WO1999057646A1 - System and method for providing modular control and for managing energy consumption - Google Patents

Abstract

A control system (10) is extremely flexible and modular and can be equipped or upgraded to have any number or combination of features, such as security, home theatre/audio (54A), HVAC (54C), energy management (54F), and lighting (54E) with each feature having a separate task unit. The task units can be added or removed from a core set of units within minimal impact on the core set of units. The core set of units includes a control database unit (44) that stores sets of commands in a relational database according to an input/output event and a command execution unit (50) that routes the commands to the appropriate task units for execution. The core set of units do not need to understand the input/output event or the commands but rather routes the commands to the task units addressed for execution. The system has a variable database (48) that contains a relational database of variables shared between the various task units and stores such things as keypad displays. The individual task units query the variable database unit (48) for values of all share variables and automatically receive any update in values of the shared variables from the variable database unit (48). The software (14) for the system is stored in flash ROM and can be automatically upgraded through a download task unit (52). The system may have an energy task unit (54F) that adjusts consumption of electricity based on any change in rate and which provides a pathway of communication with the electrical utility company.

Description

- 1 -

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING MODULAR

CONTROL AND FOR MANAGING ENERGY CONSUMPTION

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN DISCLOSURE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is

subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the

facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or of the patent

disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records,

but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to co-pending Patent Cooperation Treaty application

entitled "USER INTERFACE FOR HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM," having

International Application No. PCT/US96/14520 and International Filing date of

September 18, 1996.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention generally relates to a system and method that

provides modular control over various tasks, such as security, home theatre, audio,

HVAC, and lighting. In another aspect, the invention generally relates to a system

and method for managing energy consumption and, more particularly, for

permitting adjustments to energy consumption based on changing conditions. - 2 -

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A residential security system, typically, is a stand-alone system that

monitors various alarm conditions, such as the opening of a door or window or

motion in a room. In response to these conditions, the security system may initiate

an alarm and may auto-dial the police or a monitoring company. In many

residences, the security system is equipped with several keypads with one often

located near a main entrance and another located in the master bedroom. Although

the exact design of keypads vary greatly, many keypads have numeric keys for the

entry of special codes to disarm the system, indicators for displaying zone

violations, and dedicated keys for auto-dialing the police or fire department. With

this type of security system, a processing unit, which may be placed in a closet or

other hidden area, is interconnected to the various motion sensors, closure

contacts, the keypads, a siren, and includes the auto-dialer.

The typical residential security systems is a stand-alone device and has no

interaction with other devices or systems in a residence. For instance, the typical

security system is not interconnected and in no way controls a stereo system or a

home theatre system. The security system also has no control over a heating,

ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit and normally does have control over

the lighting within the residence. These other devices or systems in the residence,

instead, are stand-alone systems that provide dedicated control over the devices

within their domain. For instance, an audio system may selectively control the - 3 -

routing of sound from a centralized audio source to numerous areas within or near

the residence and may have separate keypads for each area of the residence. The

home theatre system may similarly have keypads throughout the house for

selectively supplying video from a central source to the various areas in the

residence.

As a result of these independent systems, a residence may have a multitude

of keypads distributed throughout the house. A single room, or even a single wall,

may have several keypads which can be quite unsightly and detract from the

overall appearance and decor of the residence. The keypads can also be quite

troublesome to a resident since the keypads for the different systems in the

residence are often associated with a particular operating methodology unique for

each system. As a result, the resident would need to learn one procedure for

operating the security system, another procedure for controlling the audio system,

and yet another for the video system.

In light of a desire to have more automated control over the various devices

in a residence, home automation systems have been developed which integrate the

security system with one or more of the other systems, such as the lighting system.

The home automation systems can provide more integrated control over all

features of a house. With the home automation systems, it could be possible to

perform such functions as turning on the lights in a room upon detection of motion

or activating a coffee maker according to a set schedule. . 4 .

A common approach to designing the home automation systems is to have

a central processor communicate with each of the sub-systems and to coordinate

each of the sub-systems activities. Each of the sub-systems, such as security and

audio, would essentially retain their own internal design and would still have a

processor which can be programmed according to the desires of the resident. To

communicate with each of the sub-systems and to coordinate activities between the

sub-systems, the central processor must know the commands for all of the sub¬

systems. With this knowledge of the commands, the central processor can

command the lighting system to turn on the lights if the security system senses

motion in a room or perform other coordinated functions between the sub-systems.

To address the problems with multiple keypads, home automation systems

have merged two or more keypads for more than one sub-system into a single

"smart" keypad. By reducing the number of keypads, the resident can more easily

learn the methodology for operating the keypads and the residence would have less

wall space consumed by the keypads. These smart keypads are programmed to be

able to send various commands to the central processor which can then route

theses commands to the individual sub-systems. To store and transmit these

commands, a smart keypad has a processor and memory with the memory

preferably being fairly large so that the keypad is able to store and convey a

greater number of commands to the central processor.

The typical home automation system, therefore, is characterized as being a

fairly powerful system with processors and associated memory in the central - 5 -

processor, in each of the sub-systems, and in the keypads. Because of the amount

of electronics throughout the system, home automation systems have consequently

been typically rather expensive. A need therefore exists for a home automation

system that is not only less expensive but which does not sacrifice performance.

The typical home automation system is also rather difficult to design and

develop. As discussed above, the sub-systems, the central processor, and the

keypads all have processors and each of the processors are associated with some

type of software program. The programs in each of the processors must be

written, complied, and debugged. The initial writing of the programs is fairly

difficult just considering the lines of code that must be generated for all of the

processors. The task of generating the code, however, does not end with simply

writing the code since the code must next be compiled, with is often laced with

various syntax errors if the code does not include the proper spacing, positioning

of commas, semi-colons, brackets, or other such punctuation or grammar. Once

the programmer successfully compiles the code, the programmer is next faced with

the onerous job of debugging the code. The programmer is inevitably challenged

with having to detect problems area in the code, rewriting the code, and then

repeating the steps of compiling and debugging. A significant portion of the

design and development of the home automation system is therefore devoted to the

process of writing, compiling, and debugging the code.

The difficulties with the code do not stop once the home automation system

has been installed but continue if the resident desires another modification or - 6 -

upgrade. For instance, if the resident would like an additional keypad, the home

automation system must be reprogrammed to know the address of the keypad.

Furthermore, if the system only included security and audio and the resident wants

an upgrade to include lighting, the home automation system must undergo some

additional programming to accommodate the additional sub-system. This

additional programming involves the writing, compiling, and debugging the code,

and therefore serves as an obstacle to any modification or upgrade to the home

automation system. As such, a need exists for a home automation system that can

more easily and readily accommodate changes.

