Patents Assigned to Control Technology
  • Patent number: 10837685
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system may include a refrigerant loop to circulate refrigerant, a first valve, a second valve, a sensor to measure parameters of the refrigerant, a refrigerant tank fluidly coupled to the refrigerant loop via the valves, and control circuitry communicatively coupled to the sensor, the first valve, and the second valve. The control circuitry may determine environmental conditions and detect whether an undercharge or overcharge condition is present in the refrigerant loop based at least in part on the environmental conditions and the measured parameters. The control circuitry may also instruct the first valve to open when the undercharge condition is detected to facilitate flowing refrigerant from the refrigerant tank into the refrigerant loop and instruct the second valve to open when the overcharge condition is detected to facilitate flowing refrigerant from the refrigerant loop into the refrigerant tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Aneek M. Noor, Jedidiah O. Bentz, Shaun B. Atchison, John W. Uerkvitz, Drew H. Carlton
  • Patent number: 10838440
    Abstract: A controller for a plurality of devices of a building control system that operate in parallel to provide a desired capacity of heating or cooling for a building space includes a capacity identifier configured to identify the desired capacity of heating or cooling for the building space. The controller further includes a combination finder configured to generate a list of combinations of devices that can be energized to provide the desired capacity. The controller further includes a combination filter configured to remove any combinations from the list that do not meet one or more requirements. The controller further includes a combination selector configured to select one of the combinations based on at least one of a runtime and a transition count. The controller further includes a signal generator configured to generate control signals in accordance with the selected combination and operate the plurality of devices using the control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Nathan T. Ostrye, Tyler K. Paddock, Aron M. Seiler, Christopher R. Amundson
  • Patent number: 10839628
    Abstract: An access control system for a building or campus includes an access control host and a mobile device. The access control host is configured to interact with one or more physical control panels to monitor and control physical access to one or more locations of the building or campus. The mobile device includes a virtual panel configured to emulate one or more of the physical control panels to the access control host and perform one or more access control functions of the physical control panels. The virtual panel configures the mobile device to operate as a portable control panel in the access control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Timothy S. Berg, Michael J. Kuzminski, Trivikram R. Ravada, Richard C. Sample, Jonathan L. Polack, David C. Haxton
  • Patent number: 10837665
    Abstract: An HVAC system within a building including a ventilator, a number of sensors, and a control device. The control device has a processor that is configured to receive a request to operate the ventilator. The control device is further configured to determine a status of a minimum runtime mode of the ventilator. The minimum runtime mode operates the ventilator for a minimum amount of each time in a predefined time period. The control device is further configured to determine an air quality value. The air quality value is based on one or more measurements provided to the control device by the plurality of sensors. The control device is further configured to operate the ventilator based on the air quality value being determined to be below an acceptable value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Ajax, Joseph R. Ribbich, Joseph Michael Ruggiero
  • Publication number: 20200358630
    Abstract: A building management system comprising a database storing relationships between a plurality of building objects representing building equipment and building spaces and a configuration tool. The configuration tool is configured to obtain configuration data associated with a first building object of the plurality of building objects and use the relationships between the plurality of building objects to identify a second building object having a stored relationship with the first building object. The configuration tool is also configured to automatically generate configuration data for the second building object based on the configuration data associated with the first building object and the relationship with the second building object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Dominick M. Deligio, Jason T. Sawyer, Dimitrios S. Papadopoulos
  • Publication number: 20200356857
    Abstract: A method includes collecting a first dataset of input-output data for a first building, training a deep learning model using the first dataset, initializing parameters of a target model for a second building using parameters of the deep learning model, collecting a second dataset of input-output data for a second building, training the target model for the second building using the initialized parameters of the target model and the second dataset, and controlling building equipment using the target model. Controlling the building equipment affects a variable state or condition of the building.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Young M. Lee, Zhanhong Jiang
  • Publication number: 20200356087
    Abstract: A model predictive maintenance (MPM) system for building equipment includes one or more processing circuits including one or more processors and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations include obtaining one or more performance indicators for the building equipment and determining whether a trigger condition has been satisfied based on the one or more performance indicators. The operations include triggering a model predictive maintenance process to generate a maintenance schedule for the building equipment in response to determining that the trigger condition has been satisfied. The operations include initiating a maintenance activity for the building equipment in accordance with the maintenance schedule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Mohammad N. ELBSAT, Michael J. WENZEL, Farhad BALALI, Robert D. TURNEY
