WO2025227366A1

WO2025227366A1 - System and method for automatically configuring a wall module to match a configuration of a controller of a building control system

Info

Publication number: WO2025227366A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/090853
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hongyan Ren; Guy Zebrick; Jianguo Zhao; John Hutchey; Neha Iyer; Qinghua Wang; Ji Zhang; Zhiguo DI
Original assignee: Honeywell International Inc
Current assignee: Honeywell International Inc
Priority date: 2024-04-30
Filing date: 2024-04-30
Publication date: 2025-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-30

Abstract

A wall module is configured to automatically configured itself to match an existing configuration of a BMS controller (12) of a building management system (10) in a plug-and-play fashion. The wall module is capable of emulating each of two or more wall module types, and when initially wired to a corresponding BMS controller (12), the wall module sequentially emulates each of the two or more wall module types in a predetermined order until the wall module matches the existing configuration of the corresponding BMS controller (12). The wall module then continues to emulate the wall module type that matches the existing configuration of the corresponding BMS controller (12).

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONFIGURING A WALL MODULE TO MATCH A CONFIGURATION OF A CONTROLLER OF A BUILDING CONTROL SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to building management systems, and more particularly to automatically configuring a wall module to match a configuration of a controller of a building management system.

BACKGROUND

Building management systems can include Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting systems, security systems and the like. Such building management systems may include a number of wall modules that each are operatively coupled to a BMS controller. The wall modules may include sensors that provide information back to the corresponding controllers. The wall modules may include a user interface that can display information from the corresponding controllers. At least some of the controllers may be unitary controllers that only control a single zone within a building. The unitary controllers may be configured when initially installed and commissioned, and thus may be configured to interact with the particular wall module type that was present when the unitary controller and wall module were initially configured.

In some cases, there may be a desire to automatically configure a wall module to match an existing configuration of a corresponding controller of the building control system. For example, during initial commissioning of a building, and after various controllers are installed in the building, the controllers of the building may be configured by a commissioning engineer, sometimes from a remote location. The configuration of each of the controllers may be downloaded from the remote location to each respective controller. Subsequently, an installer may install various wall modules in the building, and wire them up to a respective one of the controller. What would be desirable is a wall module that can emulate two or more different wall module types, and automatically select an emulation that matches a configuration of the corresponding controller of the building control system in a plug-and-play fashion. In another example, and after the building control system has been up and running, and it is now desired to replace an existing wall module with a replacement wall module, what would be desirable is a replacement wall module that can emulate one or more earlier wall module types such that the new replacement wall module automatically selects an emulation that matches a configuration of the corresponding controller of the building control system in a plug-and-play fashion.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates generally to building management systems, and more particularly to automatically configuring a wall module to match a configuration of a controller of a building management system. An example may be found in a method for replacing a selected wall module of a Building Management System (BMS) that is of a first wall module type with a replacement wall module that is of a different wall module type. In this example, the selected wall module is operatively coupled with a BMS controller of the Building Management System (BMS) via a network connection, and the BMS controller has a current configuration that configures the BMS controller to interact with wall modules that have the first wall module type and to communicate a plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type. The illustrative method includes disconnecting the selected wall module from the network connection and connecting the replacement wall module with the BMS controller via the network connection in place of the selected wall module. The replacement wall module automatically emulates the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller, thereby not requiring the BMS controller to be reconfigured from the current configuration to interact with the replacement wall module.

Another example may be found in a wall module. The wall module includes a network port for communicating with a BMS controller of a Building Management System (BMS) , wherein the BMS controller of the BMS system has a current configuration that configures the BMS controller to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type of a plurality of wall modules types via the network port. The wall module includes a user interface and a controller that is operatively coupled to the network port and the user interface. The controller of the wall module is configured to automatically determine whether that the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, and if so, automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type such that the BMS controller need not be reconfigured to interact with the wall module. In some cases, the controller of the wall module may automatically determine whether that the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type based on one or more interactions with the BMS controller that is configured to interact with the first wall module type.