While an ideal home automation system includes all possible features,

home automation systems practically are not all-inclusive. First of all, a home

automation system which included all possible features would undoubtedly have

an exorbitant cost. Consumers of home automation systems are not unanimous in

the features that they desire and, as a result, home automation systems are

designed to have various combinations of features. In addition to the economics,

rapid changes in technology preclude such an all-inclusive system. As technology

advances and becomes available, home automation systems will be encouraged to

incorporate the new technology.

Other forces at work in technology and in the marketplace create new

opportunities not only for home automation systems but for any residential control

system. These forces include the increased competition between companies

providing local phone service, long distance phone service, cellular phone, pager - 7 -

service, cable television, and Internet access. The lines between companies that

traditionally provided only one or two of these services are fading as the laws and

regulations are being rewritten to encourage the competition between companies.

A residential control system, such as a home automation system, should therefore

be flexible to accommodate and incorporate the changes that are imminent with

the provision of telephone, cable, and Internet services.

In addition to the deregulation of the communications field, deregulation

and increased competition with electrical utility companies will also likely have an

impact on the provision of services in the field of electrical power. A utility

company as well as all other generators of electricity generally implement a tiered

approach for meeting the demand from all of its customers. At the first step,

demand from all of its customers for electricity is relatively low and can be

satisfied by the utility company's most energy efficient generators. As the demand

becomes high and increases past the capacity of these higher efficiency generators,

the utility company relies on less efficient and more expensive generators. These

more expensive generators are less desirable due to their relatively low efficiency,

their use of more expensive fuels, their higher levels of pollution, or the fines

which are associated with their operation. At the third step, after the demand

exceeds the internal capacity of a utility company, the utility company then

purchases electricity from other utilities, often at a premium.

The utility companies, however, have very little control over the demand

for electricity and thus limited control over their costs. Presently, an individual - 8 -

consumer of electricity, such as a household, has no knowledge of the demand

level of the utility company unless the demand becomes an emergency issue for an

entire geographical region. Thus, unless some type of warning has issued,

consumers use as much electricity as they desire and at the times that they desire.

A need therefore exists for a system or method by which utility companies can

inform consumers of the present demand so the consumers can act to reduce the

overall demand and thus act to reduce the overall cost of electricity.

Even if consumers had knowledge of the particular demand level for a

utility company, however, the consumers would have no immediate incentive to

alter their use of electricity to help keep the overall demand at a low level. While

the aggregate effect of each individual consumer's activity could help keep costs

down and thus lower the overall cost of electricity, a single consumer would have

little incentive to alter his or her usage merely to increase the profits of the utility

company. Further, although costs to the consumers may likely be reduced if the

overall demand on a utility company is lower, many consumers may be unwilling

to alter their schedules to less convenient times when other consumers, who do not

alter their schedule, still receive the benefits of the reduced costs. A need thus

exists for a system or method which provides incentives for consumers to reduce

the overall demand on the utility company and which provides consumers with

direct and prompt benefits.

In addition to the high cost associated with purchasing electricity from

another utility company, the purchase of electricity from another utility company - 9 -

has other drawbacks. For instance, the chance and impact of a power failure

increases with the number of utility companies in a power grid. As evident by

events in the Pacific Northwest, an isolated and relatively minor failure can cause

power outages in an area spanning several states. Thus, a need exists for a system

or method for controlling overall demand on electricity, not only because a lower

demand would reduce costs, but also because a lower demand would reduce the

reliance on integrated power grids and should therefore increase the overall

reliability of the utility companies.

Another problem facing a utility company is that it has a fairly small

capacity to communicate with its consumers. Under typical circumstances, this

contact is limited to a monthly bill detailing the total amount of electricity

consumed and the associated cost. The utility company therefore staffs a relatively

small number of personnel to handle consumer problems. During a power failure,

on the other hand, a massive number of consumers call in to inquire as to the

problem. At these times, the utility company is ill-equipped to handle all of the

calls and consumers may be placed on hold for an extremely long period of time,

such as an hour or more. This inattentiveness to the consumers' calls can

significantly magnify the consumers' aggravation toward the situation and to the

utility company. A need therefore exists for a system or method which improves

communications between consumers and a utility company.

A need also exists for a system or method by which consumers can have an

increased amount of control over their energy usage. Typically, each appliance - 10 -

within a house has its own dedicated control. For instance, a heating, ventilating,

and air conditioning (HVAC) unit within a house has a thermostat for setting the

desired temperature and a hot water heater has a control unit for controlling the

temperature of the water. Additionally, the stereo, television, computer, and lamps

would each have separate on/off switches. To reduce energy consumption, the

consumer would therefore have to individually control each separate appliance,

which can be quite burdensome. It is therefore a desire to have greater and easier

control over energy consumption.

To partially fulfill the desire for greater control over energy consumption,

certain appliances have been equipped with programmable units. For instance,

many HVAC units have programmable control units which allows the consumer to

indicate different desired temperatures for different times of the day and for

different days of the week. These controls provide the consumer with the ability

to match consumption more closely with the actual need. Once these control units

have been programmed, however, the consumer must reprogram the unit so that

the programmed schedule of usage becomes equal to the actual desired schedule of

energy usage. For example, if a person comes home earlier than normal, the

person must manually adjust the setting on the HVAC to the desired setting. Since

a person's schedule can change often, a need exists for a system or method of

controlling energy consumption which can adjust more easily and quickly to a

desired or actual schedule of usage. - 11 -

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a control system which

can be easily programmed with a desired combination of features.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a control system

which can easily be changed to accommodate an additional feature or function.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a control system

which has a more streamlined design in terms of processors and programming.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a control system

which is less expensive yet has no sacrifice in performance.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a control system

which provides keypads or other input/output units which provide a high number

of keys with a minimal amount of hardware.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system which

permits a greater amount of control over the consumption of electricity.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system which

permits a greater amount of control over the overall cost of electricity to a

customer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system which

provides a greater amount of communication between a provider of electricity and

its customers.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be

set forth in the description which follows, and will become apparent to those - 12 -

skilled in the art upon reading this description or practicing the invention. The

objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the

appended claims.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects, in accordance with the present

invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a control system and method

according to the invention have one or more task units and a set of core units.

Each of the task units is for overseeing at least one device and may include a

multi-room/home theatre task unit, security task unit, heating, ventilating, and air

conditioning task unit, general purpose interface task unit, lighting task unit, or

energy management task unit. A central processor is coupled to the devices

managed by the task units and includes a control database unit for storing sets of

commands in a relational database according to event and a command execution

unit for routing the commands to their respective task units. A monitoring unit,

which preferably comprises a multi-tasking preemptive operating system for the

processor, receives input/output events from the device or task units and wakes up

the individual task units associated with the events. The task units, in response,

query the control database unit for the set of commands associated with the event

and the control database unit identifies the set of commands to the command

execution unit. The command execution unit routes the commands to the task

units addressed within the commands and the task units, after receiving the

commands, process the commands. - 13 -

The control system and method are extremely flexible and modular

whereby task units can be added or replaced with only a minimal impact on the

overall system. By storing the sets of a commands in a relational database, the

control database and the command execution unit need not understand the

commands or the events but rather simply route the commands to their respective

task units. The command execution unit need not automatically route the

commands but can instead route the commands only upon the meeting of certain

conditions.

