Patents Assigned to Johnson Controls Technology
  • Publication number: 20200136677
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Daniel R. Rumler, Steven L. Whitsitt, Robert K. Alexander, Christopher Merkl, Gary A. Romanowich, Bernard Clement, Kevin A. Weiss
  • Patent number: 10634381
    Abstract: A system includes primary zone control circuitry coupled to a set of zones, wherein the primary zone control circuitry is configured to communicate a first control signal to master control circuitry via a first communication bus, communicate one or more second control signals to one or more corresponding second zones, and communicate one or more third control signals to secondary zone control circuitry via a second communication bus. The master control circuitry is configured to control a first zone airflow to a first zone based on the first control signal. Each control signal of the one or more second control signals is configured to control a respective second zone airflows to the one or more corresponding second zones. The secondary zone control circuitry is configured to control one or more third zone airflows to one or more corresponding third zones based on the one or more third control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Jonathan A. Burns, Shaun B. Atchison, Theresa N. Gillette
  • Patent number: 10634391
    Abstract: A vapor compression system that includes an evaporator system that changes a temperature of a fluid flowing across the evaporator system using a refrigerant. The evaporator system includes a first evaporator section that cools the fluid flowing across the first evaporator section using the refrigerant. The evaporator system also includes a second evaporator section that is capable of alternatively cooling and heating the fluid flowing across the second evaporator section with the refrigerant. A valve system controls a flow of the refrigerant through the second evaporator section between a first flow path of the evaporator system and a second flow path of the evaporator system. The refrigerant heats the fluid flowing across the second evaporator section as the refrigerant flows through the first flow path and the refrigerant cools the fluid flowing across the second evaporator section as the refrigerant flows through the second flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Nicholas P. Mislak
  • Patent number: 10634437
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger coil prototyping system. The heat exchanger coil prototyping system includes a heat exchanger coil with a first conduit and a second conduit that carry a refrigerant. The first conduit includes a first open end and a second open end. The second conduit includes a third open end and a fourth open end. A fin couples to the first conduit and the second conduit. A quick release connector system also couples to the first and second conduits. The quick release connector system includes a first quick release connector assembly that couples to the first open end of the first conduit and to the third open end of the second conduit to route the refrigerant between the first and second conduits. A second quick release connector assembly couples to the second conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Douglas A. Kester, Nicholas P. Mislak
  • Patent number: 10635055
    Abstract: A building control system determines the uncertainty in a break even temperature parameter of an energy use model. The energy use model is used to predict energy consumption of a building site as a function of the break even temperature parameter and one or more predictor variables. The uncertainty in the break even temperature parameter is used to analyze energy performance of the building site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Mohammad N. EIBsat, Michael J. Wenzel
  • Publication number: 20200125043
    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: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Youngchoon Park
  • Publication number: 20200125045
    Abstract: A controller for heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) equipment including a processing circuit configured to perform a first optimization to generate a first set of control decisions for HVAC equipment including waterside HVAC equipment that consume resources from utility providers to generate a heated or chilled fluid and airside HVAC equipment that receive and use the fluid from the waterside HVAC equipment to heat or cool a supply of airflow for a building. The processing circuit is configured to perform a second optimization subject to a constraint based on a result of the first optimization to generate a second set of control decisions for the HVAC equipment and to combine the first and second sets to generate a combined set of control decisions for the HVAC equipment. The processing circuit is configured to operate the HVAC equipment in accordance with the combined set of control decisions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Risbeck, Robert D. Turney, Christos T. Maravelias
  • Publication number: 20200125053
    Abstract: A building management system includes an entity database, a software defined gateway, and an entity service. The entity database stores a plurality of interconnected smart entities including object entities representing a plurality of physical devices, people, or spaces and data entities representing data associated with the plurality of physical devices, people, or spaces. The smart entities are interconnected by relational objects indicating relationships between the object entities and the data entities. The software defined gateway is configured to receive information technology (IT) data and operational technology (OT) data from a plurality of different data sources. The entity service is configured to create a new smart entity in the entity database or update an existing smart entity in the entity database using the IT data and the OT data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Youngchoon Park, Sudhi R. Sinha, Vaidhyanathan Venkiteswaran, Vijaya S. Chennupati, Erik S. Paulson
  • Publication number: 20200125059
    Abstract: A building control system has a controller including a processing circuit configured to transition between multiple discrete operating states by executing state transitions, generate an adaptive user interface including a representation of the multiple discrete operating states and the state transitions therebetween, and automatically learn one or more learned behaviors or preferences of the user. The processing circuit is also configured to retrieve, from a descriptive text database, a description of a selected operating state or selected state transition based on the one or more learned behaviors or preferences of the user, the descriptive text database storing multiple different descriptions of the selected operating state or selected state transition, and update the adaptive user interface to provide the description of the selected operating state or selected state transition retrieved from the descriptive text database based on the one or more learned behaviors or preferences of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: Kirk H. Drees
  • Publication number: 20200125084
    Abstract: A building management system including building equipment operable to affect a variable state or condition of a building and a control system including a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive asset data relating to operation of the building equipment. The processing circuit is configured to identify a building device of the building equipment in a fault state based on the asset data. The processing circuit is configured to generate a work order in response to identifying the building device in the fault state. The work order indicates a required maintenance action and a maintenance time window. The processing circuit is configured to automatically populate fields of the work order based on the fault state. The processing circuit is configured to provide the work order to a user device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Patrick E. Harder, Nicole Ann Madison, Michael J. Zummo
  • Publication number: 20200125249
