured to communicate over a communication channel in response to being registered to the communication channel.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2018Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Youngchoon Park, Vaidhyanathan Venkiteswaran, Sudhi R. Sinha, Karl F. Reichenberger
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Patent number: 11042139Abstract: A Building Management System (BMS) includes a plurality of building subsystems and communications interface. The building subsystems include device(s) for controlling aspect(s) of the building subsystem. The communications interface receives commands from a cloud-based controller and a local client device. The commands from the cloud-based controller and local client device are structured to modify setting(s) for a device of the building subsystems. A BMS controller receives, via the communications interface from the cloud-based controller, a command for modifying a setting of a device for a first building subsystem. The BMS controller identifies a local setting of the device provided by the local client device. The BMS controller identifies a priority of the command from the cloud-based controller in relation to a priority of the local setting. The BMS controller controls the device based on the respective priorities.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2019Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Sandeep Dinkar Deshpande, Kaustubh Devasthali, Prathamesh Sunil Yadav, Rajesh Nayak
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Patent number: 11041651Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an energy recovery system for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The energy recovery system includes a nozzle having a flow passage with an inlet passage and an outlet passage that is narrowed relative to the inlet passage, in which the nozzle is configured to couple to a condenser and receive an air flow into the flow passage from a condenser fan. The energy recovery system further includes a wind turbine disposed within the outlet passage of the flow passage and having a first axis of rotation, and a generator that is external to the nozzle and that includes a shaft with a second axis of rotation. The generator is coupled to the wind turbine, such that the first axis of rotation is aligned with the second axis of rotation.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2019Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Mahmoud S. E. ElSaadany
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Patent number: 11041647Abstract: A refrigerant leak management system includes a return inlet assembly and a purge exhaust outlet assembly. The system also includes a sensor configured to detect refrigerant proximate an air handling enclosure of a HVAC unit. The system further includes a controller configured to control the system to drive air from a conditioned interior space of a building into an external environment via the purge exhaust outlet assembly when the sensor detects the refrigerant proximate the air handling enclosure by: actuating the return inlet assembly to close the return inlet assembly, actuating the purge exhaust outlet assembly to open the purge exhaust outlet assembly, and activating a reversible supply fan of the HVAC unit in a reverse direction.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2019Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Jamie Weinert
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Patent number: 11041653Abstract: A method for managing failures in multiple nodes of a building management system includes selecting a second building management system node from the building management system nodes to perform a computing job to determine one or more values for the building management system. The method includes sending the computing job to the second building management system node for the second building management system node to determine the one or more values for the building management system, receiving progress messages from the second building management system node, wherein the progress messages indicate the status of the second building management system node for determining the one or more values, and selecting a third building management system node from the plurality of building management system nodes to perform the computing job in response to the progress messages indicating that the second node has failed to determine the one or more values.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2018Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Andrew J. Przybylski
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Patent number: 11042138Abstract: A processor is configured to receive an electronic item comprising an object signature and corresponding to a building infrastructure item, such as space, equipment, monitoring point, etc. The processor is configured to validate the object signature, including determining, based on the object signature, a data source associated with the building infrastructure item. For each of the plurality of data objects from the data source, where each data object corresponds to a particular installation of the building infrastructure item, the processor is configured to determine a signature suffix associated with a current version and/or current configuration of the particular installation. The processor is configured to generate a validated object signature, including appending the signature suffix to the object signature. The processor is configured to identify a target computing system and transmit the validated object signature to the target computing system (e.g.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2018Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Abhigyan Chatterjee, Kaustubh Devasthali, Braja Majumdar, Rajesh C. Nayak, Fajil Sutar, Mukul Vashisth