Another example may be found in a non-transient computer readable medium storing instructions thereon that when executed by one or more processors of a wall module causes the one or more processors of the wall module to automatically determine whether a BMS controller of a BMS system is configured with a current configuration to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type, and if so, automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type such that the BMS controller need not be reconfigured to interact with the wall module.

The preceding summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present disclosure and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the disclosure can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, figures, and abstract as a whole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of the following description of various examples in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an illustrative building control system (BMS) ;

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an illustrative wall module that may be installed within the BMS of Figure 1;

Figures 3A and 3B are flow diagrams that together show an illustrative method for replacing a selected wall module of the BMS system of Figure 1 with the replacement wall module of Figure 2;

Figures 4A and 4B are flow diagrams that together show an illustrative method for installing and/or replacing a wall module of a BMS system;

Figures 5A and 5B are flow diagrams that together show an illustrative initial setup process that may occurs within the replacement wall module;

Figure 6 is a flow diagram showing a portion of the initial setup process of Figure 5; and

Figures 7 through 11 show a user interface of a wall module showing illustrative screens that may be displayed when originally installing a wall module and/or replacing an existing wall module with a replacement wall module.

While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the disclosure to the particular examples described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

The following description should be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in like fashion. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict examples that are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Although examples are illustrated for the various elements, those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the examples provided have suitable alternatives that may be utilized.

All numbers are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about” , unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5) .

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a” , “an” , and “the” include the plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

It is noted that references in the specification to “an embodiment” , “some embodiments” , “other embodiments” , etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is contemplated that the feature, structure, or characteristic may be applied to other embodiments whether or not explicitly described unless clearly stated to the contrary.

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an illustrative building management system (BMS) 10. The illustrative BMS 10 includes a BMS controller 12 that is configured to operate BMS equipment 14. The BMS equipment 14 may be HVAC equipment, for example. The BMS controller 12 communicates with the BMS equipment 14 over a network 16. A selected wall module 18 is configured to communicate via a network connection 20 with the BMS controller 12 via the network 16. The selected wall module 18 may have a first wall module type, for example. In one example, a replacement wall module 22 may be used to replace the selected wall module 18 once the selected wall module 18 has been disconnected from the network connection 20. The replacement wall module 22 may have a second wall module type that is different from the first wall module type. After the selected wall module 18 has been disconnected from the network connection 20, the replacement wall module 22 may subsequently be connected to the network connection 20 and used in place of the selected wall module 18.

Once installed, the replacement wall module 22 executes a process to determine the wall module type of the selected wall module 18. Once the replacement wall module 22 determines that the selected wall module 18 was of the first wall module type, the replacement wall module 22 will, despite being of the second wall module type, emulate the first wall module type so that the replacement wall module 22 will be able to communicate correctly with the BMS controller 12 without requiring any edits or configuration changes to the BMS controller 12.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing additional details of an illustrative wall module 22. The illustrative wall module 22 includes a housing 24 that allows the wall module 22 to be grasped. The wall module 22 includes a network port 26 for communicating with the BMS controller 12. The network port 26 may be accessible from an exterior of the housing 24. As an example, the network port 26 may accommodate an Ethernet cable. Other wiring protocols are also contemplated. In some cases, the network port may be a wireless network port.

In some cases, the BMS controller 12 has a current configuration that configures the BMS controller 12 to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type (of a plurality of wall module types) via the network port 26. This configuration may be providing to the BMS controller 12 during initial commissioning of the building. The wall module 22 includes a user interface 28 and a controller 30 that is operatively coupled to the network port 26 and to the user interface 28. The controller 30 of the wall module 22 is configured to automatically determine whether that the BMS controller 12 of the BMS system 10 is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, and if so, automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type such that the BMS controller 12 need not be reconfigured to interact with the wall module 22. In some cases, this may be accomplished in a plug-and-play manner.

