Patents Assigned to Johnson Controls Technology
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Publication number: 20210041839Abstract: A method for controlling a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system includes applying a time window to sensor data associated with the VRF system, the sensor data including input data points and having a first resolution, wherein applying the time window to the sensor data isolates a subset of the input data points; applying a timing weight to one or more input data points in the subset of the input data points to generate corrected data points having a second resolution higher than the first resolution; creating a virtual sensor and mapping the corrected data points to an output of the virtual sensor; and controlling the VRF system based on an output of the virtual sensor. The use of virtual sensors with a higher resolution than corresponding physical sensors in this manner allows for existing physical sensors to be used while improving performance of the VRF system.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2019Publication date: February 11, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Ruoyu Chen, Liming Yang, Robert D. Turney
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Publication number: 20210041127Abstract: A controller for HVAC equipment stores a cascaded model that includes a disturbance model configured to predict a heat disturbance affecting the building zone as a function of one or more exogenous parameters and a physics model configured to predict a temperature of the building zone as a function of the heat disturbance and an amount of heating or cooling provided to the building zone by HVAC equipment. The processing circuit is configured to execute a combined training procedure to determine parameters of the disturbance model and parameters of the physics model, generate control signals for the HVAC equipment using the disturbance model to predict the heat disturbance and applying the heat disturbance as an input to the physics model, and operate the HVAC equipment to provide the heating or cooling to the building zone in accordance with the control signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2020Publication date: February 11, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: MICHAEL J. RISBECK, MICHAEL J. WENZEL, MOHAMMAD N. ELBSAT
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Patent number: 10917740Abstract: A method includes defining a plurality of monitored spaces. For each of at least a subset of the plurality of monitored spaces, the method includes associating a set of laboratory equipment with the monitored space, calculating an equipment utilization score for the monitored space based on resource consumption data for the set of laboratory equipment, calculating an occupancy utilization score for the monitored space based on occupant tracking data for the monitored space, and calculating a combined utilization score based on the equipment utilization score and the occupancy utilization score. The method also includes providing a graphical user interface comprising the combined utilization scores for the subset of the plurality of monitored spaces.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2019Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Matthew Breed Myung-Sun Scott, Joseph McEvoy, Edward Gerard Mc Namara, Kyle Shamrock
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Patent number: 10914480Abstract: Disclosed is a system to control a climate of a space via a first control loop and a second control loop interacting with the first control loop. The system includes a first controller of the first control loop to generate a first control signal based on a first modified set point and a first feedback signal. The system further includes a second controller of the second control loop to generate a second control signal based on a second modified set point and a second feedback signal. The system further includes a decoupler configured to predict a first effect of the first control signal on the second control loop and a second effect of the second control signal on the first control loop, and generate the first modified set point and the second modified set point to reduce the first effect and the second effect.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2019Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Timothy I. Salsbury, Carlos Felipe Alcala Perez, John M. House, Christopher R. Amundson
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Patent number: 10916121Abstract: A user interface for a security system includes a processing circuit, the processing circuit including a processor and memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processing circuit to receive, from a user via a user device, a user request for information relating to the security system, determine, using natural language processing, an intent and one or more entities associated with the user request, the intent describing a purpose of the user request and the one or more entities describing a type or source of security system data, generate a response to the user request based on the intent and the one or more entities, wherein the response is a graphical display of security system data, and send the response to the user device.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2019Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Abdul Razak, Gopi Subramanian, Conor Joseph Donovan, Michael Stewart
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Patent number: 10914503Abstract: A heat pump system includes a heat exchanger coil and a heater configured to transfer heat to the heat exchanger coil. The heat pump system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the heater. The controller is configured to activate the heater in response to determining that a detected temperature of the heat exchanger coil is below a threshold temperature for a threshold time period.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2018Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Jay C. Walser
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Patent number: 10915078Abstract: A building management system includes a controller for one or more devices of the building management system and a system manager communicably coupled to the controller. The controller includes a priority array for a point object managed by the controller. The priority array includes a plurality of commands for the point object and defines a priority of each command. The system manager is configured to retrieve the priority array from the controller, generate a user interface identifying the plurality of commands in the priority array and the priority of each command, receive a new command from a user, and update the user interface to include a preview of the priority array indicating how the priority array would change if the new command were applied to the priority array.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2018Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Adam R. Grabowski, Prashant Taralkar, Alan S. Schwegler, Garrett Wiens-Kind
