Modular controller for an environmental management system
Contents
1. ality associated with an environmental security system 5 The controller of claim 2 wherein one of the plurality of plug in components is configured to implement function ality associated with an environmental automation system 6 The controller of claim 2 wherein another of the plurality of plug in components is configured to enhance capacity of the environmental management system 7 The controller of claim 1 further comprising a bridge plug in component configured to facilitate interoperability with a legacy environmental management system 8 The controller of claim 7 wherein said interoperability facilitated by the bridge plug in component includes physi cal layer and application layer interoperability 9 A method for upgrading a pre existing environmental management system that performs a specific environmental management function comprising US 2006 0229746 Al providing a modular controller for an environmental management system that performs a second environ mental management function said modular controller having a plurality of ports each for receiving a plug in component and inserting at least one plug in component into one of the plurality of ports said plug in component being con figured to provide at least application level interoper ability between the pre existing environmental man agement system and the modular controller so that wireless signals communicated therebetween are cor rectly interpreted 102. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of inserting a second plug in component into one of the plu rality of ports for configuring the modular controller to perform the second environmental management function 11 The method of claim 9 wherein said modular control ler is a wireless controller Oct 12 2006 12 The method of claim 10 wherein one of the plurality of the plug in components is configured to implement func tionality associated with an environmental security system 13 The method of claim 10 wherein one of the plurality of plug in components is configured to implement function ality associated with an environmental automation system 14 The method of claim 9 wherein one of the plurality of plug in components is configured to enhance capacity of the environmental management system 15 The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of inserting a bridge plug in component configured to facilitate interoperability with a legacy environmental management system 16 The method of claim 15 wherein said interoperability facilitated by the bridge plug in component includes physi cal layer and application layer interoperability
3. central control unit 12 optionally may also be hardwired to one or more local sensors 22 0018 Currently available wireless security systems use any of a variety of different communication standards For example such systems may use without limitation IEEE 802 11 e g 802 11a 802 11b 802 11g IEEE 802 15 e g 802 15 1 802 15 3 802 15 4 DECT PWT pager PCS Wi Fi Bluetooth cellular and the like While the wireless security systems and hence wireless controllers employed in such systems may encompass any of these standards one particularly advantageous network protocol that is currently growing in use is ZigBee which is a software layer based on the IEEE standard 802 15 4 Unlike the IEEE 802 11 and Bluetooth standards ZigBee offers long battery life mea sured in months or even years high reliability small size automatic or semi automatic installation and low cost With a relatively low data rate 802 15 4 compliant devices are expected to be targeted to such cost sensitive low data rate markets as industrial sensors commercial metering con sumer electronics toys and games and home automation and security For these reasons ZigBee may be particularly appropriate for use in both wireless security systems and wireless home automation systems 0019 ZigBee compliant products operate in unlicensed bands worldwide including 2 4 GHz global 902 to 928 MHz Americas and 868 MHz Europe Raw data throughp
4. US 20060229746A1 a2 Patent Application Publication ao Pub No US 2006 0229746 A1 as United States Ollis et al 43 Pub Date Oct 12 2006 54 MODULAR CONTROLLER FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 76 Inventors Jeffrey D Ollis Dresher PA US John M Coogan Lansdale PA US James A Panacek North Wales PA US Correspondence Address GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION DBA THE CONNECTED HOME SOLUTIONS BUSINESS OF MOTOROLA INC 101 TOURNAMENT DRIVE HORSHAM PA 19044 US 21 Appl No 11 254 422 22 Filed Oct 20 2005 Related U S Application Data 60 Provisional application No 60 669 101 filed on Apr 7 2005 REMOTE SENSOR REMOTE SENSOR REMOTE SENSOR REMOTE SENSOR 10 SY 20 CENTRAL TRANSCEIVER 20 20 DISPLAY KEYPAD 20 Publication Classification 51 Int CI G0SB 11 01 2006 01 G0SB 19 18 2006 01 52 U S Ch 700 65 700 66 700 19 57 ABSTRACT A controller is provided for an environmental management system The system includes a transceiver for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from at least one environ mental sensor or actuator over a network and a processor for interpreting received signals and generating signals to be transmitted over the wireless network based upon at least one environmental management function A plurality of ports is also provided each for receiving a plug in compo nent that provid
5. an support both security and automation needs 0010 The consumer is thus currently faced with three primary choices when considering installation of security and or automation systems The consumer may purchase just a security system just an automation system or a system such as the Omni Automation and Security System that provides both security and automation If the consumer purchases either a dedicated security or automation system future expansion of the system to include the other is limited thus requiring the purchase of a separate and inde pendent system On the other hand if the consumer pur chases an integrated security and automation system he or she may be purchasing a system that is more capable and hence more expensive than their current requirements demand 0011 Accordingly it would be desirable to provide a system that is flexible interoperable with a variety of existing or legacy systems and which allows for incremen tal or modular expansion to provide additional functionality as desired BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0012 FIG 1 shows an example of a residential security system 0013 FIG 2 is a logical diagram of a modular controller 0014 FIG 3 is a block diagram representing a hardware view of the modular controller depicted in FIG 2 0015 FIG 4 shows the modular controller of FIGS 2 and 3 incorporated into the security system shown in FIG 1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION 0016 In ge
