Building Control Path Visualization for Multi-Component Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In building management systems (BMS), it is challenging for users to diagnose changes or issues affecting multiple components and spaces due to the complexity of relationships between various systems and equipment, making it difficult to understand how high-level control logic impacts individual objects.
Innovation Solution
A user interface system that allows users to select an object, determine the related equipment and spaces impacted, and visualize the relationships and control logic affecting those components, enabling users to understand how changes in one object affect others within the BMS.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a building management system integrates control of multiple components and systems, then the system's functionality and control capability are improved, but the complexity of diagnosing changes and issues across components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex BMS into individual object profiles, each representing a specific component or system. When a user selects an object, the system generates a focused view showing only that object's parameters and relationships, breaking down the overall system complexity into manageable individual units that can be diagnosed independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer between the user and the complex BMS components. This intermediary generates customized views that translate complex system relationships into simplified visual representations, showing only the relevant objects and parameters affected by a selected component's operation or changes.
2Loss of information
If the building management system monitors and displays information about multiple spaces and equipment, then the system's monitoring capability is improved, but the difficulty of understanding relationships between components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by customizing the information display based on the user's selection. Instead of showing all system information uniformly, the system generates a focused view that displays only the parameters, objects, and relationships relevant to the selected component, making the information both complete for that context and easy to understand.
Solution Approach 2:
The system inverts the traditional approach by starting with the user's selection (a specific object or component) and then displaying only the information related to that selection, rather than presenting all system information and requiring users to find relevant details. This inversion simplifies relationship understanding by showing connections radiating from the selected object.
3Reliability
If the system provides detailed information about how equipment operation impacts other components and spaces, then the diagnostic capability is improved, but the user interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic information display that adapts to user needs. When a user selects an object, the system dynamically generates a customized view showing only the parameters and relationships relevant to that object. This dynamic adaptation provides detailed diagnostic information while maintaining interface simplicity by hiding unrelated complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A building management system including one or more circuits configured to receive a selection of an object associated with one of a building system, a piece of equipment, or a space of one or more building systems, one or more pieces of equipment, and/or one or more spaces of a building; determine the one or more pieces of equipment related to the object and/or the one or more spaces related to the object; and how generate a graphical user interface illustrating (i) a relationship of the object with (a) the one or more pieces of equipment related to the object and/or (b) the one or more spaces related to the object and/or (ii) a control path between the object and (a) the one or more pieces of equipment related to the object and/or (b) the one or more spaces related to the object.