GB2512821A

GB2512821A - Method and apparatus for control of building functions by means of mobile computing devices

Info

Publication number: GB2512821A
Application number: GB1304993.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Francis Moll; Stephen Ades
Original assignee: SIMM TRONIC Ltd
Current assignee: SIMM TRONIC Ltd
Priority date: 2013-03-19
Filing date: 2013-03-19
Publication date: 2014-10-15
Also published as: GB201304993D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a method by which a device, such as a mobile computing device, is afforded one or more permissions to control building functions, such as the lighting or heating, in some portion of a building. The device is brought into proximity with one or more location specific items, such as a barcode or an NFC tag. Detection by the device of the item and/or interpretation of information obtained from the item enables, alters or revokes one or more permissions for the device to control building functions. The barcode or other graphical symbols could be provided on an electronic display. The permissions could be time-limited or transitory, and could be revoked on account of the position or motion of the device.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No. GB1304993.7 RTN4 Date 11 August 2014 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.govuk -1-S

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROL OF BUILDING FUNCTIONS BY

MEANS OF MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES

Modern buildings provide a range of mechanisms that allow S building owners, managers and occupants to control building functions such as heating and lighting. Examples of the control of building functions include switching heating, cooling or lighting on or off or altering the required temperature, light intensity or colour of light in a portion of a building. Examples of mechanisms that may be provided include fixed physical control panels such as light switches and heating thermostats, remote control units sending radio or infra-red command signals and computing devices that present a depiction of and/or provide functionality equivalent to a physical control panel.

Such a computing device may incorporate a touch screen having for example a capacitive touch pad overlaid on a visual display, such display displaying soft buttons that may be actuated by a user. Such a computing device may incorporate a plurality of physical buttons. Such a computing device may incorporate other forms of input such as speech recognition. The computing device may incorporate or may download a control application allowing the user to control building functions by various types of user input.

In addition to soft buttons, the computing device may provide other forms of user interface to permit control of building functions, such as sliders, rotary controls, combo boxes, check boxes, radio buttons and the user may use a variety of different interface actions to specify different control action, interface actions including tapping, holding, twisting, dragging and compound motions involving more than one finger.

For control of building functions, the functionality of a computing device that remains at a single location can be considered to be very similar to that of a fixed physical control panel. However mobile computing devices such as laptop computers, tablet computers and mobile phones can be operated in any location and while in motion. These mobile computing devices pose additional problems for the designer of a building control mechanism operated from such a device. Important problems include; the desirability of allowing a device user to control building functions in a portion of a building may depend on the position of the device user. For example it may be desired to allow a device user to operate the lights in a room only while physically present in the room. In this case the device offers control capabilities equivalent to a physical light switch in the room.

the desirability of allowing a device user to control building functions in a portion of a building may depend on the identity of the device user. For example it may be desired to allow only certain staff to operate the lights in a meeting room, whilst other staff with mobile computing devices may also be physically present in the room. In this case the device offers control capabilities equivalent to a physical light switch that requires insertion of a key to operate it.

It may be desired to give different permissions to different device users to control different building functions by means of the same device. For example one user may have permission to control lighting in a single area, such as the user's own office or room, regardless of where the user is currently located; the same user may have permission to control lighting in a communal area only when physically present in that area. As another example, a single device may be supplied for use by more than one user, whereby any user of the device can control lighting in a particular area, but only certain users that present credentials such as a password can adjust the setting of a thermostat in the same area.

Each permission may be afforded on the basis of the device or the device user or both; there may mixtures of these cases applicable to the same device.

Example embodiments of syStems in which mobile devices control building functions include those where the devices communicate with a building control system via infrared or radio signalling, optically using for example a camera and/or camera flash lighting source, via data network connections such as Ethernet, WiFi, Zigbee and near field communications or via data transmission services such as provided by mobile telephony systems. A mobile device may communicate with an individual building component such as a light fitting in order to control it; alternatively it may communicate with a single building component in order to control building functions involving a plurality of building components.

Examples of embodiments of systems where users are offered differing permissions dependent on device or device user include those where a database of permissions is held on each device, those where a database of permissions is held on an individual building component and those where a method of communication is used such that the device is granted permissions according to a database of permissions external to the device and external to an individual controllable building component.

Methods for granting permissions solely on the basis of credentials such as passwords are well known. This invention concerns cases where the location of the device user plays at least some part in the granting of a permission.