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Patent number: 10916081Abstract: A building management system includes an entity database that stores a plurality of interconnected smart entities. The smart entities include object entities representing a plurality of people or physical devices and data entities representing data associated with the people or physical devices. The smart entities are interconnected by relational objects indicating relationships between the object entities and the data entities. Each of the object entities includes a plurality of stored identity attributes. An identity management service is configured to receive a first identity attribute from a first device within a building, receive a second identity attribute from a second device within the building, compare the first and second identity attributes to the stored identity attributes of an object entity of the plurality of interconnected smart entities, and allow access to at least one of a building space, a device of building equipment, or a computer system.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2020Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Youngchoon Park, Sudhi R. Sinha, Erik S. Paulson, Peter A. Ainsworth, Anne Gallagher
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Patent number: 10915094Abstract: A controller for equipment obtains utility rate data indicating a price of one or more resources consumed by the equipment to serve energy loads. The controller generates an objective function that expresses a total monetary cost of operating the equipment over an optimization period as a function of the utility rate data and an amount of the one or more resources consumed by the equipment at each of a plurality of time steps. The controller optimizes the objective function to determine a distribution of predicted energy loads across the equipment at each of the plurality of time steps. Load equality constraints on the objective function ensure that the distribution satisfies the predicted energy loads at each of the plurality of time steps. The controller operates the equipment to achieve the distribution of the predicted energy loads at each of the plurality of time steps.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2018Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Michael J. Wenzel, Robert D. Turney, Kirk H. Drees, Matthew J. Asmus
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Patent number: 10914487Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system that includes a first control configured to control a supply of power to a plurality of compressors based on an air flow through the HVAC system exceeding a first threshold, and a second control configured to supply power to a subset of compressors of the plurality of compressors based on the air flow through the HVAC system exceeding a second threshold while being below the first threshold.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2018Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: David P. Gillmen, Harold J. Dubensky, Sandeep K. Chodapaneedi
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Publication number: 20210037338Abstract: A method includes defining a plurality of monitored spaces. For each of at least a subset of the plurality of monitored spaces, the method includes associating a set of laboratory equipment with the monitored space, calculating an equipment utilization score for the monitored space based on resource consumption data for the set of laboratory equipment, calculating an occupancy utilization score for the monitored space based on occupant tracking data for the monitored space, and calculating a combined utilization score based on the equipment utilization score and the occupancy utilization score. The method also includes providing a graphical user interface comprising the combined utilization scores for the subset of the plurality of monitored spaces.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2019Publication date: February 4, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Matthew Breed Myung-Sun Scott, Joseph McEvoy, Edward Gerard Mc Namara, Kyle Shamrock
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Publication number: 20210034022Abstract: A heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system for a building includes airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to one or more building spaces and one or more controllers. The one or more controllers are configured to generate airside energy targets for the one or more building spaces using a heat transfer model that defines a relationship between the airside energy targets, a temperature of the one or more building spaces, and a thermal capacitance of the one or more building spaces. The one or more controllers are configured to control the airside HVAC equipment in accordance with the airside energy targets.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2020Publication date: February 4, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Nishith R. Patel, Robert D. Turney, Matthew J. Ellis
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Patent number: 10909642Abstract: An energy storage system includes a battery and an energy storage controller. The battery is configured to store electrical energy purchased from a utility and to discharge the stored electrical energy for use in satisfying a building energy load. The energy storage controller is configured to generate a cost function including multiple demand charges. Each of the demand charges corresponds to a demand charge period and defines a cost based on a maximum amount of the electrical energy purchased from the utility during any time step within the corresponding demand charge period. The controller is configured to modify the cost function by applying a demand charge mask to each of the multiple demand charges. The demand charge masks cause the controller to disregard the electrical energy purchased from the utility during any time steps that occur outside the corresponding demand charge period when calculating a value for the demand charge.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2019Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Mohammad N. ElBsat, Michael J. Wenzel, Robert D. Turney
