Building Automation Rooftop Unit with Edge-Based Auto-Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building automation systems are complex and require extensive manual configuration, with limited functionality and interoperability issues due to diverse devices and protocols, making them unsuitable for smaller facilities and complicating comparisons across different types and sizes.
Innovation Solution
A rooftop unit equipped with air conditioning components and circuitry that executes expression-based event processing logic and a machine learning algorithm, allowing for pattern recognition, fault diagnosis, and prediction, with the ability to modify logic remotely and function during communication interruptions, using a cloud-trained model adapted for limited processing resources and integrating data from various sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional building automation systems use complex architectures with multiple devices and controllers, then large scale facilities can be managed, but device complexity and manual configuration requirements increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal building automation system where a single rooftop unit can function across different facility scales by integrating multiple functions locally. The unit incorporates control logic, event processing, and machine learning capabilities that enable it to adapt to various facility types and sizes without requiring different system architectures, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the building automation functionality into self-contained rooftop units that operate independently with local intelligence. Each unit contains its own control logic, event processing engine, and machine learning model, allowing the system to scale from small to large facilities by simply adding or removing individual units rather than redesigning the overall architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If diverse building devices use different protocols and data formats, then device functionality can be specialized, but interoperability between devices is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an event processing engine that acts as an intermediary layer between diverse building devices and the control system. This engine standardizes data exchange by translating various device protocols and data formats into a common event-based language, enabling specialized devices to interoperate reliably without sacrificing their individual functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of data representation from protocol-specific formats to a standardized event structure. By transforming device data into uniform events with consistent schemas, the system maintains device specialization while ensuring reliable interoperability through parameter standardization.
3Device complexity
If building automation systems require manual configuration by field technicians, then system architecture can be complex, but installation time and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service capabilities through automated configuration routines that enable rooftop units to automatically discover and integrate with building devices without manual technician intervention. The system performs self-configuration by detecting connected devices, determining their types and protocols, and automatically setting up appropriate control logic and event processing parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates preliminary configuration actions into the manufacturing process, with rooftop units arriving pre-configured with control logic, event processing engines, and machine learning models. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for field technicians to perform complex configuration tasks during installation, dramatically improving installation productivity.
4Quantity of substance
If building automation systems are designed for large scale facilities, then system capacity is sufficient, but applicability to smaller facilities is limited due to extra complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic system architecture where rooftop units can be selectively deployed based on facility size and requirements. The modular design allows small facilities to use only one or a few units with simplified configurations, while large facilities can deploy multiple units with full functionality, enabling the system to adapt its complexity to match the scale of each application.
Data Source
AI summary
1. A system includes a unit of building equipment serving a building and including a heating, ventilation, or cooling component and onboard circuitry configured to execute a configuration routine stored on the circuitry which automatically configures parameters of the building equipment based on the signals received from sensors and devices at the building. The system also includes a cloud system communicably connectable to the onboard circuitry and configured to influence the configuration routine.