In some cases, and in order to automatically determine whether the BMS controller 12 of the BMS system 10 may be configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, the controller 30 of the wall module 22 may be configured to automatically emulate a wall module having a first one of a plurality of predefined wall modules types and to determine whether the wall module 22, while emulating the wall module of the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller 12. When the wall module 22, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is determined to be compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller 12, the controller 30 of the wall module 22 may be configured to determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the first one of the plurality of predefined wall module types. When the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is not compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller 12, the controller 30 of the wall module 22 is configured to automatically emulate a wall module having a second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types. The controller 30 of the wall module 22 may be configured to determine whether the wall module 22, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller 12. When the wall module 22, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is determined to be compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller 12, the controller 30 of the wall module 22 is configured to determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the second one of the plurality of predefined wall module types. This may be repeated for additional ones of the plurality of predefined wall modules types until the controller 30 of the wall module 22 determines which of the plurality of predefined wall module types corresponds to the first wall module type.

When the controller 30 of the wall module 22 cannot automatically determine whether that the wall module can emulate a wall module that is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller 12, the controller 30 may be configured to accept a user input via the user interface 28 of the wall module 22 that identifies the wall module type that that wall module should emulate.

In some instances, the controller 30 of the wall module 22 may also be configured to determine whether the current configuration of the BMS controller 12 is configured to communicate with the wall module 22 via a predefined network address (e.g. Sylk address 1) , and when the current configuration of the BMS controller 12 is not configured to communicate with the wall module 22 via the predefined network address, the controller 30 may be configured to not automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type but rather accept a user input via the user interface 28 of the wall module 22 that identifies a wall module type for the wall module 22.

In some cases, the wall module 22 may include a non-volatile memory 32 that is operably connected with the controller 30. In some cases, the controller 30 of the wall module 22 may be configured to store a wall module type identifier in the non-volatile memory 32 of the wall module 22 that identifies the first wall module type for the wall module 22. Upon subsequent restarts of the wall module 22 (e.g. after restoration of power after a loss of power and/or after a reboot) , the controller 30 may be configured to read the wall module type identifier from the non-volatile memory 32 of the wall module 22 and emulate a wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller 12 without first having to emulate various ones of the plurality of predefined wall modules types to determine the first wall module type.

In one example use case, during initial commissioning of a building, and after various BMS controllers are installed in the building, the BMS controllers may be configured by a commissioning engineer, sometimes from a remote location. The configuration of each of the BMS controllers may be downloaded from the remote location to each respective BMS controller. Subsequently, an installer may install various wall modules in the building, and wire them up to a respective one of the BMS controller. In this scenario, each of the newly installed wall modules may be configured to automatically select to emulate a wall module having a wall module type that matches the configuration of the corresponding BMS controller of the building control system in a plug-and-play fashion. In another example use case, after the building control system has been up and running, and it is now desired to replace an existing wall module with a replacement wall module, the replacement wall modules may be configured to automatically select to emulate a wall module having a wall module type of the existing wall module and that matches the configuration of the corresponding BMS controller of the building control system in a plug-and-play fashion.

Figures 3A and 3B are flow diagrams that together show an illustrative method 34 for replacing a selected wall module (such as the selected wall module 18) of a Building Management System (BMS) (such as the BMS system 10) that is of a first wall module type with a replacement wall module (such as the replacement wall module 22) that is of a different wall module type, the selected wall module being operatively coupled with a BMS controller (such as the BMS controller 12) of the Building Management System (BMS) via a network connection (such as the network connection 20) , and the BMS controller has a current configuration that configures the BMS controller to interact with wall modules that have the first wall module type and to communicate a plurality of parameters that are correspond to the first wall module type. The BMS controller may communicate with the wall module in a bi-directional manner, allowing the BMS controller to send and receive parameters that are correspond to the first wall module type. The plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type may include, for example, one or more of a sensed temperature value, a sensed humidity value, a sensed carbon dioxide value, a temperature setpoint value, a current operating mode of the BMS controller, and an occupancy status.

The method 34 includes disconnecting the selected wall module from the network connection, as indicated at block 36. The replacement wall module is connected with the BMS controller via the network connection in place of the selected wall module, as indicated at block 38.The replacement wall module is configured to automatically emulate the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller, thereby not requiring the BMS controller to be reconfigured from the current configuration to interact with the replacement wall module, as indicated at block 40. The replacement wall module may be configured to automatically emulate the selected wall module having the first wall module type in a plug-and-play manner. In some cases, the plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type may be different from the plurality of parameters that correspond to a second wall module type of the plurality of predefined wall modules types.

