Programmable peripheral unit

Abstract

The embodiments describe programmable peripheral units for use in a building automation system. The programmable peripheral units communicate with controllers and other system components. The programmable peripheral units have end device components to actuate the building environment.

1 . A peripheral unit comprising:
 one or more end device components that physically actuate a building environment;   a wireless transceiver for wirelessly receiving programs that define commands for operation of the end devices and transmitting data;   a local memory for storing the programs; and   a processor configured to provide an embedded interpreter to process the programs to command the end device components.   
     
     
         2 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  further comprising sensors for reading building environment values and providing the building environment values to the memory and the processor. 
     
     
         3 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  wherein the end device components include an actuator and a valve. 
     
     
         4 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  wherein the programs define a normal mode of operation and a fail safe mode of operation, wherein the fail safe mode of operation activates when a network failure is detected. 
     
     
         5 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  wherein the end device components include a temperature sensor. 
     
     
         6 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  wherein the end device components include an application specific device used to control at least one of a fan coil, a variable air-volume box, and a variable volume and temperature box. 
     
     
         7 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  wherein the end device components include a relay pack used to control lighting or heating. 
     
     
         8 . The peripheral unit of  claim 1  wherein the embedded interpreter comprises a just-in-time compiler to compile intermediate representations of the programs to machine code at runtime to command the end device components. 
     
     
         9 . The peripheral unit of any  claim 1  wherein the embedded interpreter comprises: a cluster library to define functional and application specific domains, commands, clusters, and attributes; a scripting engine to locally run programs; an input/output manager to manage the programs received by the peripheral device and output commands to the end devices; and a communication stack to define a computer networking protocol for the peripheral device. 
     
     
         10 . A method for programming a peripheral device:
 providing a memory and a processor on a peripheral device, wherein the peripheral device comprises end device components that physically actuate a building environment, wherein the processor is configured to provide an embedded interpreter to command the end device components;   wirelessly receiving a program at the peripheral device, wherein the program defines commands for the end devices;   storing the program in the memory; and   using the processor configured to provide the embedded interpreter to process the program and command the end devices.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the programs define a normal mode of operation and a fail safe mode of operation, and wherein the method further comprises, activating the normal mode of operation, detecting a network failure, and switching to the fail safe mode of operation. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the peripheral unit comprises sensors and wherein the method further comprises reading building environment values using the sensors, providing the building environment values to the memory and the processor, and transmitting the building environment values. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising wirelessly transmitting building environment data received from the end devices. 
     
     
         14 . A computerized building automation system comprising:
 peripheral units with a wireless communication transceiver, end device components that physically actuate a building environment, memory for storing programs and a processor configured to provide an embedded interpreter to command the end device components using the programs; and   controllers with a wireless communication bus to wirelessly provide the programs to the peripheral units, wherein the program defines commands for the end device components.   
     
     
         15 . The computerized building automation system of  claim 14  wherein the peripheral units receive the programs from the controllers and transmit the programs to other peripheral devices. 
     
     
         16 . The computerized building automation system of  claim 14  wherein the programs define a normal mode of operation and a fail safe mode of operation, wherein the fail safe mode of operation activates when a network failure is detected. 
     
     
         17 . The computerized building automation system of  claim 14 , wherein the programs define commands for operation of the end devices of the peripheral devices. 
     
     
         18 . The computerized building automation system of  claim 14  wherein the end device components provide one or more of HVAC, lighting, metering, heating, cooling, air, water systems for the building.