Building management system with natural language interface

Abstract

A building management system includes a controller that is configured to provide a natural language interaction on a remote user interface via an I/O port and to receive one or more building management requests from one or more users as well as to ascertain whether the received one or more building management requests can be carried out by the building management system. The one or more building system components of the building are instructed to carry out the received one or more building management requests unless one or more building management requests cannot be carried out, in which case one or more natural language messages on the remote user interface via the I/O port that informs the user that one or more of the building management requests cannot be carried out.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A building management system configured to control the operation of one or more building system components of a building, the building management system comprising:
 an I/O port for operative coupling to a remote user interface;   a controller operatively coupled to the I/O port, the controller configured to provide a natural language interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to receive one or more building management requests from one or more users;   the controller further configured to ascertain whether the received one or more building management requests can be carried out by the building management system; and   the controller further configured to instruct the one or more building system components of the building to carry out the received one or more building management requests unless one or more building management requests cannot be carried out.   
     
     
         2 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein when the one or more building management requests cannot be carried out, the controller provides one or more natural language messages on the remote user interface via the I/O port that informs the user that one or more of the building management requests cannot be carried out by the building management system. 
     
     
         3 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that one or more of the building management requests cannot be carried out due to a building system component equipment fault. 
     
     
         4 . The building management system of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to provide an alert via the I/O port to a building manager regarding the one or more building management requests that cannot be carried out due to the building system component equipment fault. 
     
     
         5 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that one or more of the received building management requests cannot be carried out due to a conflict with another one of the received building management request. 
     
     
         6 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that one or more of the received building management requests cannot be carried out because doing so would result in a building system parameter being outside of a predefined allowable range. 
     
     
         7 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a location and/or a zone of a user within the building that is making one or more of the building management requests via the natural language interaction on the remote user interface. 
     
     
         8 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to institute a temporary change in operation of one or more building system components in response to one or more of the building management requests. 
     
     
         9 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to enable a user to create an event via the remote user interface by specifying one or more comfort parameters for a zone within the building and a date and time of the created event, and once created, the controller is configured to instruct the one or more building system components of the building that correspond to the zone to operate in accordance with the one or more comfort parameters at the date and time of the created event. 
     
     
         10 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to automatically change a future operation of one or more building system components of a building based on one or more of the received building management requests from the user. 
     
     
         11 . The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the controller executes a learning algorithm that schedules a learned event in the future operation of one or more building system components based on one or more of the received building management requests from the user. 
     
     
         12 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the natural language interaction via the remote user interface comprises voice recognition and/or voice synthesis. 
     
     
         13 . The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more building system components include an HVAC system components and the one or more building management requests include a request for one or more of warm air, cool air and fresh air. 
     
     
         14 . An HVAC management system configured to control operation of one or more HVAC system components of a building, the HVAC management system comprising:
 an I/O port for operative coupling to a remote user interface;   a controller operatively coupled to the  1 / 0  port, the controller configured to:
 provide a natural language interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more users; 
 determine an HVAC operational parameter change in response to one or more of the HVAC comfort requests; and 
 instruct the one or more HVAC system components to institute the determined HVAC operational parameter change for a period of time, and then to return to a previous setting for the HVAC operational parameter. 
   
     
     
         15 . The HVAC management system of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the one or more HVAC system components in order to confirm that the determined HVAC operational parameter change is being executed. 
     
     
         16 . The HVAC management system of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more HVAC system components include a variable air volume (VAV) box. 
     
     
         17 . The HVAC management system of  claim 14 , wherein the HVAC comfort requests from the one or more users comprise a statement that the user is too cold or too warm. 
     
     
         18 . The HVAC management system of  claim 14 , wherein the period of time during which the determined HVAC operational parameter change is in effect comprises an adjustable time period. 
     
     
         19 . The HVAC management system of  claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the adjustable time period in response to a history of HVAC comfort requests. 
     
     
         20 . An HVAC management system configured to control operation of one or more HVAC system components of a building, the HVAC management system comprising:
 an I/O port for operative coupling to a remote user interface;   a controller operatively coupled to the I/O port, the controller configured to:
 provide a natural language interaction on the remote user interface via the I/O port and to receive one or more HVAC comfort requests from one or more users; 
 determine a location of the user within the building that is making one or more of the HVAC comfort requests; 
 determine an HVAC operational parameter change for a specific HVAC zone from a plurality of HVAC zones that corresponds to the determined location of the user that is making one or more of the HVAC comfort requests; and 
 instruct the one or more HVAC system components to institute the determined HVAC operational parameter change in the specific HVAC zone.