System And Method For Server Based Control

What is this patent about?

’590 is related to the field of networked control systems, specifically those used in buildings or vehicles. The background involves the increasing prevalence of the Internet and various networking technologies (e.g., ZigBee, Z-Wave, WiFi) for connecting devices. Traditional systems often rely on dedicated hardware gateways for local control, which can be costly and less reliable.

The underlying idea behind ’590 is to replace the dedicated hardware gateway with an Internet-connected control server (a 'cloud server') that implements the control logic. This server communicates with devices (sensors and actuators) in the building or vehicle via a router and existing networks, enabling centralized control and potentially improving cost-effectiveness and reliability. The control server can implement a PID closed linear control loop for precise control of in-building or in-vehicle phenomena.

The claims of ’590 focus on a system comprising a router or gateway communicating with a device associated with a sensor and a device associated with an actuator over in-building or in-vehicle networks, and an external Internet-connected control server associated with the control logic implementing a PID closed linear control loop and communicating with the router over an external network for controlling the in-building or in-vehicle phenomenon. The claims also cover the use of sensors like microphones or cameras, incorporating voice or image processing into the control logic, and employing redundancy through multiple sensors, actuators, or data paths.

In practice, the system uses sensors (e.g., temperature, light, audio, video) to gather data about the environment. This data is transmitted to the cloud server via the in-building/in-vehicle network and the router. The cloud server then processes the data according to a predefined control logic (e.g., a PID loop) and sends commands to actuators (e.g., heaters, lights, motors) to adjust the environment. The system can also incorporate redundancy by using multiple sensors or actuators to improve reliability.

’590 differentiates itself from prior approaches by moving the control logic to a cloud server, eliminating the need for a dedicated hardware gateway. This approach offers several advantages, including reduced cost, improved reliability, and the ability to leverage the processing power and storage capacity of the cloud. The system can also incorporate advanced features like voice or image processing, which would be difficult or expensive to implement in a traditional hardware gateway.