Building Graph Permissions for Context-Aware Operations Data
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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 systems operate independently without knowledge of the building's overall state.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based building system that enriches events with contextual information by identifying and integrating data from various sources, including schemas, databases, and graph projections, to provide a unified and adaptable management framework.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If discrete predefined controlling systems are used for each building subsystem, then each subsystem can be controlled individually, but the system lacks holistic management capability and cannot dynamically adapt to building-wide conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete building subsystems (HVAC, lighting, security, etc.) into a unified event-driven platform where all subsystems communicate through a common event bus. This allows holistic management while maintaining individual subsystem independence through standardized event interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal building management platform that handles multiple subsystem types through a single event processing architecture. The system uses schema-based event validation and graph database projections to provide multi-functional capabilities across diverse building systems without requiring subsystem-specific control logic.
2Adaptability or versatility
If predefined controlling systems are used, then implementation is straightforward, but the system cannot provide dynamic and scalable solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic building management system where the event schema registry and graph database projections can be modified at runtime. New event types, data models, and subsystem integrations can be added without reconfiguring the entire system, enabling dynamic scalability while maintaining ease of implementation through standardized patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the building management system into independent, loosely-coupled components: event sources, event bus, schema registry, graph database, and consuming applications. Each component can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently, providing dynamic scalability while keeping implementation straightforward through clear separation of concerns.
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 patent introduces an event bus as an intermediary layer between building subsystems and the management platform. Events are published to the event bus with contextual information, which is then validated against schemas and projected into graph database structures. This intermediary preserves contextual information while managing data processing complexity through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates projected views of the building state in the graph database that copy and organize contextual information from raw events. These projections provide contextual awareness to consuming applications without requiring them to process raw event data directly, reducing data processing complexity while maintaining information availability.
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.