If a mobile device is able to determine its position automatically and with sufficient accuracy, this can form the basis for a position-dependent permissions system. For example many mobile devices are able to determine their positions automatically from signals received from the Global Positioning System (GPS) . This may be used for example to confer, alter or revoke permissions to control building functions in a particular room only when the mobile device is in the room.

In practice much location information received from GPS is accurate to no more than 6m in each direction, which means within two storeys for a typical multi-storey building.

Many buildings have metal lined or metal reinforced walls and floors or other metallic features which can make GPS signals less accurate or unavailable within them. Other positioning signals with greater accuracy can be obtained; if the accuracy is sufficient for the typical size of a portion of a particular building this may be a workable technique. The technique also depends on a sufficiently accurate model of the building being available for the positioning information to be converted into the correct portion of the building. This information must be made available when the position-based permissions system is first commissioned and then it must be kept up to date -many non-residential buildings will be refitted during their useful lives and this may involve moving walls and partitions so that the model of the building and its portions require updating.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method by which a device is afforded one or more permissions to control building functions, the method comprising bringing the device into proximity with one or more location-specific items; detection by the device of such item and/or interpretation of information obtained from such item being used to enable, alter or revoke one or more permissions to control building functions.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus comprising a device and one or more location-specific items that said device can detect when brought into proximity with said item or items; detection by the device of such item and/or interpretation of information obtained from such item being used to enable, alter or revoke one or more permissions to control building functions.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a device that can detect that it is brought into proximity with one or more location-specific items; detection by the device of such item and/or interpretation of information obtained from such item being used to enable, alter or revoke one or more permissions to control building functions.

In an example embodiment relating to each of these aspects, a graphical symbol may be placed by the door inside a room.

A mobile device scans the symbol optically. The symbol contains information allowing the device to recognise the equipment for which permission to control building functions is granted, for example the lighting in that room. As another example a graphical symbol may be projected onto a screen in a meeting room for scanning by those attending the meeting.

The graphical symbol may consist of text; automatic recognition of the text by the mobile device may be used to convert it into a permission to control. One-dimensional bar codes Figure 1, two-dimensional bar codes Figure 2 and QR codes Figure 3 may also be used. Computer-readable codes such as Figures 1, 2, 3 may be accompanied by text for user infornation, for example "scan this to control meeting room lighting".

The graphical symbol may be scanned in the visible optical spectrum; alternatively it may radiate or reflect energy in other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum such as infra red or ultra violet.

Other location-specific items that may be used instead of graphical symbols include electronic devices able to send

or exchange radio signals. For example Near Field

Communications' (NFC) technology is used to allow mobile devices to interact with electronic payment systems; for the purpose of control of building functions, such technology may be used to allow the mobile device to identify the presence of such an electronic device that is serving as a location-specific item. Other short-range communications technologies may alternatively used, for example Bluetooth or Zigbee.

A mobile device may detect the proximity of location-specific items automatically. For example an electronic device that can send radio signals to a mobile device over a short range may be placed by the entrance to a room, such that moving the mobile device through the doorway will allow the mobile device to obtain position-based permissions. Alternatively the user may be required to initiate some interaction with the location-specific item, such as touching the mobile device against the location-specific item or requesting the mobile device to scan a barcode. In either the mobile device can indicate to the user what changed position-based permissions are now available, as a result of detecting of the location-specific item. For example "you can now operate the lighting in conference room 3".

In either case the mobile device may add an item to its user interface, such as a depiction of a light switch, to correspond to the newly obtained permission. Alternatively the item may already have been available in the user interface in which case the mobile device may change the item from having no controlling permission to permitting control.

In the examples above, the location-specific items are co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control. It will be understood that the term co-located will depend on the context of particular deployment -for example a location-specific item conveying permissions to control lighting in a room might be regarded as co-located if positioned within the room or close to an entrance to the room.

In alternative embodiments the location-specific items are not co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control. For example a building user that requests temporary use of a meeting room may go to a reception desk to do so. When the meeting room is allocated, the user may be shown a barcode, held at the reception desk. Scanning the barcode may grant the user's mobile device permissions to control equipment in that meeting room. As another example, the user may interact with a computer-based room allocation system. Once the user has been allocated a room, the computer may display a visible barcode or send radio signals to mobile device, granting similar permissions of control. In these examples a location-specific item might be made accessible only to certain authorised persons -for example in this case the person who will be chairing a meeting in the room.