In some cases, the replacement wall module, once connected with the BMS controller, automatically determines the first wall module type of the selected wall module from a plurality of predefined wall modules types, as indicated at block 42. In some cases, automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module may include the replacement wall module automatically emulating a wall module having a first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, as indicated at block 42a. In some cases, automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module may include determining whether the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module of the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, as indicated at block 42b. In some cases, automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module may include, when the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determining that the first wall module type of the selected wall module corresponds to the first one of the plurality of predefined wall module types, as indicated at block 42c. In some cases, when the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is not compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, the replacement wall module automatically emulates a wall module having a second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, as indicated at block 42d.

Continuing on Figure 3B, automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module may include determining whether the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, as indicated at block 42e. In some cases, automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module may include when the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determining that the first wall module type of the selected wall module corresponds to the second one of the plurality of predefined wall module types, as indicated at block 42f. This may be repeated for additional ones of the plurality of predefined wall modules types until the replacement wall module determines which of the plurality of predefined wall module types corresponds to the first wall module type.

The method 34 may include, when the replacement wall module cannot automatically determine the first wall module type of the selected wall module from the plurality of predefined wall modules types, the replacement wall module may accept a manual input entered by a user via a user interface of the replacement wall module that identifies the first wall module type of the selected wall module, and the replacement wall module automatically emulates the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller, as indicated at block 44.

In some cases, the method 34 may include determining whether the selected wall module had a predefined network address for communicating with the BMS controller on the network connection, and when the selected wall module did not have a predefined network address for communicating with the BMS controller on the network connection, the replacement wall module does not automatically emulating the selected wall module having the first wall module type, but rather, the replacement wall module accepts input from a user interface of the replacement wall module that identifies a wall module type for the replacement wall module to emulate and a network address for the replacement wall module, as indicated at block 46.

In some cases, the method 34 may include storing a wall module type identifier in a non-volatile memory of the replacement wall module that identifies the first wall module type for the replacement wall module, as indicated at block 48. In some cases, and upon subsequent restarts othe replacement wall module (e.g. after restoration of power after a loss of power and/or after a reboot) , the replacement wall module reads the wall module type identifier from the non-volatile memory of the replacement wall module and the replacement wall module emulates the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller without first having to emulate various ones of the plurality of predefined wall modules types to determine the first wall module type, as indicated at block 50.

Figures 4A and 4B are flow diagrams that together show an illustrative series of steps 52 that may be carried out by one or more processors of a wall module (such as the new wall module 22 installed during original construction of the building, or a replacement wall module 22)when the one or more processors of the wall module are executing instructions that are stored upon a non-transient computer readable medium. The one or more processors may be caused to automatically determine whether a BMS controller of a BMS system is configured with a current configuration to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type, and if so, automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type such that the BMS controller need not be reconfigured to interact with the wall module, as indicated at block 54. In some cases, this may include the one or more processors being caused to automatically emulate a wall module having a first one of a plurality of predefined wall modules types, as indicated at block 54a. In some cases, this may include the one or more processors being caused to determine whether the wall module, while emulating the wall module of the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, as indicated at block 54b. In some cases, this may include the one or more processors being caused to when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the first one of the plurality of predefined wall module types, as indicated at block 54c.

In some cases, when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is not compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, the one or more processors may be caused to automatically emulate a wall module having a second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, as indicated at block 56. The one or more processors may be caused to determine whether the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, as indicated at block 58.

In some cases, and continuing on Figure 4B, when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, is compatible with the current configuration of the BMS controller, the one or more processors may be caused to determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the second one of the plurality of predefined wall module types, as indicated at block 60. This may be repeated for additional ones of the plurality of predefined wall modules types until the wall module determines which of the plurality of predefined wall module types corresponds to the first wall module type.

