BMS Audiovisual Fault Interfaces for Time-Series Data Clarity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems (BMS) face challenges in presenting building timeseries data in an understandable, accessible, and insightful manner, often obscuring relevant information due to the complexity and opacity of equipment operations, especially in hard-to-access areas, and overwhelming human technicians with mass data presentation.
Innovation Solution
A method for BMS that includes detecting faults in timeseries data, classifying faulty periods, and presenting them through audiovisual interfaces with tones and graphical advancements, allowing users to distinguish normal, faulty, and data loss periods, with customizable visual and audio cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If building timeseries data is presented in detailed form, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and overwhelms the user
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments building timeseries data into distinct temporal periods (normal periods, faulty periods, data loss periods) and presents them separately through visual and audio cues. This segmentation allows detailed data analysis without overwhelming the user, as each period type is handled independently with specific visual characteristics and audio signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that transforms raw timeseries data into simplified visual representations (graphs with different line styles for different periods) and audio signals. This intermediary layer filters and structures the data before presentation, reducing interface complexity while preserving measurement precision through the structured format.
2Reliability
If building equipment is located in hard-to-access areas, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical inspection and manual monitoring of building equipment with an automated digital monitoring system. The BMS collects, processes, and presents equipment data through visual and audio interfaces, eliminating the need for technicians to physically access hard-to-reach equipment locations while maintaining or improving monitoring reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a digital intermediary system (BMS with audiovisual interface) that acts as a mediator between remote equipment and technicians. This intermediary collects data from equipment in hard-to-access areas and presents it in an easily operable format, bridging the gap between equipment location and technician accessibility.
3Measurement precision
If building timeseries data is collected at high frequency, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to data processing burden
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments high-frequency timeseries data into meaningful temporal periods (normal, faulty, data loss) and processes each segment with appropriate visual and audio treatments. This segmentation reduces the overall processing burden by handling data in manageable chunks rather than processing every data point individually, thus reducing time loss while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial processing actions to the high-frequency data by focusing computational resources on identifying and highlighting critical periods (faulty periods with audio cues, data loss periods with dashed lines) rather than uniformly processing all data points. This selective processing reduces time loss while preserving measurement precision for critical events.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for a building management system includes detecting a fault from timeseries building data, classifying a time period of the timeseries building data as a faulty time period based on the fault, and playing an audiovisual presentation of the fault and the timeseries building data by visually advancing through the timeseries building data in a chronological order and emitting a tone when the timeseries building data for the faulty time period is presented.