It will be understood that the location of a location-specific item may be context-specific and/or transitory. In the example of a computer that displays a visible barcode to a user that has used the computer to access a room allocation system, the location will be at whichever computer was used to access the room allocation system and the location-specific item may exist or be available only for a short time after the room allocation system was used.

In the case of a graphical symbol, a book of these might be held at a reception desk, each barcode printed on a single piece of opaque paper; the receptionist may select an appropriate page for the user to scan. A similar approach may be used with electronic devices sending radio signals to the mobile device over a short range, provided that the separation of the devices is sufficient.

One or more techniques can be employed to prevent permissions being obtained by using clones of the location-specific items. Cloning must be considered in a system based on scanning visible graphics, since a mobile device can be used to photograph the image and reprint a clone image; the reprinted image can then be scanned by the mobile device. Similarly the signals sent by a radio device can be recorded and then replayed. In either case it may be desired to prevent the permissions associated with the original item being obtained by means of possession of a clone.

A location-specific item may incorporate information to permit identification of where the item is intended to be sited. For example two location-specific items may be provided to allow control of the lighting in the same meeting room. One item is intended to be located in the room and the other at a reception desk. Each may incorporate information as to where it should be located as well as the permissions that it confers. Even if a mobile device cannot determine its location with great accuracy, approximate location information can be used to prevent the mobile device from obtaining permissions from an item or a clone of an item that is significantly far from the correct position. The approximate location may be obtained from a signal such as GPS. Additionally, the identity/addressing/ numbering of a data networking connection, such as WiFi or Ethernet, by which the mobile device is communicating can provide some approximate information about location. It will be understood that location-specific items can incorporate information relating to position in such a way that is difficult for users to understand, copy or alter.

Standard techniques such as encryption can be used for this purpose.

These techniques can be used to detect clones where an attempt is made to use them away from the intended position of the original location-specific item.

A location-specific item might have been moved from its intended position. As an example an item intended to be sited at the entrance to one room may be moved to the entrance to another room. The same measures described above in relation to clones can also be deployed in this case.

The information relating to position may simply be a data item whose significance is known only to a central database. As an example, at the time location-specific item is produced, it may consist of data that is not yet assigned any significance. A mobile device with special privileges may then visit the location where an item is intended to be sited and provide this location information to the central database. This information, once recorded centrally, is then checked against claims by other mobile devices that they are currently at the correct position of location-specific item.

A further technique is to incorporate a visiting time in information obtained from the location-specific item. For example a computer-based room reservation system that displays a barcode or transmits a signal to a mobile device may incorporate data allowing the time of its display/transmission to be checked. A barcode projected during a specific meeting may similarly incorporate such data. A barcode that is photographed and reprinted for use at a later time can thus be prevented from being successfully used.

In addition to the grant of permissions to control, this invention can also be used to revoke or alter such permissions. As an example, suppose that a mobile device has obtained permissions to control the lighting in a room by scanning a barcode at the entrance to the room. These permissions can then be cancelled by a number of techniques. These include time-limited permissions -the permissions elapse automatically after some elapsed or actual time (e.g. two hours later or at 6p.m.) unless some other action is taken to re-obtained or renew the permissions.

Many mobile devices contain technologies such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, by which the device can determine its own movement. A permission obtained by the mobile device may be therefore be cancelled upon the device moving by some distance from the location of the device at the time the permission was obtained. Other absolute or relative position information available to the mobile device can similarly be used to cancel permissions based on relative movement or absolute position.

A further means to revoke permissions is on the granting of other permissions. For example a mobile device may gain permissions based on scanning a barcode at the entrance to the room. This same action may be used to cancel a permission granted as a result of previously scanning a barcode at some other location.

It will be understood that permissions can be altered as well as revoked. For example a permission to turn lights off may be altered to a permission to dim them down to some defined level.

A location-specific item may operate together with one or more other location-specific items in the granting of permissions. For example the mobile device used by a person running a meeting in a meeting room may be required to interact both with a location-specific item generated during the booking process for the meeting room and also a location-specific item sited in the meeting room.

Where a location-specific item is not co-located with the equipment over which it affords control, the mobile device may employ movement sensing or approximate position detection so as not to allow control while the mobile device is not near to the that equipment.