When the one or more processors of the wall module cannot automatically determine whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is currently configured to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type, the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to accept a user input via a user interface of the wall module that identifies whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, as indicated at block 64.

In some cases, the one or more processors may be caused to determine whether the current configuration of the BMS controller is configured to communicate with the wall module via a predefined network address, and when the current configuration of the BMS controller is not configured to communicate with the wall module via the predefined network address, the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to not automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type, but rather to accept a user input via a user interface of the wall module that identifies a wall module type for the wall module, as indicated at block 62.

Figures 5A and 5B each display part of a flow diagram showing an initial setup process 66 that may occur within the replacement wall module 22. Figure 5A represents a first part of a flow diagram while Figure 5B represents a second part of the flow diagram, with the flow diagram cut in two vertically. A line in Figure 5A having a particular reference number connects with a line in Figure 5B having the same particular reference number. It will be appreciated that reference to a TR42 wall module and a TR75 wall module is merely illustrative of two different wall module types, as the replacement wall module 22 may be configured to emulate other legacy wall modules as well.

The process 66 begins at block 68, where a line 70 leads to block 72 (see Figure 5B) and allows the replacement wall module 22 to read an initial setup type which may indicate either automatic or manual. The initial setup type may default to automatic. A determination is made as to whether the initial setup type is automatic or manual, as indicated at decision block 74. If the initial setup type is automatic, a final device type is read via line 76 from block 78. Control then passes to block 80, which determines whether the final device type is either unknown, TR42 or TR75. TR42 and TR75 refer to older wall modules that may not have all of the functionality of the replacement wall module 22. In some cases, the replacement wall module 22 may be considered as being a TR100 wall module.

If the final device type is unknown, control passes to block 82, where the replacement wall module 22 will alternatively attempt emulating a TR42 wall module and a TR75 wall module until one is determined to be compatible with the current configuration of a connected BMS controller. In some cases, the replacement wall module 22 will first attempt emulating a TR42 wall module for a period of time such as ten seconds, and then will attempt emulating a TR75 wall module for a period of time such as ten seconds, and so on. When emulating a TR42 wall module, the replacement wall module 22 will communicate via a line 84 with a block 86, where that current device type (e.g. TR42) is written. When emulating a TR75 wall module, the replacement wall module 22 will communicate via a line 88 with a block 90, where that device type (e.g. TR42) is written. When emulating a TR42 wall module is successful, block 82 will communicate via line 92 with block 94, where the final device type is written as TR42. When emulating a TR75 wall module is successful, block 82 will communicate via line 96 with the block 94, where the final device type is written as TR 75.

If the final device type (at block 80) is TR42, control passes to block 98, where the Sylk address is obtained. Control then passes to block 100, where the replacement wall module 22 emulates a TR42 wall module. A determination is made as to whether the replacement wall module 22 is successful in emulating a TR42 wall module at decision block 102. If yes, control passes via line 104 to block 106 where an indication is written that a configuration file is available. Control then reverts to block 94. If no, control passes back up to decision block 74.

If the final device type (at block 80) is TR75, control passes to block 108, where the Sylk address is obtained. Control then passes to block 110, where the replacement wall module 22 emulates a TR75 wall module. A determination is made as to whether the replacement wall module 22 is success in emulating a TR75 wall module at decision block 112. If yes, control passes via line 104 to block 106 where an indication is written that a configuration file is available. If no, control passes back up to decision block 74.

Back at decision block 74, if a determination is made that the initial device type is manual, control passes to block 114, where the Sylk address is obtained via line 116 from block 118. A final device type is obtained via line 120 from block 122. The final device type in block 122 may be manually selected by a user via a user interface 28 of the replacement wall module 22,as shown at block 126. A determination is made at decision block as to whether the obtained final device type is TR42 wall module or TR75 wall module. If TR42 wall module, control passes to block 100, and a TR42 wall module is emulated. If TR75 wall module, control passes to block 110 and a TR75 wall module is emulated.