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Patent number: 11042171Abstract: A building management system is configured to modify an environmental condition of a building. The building management system includes a valve assembly, an actuator device, and a network sensor device. The actuator device includes a motor, a drive device driven by the motor and coupled to the valve assembly, and a controller coupled to the motor. The controller includes a microprocessor and a control application configured to enable closed loop control of the valve assembly. The network sensor device is communicably coupled to the actuator device and configured to measure an environmental property. The control application is configured to perform the closed loop control of the valve assembly based on an input control signal from a mobile device and the measured environmental property from the network sensor device.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2018Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Kirk H. Drees, Herbert J. Doll, Gerald A. Duenkel, Marcello Passoni, Russell T. Jenks, Duane S. Freimuth, Kyle M. Bero, Kevin A. Weiss, Abu Bakr Khan
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Patent number: 11041648Abstract: A control system for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes control circuitry having a storage device and a microcontroller. The storage device is configured to store faults. The microcontroller is configured to monitor for a condition of the HVAC system associated with a fault, store a fault in the storage device when the condition is detected, identify whether a duration of time that the fault has been stored in the storage device exceeds a threshold time period, and clear the fault from the storage device when the duration exceeds the threshold time period.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2018Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Brian D. Rigg, Shaun B. Atchison
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Patent number: 11041679Abstract: An energy recovery wheel includes a frame positioned within a passage of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The frame is configured to rotate about an axis of the passage relative to the HVAC system and includes an opening that is configured to transmit an air flow. The energy recovery wheel also includes a heat transfer element coupled to the frame and positioned within the opening, where the heat transfer element is permeable and configured to transition between a closed orientation to occlude the opening and direct the air flow across the heat transfer element and an open orientation to substantially unblock the opening and mitigate interaction between the air flow and the heat transfer element.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2019Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Sriram Ramanujam, Shashank B. Kadam, Karan Garg, Rammohan Sethuraj
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Patent number: 11042924Abstract: A building management includes building equipment operable to affect a variable state or condition of a building and a controller. The controller is configured to identify one or more facility improvement measures (FIMS), each of the FIMS representing a potential upgrade or addition to the building equipment. The controller is further configured to perform a design of experiments analysis to determine a plurality of combinations of the FIMS, each combination including one or more of the FIMS and a level for each FIM in the combination. The controller is configured to generate an objective function based on the combinations of the FIMS. The objective function indicates an economic value as a function of the FIMS and optimize the objective function to determine an optimal combination of the FIMS.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2017Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Matthew J. Asmus, Graeme Willmott
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Publication number: 20210182228Abstract: A device for use in a building management system (BMS) includes a base hardware component that provides communication between the equipment and a first network associated with the BMS. The base hardware component includes a processor and a memory. The device further includes a modular hardware component connected to the base hardware component and a modular software component stored in the memory that recognizes the modular hardware component connected to the base hardware component and provides communication between the equipment and a second network using the modular hardware component. The processor executes a control application to control operation of the equipment based in part on data received from the equipment and data received from at least one of the first network and the second network.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2021Publication date: June 17, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Sudhanshu Dixit, Hunter R. Hobgood, Dinesh Trikha, Ezra M. Imes
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Publication number: 20210181703Abstract: A self-perturbing extremum-seeking controller for a plant that includes at least a static portion includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to obtain a value of a performance variable characterizing a performance of the plant. The processing circuit is configured to determine a sign of a gradient of the performance variable with respect to an input to the static portion of the plant. The processing circuit is configured to adjust a control input for the plant using the sign of the gradient, and provide the control input to the plant to affect the performance variable.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2019Publication date: June 17, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Carlos Felipe Alcala Perez, Timothy I. Salsbury, John M. House
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Publication number: 20210185074Abstract: A system and method for managing the security health of a network devices interconnected with each other in a service provided in an entity. The security health of the networked device is evaluated by determining a cyber risk score for the entity having a plurality of devices. A first set of data from individual network devices and a second set of data including risk data from an external data source are collected by a data collector. The collected data is normalized into a format which can be further correlated by a correlation engine. The correlating step enables to determine cyber risk scores for the individual network devices. The cyber risk score for the entity may further be determined by aggregating the individual cyber risk scores of the individual network devices. The risk scores are displayed by a web-based user interface which is enabled by an application programming interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2020Publication date: June 17, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: William M. Fitzgerald, Miguel Morillo Iruela, Silviu G. Sosiade, Vincent P. Hamilton, Seán Phillips