With the preferred system and method, a keypad control unit monitors all

keypad events. The keypads need not contain a large amount processing power

since they only need to specify an address for the keypad and a key which was

pressed. The control database unit, based on this identifying data, passes an

appropriate set of commands to the keypad control unit and to any other affected

task unit. The control system and method reduce the amount of processing that

must occur at the keypads and between task units and consequently reduce the

complexity and cost of the system.

The system and method may advantageously be used to monitor and

control energy consumption of at electrical load. The system may have an energy

management task unit that receives rate information, such as from the provider of

electricity, and can adjust consumption accordingly. For instance, the load may

comprise an HVAC unit and the energy management task unit may alter

temperature set points of the HVAC based on the rate information. Thus, when - 14 -

the demand for electricity and the rate both increase, the system and method can

act to reduce consumption and to lower the cost of electricity. Conversely, when

the rate decreases, the system and method can take advantage of the lower rates by

adjusting the set points to a more comfortable level.

The system and method preferably include a variable database unit and a

download task unit. The variable database unit maintains a relational database of

the values of variables which are shared between task units. The task units can

query the variable database unit for values of any shared variable and also can

receive automatic updates on the values of shared variables. The download task

unit can respond to a download request by storing software program or data

received from an external source into non- volatile memory. The download task

can conveniently be used to upgrade existing software or data in memory or to

modify the system or method to include new software or data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a control system according to a preferred

embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of Fig. 1 illustrating the

processor and software in further detail;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an overall process by which the control

system of Fig. 1 processes an input/output event; - 15 -

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating operations of a command execution unit

shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a processing of core commands in the

control system of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of querying a variable database

unit shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process of updating task units with new

values of shared variables;

Fig. 8 is a partial block diagram of the system of Fig. 1 interconnected with

an exemplary network;

Fig. 9 is a partial block diagram of the system of Fig. 1 interconnected to an

exemplary set of relays and devices;

Fig. 10 is a partial block diagram of the system of Fig. 1 interconnected to

an exemplary set of sensors;

Fig. 11 is a partial block diagram of the system of Fig. 1 interconnected to

an exemplary set of security devices;

Fig. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a processing of a keypad event;

Fig. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a download process executed by the

control system of Fig. 1;

Fig. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a general process of activity within a task

unit within the control system of Fig. 1 ; - 16 -

Fig. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process by the control

system of Fig. 1 in which security functions are interrelated to HVAC events; and

Fig. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process by the control

system of Fig. 1 in which energy consumption can be adjusted based on rate

information from a utility company.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to Fig. 1, a control system 10 according to a preferred

embodiment of the invention comprises a central processor 12 which is preferably

a multi-tasking processor. The central processor 12 is loaded with software 14,

which includes an operating system (OS) 16 and application programs 18.

Preferably, the central processor 12 is the Motorola 68000 preemptive multi¬

tasking processor and the operating system 16 is Omega DOS, although other

multi-tasking operating systems can be used. The central processor 12 is

connected to non- volatile memory 20, or flash ROM 20, which preferably stores

the software 14. A power supply 22 supplies power to the central processor 12 as

well as to the rest of the system 10 and preferably includes a battery backup power

supply.

The control system 10 includes a number of interfaces, which may include

a network interface 24, a consumer electronic bus (CeBUSVLon Works bus

interface 26, and a telephone interface 28. The network interface 24 preferably

comprises a multi-drop network and, more precisely an RS 485 network and the - 17 -

telephone interface 28 is connected to a central office line and also to an internal

telephone line. The control system 10 may also be equipped with a pager receiver

30 and an infrared transmitter 32. The control system 10 is extremely flexible in

the manner in which it can communicate with external devices or systems in that it

can communicate over conventional telephone lines with telephone interface 28,

can receive wireless communications from pager receiver 30, can transmit infrared

communications with infra-red transmitter 32, and can communicate in various

standards or protocols, such as RS 485, the CeBUS standard, and the Lon Works

standard. The control system 10 is not limited to these methods of communication

but may incorporate other methods of communication, such as with other

communication standards or protocols or with other communication transceivers

or mediums, such as optical fibers.

The control system 10 has a plurality of input ports for receiving signals

from devices within the system 10 and output ports for supplying signals to

devices within the system 10. The input ports include those connected to sensors

34 and alarm zones 40 and the output ports include those connected to a siren 36

and to relays 38. The sensors 34, as will be described in more detail below, can be

any type of sensor and may provide information related to security, energy

management, lighting, or other features of the control system 10. The alarm zones

40 may represent security sensors grouped according to their type, such as door

sensors, or grouped according to their proximity, such as according to the rooms in

a building. - 18 -

A more detailed diagram of the control system 10 showing components of

the software 14 and particularly the application programs 18 is shown in Fig. 2. .

The operating system 16 links the application programs 18 to the other

components of the control system 10, which have been generally indicated as

hardware 42. The application programs 18 may include a number of task units 54,

each of which includes a stand-alone program, a stack, and private memory

storage. The exact number and functions of the task units 54 may vary according

to a desired design of a control system 10, but may include such things as a multi-

room audio/home theater task unit 54 A, a security task unit 54B, a heating,

ventilating, and air-conditioning task (HVAC) unit 54C, a general purpose

interface task unit 54D, a lighting task unit 54E, and an energy management task

unit 54F. A significant advantage of the invention is that additional task units can

be easily added to the control system 10.

The application programs 18 include a number of core units which are

preferably common to any control system 10 regardless of the exact selection of

task units 54. The core units include a download task unit 52 and a keypad control

task unit 46. The download task unit 52 is used to download data from an external

source to the flash ROM 20 and is beneficial when upgrading the software 14 in

the system 10 or when adding new software to the system 10. The keypad control

task unit 46 is used to control keypads associated with the control system 10 and

consequently controls any displays or indicators on the keypads. The core units in

the system 10 further include a control database unit 44, a variable database unit - 19 -

48, and a command execution unit 50. In general, the control database unit 44

stores commands which are executed by the various task units in the control

system 10 and the variable database 48 maintains the most recent values of any

variables shared between the task units. The command execution unit 50 receives

the commands from the control database unit 44 and routes the commands to the

proper task units for execution.

An overall process by which the control system 10 operates is shown in

Fig. 3. In response to an input/output event occurring at step 60, the operating

system 16 wakes up the particular task unit assigned to that event at step 61 by

sending that event a notice signal. The input/output event may be one of any of a

plurality of events, including such things as the pressing, releasing, or holding

down of a button on a keypad, an alarm state change detected in one of the zones

40, or an HVAC system state change as detected with one of the sensors 34. The

input/output event may also be caused by a device or system external to the system

10, such as a communication through telephone interface 24, network interface 24,

CeBUS/Lon Works interface 26, or pager receiver 30. Furthermore, the

input/output event includes activity from another task unit. For instance, an

operation by the HVAC task unit 54C of activating a relay 38 may be considered

an input/output event that triggers a response from the keypad control task unit 46

to alter a display on one of the keypads.

