Building Operational Data Display Ontology Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building management systems struggle to display complex operational data in a user-friendly manner, often lacking context, making it difficult for operators to visualize and respond to multiple, seemingly unrelated conditions within a building.
Innovation Solution
The system defines rule conditions based on an ontology definition for the building, generates analytic information upon triggering these conditions, and displays it within a contextual operational environment, such as a building map, providing temporal and spatial insights along with importance-based visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If previous display approaches focus only on one item (e.g., one piece of equipment, one area, or one fault stream), then the display is simple and easy to operate, but the user cannot see or process multiple unrelated conditions in the building
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments building conditions by organizing them into hierarchical groups (building areas, equipment categories, fault types) while maintaining visual separation through color-coding and grouping. This allows multiple unrelated conditions to be displayed simultaneously without creating a single overwhelming list, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and comprehensive visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional linear list of conditions to a two-dimensional organized display with multiple columns and rows, where conditions are arranged by building area, equipment type, and priority level. This dimensional expansion allows users to process multiple conditions simultaneously while maintaining organizational structure and ease of navigation.
2Device complexity
If information is displayed in an abstract manner (away from and separate from a building map), then the display is simple, but the information lacks context and is difficult for users to synthesize and visualize
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the building map visualization with the condition data display by spatially correlating equipment icons on the map with their associated fault conditions in adjacent display areas. This integration provides contextual understanding while maintaining display organization, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and contextual richness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual intermediaries such as color-coded indicators, icons, and graphical links that connect abstract condition data to their physical locations on the building map. These intermediaries bridge the gap between simplified display structures and contextual information, allowing users to easily synthesize and visualize building conditions.
3Loss of information
If multiple building conditions are displayed in detail, then complete information is provided, but the display becomes complex and difficult for users to understand and process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing detailed information only for selected or active conditions while summarizing others, using varying levels of detail based on condition priority, building area, and user selection. This selective detail provision maintains information completeness while reducing overall display complexity through hierarchical organization and progressive disclosure.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, methods, and systems for displaying information associated with an operation state of a building are described herein. One method includes defining a rule condition for a building, wherein the rule condition is based on an ontology definition associated with the building, generating, upon a triggering of the rule condition, analytic information associated with the triggered rule condition, wherein the analytic information is based on the ontology definition, and displaying the analytic information associated with the triggered rule condition as part of a display of an operational environment of the building.