  • Publication number: 20200355391
    Abstract: A building control system includes one or more controllers configured to obtain comfort feedback provided by one or more occupants of a building in response to exposing the one or more occupants to a first set of environmental conditions of the building. The one or more controllers are also configured to generate, based on the comfort feedback, one or more thresholds defining a range of values for an environmental condition of the building within which the one or more occupants are predicted to be comfortable, execute a predictive control process subject to one or more constraints based on the one or more thresholds to generate setpoints for building equipment, and operate the building equipment to drive the environmental condition of the building toward the setpoints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Michael J. WENZEL, Mohammad N. ELBSAT, Fang DU, Nicolaus P. MEYER, Anas W. I. ALANQAR, Robert D. TURNEY
  • Publication number: 20200354923
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a material moving machine comprises a pilot hydraulic switching system. The pilot hydraulic switching system comprises a control unit, a first directional valve, and a second directional valve. The control unit is configured to operate the first and second directional valves to shift a variable position actuator valve between a static state, a retract state, and an extend state. The actuator valve comprises a first and second control element. In the retract and extend states, the first and second directional valves control fluid flow to the variable position actuator valve with a positive net pressure on either the first or second control elements and a negative net pressure on the other control element to move the material moving implement. In the static state, the first and second directional valves control fluid flow equally on the first and second control elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Kyle Davis, Richard Paul Piekutowski
  • Patent number: 10830510
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vapor compression system that includes a refrigerant loop, a compressor disposed along the refrigerant loop and configured to circulate refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, a condenser disposed downstream of the compressor along the refrigerant loop, where the condenser includes a plurality of tubes disposed in a shell and a diffusion area configured to enhance thermal energy transfer within the condenser, where the diffusion area is defined by a cavity of the condenser without a tube of the plurality of tubes, and an evaporator disposed downstream of the condenser along the refrigerant loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Jeb W. Schreiber, Eric H. Albrecht, Kevin D. Krebs, Justin P. Kauffman, Brian L. Stauffer
  • Patent number: 10830460
    Abstract: In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a latch assembly for an access panel of a housing includes a latch structure having a first surface, a second surface, and an intermediate step therebetween. The latch assembly also includes a fastener configured to facilitate coupling of the first surface to the access panel, and a locking system configured to engage with a structural support of the housing via the second surface. The locking system is configured to be rotated to secure the second surface to the structural support and rotated to release the second surface from the structural support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Ravindra B. Salunkhe, Siddappa R. Bidari, Praveen Y R, Kunal J. Gandevia
  • Patent number: 10830482
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a communication cable for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system having a set of conductors extending between a first end of the communication cable and a second end of the communication cable, and a cable shield surrounding the plurality of conductors. The cable shield has a first shield connector at the first end of the communication cable and a second shield connector at the second end of the communication cable. The first end is configured to couple to a first controller of the HVAC system, the second end is configured to couple to a second controller of the HVAC system, and the cable shield is configured to electrically couple to a single electrical ground point via one or both of the first and second shield connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Brian Loughman, Nicholas S. Cummings, Marcel P. Ferrere, Jr., Aron M. Seiler, Earl J. Rightmier
  • Patent number: 10830472
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that calibrate a defrost threshold used to determine when a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system enters a defrost mode, and, more particularly, determine frost temperature differences used to determine the defrost threshold when the HVAC system is in a stable condition. A frost temperature difference is a difference between an outdoor ambient temperature and a refrigerant temperature. The HVAC system determines that it is in the stable condition by determining that a standard deviation of a current frost temperature difference from a previous frost temperature difference is below a standard deviation threshold. When the HVAC system is in the stable condition, the frost temperature differences are determined, and the defrost threshold is determined from the frost temperature differences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Shawn A. Hern, Tyler P. McCune, Aneek M. Noor, Drew H. Carlton, Cody J. Kaiser
  • Patent number: 10830459