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Patent number: 10909240Abstract: A building management system (BMS) includes a user access point configured to receive a user input corresponding to the BMS. The system includes at least one building subsystem in communication with the user access point and configured to control subsystem equipment in response to the user input. Additionally, the system includes a controller configured to: receive the user input, and receive access point data. The controller is further configured to compare the user input and access point data to a user profile and/or an equipment profile. Additionally, the controller is configured to determine a safety value using the comparison, and determine if the safety value is outside of a predetermined safety range. If the safety value is outside of the predetermined safety range, the controller is configured to initiate a verification process.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2017Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Justin D. Eltoft
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Patent number: 10908570Abstract: A power over Ethernet (PoE) device system for a building including building devices connected together and to a PoE source via a network. The PoE source is configured to provide each of the building devices with PoE. A first building device of the building devices includes a communication subsystem circuit configured to receive the PoE from the PoE source via one of the building devices, power the communication subsystem circuit using the PoE received from the PoE source via the one of the building devices, and communicate with the PoE source and the building devices via the network. The first building device includes a functional subsystem circuit configured to power the functional subsystem circuit using power received from a permanent power source of the building and control an environmental condition of the building using the power received from the permanent power source of the building.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2018Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Timothy C. Gamroth, Yingchun Xu
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Patent number: 10907844Abstract: A home control system includes a thermostat configured to measure environmental conditions in a first room of a building and control heating, ventilation, and air condition (HVAC) equipment within the building. The thermostat includes a central control hub configured to communicate with a plurality of remote sensor units via a data communications interface. The thermostat further includes a processing circuit configured to monitor and control non-HVAC equipment within the building. The system further includes a first remote sensor unit of the plurality of remote sensor units. The first remote sensor unit is configured to measure environmental conditions in a second room of the building and wirelessly communicate information associated with the measured environmental conditions to the central control hub. The thermostat is further configured to control both the HVAC equipment and the non-HVAC equipment within the building based on the information received from the remote sensor unit.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2016Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Joseph R. Ribbich, John Peter Cipolla, Sudhi Sinha, Youngchoon Park, Michael L. Ribbich, Charles J. Gaidish, Donald R. Albinger
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Patent number: 10907853Abstract: A heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The HVAC system includes a non-transitory computer readable medium that includes instructions that are configured to cause a processor to generate a custom application for an HVAC unit in response to an inquiry regarding the HVAC unit. The custom application comprises a custom sequence of equipment operation of the HVAC unit, and the custom application is configured to regulate operation of components of the HVAC unit. Moreover, the custom application comprises operating parameters and control parameters associated with the HVAC unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2017Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventor: Aron M. Seiler
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Patent number: 10907846Abstract: A cooperative extremum-seeking control system includes a first controller and a second controller. The first controller is configured to provide a first control input to a first plant and receive a first performance variable as feedback from the first plant. The second controller is configured to provide a second control input to a second plant that interacts with the first plant, receive a second performance variable as feedback from the second plant, and provide the second performance variable to the first controller. The first controller is further configured to aggregate the first performance variable and the second performance variable to determine a total performance variable, calculate a gradient of the total performance variable with respect to the first control input, generate a third control input using the gradient of the total performance variable, and provide the third control input to the first plant.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2018Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Timothy I. Salsbury, John M. House
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Publication number: 20210025608Abstract: A controller for HVAC equipment of a plant includes a processing circuit configured to predict an impact of a time delay of the plant on a performance variable received as feedback from the plant. The processing circuit is configured to artificially increase or decrease a value of the performance variable using an adjustable time delay parameter to at least partially negate the impact of the time delay on the performance variable. The processing circuit is configured to use the artificially increased or decreased value of the performance variable in on-off feedback control to operate the HVAC equipment.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2019Publication date: January 28, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: Timothy I. Salsbury, John M. House, Carlos Felipe Alcala Perez
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Publication number: 20210028648Abstract: A power outlet control device includes at least one electrical outlet and a processing circuit comprising a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include monitoring external power supplied to the power outlet control device, detecting one or more powerline events based on the external power supplied to the power outlet control device, and automatically controlling an amount of power supplied to the at least one electrical outlet based on the one or more powerline events.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2020Publication date: January 28, 2021Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology CompanyInventors: TIMOTHY C. GAMROTH, JOSEPH PICCOLO, III