Building Data Graph Access Control Through Contextual API Calls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current building management systems lack dynamic, scalable, and adjustable solutions for holistic management of building operations, as discrete predefined controlling systems operate independently without knowledge of the building's overall state.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based building system that receives events from building equipment, identifies contextual data, generates enriched events by combining data values with contextual information, and provides these enriched events to consuming applications, allowing for holistic management and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If discrete predefined controlling systems operate each subsystem individually, then each subsystem can be controlled independently, but holistic management of the building is not achieved and systems lack knowledge of the overall building state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges discrete subsystems into a unified event-driven architecture where all building subsystems (HVAC, lighting, security, etc.) are integrated through a central event bus. This allows holistic management while maintaining individual subsystem independence through event-based communication rather than tight coupling.
Solution Approach 2:
The event bus serves as a universal communication infrastructure that handles multiple functions: event routing, data distribution, contextual information sharing, and coordination between different subsystems. This single universal mechanism replaces multiple dedicated communication channels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If predefined controlling systems are used, then implementation is straightforward, but dynamic and scalable solutions cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static predefined control to dynamic event-driven control where subsystems can be added, removed, or modified at runtime. Event sources and consuming applications can dynamically subscribe to or publish events without system reconfiguration, enabling flexible adaptation to changing building requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The building management system is segmented into independent event sources, event bus, and consuming applications. Each component operates autonomously and communicates through standardized events, allowing individual components to be developed, deployed, and scaled independently while maintaining ease of implementation through modular architecture.
3Loss of information
If subsystems operate independently without contextual information, then system operation is simple, but contextual awareness and coordinated control are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The event bus acts as an intermediary that collects, standardizes, and distributes contextual information from all subsystems. Instead of subsystems directly exchanging complex information, they publish events to the bus which handles routing and distribution, reducing information processing complexity while improving contextual awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The event-driven architecture establishes feedback loops where subsystems publish state changes as events, consuming applications process these events and generate control actions, which are published back as events to actuate subsystems. This continuous feedback enables contextual awareness and coordinated control while maintaining simple subsystem operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A building system of a building including one or more memory devices having instructions thereon, that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive a request to access a portion of a building graph of the building from a system, the building graph including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges, the plurality of nodes representing entities of the building and the plurality of edges representing relationships between the entities of the building. The instructions cause one or more processors to determine whether the system has access to the portion of the building graph based on a policy indicated by the plurality of nodes and edges of the building graph and provide the portion of the building graph to the system in response to a determination that the system has access to the portion of the building graph.