Building Control Setpoint Injection for Online System Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building control systems face challenges in generating accurate predictive models due to insufficient operational data from system dynamics, particularly during normal operations where dynamics may not contain sufficient excitations or behaviors.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to optimize setpoint schedules by identifying pre-cooling or pre-heating segments, adjusting them based on characteristics such as duration, and operating building equipment accordingly to improve data quality, while ensuring comfort thresholds are maintained, thereby enhancing the quality of data collected for system model generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If normal operations are maintained, then energy consumption is minimized, but data quality for system identification deteriorates due to insufficient system excitations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of pre-cooling or pre-heating segments in the setpoint schedule and injects additional setpoint changes during these segments before normal operation begins. This allows excitation data to be collected in advance during periods when the building thermal mass can absorb the disturbances without affecting occupant comfort or requiring additional energy consumption.
2Measurement precision
If additional setpoint changes are injected to improve system excitations, then data quality improves, but occupant comfort deteriorates due to temperature deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The system identifies pre-cooling or pre-heating segments where the building thermal mass is being charged in advance. Additional setpoint changes are injected during these segments when the thermal mass can absorb the excitations without causing uncomfortable temperature deviations for occupants, thus collecting high-quality data while maintaining comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different control strategies to different segments of the setpoint schedule. During pre-cooling or pre-heating segments, additional setpoint changes are permitted to improve data quality. During other segments, normal comfort-maintaining operation is preserved. This localized application of excitation injection resolves the contradiction between data quality and comfort.
3Measurement precision
If pre-cooling or pre-heating segments are extended to improve data collection, then data quality improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extends pre-cooling or pre-heating segments only partially - just enough to provide sufficient excitation data for system identification. The extension is controlled to minimize additional energy consumption while still achieving the required data quality threshold for accurate model identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes obtaining an optimized setpoint schedule for a time period, identifying a pre-cooling or pre-heating segment of the time period of the optimized setpoint schedule, adjusting the optimized setpoint schedule based on a characteristic of the pre-cooling or pre-heating segment to obtain an adjusted setpoint schedule, and operating the building equipment in accordance with the adjusted setpoint schedule.