As previously noted, the granting and revocation of permissions may be carried out based on a database of permissions held on an individual mobile device or using communication such that the device is granted permissions according to a database of permissions external to the device. In the latter case, security of the permissions system can be strengthened by ensuring that only the external database and not the mobile device holds information linking the data obtained from the location-specific item with any corresponding permissions that can be obtained by individual mobile devices and mobile device users.

Examples of computing devices given above include laptop computers, tablet computers and mobile phones. Such devices may in some cases be termed computing devices and in some cases communications devices, according to their principal intended function. It will be understood that any device incorporating a computing element capable of executing computer programs is within the scope of the present invention.

Although embodiments of the invention described herein principally comprise computer processes performed in computer apparatus and computer apparatus per se, in combination with other electrical or electronic apparatus and printed media, the invention also extends to computer programs, particularly computer programs on or in a carrier, adapted for putting the invention into practice.

The program may be in the form of source code, object code, a code intermediate source or object code such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other form suitable for use in implementation of the processes according to the invention. The carrier may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. For example, the carrier may comprise a storage medium, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a semiconductor ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a hard disk.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described with particular reference to examples. However, it will be understood that variations and modifications may be made to the examples described within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method by which a device is afforded one or more permissions to control building functions, the method comprising bringing the device into proximity with one or more location-specific items, detection by the device of such item and/or interpretation of information obtained from such item enabling, altering or revoking one or more permissions to control building functions.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more location-specific items are graphical symbols.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein one or more graphical symbols are displayed on an electronic display device.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more location-specific items send radio signals to the device.
5. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein one or more location-specific items are co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control.
6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein one or more location-specific items are not co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control.
7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the permissions afforded are time-limited.
8. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the validity of one or mere location-specific items is time-limited.
9. A method according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the device detects whether one or more location-specific items are located in their intended location.
10. A method according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the one or more permissions to control building functions are conveyed, altered or revoked partly or entirely on account of the position or motion of the device.
11. Apparatus comprising a device and one or more location-specific items that said device detects when brought into proximity with said item or items, detection by the device of such item and/or interpretation of information obtained from such item enabling, altering or revoking one or more permissions to control building functions.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein one or more location-specific items are graphical symbols.
13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein one or more graphical symbols are displayed on an electronic display device.
14. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein one or more location-specific items send radio signals to the device.
15. Apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 14, wherein one or more location-specific items are co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control.
16. Apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 14, wherein one or more location-specific items are not co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control.
17. Apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the permissions afforded are time-limited.
18. Apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 17, wherein the validity of one or more location-specific items is time-limited.
19. Apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 18, wherein the device detects whether one or more location-specific items are located in their intended location.
20. Apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 19, wherein he one or more permissions to control building functions are conveyed, altered or revoked partly or entirely on account of the position or motion of the device.
21. A device that detects that it is brought into proximity with one or more location-specific items; detection by the device of such item and/or interpretation of information obtained from such item enabling, altering or revoking one or more permissions to control building functions.
22. A device according to claim 21, wherein one or more location-specific items are graphical symbols.
23. A device according to claim 22, wherein one or more graphical symbols are displayed on an electronic display device.
24. A device according to claim 21, wherein one or more location-specific items send radio signals to the device.
25. A device according to any of claims 21 to 24, wherein one or more location-specific items are co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control.
26. A device according to any of claims 21 to 24, wherein one or more location-specific items are not co-located with the equipment over which they afford permissions to control.
27. A device according to any of claims 21 to 26, wherein the permissions afforded are time-limited.
28. A device according to any of claims 21 to 27, wherein the validity of one or more location-specific items is time-limited.
29. A device according to any of claims 21 to 28, wherein the device detects whether one or more location-specific items are located in their intended location.
30. A device according to any of claims 21 to 29, wherein the one or more permissions to control building functions are conveyed, altered or revoked partly or entirely on account of the position or motion of the device.
31. A computer or computing device or electronic or electrical apparatus constructed and arranged to carry out a method according to any of claims 1 to 10.
32. A method to enable, alter or revoke one or more permissions to control building functions substantially as described herein.
33. Apparatus to enable, alter or revoke one or more permissions to control building functions substantially as described herein.
34. A device to enable, alter or revoke one or more permissions to control building functions substantially as described herein.