    Abstract: A building energy management includes building equipment, one or more data platform services, a timeseries database, and an energy management application. The building equipment operate to monitor and control a variable and provide raw data samples of a data point associated with the variable. The timeseries database stores a plurality of timeseries associated with the data point. The plurality of timeseries include a timeseries of the raw data samples and the one or more optimized data timeseries generated by the data platform services based on the raw data timeseries. The energy management application generates an ad hoc dashboard including a widget and associates the widget with the data point. The widget displays a graphical visualization of the plurality of timeseries associated with the data point and includes interactive user interface options for switching between the plurality of timeseries associated with the data point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Youngchoon Park, Vijaya S. Chennupati, Gerald A. Asp
  • Patent number: 10629038
    Abstract: A building security system. The building security system includes a door analysis system for the building for detecting a lock defeat device (LDD) installed at a door of the building. The door analysis system includes a processing circuit configured to receive door data for the door of the building from an access control system, the door data including a plurality of door events; determine whether the LDD has been installed at the door by analyzing the plurality of door events with one or more LDD indicators; and generate an LDD event indicating that the LDD has been installed at the door in response to a determination that the LDD has been installed at the door based on an analysis with the one or more LDD indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Donagh S. Horgan, Jan R. Holliday, Eamonn O'Toole
  • Patent number: 10627786
    Abstract: An extremum-seeking control system includes a plant operable to affect a variable state or condition of a building and an extremum-seeking controller. The extremum-seeking controller is configured to provide a control input to a plant and receive a performance variable as a first feedback from the plant. The plant uses the control input to affect the performance variable. The extremum-seeking controller is configured to receive a constrained variable as a second feedback from the plant and calculate a performance penalty by applying a penalty function to the constrained variable. The extremum-seeking controller is further configured to modify the performance variable with the performance penalty to generate a modified cost function, estimate a gradient of the modified cost function with respect to the control input, and drive the gradient of the modified cost function toward zero by modulating the control input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Timothy I. Salsbury, John M. House
  • Patent number: 10627126
    Abstract: A thermostat includes a housing, a touch-sensitive display configured to display visual media and receive user inputs, processing electronics configured to operate the touch-sensitive display, and a mounting plate. The housing includes a base that has walls that define an internal volume. The housing also includes a display mount cantilevered upward from the top wall. The display mount includes a mounting surface perpendicular to the top wall of the base. The housing also includes a touch-sensitive display configured to display visual media and receive user inputs. The touch-sensitive display is attached to the mounting surface of the display mount. The processing electronics are positioned within the interior volume of the base. The mounting plate is configured for attaching the housing to a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the bottom wall by a hinge so that the housing may pivot between an open position and a closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Joseph R. Ribbich, Nicholas S. Van Derven
  • Patent number: 10627124
    Abstract: A method for testing a cooling component in a building HVAC system uses a state-based testing procedure. The method includes providing a control signal to the cooling component. The control signal instructs the cooling component to activate. The method includes monitoring feedback from a temperature sensor configured to measure temperature affected by the cooling component and evaluating a state transition condition by comparing the feedback from the temperature sensor to a threshold value. The state transition condition is satisfied if the feedback is less than the threshold value and not satisfied if the feedback is not less than the threshold value. The method includes transitioning into a pass state in response to the feedback from the temperature sensor satisfying the state transition condition and transitioning into a fail state in response to the feedback from the temperature sensor not satisfying the state transition condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: J. Carlin Walser, Saman Beyhaghi, Matthew J. Asmus
  • Patent number: 10627123
    Abstract: A thermostat for a building space includes a communication interface and a processing circuit. The communications interface is configured to communicate with one or more user devices and a master device. The processing circuit is configured to determine a master temperature setpoint based on input received from the master device via the communications interface and determine a non-master temperature setpoint based on input received from the one or more user devices via the communications interface. The processing circuit is configured to select one of the master temperature setpoint and the non-master temperature setpoint based on an operating mode of the thermostat. Based on the selected temperature setpoint, the processing circuit is configured to generate and provide control signals for building equipment. The control signals cause the building equipment to control an ambient temperature of the building space to the selected setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventor: William P. Alberth, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20200119982
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Donald A. Gottschalk, Michael R. Brownie, Gary A. Romanowich, Robert K. Alexander, Nathan J. Vandermause
  • Publication number: 20200116380
    Abstract: A controller for an energy plant includes a processing circuit having a processor and memory which stores instructions executed by the processor. The processing circuit is configured to identify, from a plurality of thermodynamic states affected by a plurality of heat, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) devices, a reduced subset of the plurality of thermodynamic states to be predicted based on connections between the plurality of HVAC devices. The processing circuit is configured to predict values of the reduced subset of the plurality of thermodynamic states and operate the plurality of HVAC devices based on the predicted values of the reduced subset of the plurality of thermodynamic states.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Graeme Willmott, Matthew J. Asmus
  • Publication number: 20200117717
    Abstract: A method for generating a human-like response to a voice or text command includes receiving an input sequence of words and processing the input sequence of words to generate a trigger word that is indicative of a desired nature of the human-like response. The method further includes encoding a neural network using the trigger word and generating the human-like response using an output of the neural network. The method enables implementation of voice command functionality in various types of devices with only a small amount of training data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Applicant: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Viswanath Ramamurti, Young M. Lee
  • Patent number: 10620616
    Abstract: A computerized method for conducting a performance diagnostic for a damper in a flow control unit includes providing a control signal to the damper. The control signal instructs the damper to move into a target position or to achieve a target flow rate through the flow control unit. The method includes measuring a first differential pressure using a pressure sensor of the flow control unit at a first time before providing the control signal to the damper and measuring a second differential pressure using the pressure sensor of the flow control unit at a second time after providing the control signal to the damper. The method includes calculating a rate of change between the measured differential pressures based on a difference between the first and second measured differential pressures and a difference between the first and second times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Troy A. Goldschmidt, Dimitri S. Papadopoulos