At step 61, the operating system 16 wakes up the task units assigned to that

input/output event, such as any of task units 46, 52, or 54. The operating system - 20 -

16 detects the task responsible for an event based on an address portion of the

signal which is generated with the event. The operating system 16 thus reads this

portion of the signal and supplies a notice signal to the addressed task unit. At step

62, the woken-up task unit queries the control database unit 44 for commands

associated with the input/output event. The control database unit 44 maintains a

relational database of all input/output events and the sets of commands associated

with each input/output event. At step 63, the control database unit 44 looks up the

set of commands associated with the received input/output event and supplies a

command pointer to the command execution unit 50. The command pointer

identifies that portion of the relational database where the set of commands for the

input/output event are stored. At step 64, the command execution unit 50 sends

the commands to the appropriate task unit or task units. As with the operating

system 16, the command execution unit 50 does not determine the type of

command but rather routes each command based on an address portion stored in

the relational database. After the commands are passed to their respective task

units, the task units rely on the operating system 16 and other resources of the

system 10 in order to execute or otherwise process the command. The operating

system 16 provides all of the necessary device drivers, such as those for timers,

serial communications, network communications, IR transmissions, XI 0

communications, dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) communications, and for the

relays 38. - 21 -

An operation of the command execution unit 50 is shown in more detail in

Fig. 4. At step 70, a task unit which has been woken-up queries the control

database unit 44 for the set of commands and the control database unit 44 supplies

the command execution unit 50 with a command pointer to the set of commands

associated with the input/output event. At step 72, the command execution unit 50

turns to the first command in the set and determines whether the command has a

condition associated with it. If the command does have a condition associated

with it, the command execution unit 50 next determines at step 74 if the condition

has been satisfied. The condition may be a certain value of a variable, the state of

a variable, or any other type of condition which must be satisfied before the

command will be executed. As an example, when a door is opened to a room as

detected within one of the alarm zones 40, a command associated with this

input/output event may be the turning on of a light in that room. Since the light

should preferably remain off during the day, a condition may be attached to this

command which will cause the command to be executed only when the door is

opened during night-time hours, which may be detected with a daylight sensor

within sensors 34 or simply with a time-of-day clock.

If the condition has not been met, then at step 82 the command execution

unit 50 turns to the next command in the set of commands. If the condition has

been met or if the command is not conditional, as determined at step 72, then the

command execution unit 50 next determines whether the command is a local

command at step 76. A local command is a command that may be executed by the - 22 -

command execution unit 50 itself and need not be supplied to a task unit. The

local commands may include a DO MACRO command for branching execution to

a macro command sequence, a LINK command for linking other task units or

events, a DELAY command for initiating a delay in processing, or a CANCEL

DELAY which cancels a pending delay. The command execution unit 50 may be

structured to have other local commands if desired. If the command is a local

command, the command execution unit 50 will consequently execute the

command itself.

If the command is not a local command as determined at step 76, then the

command execution unit 50 will forward the command to the appropriate task unit

at step 80. The control database unit 44 stores the sets of commands according to

task unit. As a result, the command execution unit 50 need not make an

independent assessment of the type of command but rather simply looks at that

portion of the command which addresses the designated task unit for that

command. Based on this portion of the command, the command execution unit 50

routes the command to the appropriate task. At step 82, the command execution

unit 50 then turns to the next command.

Fig. 5 summarizes the processing of commands by the task units. At step

90, the control database unit 44 provides a command pointer to the command

execution unit 50. At step 92, the command execution unit 50 sends the command

to the task unit that was addressed by the command and the task unit executes the

task at step 94. The command that is executed by the task unit need not result in - 23 -

the generation of any output signal but rather may result in some internal

processing, such as updating the value of a variable. The task units may rely upon

the operating system 16 in the execution of the commands.

More specifically, the control database unit 44 stores the sets of commands

in the non- volatile flash memory 20. A query to the control database unit 44

includes a task identifier and an event number. The control database unit 44, in

turn, supplies a resulting command pointer to a first command in the set addressed

by that task identifier and event number. By storing the sets of commands in a

relational database, the control database unit 44 need not determine what type of

action should result from a given input/output event but can instead simply point

the command execution unit to the set of commands associated with the

input/output event. As shown below in Table 1, the task identifier and event

number may have one set of commands for the pressing of a button number Y on a

keypad number X and may have an entirely separate set of commands for the

release of button number Y on keypad number X. The relational database in

control database unit 44 may also have separate sets of commands for the sensing

of a new temperature in the HVAC, an alarm violation, an expired timer, an open

contact, or a closed contact. 24

TASK EVENT

Keypad #X Press #Y

Keypad #X Release #Y

HVAC New Temperature X

Alarm Violation XX

Timer Expired XX

GPI Open XX

GPI Close XX

Table 1

Most of the task units, such as task units 54, download task unit 52, and

keypad control task unit 46, store values for their own local variables and use these

values as needed. Some of these variables, however, may be needed by one or

more of the other task units in the execution of their commands and therefore must

be accessed by these other task units. For example, the state of a daylight sensor

within sensors 34, which is stored by the General Purpose Interface task unit 54D,

may need to be used by the lighting task unit 54E when determining whether to

turn on a light upon the opening of a door. - 25 -

The variable database unit 48 is a vehicle by which one task unit can access

the value of a variable stored by another task unit. The variable database unit 48

provides a virtual database of variables and any task unit can query the variable

database unit 48 for a value of any variable shared between task units. A process

by which a task unit interacts with the variable database unit 48 is shown in Fig. 6.

At a step 100, a task unit queries the virtual database unit 48 for the value of a

shared variable. A query may include an identifier for the task that owns the

variable, a number identifying the variable, and a preferred return format, which

may be a string variable of variable length or an integer which is preferable a 16

bit signed number. At step 102, the variable database unit 48 queries the task unit

responsible for that variable for the value of the variable and, in response, receives

the value for the variable . At step 104, the variable database unit 48 returns the

value of the requested variable to the task unit in the format specified by that task

unit.

The variable database unit 48 also provides updates to all interested task

units upon the occurrence of any change in the value of a shared variable. With

reference to Fig. 7, at a step 110, when the value of a shared variable changes, the

owner's task unit notifies the variable database unit 48 at step 112 of a change in

the value for that shared variable. Next, at step 114 the variable database unit 48

notifies other tasks of the new value for the variable. The variable database 48

need not notify all of the task units, but rather may send an automatic update to

only those interested task units requesting the automatic updates. The updating of - 26 -

a shared variable preferably constitutes an input/output event that triggers the

control database unit 44 to initiate a set of commands for updating all interested

task units. While the values of the shared variables are preferably stored by the

owner's task, the variable database unit 48 may store the value of some shared

variables, such as the current time, the current date, or other such system

information.

