Automated device discovery on a building network
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Alon Goodnow, Steven Richard Stolarski, Nicholas Ryan de Kanter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques and solutions are provided for performing automated device discovery over a network operating according to the building automation and control network (BACnet) protocol standard (a BACnet network). For example, automated device discovery on a BACnet network can be performed via automated processing of BACnet traffic without going through a manual discovery and configuration process, and without binding to BACnet devices. For example, who-is and I-am BACnet messages can be used to identify BACnet devices on the network and their property values can be read and displayed (e.g., in a dashboard interface). BACnet devices can also be queried to determine their supported properties.
Claims19
A method, implemented by a computing device, for performing automated device discovery over a network operating according to a building automation and control network (BACnet) protocol standard, the method comprising:
- monitoring real-time traffic on the BACnet network to dynamically identify, and obtain property values from, unique devices on the BACnet network without manual intervention and without binding the unique devices to a BACnet controller;
- sending a who-is BACnet message via the BACnet network;
- receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, I-am BACnet messages from the unique devices, the unique devices identified by corresponding unique device identifiers, on the BACnet network;
- and
- for a selected one of the unique devices on the BACnet network:
- sending a query message to the selected unique device;
- in response to the query message, receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, properties supported by the selected unique device;
- sending a read message to the selected unique device to read one or more of the properties supported by the selected unique device;
- receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, property values for the one or more properties from the read message;
- transforming the received property values into a key-value pair format;
- and
- providing the transformed property values for display in a dashboard.
A computing device comprising:
- one or more processing units;
- and
- one or more network interfaces connected to a network operating according to a building automation and control network (BACnet) protocol standard;
- wherein the computing device is configured to perform operations for automated device discovery over the BACnet network, the operations comprising:
- monitoring real-time traffic on the BACnet network to dynamically identify, and obtain property values from, unique devices on the BACnet network without manual intervention and without binding the unique devices to a BACnet controller;
- sending a request message via the BACnet network, wherein the request message is a broadcast message requesting that the unique devices on the BACnet network respond;
- receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, response messages from the unique devices, the unique devices identified by corresponding unique device identifiers, on the BACnet network;
- and
- for a selected one of the unique devices on the BACnet network:
- sending a read message to the selected unique device to read one or more properties supported by the selected unique device;
- receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, property values for the one or more properties from the read message;
- converting the received property values into a key-value pair format;
- and
- outputting the converted property values.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computing device comprising a network interface to perform operations for automated device discovery over a network operating according to a building automation and control network (BACnet) protocol standard, the operations comprising:
- monitoring real-time traffic on the BACnet network to dynamically identify, and obtain property values from, unique devices on the BACnet network without manual intervention and without binding the unique devices to a BACnet controller;
- sending a who-is BACnet message via the BACnet network;
- receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, I-am BACnet messages from the unique devices, the unique devices identified by corresponding unique device identifiers, on the BACnet network;
- and
- for a selected one of the unique devices on the BACnet network:
- sending a read message to the selected unique device to read one or more properties supported by the selected unique device;
- and
- receiving, based at least in part on the monitoring, property values for the one or more properties from the read message;
- converting the received property values into a key-value pair format;
- and
- outputting the converted property values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.