6. ems their monitoring abilities are also usually quite limited typically to sensors that are either on or off Thus for instance few security systems even have the capability to monitor and report something as simple as the ambient temperature of the monitored premises In part this market segmentation arises from the different demands placed on the two different types of systems For instance security systems must be highly reliable and meet stringent regula tory and other requirements something which is generally not necessary for automation systems Security system con trollers are generally designed to interface with a very limited range of sensors while home automation controllers generally interface with a large number of different devices Additionally security system controllers generally offer unidirectional communication between the sensors and con troller whereas automation system controllers more com monly offer bidirectional communication with various devices 0008 Even within the home automation market itself there is significant market segmentation because most of the automation control manufacturers address narrow vertical market segments and use proprietary interfaces to protect their market For example some leading control manufac turers offer systems that focus on heating ventilation and air conditioning HVAC systems control These manufacturers have little interest in controlling lighting ente
7. es information to implement a specific environmental management function The system also includes a user interface operatively associated with the processor and the plurality of ports for adjusting user controllable parameters The user controllable parameters are determined at least in part by at least one of the plug in components when operationally inserted into one of the ports EXTERNAL NETWORK INTERFACE CONTROLLER LOCAL BUS LOCAL 22 41 SENSOR LOCAL 22 7 SENSOR US 2006 0229746 A1 Patent Application Publication Oct 12 2006 Sheet 1 of 4 L Ola YOSNAS 310N338 HOSN3S 3LON3H YOSNAS JONI HOSN3S 31038 QVdA35 IMW1dS 10 9c YOSNAS W901 U3AIHOSNVHL 1 3OVJ331NI MYOMLAN TWNdsLX3 sna woo H3T1OHINOO US 2006 0229746 A1 Patent Application Publication Oct 12 2006 Sheet 2 of 4 Ovc AJAXIS TIM c Old 5 3HVAOHVH WALSAS 9NILVdH3dO 09 Wd HSVId AVSUAAINN oez 022 JOHINOO WOOYSLNI ALIOO3S 3INOH SOLZ 01 014 4012 yasmoyg TIM voc idv SNI OfYld KENI NOILVOlrlddV 002 Patent Application Publication Oct 12 2006 Sheet 3 of 4 US 2006 0229746 A1 c O 0 Lu A id O 2 DATA OUT CONTROL FIG 3 USER INTERFACE TRANSCEIVER 200 b US 2006 0229746 A1 Patent Ap
8. es to expand the system to include automation func tionality However the same principles apply to a situation in which a home automation system is initially present and the resident wishes to expand the system to include security functionality In other cases the resident may simply desire to expand the capacity of the automation or security system by allowing it for instance to monitor say 40 sensors instead of merely 20 sensors Moreover the security system is assumed to be largely a wireless system in which RF communications is used for all or some of the devices As shown the security system 10 comprises a central control unit 12 a central transceiver 14 which in some cases may be eliminated and replaced by a receiver incorporated in the central control unit 12 a console display keypad 18 a plurality of remote sensors 20 and local sensors 22 an external network interface 24 and an alarm 26 The remote sensors 20 may wirelessly or hard wired to the central transceiver 14 which communicates with the central control unit 12 via a wireless protocol The central control unit 12 also communicates with the console display keypad 18 over a wireless link The central control unit 12 is connected to the external network interface 24 e g an autodialer to communicate over the public switched telephone network or a data connection to communicate over the Internet and the alarm 26 either wirelessly or via a local bus such as local bus 30 The
9. ion with and under the control of the modulator controller 200 Such networked devices include without limitation networked appliances such as coffee makers ovens lights television and stereo units media centers US 2006 0229746 Al 0027 Referring to FIG 4 modular controller 200 includes a plug in 210 referred to herein as a bridge plug in which allows modular controller 200 to interoperate with legacy controller 12 Bridge plug in 2105 may provide two levels of interoperability On the physical level bridge plug in 210 may convert between a communication format employed by the legacy security system and the native communication format employed by the modular controller 200 for the system that is to be added For instance the security system may use a low power low bandwidth format such as IEEE 802 15 4 while the automation system may use another wireless local access network WLAN format such as IEEE 802 11 a cellular based communication format e g CDMA TDMA GSM and the like In addition to physical interoperability bridge plug in 2105 may also provide application level interoperability so that legacy controller 12 and modular controller 200 can use and respond to information received from one another For example if a signal is generated by a security sensor 20 indicating that a door or window has been opened the legacy system will use that signal to activate the alarm 26 and notify the appropriate agency or entity
