Building Control Interface for Diagnosing Equipment-Space Relationships
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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 the system, making it difficult to understand how high-level control logic impacts individual objects.
Innovation Solution
A user interface is developed that allows users to select an object, determining the related equipment and spaces impacted, and displaying the relationships and values associated with these components, enabling users to visualize the control logic's effects and make informed changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a building management system integrates control of multiple components (HVAC, lighting, security, etc.), then the system's functionality and control capability are improved, but the device complexity increases making it difficult for users to diagnose issues and understand component relationships
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex building management system into individual selectable objects (equipment, spaces, systems) that users can choose from. When an object is selected, the system displays only the relevant impacted objects and relationships specific to that selection, rather than overwhelming the user with the entire system's complexity. This segmentation allows users to focus on specific areas of interest while maintaining access to the full system's functionality.
2Loss of information
If the building management system monitors and displays information about all components and their relationships, then the information completeness is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the overwhelming amount of information presented to users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of information detail based on the user's selection. When a user selects a specific object (e.g., a piece of equipment or a space), the system displays information locally relevant to that selection - showing only the impacted objects and relationships specific to that choice. This allows the system to maintain information completeness for the selected context while presenting a simplified, user-friendly interface that adapts to the user's specific information needs.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the system displays detailed relationships between all objects, then the diagnostic capability is improved, but the loss of time increases due to the complexity of navigating and understanding the information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing and storing the relationships between all objects in the building management system. When a user selects an object for diagnosis, the system quickly retrieves and displays the pre-computed impacted objects and relationships without requiring the user to manually trace through complex system interactions. This preliminary preparation of relationship data significantly reduces the time required for diagnosis while maintaining comprehensive diagnostic capability.
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 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.