Control system

Abstract

The present invention relates to building management control systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a distributed database arrangement for systems that control functional aspects in buildings. There is provided a method and a controller for controlling one or more building control or access devices in response to one or more events, comprising an interface operable to communicate with a server, wherein a database is provided on the server, and wherein the database contains logic for controlling said one or more devices in response to said one or more events; a memory operable to store a local copy of a subset of the database, the subset of the database containing logic relevant to a group of said one or more devices; wherein the controller is configured to receive from the server updates to said local copy of said subset of the database; wherein the controller is operable to receive one or more signals indicative of said one or more events relevant to said group of said one or more devices; and wherein the controller is operable to control said group of said one or more devices in response to said one or more signals.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for controlling one or more building control or access devices in a system including one or more sensors in response to one or more events, comprising the steps of:
 defining a plurality of appliance types such that appliance instances may be created, wherein individual appliance instances correspond to respective ones of said one or more sensors or building control or access devices; and   defining a set of actors which interact with appliances for defining the behaviour of each appliance type, wherein the actors include at least one input value type, at least one output value type and at least one timing element selected from a counter, a timer or a clock;   logically relating actors to individual appliance instances; and   providing control of said one or more building control or access devices based in response to inputs from said one or more sensors based on the logic using said relating of actors to individual appliance instances.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 providing logic for reallocating an appliance instance for a control or access device to another of said plurality of defined appliance types to alter the behaviour of said control or access device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 providing logic for assigning an individual defined actor to multiple appliance types that perform the same function.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 providing logic for defining a new appliance type behaviour using the existing set of actors, whereby a number of appliance types can be defined which number is greater than the number of actors in the set of actors.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 providing logic for defining a set of peripherals which interact with appliances for defining permitted appliance behaviours, wherein each appliance is defined as having permissions and each peripheral is defined as a securable object assignable to a permission in place of the appliance owning the permission.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising the step of:
 relating each peripheral to a single actor and to a single appliance instance.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein information for controlling the system is stored in a database, the method further comprising the steps of:
 storing a local copy of a subset of the database, wherein the database is provided on a server, and wherein the subset of the database contains logic relevant to a group of the one or more building control or access devices; and   receiving, from the server, updates to the local copy of the subset of the database.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the steps of:
 receiving data indicative of the status of the group of one or more building control or access devices; and   storing, in a location separate from the local copy of the subset of the database, at least a portion of the received data indicative of the status of said group of one or more building control or access devices.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of:
 storing, in a location separate from the local copy of the subset of the database, a record of the control of said group of one or more building control or access devices.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of:
 storing logic contained in the local copy of the subset of the database in a read-optimized arrangement different to the arrangement of the logic in the database provided on the server.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of:
 storing a cache of at least one of data to be sent to the server and data received from the server.   
     
     
         12 . A building or access management method for controlling one or more building control or access devices in response to one or more events, comprising the steps of:
 communicating with a server, wherein a database is provided on the server, and wherein the database contains logic for controlling said one or more building control or access devices in response to said one or more events;   storing a local copy of a subset of the database, the subset of the database containing logic relevant to a group of said one or more building control or access devices.   receiving, from the server, updates to the local copy of the subset of the database;   receiving one or more signals indicative of said one or more events relevant to said one or more devices;   controlling said one or more devices in response to said one or more signals; wherein the logic contained in the local copy of the subset of the database is stored in a read-optimized arrangement different to the arrangement of the logic in the database provided on the server.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
 controlling at least some of said group of one or more building control or access devices based on read-only access to the local copy of the subset of the database in response to at least some of said one or more events.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the steps of:
 receiving data indicative of the status of the group of one or more building control or access devices; and   storing, in a storage location separate from the local copy of the subset of the database, at least a portion of the received data indicative of the status of said group of one or more building control or access devices.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
 storing, in a storage location separate from the local copy of the subset of the database, a record of the control of said group of one or more building control or access devices.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
 at least when communications with the server are unavailable, storing a cache of at least one of data to be sent to the server and data received from the server.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more building control or access devices are selected from the group comprising:
 an access control mechanism;   an environmental control system;   a lighting system;   a manufacturing system; and   a building transport system.   
     
     
         18 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to produce signals for controlling one or more building control or access devices in a system including one or more sensors that provide signals to the processor in response to one or more events, according to a method comprising the steps of:
 defining a plurality of appliance types such that appliance instances may be created, wherein individual appliance instances correspond to respective ones of said one or more sensors or building control or access devices; and   defining a set of actors which interact with appliances for defining the behaviour of each appliance type, wherein the actors include at least one input value type, at least one output value type and at least one timing element selected from a counter, a timer or a clock;   logically relating actors to individual appliance instances; and   providing control of said one or more building control or access devices based in response to inputs from said one or more sensors based on the logic using said relating of actors to individual appliance instances.   
     
     
         19 . A computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 18  wherein the instructions are arranged to be executed on a local processor using a local database which comprises a subset of a database stored on a remote server. 
     
     
         20 . A computer-readable medium according to  claim 19  arranged to operate with the local database stored in a read-optimized format different from the database stored on the remote server or wherein data relating to status or recording events of the local appliances is stored in a storage location separate from said local database.