10. itions and in response to a detected condition generate a warning These other potentially hazardous conditions or threats include for example fire hazards carbon monoxide and power failure and electricity outages 0004 A conventional security system for use in a resi dence for example includes one or more keypads with displays and a central control panel which in some cases is remotely located from the keypads and displays A number of sensors for detecting various conditions are arranged in the home or premises In legacy security systems the sensors are most commonly connected to the control panel by wired means The sensors may be of various types designed to detect a variety of conditions More recently wireless security systems have become available The sen sors are generally relatively simple devices having two operational states represented by a contact that 1s either in an open or closed state 0005 In addition to security systems home automation systems are another type of environmental management system that are becoming more readily available in resi dences Home automation systems or home management systems as they are sometimes called enable control of lighting heating and air conditioning window shades or curtains pool heaters and filtration systems lawn sprinklers ornamental fountains audio visual equipment and other appliances Home automation systems range from relatively simple systems that control o
11. nce with a different wireless standard 0021 FIG 2 is a logical diagram of one embodiment of a modular controller 200 Modular or configurable function ality is implemented at the application layer by one or more plug in components such as plug ins 210 210 The plug in components may be physically implemented as user insert able and removable cards e g flash cards PCMA cards modules and the like The form factor of the plug ins may conform to a well established standard or it may be propri etary The plug in components may be implemented on a single integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit ASIC However the components may also be readily implemented on multiple separate integrated circuits or in software operating on a general purpose processor located in the modular controller 200 The appli cation layer may be a native graphical user interface GUI 202 or web browser 204 that are configurable by each of the different plug in components Illustrative special purpose plug in components include a home automation component 210 a home security component 210 and possibly any of a variety of other components such as an intercom compo nent 210 for providing telephony type services throughout all or part of the premises or an audio component 210 for playing audio files e g music throughout all or part of the premises 0022 The plug in components 210 210 operate in con formance with an ap
12. nd controller in some cases the environmental management system and controller may operate in a wired manner 1 A controller for an environmental management system comprising a transceiver for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from at least one environmental sensor or actuator over a network a processor for interpreting received signals and generat ing signals to be transmitted over the wireless network based upon at least one environmental management function a plurality of ports each for receiving a plug in component that provides information to implement a specific envi ronmental management function a user interface operatively associated with the processor and the plurality of ports for adjusting user controllable parameters said user controllable parameters being determined at least in part by at least one of the plug in components when operationally inserted into one of the ports 2 The controller of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of plug in components selectively insertable in and remov able from each of the plurality of ports each of the plug in components being configured to implement in association with the processor a specific environmental management function 3 The controller of claim 1 wherein said transceiver and said network are in communication in a wireless manner 4 The controller of claim 1 wherein one of the plurality of plug in components is configured to implement function
13. ne or a few functions in a home to more elaborate systems that control multiple disparate features 0006 In general a home automation or control system comprises one or more controlled devices one or more controllers and a communication link coupling a controller to a controlled device The controllers may be directly programmable in which case they include some form of user interface for setting switches event timing and the like Alternatively the controllers may be indirectly or remotely Oct 12 2006 programmable in which case a separate user interface may be implemented by a personal computer or the like Systems may be programmed using either a simple command lan guage or using a graphical user interface that requires a computer with a monitor These systems are often expensive and require substantial investment by the user in time and energy to install and modify programming To enter and or change a program a user must consult a user s manual or call a programming specialist Hence in comparison to some security systems these systems can be difficult to install and adapt to changing needs Moreover they are difficult to expand by adding new controlled devices or new software to add functionality 0007 Traditionally the security system market has been quite distinct from the home automation market For example not only do most security systems fail to provide the control capabilities offered by home automation syst