As an example, a shared variable may be an ambient room temperature.

The HVAC task unit 54C is the owner's task for the ambient temperature and

stores this value in its own memory. When a change in the ambient room

temperature occurs, as described above with reference to Fig. 3, the operating

system 16 wakes up the HVAC task 54C and the HVAC 54C eventually receives

the updated temperature. The HVAC task 54C, as described above with reference

to Fig. 7, then notifies the variable database unit 48 of such a change and the

variable database unit 48, in turn, also notifies all interested tasks of the new value

for the ambient air temperature. These commands for notifying the other task

units are stored as a set in the control database unit 44. One of these interested

tasks may be keypad control task unit 46 which displays the current temperature

on one of the keypads.

By using relational databases in both the control database unit 44 and the

variable database unit 48, the programming of the control system 10 is greatly

simplified. The software 14 is not characterized by numerous lines of codes but

rather is based on the data stored in the relational databases. As a result, the actual - 27 -

code for the software 14 is fairly small and can be easily debugged. Rather than

writing, compiling, and debugging code, a process of generating the software 14

may occur by simply changing the data in the relational databases or by placing

new data in the databases. To verify the operation based on the changes in the

relational databases, the programmer can then operate the system 10 based on the

new changes. For instance, to verify the response of the control system 10 to the

opening of a door, the programmer can "open" the door in software and follow the

actions of the control system 10 to ensure the proper operation of the control

system 10. Significantly, the software 14 can be easily modified by simply

changing the data stored in the relational databases.

The control system 10 is not limited to any particular arrangement of

hardware but rather can be custom designed for a particular application. The

control system 10 may be designed to have a wide variety of functionality,

including security, home automation, energy management, lighting control, or

control over audio/video sources. Due to the flexibility in the design of the control

system 10, the control system 10 can be used within a diverse range of commercial

or residential buildings, such as houses, apartments, townhouses, condominiums,

factories, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, or offices, or within other environments.

An example of a network that the control system 10 may form a part of is

shown in Fig. 8. The central processor 12 may be connected through a first

network interface 24A to a plurality of network devices 122. These devices may

include a MagicPad user interface 122 A, a MagicBook graphical user interface - 28 -

122B, an audio keypad 122C, a static keypad 122D, an audio matrix 122E, or a

thermostat 122M. The MagicPad interface 122 A, the MagicBook graphical user

interface 122B, the audio keypad 122C, and the static keypad 122D are preferable

selected from the line of Magic user interfaces available from the assignee of the

present invention, although other keypads and graphical user interfaces may be

used. Further information on a suitable interface may be obtained with reference

to co-pending PCT application entitled "User Interface for Home Automation

System," having International Application Serial No. PCT/US96/14520 and

International filing date September 18, 1996, which is hereby incorporated by

reference. The audio matrix 122E is also available from the assignee of the

present invention and provides source selection, volume control, bass control, and

treble control for six different zones. The audio matrix 122E also provides six

contact sensors for monitoring the power status of attached sources and an output

relay for controlling a non-sensing amplifier. The network interfaces 24 need not

be connected to just keypads but may be connected to other network devices, such

as a thermostat 122M.

Moreover, the control system 10 can be connected to more than one

network interface 24 in order to expand the number of devices 122 that may be

connected to the system 10. As shown in the example in Fig. 8, the network

interface 24A may be connected to plurality of other network interfaces 24 to form

a multi-drop network with each of these other network interfaces 24 having one or

more network devices 122 connected to them. While the network is preferably an - 29 -

RS 485 network, the network may comprise another type of communication

standard, such as RS 232. Further, the network may comprise an RS 485 network

and may have an RS 232 adapter as one of the network devices 122. The network

interface 24A may also be used to connect to another control system 10 to further

expand the capabilities of the system 10. Additionally, a lighting controller, such

as the LC-16 lighting controller, is preferably connected to the CeBUS/LonWorks

interface 26.

The central processor 12 preferably includes a second network port for

connecting to a network interface 24N+1 with this other network interface 24N+1

having the same capabilities as network interface 24 A. This other network

interface 24N+1 may advantageously be used for a thermostat or may be used to

emulate an Ademco security interface. The Ademco interface would allow the

control system 10 to use any Ademco security panel for a large or complex

security system and would allow the control system 10 to use Ademco peripherals,

such as relays, zone expanders or keypads.

The relays 38 in Fig. 1 are just an example of a device that may be

connected to the output ports of the processor 12. By controlling a set of relays

38, the control system 10 can conveniently control power to other devices and thus

turn devices on or off and provide other types of control over devices. An

example of a set of relays 38 that may be connected to the central processor 12 and

their related devices 132 is shown in Fig. 9. The relays 38 may comprise circuit

breakers, such as low voltage controlled circuit breakers, for controlling a plurality - 30 -

of devices 132, including a water heater 132A, a sump pump 132B, a pool pump

132C, an access control device 132D, a gate opener 132E, or a CD player 132M.

While the audio matrix 122E preferably controls a CD player in a main stereo

system, the circuit breakers 38 may be used as an alternate means of controlling

power to the stereo or may be used to control auxiliary audio or video components.

The operating system 16 can selectively control any one of the relays 38 in

accordance with the programming of any one of the task units 54. The control

system 10 may have any number of relays, but preferably includes at least twelve

low voltage relays. The devices 132 shown in Fig. 9 are only examples of what

may be controlled by the system 10 and other loads, status lights, motors, bells,

whistles, or other devices may be controlled by the system 10 through the relays

38.

Furthermore, the type and number of sensors 34 connected to the central

processor 12 may be optimally set according to the desires of a particular

application of the control system 10. As an example, as shown in Fig. 10, the

central processor 12 may be connected to a panic sensor 34 A, a flood sensor 34B,

a daylight sensor 34C, a driveway sensor 34D, a meter pulse from an electrical

meter 34E, or a pendent remote sensor 34M. The central processor 12 may be

connected to any number of sensors, but preferably has the capability to receive up

to twelve sensor inputs. Each of these sensors 34 is therefore considered part of

the hardware 42 which may trigger an input event as shown in step 60 in Fig. 3. - 31 -

Although the exact design of alarm zones will vary with the security needs

of an application, an example of an arrangement of alarm zones 40 is shown in

Fig. 11. The control system 10 may form a plurality of alarm zones from zone

40A to zone 40N, but preferably includes at least six alarm zones 40. Each alarm

zone, such as alarm zone 40A, is connected to a plurality of alarm sensors 152.

The sensors 152 may include a door sensor 152A, a window sensor 152B, an ultra

sonic detector 152C, an infrared detector 152D, a magnetic contact 152E, or any

type of mechanical switch 152M. As is known in the art, the sensors may be

grouped together to form zones that correspond to certain areas within a building

or may be grouped according to their functionality. As described above, a network

interface 24 may be used as an Ademco interface to further expand the security

capabilities of the system 10.