    Abstract: A system includes a coil of an outdoor unit, where tubing forming the coil is configured to circulate a refrigerant therethrough, a fan configured to direct air from within an inner chamber formed by a structure of the coil such that air is in a heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant, a motor located within the inner chamber, where the motor is configured to rotate the fan, a panel coupled to the coil, a fan controller mounted to the panel such that the fan controller is positioned within the inner chamber remote from the fan and the motor, where the fan controller is coupled to the motor, and the fan controller is configured to supply power to the motor to adjust a speed of the fan, and a rain shield disposed over the fan controller and configured to block contaminants from entering a housing of the fan controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Robert L. Eskew, Jeremiah M. Horn, Nicholas A. Kauffman, Paul Lucas
  • Patent number: 10831163
    Abstract: A computerized method of assigning a building automation system point type to a plurality of unclassified data points is provided. The method includes receiving unclassified data points and attributes for each data point. The method includes receiving classifications for a first subset of the unclassified data points. Each classification associates a data point with a building automation system point type. The method includes generating a term set containing substrings that appear in the attributes. The method includes generating a first matrix describing a frequency that the substrings appear in the attributes. The method includes calculating an indicator of a probability that the presence of the selected substring results in the data point belonging to the selected point type. The method includes assigning a point type to a second subset by finding the substring and potential point type pair having the greatest indication of probability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Youngchoon Park
  • Patent number: 10830501
    Abstract: A heating and cooling system includes a reversing valve configured to adjust a flow of refrigerant through the heating and cooling system, where the reversing valve includes a first configuration to flow the refrigerant through a first circuit of the heating and cooling system and a second configuration to flow the refrigerant through a second circuit of the heating and cooling system. The heating and cooling system also includes a controller configured to determine an operating parameter of a compressor of the heating and cooling system, where the controller is configured to adjust operation of the compressor based on the operating parameter to adjust a position of the reversing valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Shawn A. Hern
  • Patent number: 10830503
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration system that includes an evaporator disposed along an evaporator line, a compressor system disposed along a compressor line, a condenser disposed along a condenser line and configured to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor system to heat a second fluid stream, and an outdoor coil disposed along a coil line and configured to receive the refrigerant from the condenser or from a discharge line, to selectively transfer heat to or from the refrigerant, and to selectively transfer the refrigerant to the evaporator or to a suction line. The refrigeration system includes two valves and three expansion valves disposed along the different refrigerant flow lines, and a controller configured to determine a simultaneous heating/cooling operating mode of the refrigeration system and to control the valves and expansion valves to operate the refrigeration system in the desired mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: William L. Kopko
  • Patent number: 10832563
    Abstract: A system for preventing a false alarm that occurs at a building, the system includes a processing circuit configured to receive, via a communications interface, building data including events for the building devices. The processing circuit is configured to determine, based on the events, whether a false alarm rule has triggered, where the false alarm rule indicates relationships between one or more of the events that is indicative of a situation at the building site that causes the false alarm, generate a parameter update for at least one of the plurality of building devices in response to determining that the false alarm rule has triggered, and implement the parameter update by providing, via the communications interface, the parameter update to the at least one of the building devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Gopi Subramanian, Christine Trainor, Jason Kapuschat
  • Patent number: 10830475
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a zoning system for climate control including a controller configured to operate the zoning system to supply conditioned air to a first zone of a plurality of zones through a first supply air damper to thermally charge the first zone. The controller is also configured to close the first supply air damper of the first zone and open a second supply air damper of a second zone of the plurality of zones after the first zone is thermally charged. The controller is further configured to operate the zoning system to draw the conditioned air from the first zone and supply the conditioned air to the second zone through the second supply air damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Brian D. Rigg, Shawn A. Hern, Andrew M. Boyd, Noel A. Grajeda-Trevizo, Cody J. Kaiser, Tom R. Tasker, Theresa N. Gillette, Jonathan A. Burns, Tyler P. McCune
  • Patent number: 10830479
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system having a control system suitable to control operation of a device in the HVAC system. The control system may include a zone control panel that may maintain an instance of each schedule used by one or more devices in the HVAC system to operate. Further, the zone control panel may include a set of one or more status flags, which may each indicate whether data associated with a respective flag is available to be retrieved. Accordingly, the zone control panel may communicate information, such as an update to a schedule, rapidly between devices in the HVAC system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Shaun B. Atchison, Theresa N. Gillette