Building Alarm Management with Role-Based Mobile Notification Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems face challenges in effectively managing alarms and adjusting environmental conditions based on user roles and locations, leading to inefficient response and control of building equipment.
Innovation Solution
A building alarm management system that processes alarms from various equipment, retrieves user role and location information, and automatically adjusts environmental conditions by sending relevant alarms to mobile devices based on user roles and permissions, allowing for targeted responses and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If alarms are sent to all users regardless of role and location, then no alarm is lost, but information overload and response inefficiency occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by customizing alarm notification delivery based on user-specific attributes. Different user roles (e.g., security personnel, maintenance staff, management) receive different subsets of alarms relevant to their responsibilities. Location-based filtering ensures users only receive alarms from zones they are responsible for or currently in, reducing information overload while maintaining reliable delivery of pertinent alarms.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm notification system is segmented into multiple delivery channels and priority levels. Alarms are divided into categories (security, maintenance, environmental) and routed to appropriate user groups. The system segments the user base into roles and locations, creating a structured distribution network that improves response efficiency by delivering only relevant alarms to each user segment.
2Ease of operation
If environmental conditions are adjusted for all users in a zone, then user comfort is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by adjusting environmental conditions only for the specific user or small group of users currently present in a zone, rather than for all users or the entire building. Sensors detect occupancy and trigger environmental adjustments (temperature, lighting) only in occupied zones, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining comfort for present users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting user arrival or presence in zones and pre-adjusting environmental conditions before users arrive. This anticipatory approach ensures immediate comfort upon entry while limiting energy consumption to only those zones where users are expected, rather than continuously conditioning all zones.
3Measurement precision
If the system tracks and processes detailed user location and role information, then alarm distribution accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by using a multi-functional user profile database that stores various attributes (role, location, preferences, contact information) and serves multiple purposes. The same database supports alarm distribution, environmental control, access management, and reporting functions, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high alarm distribution accuracy through comprehensive user information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer (alarm management server or software module) that handles the complexity of processing user location and role information. This intermediary sits between the building automation systems and end users, consolidating the complexity of data processing, filtering, and routing in a single component, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining precise alarm distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
A building alarm management system for a building includes a processing circuit configured to receive one or more alarms from building equipment of the building and receive location information for the building equipment located in the building and one or more mobile devices associated with one or more users located in the building. The processing circuit is further configured to retrieve role information including roles associated with the one or more users and send the one or more alarms to the one or more mobile devices based on the roles associated with the one or more users and the locations of the one or more mobile devices and the building equipment.