As indicated above, in some cases, the user interface 28 of the replacement wall module 22 may be manipulated to allow a user to enter a device type, as indicated at block 126. A home screen is entered on the user interface 28, as indicated at block 128. In this example, a home screen may ask the user to enter a Sylk address, as indicated at block 130. The Sylk address is then written, as indicated at block 132. The manually entered final device type may be written at block 138 and written to block 122. The manually entered initial setup type may be written at block 134, which notifies block 82 via line 136 to stop trying.

Figure 6 is a flow diagram showing a portion 140 of the initial setup process of Figure 5 including more details regarding block 82. In particular, Figure 6 shows interactions between a controller (such as the BMS controller 12) 142 and a TR100 (such as the wall module 22) 144. The TR100 144 begins by alternating emulating a TR42 and a TR75, as indicated at 146. In this example, during each alternate emulation, the TR100 144 initially sends broadcast packets 148 to the controller 142. Upon receipt, the controller 142 will request to read a proxy file0 from the TR100 144, as indicated at 150. In response, the TR100 144 will send back a proxy file0 that corresponds to which legacy wall module (TR42 or TR75) the TR100 144 is currently emulating. The proxy file0 may include a Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number that together indicate which legacy wall module (TR42 or TR75) the TR100 144 is currently emulating.

The controller 142 will parse the Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number from the proxy file0 received from the TR100 and compare the Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number to a Device Type Major number and a Device Type Minor number stored in the current configuration of the controller 142, as indicated at 154. If the Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number from the proxy file0 matches the Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number stored in the current configuration of the controller 142, the controller 142 will send a proxy file to the TR100 144, as indicated at 156. When the proxy file is received by the TR100, the TR100 determines that the wall module that the TR100 144 is currently emulating is compatible with the current configuration of the controller 142, and will begin emulating the TR42 going forward. The proxy file may communicate a plurality of parameters that correspond to the TR42 wall module type. The plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type may include, for example, one or more of a sensed temperature value, a sensed humidity value, a sensed carbon dioxide value, a temperature setpoint value, a current operating mode of the BMS controller, and an occupancy status.

If the Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number from the most recent proxy file0 do not match the Device Type Major number and the Device Type Minor number stored in the current configuration of the controller 142, the controller 142 will not send a reply (no proxy file) , as indicated at 158. When the TR100 does not receive the reply from the controller 142, the TR100 determines that the wall module that the TR100 144 is currently emulating is not compatible with the current configuration of the controller 142, and will alternate to emulating the other of the wall modules (TR42 or TR75) and the process will repeat. In some cases, this loop may be interrupted by a user via the user interface of the TR100.

As an example, having a Device Type Major number of 15 and a Device Type Minor number of 10 may indicate that the controller 142 is configured to communicate with a legacy TR42 wall module. As another example, having a Device Type Major number of 3 and a Device Type Minor number of 15 may indicate that the controller 142 is configured to communicate with a legacy TR75 wall module.

The table below provides an example of what the proxy file0 may look like when the TR100 is emulating a TR42 wall module:

Figures 7 through 11 show a user interface of a wall module showing illustrative screens that may be displayed when originally installing or replacing a wall module. Figure 7 shows an initial welcome screen 160 that may be displayed by the TR100 when initially powered up.Figure 8 shows a screen 162 that may be displayed by the TR100 when the Sylk address is 1, and with the TR100 emulating a TR42 wall module. The screen 162 will alternate to show that the TR100 is emulating a TR75 wall module until the TR100 determines which emulation (TR42 or TR74) matches the current configuration of the connected BMS controller. Once the TR100 determines which emulation matches the current configuration of the BMS controller, the TR100 will display a screen 164 as shown in Figure 9 if subsequently emulating a TR42 wall module or a screen 166 as shown in Figure 10 if subsequently emulating a TR75 wall module.

In Figure 9, the screen 164 includes a current temperature value 168 and a temperature setpoint value 170. An up arrow 170a and a down arrow 170b may be used to increase or decrease the temperature setpoint, as desired. The screen 164 also includes a FAN button 172 (currently set to AUTO) and an OVERRIDE button 174 that may be used to temporarily override a scheduled temperature setpoint. Parameters that correspond to these fields may be communicate between the TR100 and the BMS controller (e.g. in a proxy file) when the TR100 is emulating the TR42 wall module.