In general, commands can be classified as either a core command related to

a core unit or a user command related to one of the optional user task units. The

core units are always present on a control system 10 and include the core units of

the keypad control task unit 48, the control database unit 44, the variable database

unit 48, the command execution unit 50, and the download unit 52. The user task

units 54, in contrast, can include any one or any combination of the task units 54

or even other task units not illustrated in Fig. 2. The control system 10 has a

modular design that allows task units to be added as desired. The core units of the

system 10 need not be rewritten to accommodate these additional task units and

need not know or understand the functions that the task units perform. Rather, the - 32 -

relational databases in the control database unit 44 and in the variable database

unit 48 may need to be changed to include additional sets of commands or to

include additional shared variables.

A brief description of the keypad control task unit 46 will now be provided

with reference to Fig. 12. In response to a keypad event at 160, such as the

pressing, releasing, or holding down of a keypad button, the operating system 16

wakes up the keypad control task unit 46 at step 161. At step 162, the keypad

control task unit 46 queries the control database unit 44 for the appropriate

commands. The query includes a task identifier identifying the keypad control

task unit 46 and also an identifier for the event. The event identifies the address of

the keypad that was activated, the particular key on that keypad, and whether the

key was pressed, released, or held. While each keypad has a finite number of

keys, each keypad can have an infinite number of virtual keys in software by using

pages or menus of keys. At step 163, the control database unit 44 looks up the set

of commands associated with that task and event and transfers the commands to

the execution unit 50. Next, at step 164 the command execution unit 50 sends the

commands to the appropriate task units, such as to the keypad task 46. The keypad

control task unit 46 queries the variable database 48, if necessary, to obtain values

of shared variables at step 165 and then uses the operating system 16 and system

resources in hardware 42 to service the commands assigned to the keypad task unit

46. The commands may vary according to the particular keypad and hardware, but - 33 -

may include such commands as updating a display or LED on a keypad, scrolling

text displayed on the keypad, or returning a value of an addressed variable.

The download task 52 can advantageously be used to download upgrades or

other changes or additions to the software 14 in flash ROM 20. With reference to

Fig. 13, in response to an interconnect event at step 170, the operating system 16

wakes up the download task unit 52 at step 171. The interconnect event may be a

message or command received while the control system 10 is communicating with

an external source, such as through the telephone interface 28, the network

interface 24, the CeBUS/LonWorks interface 26, or the pager receiver 30. The

download task unit 52, at step 172, then queries the control database unit 44 for the

set of commands associated with the interconnect event. At step 173, the control

database unit 44 passes a pointer to the set of commands to the command

execution unit 50 which then routes the set of commands to the appropriate task

units, such as to the download task unit 52 at step 174. At step 175, the download

task unit 52 queries the variable database unit 48 for values of any shared variables

and then, at step 176, uses the operating system 16 and the system resources to

transfer data to the flash ROM 20. With the download task 52, the control system

10 can download new versions of software used with any of the task units 54, can

add additional task units, or can even upgrade the operating system 16.

While the precise commands executed by each of the task units 54 will vary

according to the desired features in the control system 10, the task units 54

generally have an operating methodology shown in Fig. 14. At step 180, the task - 34 -

unit is woken- up by the operating system 16 and is later supplied with the

commands from the command execution unit 50. At step 181, the task unit

processes and executes the commands, using the operating system 16 or other

resources as needed, then updates the status of any local parameters at step 182.

With a change in any local variable, the task unit also updates the variable

database 48 at step 183 prior to going to sleep at step 184. The task then remains

in a sleep state until the next input/output event that causes the operating system

16 to wake the task unit.

The task unit 54 can be programmed according to the particular desires of

an application and the invention is therefore not limited to any particular design of

the task units 54. Nonetheless, a brief description of a select number of the task

units 54 will be provided in order to provide a more clear understanding of how

the task units may interact with the overall control system 10 and with devices

external to the system 10. With reference first to the multi-room audio/ ome

theater task unit 54A, the multi-room audio task unit 54 responds to the commands

of Sel_Source which specifies a particular source for a zone, Set_Volume which

sets the volume for a particular zone, Set_Bass which sets the volume level of the

bass for a particular zone, Set_Treble which sets the treble volume for a particular

zone, and Update Var which returns the updated value of a variable to the variable

database unit 48. The multi-room audio task unit 54A also maintains shared

variables of the current source for each zone, the current volume for each zone, the

current bass for each zone, and the current treble for each zone. - 35 -

The general purpose interface task unit 54D is used to control the relays 38

and to process contact closure inputs from the sensors 34. The general purpose

interface task unit 54D responds to the commands of Activate_Relay to activate a

relay of a particular address to a certain state, Pulse_Relay to pulse a relay at a

particular address from a first state to a second state for a certain duration, and

Update_Var to return the updated value of a variable to the variable database unit

48. The general purpose interface task unit 54D also maintains the shared

variables of the input status of each attached sensor 34. Frequently, the general

purpose interface task unit 54D will simply be monitoring a device's status and

will not be directly executing commands in response to a change in status.

As should be apparent, the control system 10 can be programmed so that a

change in a variable stored in one task unit can also influence the operation of

other task units. The control system 10 allows this easy interaction between task

units by having each task unit update the variable database unit 48 with the new

value of the variable upon each change. For instance, with reference to Fig. 15, a

security event can cause a reaction in both the security task 54B and also the

HVAC task 54C. At step 191, a security event is detected with the hardware 42

thereby causing the operating system 16 to wake up the security task 54B at step

192. The security event can be any one of any number of events, such as a change

in the state of the driveway sensor 142D or the operation of the MagicPad 122 A,

MagicBook 122B or static keypad 122D to arm or disarm the security system. The

security task unit 54B queries the control database unit 44 for the set of commands - 36 -

associated with the event at step 193 and the control database unit 44 provides the

command execution unit 50 with a pointer to the set of commands at step 194.

The command execution unit 50 routes the commands to the appropriate task units

at step 195.

In the exemplary programming shown in Fig. 15, the command execution

unit 50 provides commands to both the security task unit 54B and the HVAC task

unit 54C. At step 196, the security task unit 54B and the HVAC task unit 54C

execute their respective commands. The HVAC task unit 54C may be structured

so that the set points for the ambient air temperature are lowered for the heating

unit and raised for the air conditioning unit when the security system is armed, on

the assumption that the occupant has left the premises. In addition to the HVAC

task unit 54C, the general purpose interface task unit 54D may also receive

commands from the command execution unit 50 in response to the arming of the

security system so as to turn off the water heater 152A through one of the relays

38. Furthermore, the lighting task unit 54E may also receive a command from the

command execution unit 50 to turn off the lights throughout the entire house or

within certain zones within the house. The multi-room audio/home theater task

unit 54A may also receive a command from the command execution unit 50 to

turn off all audio and video devices upon the arming of the security system. Since

the HVAC unit, hot water heater, lighting, and audio video in the house may only

need to be affected if the security system is armed during the day and not during

the night, a condition may be placed on the commands sent to the task units other - 37 -

than the security task unit 54B, which would be evaluated by the execution unit 50

at step 72 in Fig. 4. Thus, the task units may receive the commands only if the

event occurred during the day light or during day-time hours.