14. neral security and automation systems may be used to provide security and automation to a home office or other type of commercial or residential building In the residential context the systems establish a home network that controls coordinates facilitates and monitors user designated activities within the home The systems may also provide compatibility between external and internal net Works systems and appliances As described in more detail below a controller is provided that is modular in construc tion to allow easy expansion and customization The modu lar controller can be retrofitted for use in existing structures with legacy systems to provide enhanced functionality with out the need for drastic remodeling added wiring or com plicated installation customization and can simplify instal lation whether performed by the resident or a professional installer Moreover the modularity ofthe controller provides for easy customization for either commercial or residential use Expansion can be accomplished by adding new plug in components or modules to the controller Although the following examples are primarily described with reference to home applications the described devices and concepts also are applicable for commercial use 0017 For purposes of illustration the following example will assume that a security system ofthe type shown in FIG Oct 12 2006 1 is already present in a residence and that the resident desir
15. plication Publication Oct 12 2006 Sheet 4 of 4 H3TIOHLINOO Mv 39VJMH3 LLNI MYOMLAN 1 YOSNAS W901 Sna8 W907 YJ TIOYLNOO d 2 NS HOSN3S W901 QVdA3M IAN ldSIa YOSNAS 31033 YOSN3S 310IN3H YOSNAS ALOWAY HOSN3S J LOWY H3AISOSNVHL TVHLIN3O US 2006 0229746 Al MODULAR CONTROLLER FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STATEMENT OF RELATED APPLICATION 0001 This application claims the benefit of U S Provi sional Application No 60 669 101 filed Apr 7 2005 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0002 The present invention relates generally to environ mental management systems such as security and automa tion systems and more particularly to a controller for providing flexible and incremental expandability of envi ronmental management systems BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0003 In residential and commercial environments there are many stand alone devices and often one or more indi vidual environmental management systems functioning independently For instance electronic security systems are relatively common in residential and commercial environ ments Individuals and families in particular desire a secu rity system that monitors a defined premises and or envi ronment to prevent or deter theft burglary and robbery In addition there is a desire to monitor and detect other defined cond
16. plication programming interface API layer that provides access to services available from the operating system OS 250 and augments those services that the OS provides The API layer may be implemented in a variety of different ways such as with Universal Plug and Play protocols and procedures 220 flash processes 230 related to a Macromedia FLASH programming environ ment and or web server products 240 0023 The API layer via the OS layer 250 controls the driver layer 260 The driver layer 260 in turn interfaces with the various hardware components ofthe controller such as a microprocessor hardware communication interfaces to sensors actuators and the like Drivers may be added or removed as needed to support additional or updated func tionality 0024 FIG 3 is a block diagram representing a hardware view of the modular controller 200 depicted in FIG 2 The modular controller 200 includes an antenna port 82 RF front end transceiver 84 one or more plug in ports 60 605 60 60 microprocessor 86 having ROM 88 and RAM Oct 12 2006 90 programming port 92 and local bus 94 corresponding to local bus 30 in FIG 1 Local bus 94 may also be used to communicate with any local sensors actuators or net worked devices that may be employed RF front end trans ceiver 84 may be compliant with one or more wireless formats In some cases the front end transceiver 84 may be compliant with the ZigBee standard as well as
17. rtainment systems and the like as these markets are entirely foreign to them Other manufacturers make for example home enter tainment controllers that integrate various video and audio components but the primary focus has been to offer inte grated control over only their own components As a result consumers face an array of control systems that do not interoperate and that have proprietary interfaces that are difficult to understand and program That is the use of multiple platforms generally means that the interfaces are inconsistent with each other in the manner in which controls are accessed displayed and operate so that a consumer must learn the unique interface features of each system Hence as more systems are added the complexity for the consumer increases significantly as new control interfaces must be added and learned 0009 Recently some efforts have been made to provide integrated security and automation systems In addition to the simplifications that arise from using a single platform this combination of systems offers enhanced functionality and features that neither provide on their own For instance US 2006 0229746 Al home automation systems may be integrated with a home security system so that when a fire alarm is raised for example internal and external lights will be turned on An example of such a system is Home Automation Inc s Omni Automation and Security System which includes a control ler that c
18. using external network interface 24 Likewise modular controller 200 may use that same signal from the security sensor to turn on lights or activate a camera or other devices under control of the modular controller 200 Depending on the level of sophis tication of the bridge plug in 201 the modular controller 200 may also be able to activate and deactivate features of the legacy security system or communicate information through the legacy security controller 12 For instance if in response to a security sensor 20 the modular controller 200 activates a camera the data from that camera may be forwarded from the modular controller 200 to the legacy security controller 12 which may in turn transmit the data using external network interface 24 to the same agency or entity that is notified when a security sensor indicates unauthorized entry 0028 The manufacturer of the modular controller 200 may also manufacture a variety of different bridge plug ins for various legacy security systems to enhance its flexibility Alternatively or additionally the manufacturer of the legacy security system or even a third party may provide bridge plug in components for the modular controller 200 In this way the flexibility and number of compatible legacy systems with which the controller operates can be increased still further 0029 A number of other benefits arise from the use of a modular controller as described above For example the manufacturer ma
