Building Controller Setpoint Fallback Under Cloud Connectivity Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building systems that rely on remote services for control decisions face economic and comfort issues due to intermittent connectivity, leading to inefficient operation and increased costs when equipment is run without economic considerations.
Innovation Solution
A controller system that includes processors and non-transitory computer-readable media to manage building equipment, obtaining setpoint trajectories from a cloud computation system, determining active setpoints based on connectivity status, and operating equipment to maintain occupant comfort, with features like storing trajectories and generating setpoints using cost optimization functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If building systems rely on remote cloud services for control decisions, then economic optimization and automated comfort management are improved, but system reliability deteriorates due to intermittent connectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The controller stores multiple setpoint trajectories (economic, comfort, and intermediate) in advance before connectivity is lost. When cloud connection is unavailable, the controller autonomously selects from pre-stored trajectories without requiring real-time cloud computation, ensuring continuous reliable operation while maintaining economic optimization capabilities.
2Reliability
If building equipment operates without cloud connectivity, then system reliability is maintained, but economic efficiency deteriorates due to lack of optimized control decisions
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple optimized setpoint trajectories are computed and stored in advance using cloud-based economic optimization algorithms. These pre-computed trajectories enable the controller to maintain energy-efficient operation during connectivity interruptions without real-time cloud computation.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller creates local copies of cloud-computed setpoint trajectories and stores them for offline use. These copied trajectories preserve the economic optimization benefits even when the original cloud service is inaccessible, eliminating the need to revert to less efficient local control algorithms.
3Device complexity
If occupants manually adjust environmental conditions, then system complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to wasted time and energy
Solution Approach 1:
The building control system autonomously selects and implements appropriate setpoint trajectories based on connectivity status without requiring occupant intervention. This self-service capability maintains automated comfort management while preserving productivity, eliminating the need for occupants to manually adjust environmental conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller for operating building equipment of a building including processors and non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations including obtaining a first setpoint trajectory from a cloud computation system. The first setpoint trajectory includes setpoints for the building equipment or for a space of the building. The setpoints correspond to time steps of an optimization period. The operations include determining whether a connection between the controller and the cloud computation system is active or inactive at a time step of the optimization period and determining an active setpoint for the time step of the optimization period using either the first or second setpoint trajectory based on whether the connection between the controller and the cloud computation system is active or inactive at the time step. The operations include operating the building equipment based on the active setpoint.