The control system 10 therefore allows one to force the actual consumption

of electricity closer to the minimal needs of the occupant of the house. Thus, the

hot water heater 152A, the lighting, and all the audio and video devices within the

house may be turned off when the occupant is not within the premises. In all, the

control system 10 enables an occupant to have more control over the consumption

of electricity and provides a system 10 whereby the overall consumption of

electricity can be lowered with minimal impact on the occupants.

The control system 10 may also include the energy management task unit

54F for managing the energy consumption in a building. The energy management

task unit 54F permits an occupant to respond in real-time to fluctuations in pricing

of electricity . With reference to Fig. 16, the control system 10 can be

interconnected with the utility company or other provider of electricity and receive

rate information at step 201. The control system 10 can hook up to the utility

company in any one of a plurality of ways to receive this information. For

instance, the control system 10 may initiate a dial-up access through the telephone

interface 28 and communicate with the utility company over the telephone lines,

such as with an analog modem, a digital modem over ISDN lines, or with an

ADSL transceiver. The control system 10 may also receive the rate information in

real-time through pager receiver 30, through CeBUS/LonWorks interface 26 or - 38 -

through network interface 24. Once the control system 10 receives this updated

rate information, the operating system 16 wakes up the energy task unit 54F at step

202 and the energy task unit 54F queries the control database unit 44 for the set of

commands associated with that event. At step 204, the control database 44

provides the command execution unit 50 with a pointer to the set of commands

and the command execution unit 50 at step 205 provides the commands to the

energy task unit 54F as well as to any other affected task units 54.

At step 206, the energy task unit 54F and the other affected task units 54

execute their commands. The energy task unit 54F, at this step, can provide

appropriate adjustments to the set points of the ambient air temperature and

provide these updated values to the variable database unit 48. The variable

database unit 48, in turn, provides updates to all other task units 54 that share the

set points with the energy task unit 54F. The energy task unit 54F, for instance,

may place the set points for the room temperature at different levels depending

upon whether the pricing is in a low range, medium range, or high range. The

updating of the set points may be an input/output event that has a set of commands

associated with it. The HVAC task unit 54C may be one of the task units that

receives a command issued in response to the update so as to adjust the operation

of the HVAC unit accordingly. Other tasks, such as the multi-room audio/home

theater task unit 54A, the general purpose interface task unit 54D, and the lighting

task unit 54E may also be affected by changes in the pricing of electricity. - 39 -

In addition to responding to changes in the rate of electricity, the energy

management task unit 54F may also be used to provide a greater degree of

communication with the utility company. For instance, the utility company may

download a monthly bill to the control system 10. In response to this event, the

energy task unit 54F can respond by comparing the amount in the bill with an

amount computed by the energy task unit 54F based on the rate information from

the utility company throughout the billing period and the amount of consumption

as measured by the meter pulse 142E. Any discrepancies discovered by the energy

task unit 54F can be displayed by the keypad control task unit 54 46 on a keypad

along with the monthly bill. The occupant can review the bill and can initiate an

inquiry to the utility company by depressing a designated key on the keypad.

Then, in response to this keypad event, the energy task unit 54F may receive a

command to transmit a message to the utility company, such as over one of the

interfaces 24, 26, or 28. Additionally, if the monthly bill is acceptable, the

occupant may approve payment of the bill with another designated key on the

keypad which results in the transmission of a different message to the utility

company. The energy management task unit 54F may also be used in Automated

Meter Reading (AMR) for transferring a total amount of usage, as determined

from meter pulse 34E, to the utility company. As should be apparent, the energy

management task unit 54F permits a great degree of control over the consumption

of electricity and an advanced amount of bi-directional communication capability

with the utility company. - 40 -

While the control database unit 44 has been described as storing a set of

command for each input/output event, it should be understood that some events

may not require any action on the part of any task unit or core unit. Further, the

task unit that is woken up in response to an event may not receive any of the

commands stored for that event. In other words, the sub-set of commands that the

woken-up task unit receives from the command execution unit 50 includes the null

set.

It should be recognized that the system and methods disclosed are merely

illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and

adaptations thereof will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without

departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the

invention is only limited by the following claims.

Claims

- 41 -CLAIMS

1. A control system, comprising:

a command execution unit;

a control database unit for storing commands associated with input events;

at least a first task unit for overseeing a first device and a second task unit

for overseeing a second device;

a monitoring unit for supplying a first notice signal to said first task unit

after receipt of a first input signal and for supplying a second notice signal to said

second task unit after receipt of a second input signal;

said first task unit, in response to said first notice signal, supplying a first

query signal to said control database unit requesting commands associated with

said first input signal and second task unit, in response to said second notice signal,

supplying a second query signal to said control database unit requesting commands

associated with said second input signal;

said control database unit, in response to said first query signal, identifying

a first set of commands associated with said first input signal to said command

execution unit and, in response to said second query signal, identifying a second

set of commands associated with said second input signal to said command

execution unit; - 42 -

said command execution unit for routing a first sub-set of commands to

said first task unit and for routing a second sub-set of commands to said second

task unit;

wherein said first task unit processes said first sub-set of commands and

said second task unit processes said second sub-set of commands.

2. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first task

unit comprises a security task unit for monitoring a plurality of security sensors.

3. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first task

unit comprises a lighting task unit for controlling power to a plurality of lights.

4. The control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first task

unit comprises a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning task unit for controlling

operation of a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning unit.

5. The control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first task

unit comprises an audio task unit for controlling operation of an audio system.

6. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first task

unit comprises a video task unit for controlling operation of a video system. - 43 -

7. The control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first task

unit comprises a general purpose interface task unit for controlling a plurality of

relays.

8. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first task

unit comprises a keypad control task unit and said first device comprises a keypad.

9. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first set of

commands associated with said first input signal includes at least one command in

said first sub-set of commands.

10. The control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first set of

commands associated with said first input signal includes at least one command in

said second sub-set of commands.

11. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said control

system comprises a central processor and said monitoring unit comprises an

operating system for said central processor.

12. The control system as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said processor

comprises a multi-tasking processor and said operating system comprises a multi-

tasking operating system. - 44 -

13. The control system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a

variable database for storing a value of a shared variable, said first task unit and

said second task unit both retrieving the value of said shared variable when

processing said first and second sub-sets of commands, respectively.

14. The control system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said first and

second task units update the value of said shared variable after processing said first

and second sub-sets of commands, respectively.

15. The control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first task

unit comprises a download task unit for receiving data from an external source and

for upgrading said second task unit with said data.