In Figure 10, the screen 166 includes a current temperature value 176 (shown in Celsius) and a temperature setpoint value 178. An up arrow 178a and a down arrow 178b may be used to increase or decrease the temperature setpoint, as desired. The screen 166 also includes a FAN button 180 (currently set to AUTO) and an OVERRIDE button 182 that may be used to temporarily override a scheduled temperature setpoint. The screen 166 includes an Occupancy indicator 184 that provides an indication of whether a space is currently occupied, and a ring 186 that may be used to indicate status. For example, the ring 186 may glow a first color such as red to indicate that the system is currently heating and may glow a second color such as blue to indicate that the system is currently cooling. Parameters that correspond to these fields may be communicate between the TR100 and the BMS controller (e.g. in a proxy file) when the TR100 is emulating the TR75 wall module.

Figure 11 shows a screen 190 that may be displayed by the TR100 when a user presses and holds the Honeywell logo 163 shown in Figure 8 for a period of time. As an example, the screen 190 may be displayed after pressing and holding the Honeywell logo 163 for about five seconds, although other time durations are contemplated. The screen 190 allows the user to inform the TR100 which wall module it should be emulating. The screen 190 includes a TR42 emulation button 192 that may be selected to inform the TR100 that it is, for example, replacing a legacy TR42 on a Sylk network (sometimes requiring a legacy Sylk address of one) . The screen 190 includes a TR75 emulation button 194 that may be selected to inform the TR100 that it is, for example, replacing a legacy TR75 on a Sylk network (sometimes requiring a legacy Sylk address of one) . The screen 190 includes a TR100 button 196 that may be used to inform the TR100 that it is being installed on a BACnet or Modbus network as part of a new installation, and thus need not emulate either of the TR42 or TR75 wall modules.

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that yet other embodiments may be made and used within the scope of the claims hereto attached. It will be understood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, arrangement of parts, and exclusion and order of steps, without exceeding the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure’s scope is, of course, defined in the language in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

A method for replacing a selected wall module of a Building Management System (BMS) that is of a first wall module type with a replacement wall module that is of a different wall module type, the selected wall module is operatively coupled with a BMS controller of the Building Management System (BMS) via a network connection, and the BMS controller has a current configuration that configures the BMS controller to interact with wall modules that have the first wall module type and to communicate a plurality of parameters that are correspond to the first wall module type, the method comprising:

disconnecting the selected wall module from the network connection;

connecting the replacement wall module with the BMS controller via the network connection in place of the selected wall module; and

the replacement wall module automatically emulating the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller, thereby not requiring the BMS controller to be reconfigured from the current configuration to interact with the replacement wall module.
The method of claim 1, comprising:

the replacement wall module, once connected with the BMS controller, automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module from a plurality of predefined wall modules types.
The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type are different from the plurality of parameters that correspond to a second wall module type of the plurality of predefined wall modules types.
The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type comprises one or more of a sensed temperature value, a sensed humidity value, a sensed carbon dioxide value, a temperature setpoint value, a current operating mode of the BMS controller, and an occupancy status.
The method of claim 2, where automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module comprises:

the replacement wall module automatically emulating a wall module having a first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types;

determining whether the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module of the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller;

when the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determining that the first wall module type of the selected wall module corresponds to the first one of the plurality of predefined wall module types;

when the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, does not correspond with the current configuration of the BMS controller, the replacement wall module automatically emulating a wall module having a second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types;

determining whether the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller; and

when the replacement wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determining that the first wall module type of the selected wall module corresponds to the second one of the plurality of predefined wall module types.
The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining whether the selected wall module had a predefined network address for communicating with the BMS controller on the network connection, and when the selected wall module did not have a predefined network address for communicating with the BMS controller on the network connection, the replacement wall module not automatically emulating the selected wall module having the first wall module type, but rather, the replacement wall module accepting input from a user interface of the replacement wall module that identifies a wall module type for the replacement wall module to emulate and a network address for the replacement wall module.
The method of claim 2, wherein:

when the replacement wall module cannot automatically determining the first wall module type of the selected wall module from the plurality of predefined wall modules types, the replacement wall module accepting a manual input entered by a user via a user interface of the replacement wall module that identifies the first wall module type of the selected wall module, and the replacement wall module automatically emulating the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller.
The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing a wall module type identifier in a non-volatile memory of the replacement wall module that identifies the first wall module type for the replacement wall module; and

upon subsequent restarts of the replacement wall module, the replacement wall module reading the wall module type identifier from the non-volatile memory of the replacement wall module and the replacement wall module emulating the selected wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller.
The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters that correspond to the first wall module type comprises one or more of a sensed temperature value, a sensed humidity value, a sensed carbon dioxide value, a temperature setpoint value, a current operating mode of the BMS controller, and an occupancy status.
A wall module comprising:

a network port for communicating with a BMS controller of a Building Management System (BMS) , wherein the BMS controller of the BMS system has a current configuration that configures the BMS controller to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type of a plurality of wall modules types via the network port;

a user interface; and

a controller operatively coupled to the network port and the user interface, the controller configured to:

automatically determine whether that the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, and if so, automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type such that the BMS controller need not be reconfigured to interact with the wall module.
The wall module of claim 10, wherein to automatically determine whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, the controller is configured to:

automatically emulate a wall module having a first one of a plurality of predefined wall modules types;

determine whether the wall module, while emulating the wall module of the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller; and

when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the first one of the plurality of predefined wall module types.
The wall module of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to:

when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, does not correspond with the current configuration of the BMS controller, automatically emulate a wall module having a second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types;

determine whether the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller; and

when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the second one of the plurality of predefined wall module types.
The wall module of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine whether the current configuration of the BMS controller is configured to communicate with the wall module via a predefined network address, and when the current configuration of the BMS controller is not configured to communicate with the wall module via the predefined network address, the controller is configured to not automatically emulating a wall module that has the first wall module type but rather accept a user input via the user interface of the wall module that identifies a wall module type for the wall module.
The wall module of claim 10, wherein when the controller cannot automatically determine whether that the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, the controller is configured to accept a user input via the user interface of the wall module that identifies whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type.
The wall module of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to:

store a wall module type identifier in a non-volatile memory of the wall module that identifies the first wall module type for the wall module; and

upon subsequent restarts of the wall module, the controller is configured to read the wall module type identifier from the non-volatile memory of the wall module and emulating a wall module having the first wall module type during subsequent interactions with the BMS controller.
A non-transient computer readable medium storing instructions thereon that when executed by one or more processors of a wall module causes the one or more processors of the wall module to:

automatically determine whether a BMS controller of a BMS system is configured with a current configuration to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type, and if so, automatically emulate a wall module that has the first wall module type such that the BMS controller need not be reconfigured to interact with the wall module.
The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein to automatically determine whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is currently configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type, the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to:

automatically emulate a wall module having a first one of a plurality of predefined wall modules types;

determine whether the wall module, while emulating the wall module of the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller; and

when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the first one of the plurality of predefined wall module types.
The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to:

when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the first one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, does not correspond with the current configuration of the BMS controller, automatically emulate a wall module having a second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types;

determine whether the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller; and

when the wall module, while emulating the wall module having the second one of the plurality of predefined wall modules types, corresponds with the current configuration of the BMS controller, determine that the first wall module type corresponds to the second one of the plurality of predefined wall module types.
The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to:

determine whether the current configuration of the BMS controller is configured to communicate with the wall module via a predefined network address, and when the current configuration of the BMS controller is not configured to communicate with the wall module via the predefined network address, the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to not automatically emulating a wall module that has the first wall module type but rather accept a user input via a user interface of the wall module that identifies a wall module type for the wall module.
The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein when the one or more processors of the wall module cannot automatically determine whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is currently configured to interact with a wall module of a first wall module type, the instructions cause the one or more processors of the wall module to accept a user input via a user interface of the wall module that identifies whether the BMS controller of the BMS system is configured to interact with a wall module of the first wall module type.