19. ut rates of 250 Kbps can be achieved at 2 4 GHz 16 channels 40 Kbps at 915 MHz 10 channels and 20 Kbps at 868 MHz 1 channel The transmission distance generally ranges from 10 to 75 m depending on power output and environmental characteristics Like Wi Fi Zigbee uses direct sequence spread spectrum in the 2 4 GHz band with offset quadrature phase shift keying modulation Channel width is 2 MHz with a 5 MHz channel spacing The 868 and 900 MHz bands also use direct sequence spread spectrum but with binary phase shift keying modulation US 2006 0229746 Al 0020 Given an installed security system such as described above in connection with FIG 1 home automa tion functionality may be provided by the addition of an adjunct modular controller As discussed in more detail below the modular controller may be used not only to extend an installed security or automation system it may also be used as the foundation of an integrated system that offers security functionality automation functionality or both The functionality may all be deployed in the initial system or it may be added incrementally That is the modular controller can be used to overcome the problem that arises when a resident wishes to expand either a security or automation system with capabilities that were not originally provided Moreover the security system may even operate in conformance with one wireless standard while the auto mation system may operate in conforma
20. with at least one other wireless standard commonly used in legacy secu rity or automation systems e g IEEE 802 11 In other cases the transceiver 84 may be able to operate in conform ance with a number of different wireless standards with the use of appropriate plug in components If employed local bus 94 may include for example one or more analog to digital inputs one or more digital to analog outputs one or more UART ports one or more Serial Peripheral Interface SPI and or one or more digital I O lines not shown The network controller may also include RAM port 98 and ROM port 100 or a single port for both for among other things upgrading software residing in the microprocessor 86 as opposed to upgrades performed by replacement of plug in components discussed below User interface 95 a keypad display unit functions at the application level of FIG 2 and allows control of the various user adjustable parameters of the modular controller 200 0025 The modular controller 200 provides a consumer with a great degree of flexibility when initially purchasing a system For example if the consumer is in immediate need ofa security system the consumer can purchase the modular controller 200 with only the security plug in 2102 along with the associated sensors and the like If at a later time the consumer wishes to install an automation system the con sumer can simply purchase the home automation plug in 210 along
21. with the associated monitors actuators and the like In this way the consumer only needs to purchase as much equipment as is necessary to serve his or her imme diate needs without limiting the future expandability of the system 0026 The modular controller 200 also provides the con sumer with a number of different upgrade paths depending on the equipment that is already in place For instance if the legacy equipment includes the modular controller itself upgrading to provide automation features is a simple matter of purchasing additional plug in components along with any associated peripheral equipment On the other hand if the legacy system is a dedicated independent security system or automation system of a conventional type the modular controller 200 can be incorporated into the legacy system with the use of an additional plug in component that is configured to allow the modular controller to interoperate with the legacy controller In other cases the legacy equip ment can be upgraded to provide more capacity so that the system can monitor more sensors in the case of a security system or control more devices in the case of an automa tion system An example of such an arrangement is shown in FIG 4 in which modular controller 200 has been incorporated into the security system shown in FIG 1 In FIGS 1 4 like elements are denoted by like reference numerals Also shown in FIG 4 are networked devices 28 that are in communicat
22. y occasionally upgrade one or more the plug in components to provide advanced features not pre viously available or even contemplated For example if lighting were eventually to become available in which the user could control not only its intensity but also its color it would be desirable if in addition to simply turning the lighting on and off and adjusting the dimming level the automation system could also control the color of the lighting The enhanced functionality can be readily achieved by providing the user with an upgraded automation plug in module e g module 210 that expands the message set defining control of lighting from one that refers only to intensity to one that specifies color and intensity Oct 12 2006 0030 Although various embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein it will be appreciated that modifications and variations are covered by the above teachings and are within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention For example while modular functionality has been described in terms of the provision of plug in modules this same functionality can be provided by software com ponents or modules that are downloaded directly to the controller without the need to add any additional hardware components to the controller Moreover while the environ mental management system and controller have been described in terms of a wireless system a
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