16. The control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first task

unit comprises a download task unit for receiving data from an external source and

for upgrading said monitoring unit with said data.

17. The control system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an

interface for connecting said control system to a telephone line and a transceiver

for communicating with an external device over said telephone line. - 45 -

18. The control system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an

interface for connecting said control system to a network and a transceiver for

communicating with an external device over said network.

19. The control system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said network

comprises an RS 485 network.

20. The control system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said network

comprises a CeBUS network.

21. The control system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said network

comprises a Lon Works network.

22. The control system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a

pager receiver for receiving data over a paging network.

23. The control system as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising an

infrared transmitter for communicating with an infrared receiver, said first task

unit transferring messages to said infrared transmitter for transmission to said

infrared receiver.

24. A control system having a plurality of task units, comprising: - 46 -

said plurality of task units each for overseeing at least one device; and

a central processor coupled to said devices, said central processor

comprising:

a control database unit for storing sets of commands in a relational

database according to input signal;

a command execution unit;

a monitoring unit for receiving input signals from the devices and

for generating notice signals to the individual task units associated with the

input signals;

said task units supplying query signals to said control database unit;

said control database unit providing sets of commands associated

with said input signals to said command execution unit;

said command execution unit reading address data associated with

each of said commands and routing the commands to the task units

specified by said address data;

wherein said plurality of task units executes said commands received from

said command execution unit.

25. The control system as set forth in claim 24, wherein said processor

comprises a multi-tasking processor.

26. The control system as set forth in claim 24, further comprising a

variable database for use in maintaining values of shared variables, said shared - 47 -

variables being retrieved by more than one of said task units and being updated by

the more than one of said task units.

27. The control system as set forth in claim 24, further comprising non-

volatile memory and a download task unit for replacing data in said non- volatile

memory with data received from an external source.

28. The control system as set forth in claim 27, wherein said data stored

in said non-volatile memory is program data and said data received from said

external source is an upgrade to said program data.

29. A keypad control system, comprising:

at least one keypad for generating a keypad signal upon an occurrence of a

keypad entry;

a command execution unit;

a control database unit for storing commands in a relational database

according to keypad signals;

a keypad task unit for overseeing said keypad;

a second task unit for overseeing a device;

a monitoring unit for supplying a notice signal to said keypad task unit after

receipt of said keypad signal from said keypad; - 48 -

said keypad task unit, in response to said notice signal, supplying a query

signal to said control database unit requesting a set of commands associated with

said keypad entry;

said control database unit, in response to said query signal, notifying said

command execution unit of the set of commands associated with said keypad

entry;

said command execution unit for routing at least one command in the set to

said second task unit;

wherein said second task unit controls said second device in response to the

one command and, consequently, in response to the keypad entry.

30. The keypad control system as set forth in claim 29, wherein said

keypad signal identifies said keypad from a plurality of keypads and identifies a

button on said keypad out of a plurality of buttons on said keypad.

31. The keypad control system as set forth in claim 29, wherein said

keypad comprises a plurality of buttons and a respective plurality of display

portions near said plurality of buttons, said keypad providing descriptions in the

display portions of their respective buttons.

32. The keypad control system as set forth in claim 31, further

comprising a variable database for storing the descriptions for the buttons. - 49 -

33. A system for managing consumption of electricity, comprising:

an electrical load for being supplied with electrical power;

a receiving unit for receiving rate information on the electrical power

supplied to said electrical load;

an energy management unit for monitoring the rate information and for

detecting a change in said rate information; and

a device for adjusting a supply of electrical power to said electrical load;

wherein said energy management unit provides a control signal to said

device for altering said supply of electrical power to said electrical load in

response to said change in said rate information, whereby said system can respond

to rate changes to maintain consumption at a desired level.

34. The system as set forth in claim 33, wherein said electrical load

comprises a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning unit and said energy

managing unit adjusts a set point for said heating, ventilating, and air conditioning

unit.

35. The system as set forth in claim 33, further comprising a sensing

unit for detecting an amount of energy consumed by said electrical load.

36. A control method, comprising the steps of: - 50 -

storing sets of commands in a relational database according to input/output

event;

receiving an input/output event and retrieving a set of commands associated

with said input/output event;

routing each command in said set of commands to a task unit assigned to

each command; and

processing each command at the task unit assigned to each command.

37. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of storing

said sets of commands in said relational database comprises a step of indexing said

set of commands according to a task unit identifier and event identifier.

38. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of receiving

an input/output event comprises a step of detecting said input/output event with a

monitoring unit and notifying the task unit assigned to the input/output event.

39. The method as set forth in claim 38, wherein said step of detecting

said input/output event comprises a step of detecting said input/output event with a

multi-tasking operating system for a processor.

40. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of retrieving

the set of commands comprises the steps of passing a pointer to a command - 51 -

execution unit and reading a first command in said set of commands with said

command execution unit.

41. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of routing

each command comprises a step of reading an address portion of each command

and passing each command in the set to the task unit identified in said address

portion.

42. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of routing

each command comprises a step of evaluating any condition associated with each

command and passing each command to its task unit only if said condition is

satisfied.

43. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of routing

each command comprises the steps of determining whether each command is a

local command and processing each local command with a core unit.

44. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of processing

each command with the task unit comprises a step of querying a variable database

unit for a value of a variable. - 52 -

45. The method as set forth in claim 36, further comprising a step of

updating a variable database unit with a value of a variable shared between task

units.

46. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of receiving

said input/output event comprises a step of receiving an input signal from a device.

47. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of receiving

said input/output event comprises a step of detecting an output signal generated by

one of the task units.

48. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of receiving

said input/output event comprises a step of detecting an activity by one of the other

task units.

49. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of receiving

said input/output event comprises a step of detecting a new software program and

said step of processing each command comprises the step of storing the new

software program in non- volatile memory.

50. The method as set forth in claim 36, wherein said step of receiving

said input/output event comprises a step of detecting a rate change in electricity - 53 -

and said step of processing each command includes a step of altering a provision

of electrical power to an electrical load.

51. A method of managing consumption of electricity, comprising the

steps of:

supplying electrical power to an electrical load;

receiving rate information on the electrical power supplied to said electrical

load;

monitoring the rate information and detecting a change in said rate

information; and

adjusting a supply of electrical power to said electrical load in response to

the change in rate information;

wherein said supply of electrical power to said electrical load can be altered

in real-time in response to the change in rate information.

52. The method as set forth in claim 51, wherein said step of receiving

rate information comprises a step of receiving said rate information from a

provider of electricity.

53. The method as set forth in claim 51 , wherein said step of detecting

the change in rate information comprises a step of evaluating whether the change

in rate information places the rate information within a range of rates. - 54 -

54. The method as set forth in claim 51 , wherein said electrical load is a

heating, ventilating, and air conditioning unit and said step of adjusting the supply

of electrical power comprises a step of altering temperature set points for said unit.