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Publication number: 20210180811Abstract: A method of controlling signal transmission in a building control system including measuring a number of signal values associated with an environmental variable using a sensor of a wireless device, dynamically determining, by the wireless device, a noise threshold based on the number of signal values, combining a first signal value and a second signal value of the number of signal values using a mathematical relationship to determine a result associated with the first signal value and the second signal value, and periodically transmitting the first signal value from the wireless measurement device to a controller in response to the result exceeding the noise threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2019Publication date: June 17, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Timothy I. Salsbury, John M. House, Carlos Felipe Alcala Perez
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Patent number: 11036249Abstract: An energy storage system for a building includes a battery and an energy storage controller. The battery is configured to store electrical energy purchased from a utility and to discharge stored electrical energy for use in satisfying a building energy load. The energy storage controller is configured to generate a cost function including a peak load contribution (PLC) term. The PLC term represents a cost based on electrical energy purchased from the utility during coincidental peak hours in an optimization period. The controller is configured to modify the cost function by applying a peak hours mask to the PLC term. The peak hours mask identifies one or more hours in the optimization period as projected peak hours and causes the energy storage controller to disregard the electrical energy purchased from the utility during any hours not identified as projected peak hours when calculating a value for the PLC term.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2019Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Mohammad N. ElBsat
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Patent number: 11035578Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a fin heat exchanger, including a header, a set of tubes fluidly coupled to the header, and a mount configured to engage with and disengage from the set of tubes. The mount includes a fin section configured to extend between adjacent tubes of the set of tubes in an engaged mount configuration, and configured to be separated from the set of tubes in an unengaged mount configuration.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2019Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Zhiwei Huang
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Patent number: 11035489Abstract: A variety of assemblies are configured for use with an actuator. One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an actuator that includes a housing. An output gear is disposed within the housing. An output nut is connected to the spindle such that the spindle is rotatable within the output nut to enable linear motion of the output nut. The output nut includes a connector. A spacer is selectively coupled to the connector of the output nut.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2018Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Yogesh Subhash Chorghe, Amol Ramdas Vetal, Atul Ramdas Patil, Shivchandra Venkatrao Nagime
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Patent number: 11035600Abstract: A compressor system includes a screw compressor and a controller. The screw compressor includes a slide valve selectively actuatable between a first position and a second position to facilitate modulating a capacity of the screw compressor between fully-loaded and fully-unloaded. The controller is communicably coupled to the slide valve. The controller is configured to receive a chilled fluid temperature setpoint for a fluid in heat transfer communication with a refrigerant of the refrigeration circuit; receive temperature data indicative of a chilled fluid temperature of the fluid; determine a difference between the chilled fluid temperature and the chilled fluid temperature setpoint; and provide one of a load command and an unload command to the slide valve based the difference between the chilled fluid temperature and the chilled fluid temperature setpoint. According to an embodiment, the controller does not receive feedback from the screw compressor regarding a position of the slide valve.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2017Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Gail E. Lindberg, Curtis C. Crane
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Patent number: 11036195Abstract: A building HVAC system includes an airside system having a plurality of airside subsystems, a high-level model predictive controller (MPC), and a plurality of low-level airside MPCs. Each airside subsystem includes airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to the airside subsystem. The high-level MPC is configured to perform a high-level optimization to generate an optimal airside subsystem load profile for each airside subsystem. The optimal airside subsystem load profiles optimize energy cost. Each of the low-level airside MPCs corresponds to one of the airside subsystems and is configured to perform a low-level optimization to generate optimal airside temperature setpoints for the corresponding airside subsystem using the optimal airside subsystem load profile for the corresponding airside subsystem.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2016Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Nishith R. Patel, Robert D. Turney, Matthew J. Ellis