Building Involvement Maps for Diagnosing BMS Control Relationships
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems (BMS) face challenges in diagnosing changes or issues affecting multiple components and spaces due to complex relationships between equipment, making it difficult for users to understand how high-level control impacts individual components or spaces.
Innovation Solution
A user interface is developed that generates an involvement map displaying relationships between components, allowing users to select a component and visualize its connections with other objects, indicating involvement types such as referential, command, or unbound relationships, facilitating the understanding of control logic impacts on equipment and spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a BMS monitors and controls multiple building components, then the system provides comprehensive building management capabilities, but the complexity of diagnosing issues and understanding component relationships increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex BMS into individual component representations (indicia) displayed on a graphical map. Each component can be independently selected and examined, allowing users to break down the overall system complexity into manageable parts. The involvement map divides the building layout into discrete selectable elements, each showing its specific relationships with other components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary interface layer between the user and the complex BMS data. This interface includes a graphical involvement map that visually mediates component relationships, and a panel that translates selected component data into understandable relationship descriptions. This intermediary processing layer simplifies the presentation of complex inter-component dependencies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the BMS integrates multiple building subsystems, then the system achieves comprehensive control, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring relationships between components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual indicators including color-coded relationship indicators to represent different types of relationships between components. The graphical interface displays relationship types (e.g., control, monitoring, dependency) using distinct visual markers that make it easy to detect and differentiate various relationship categories at a glance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual spatial dimension to component relationship data by displaying components as indicia on a graphical map representing the physical building layout. This spatial arrangement allows users to understand both the physical location and logical relationships of components simultaneously, making it easier to detect and measure relationships across multiple subsystems.
3Loss of information
If the user interface displays detailed component information, then the system provides comprehensive diagnostic data, but the ease of operation decreases due to information overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic user interface where the level and type of information displayed adapts based on user interactions. When a user selects a component, the interface dynamically updates to show that specific component's relationships and details. This on-demand information delivery provides comprehensive data when needed while maintaining a clean, simple interface during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and separates specific relationship information from the overall system data. When a user selects a component, only the relevant relationships for that specific component are extracted and displayed in the panel, rather than showing all system relationships simultaneously. This extraction approach provides complete information for the selected component without overwhelming the user with unrelated data.
Data Source
AI summary
A building system is configured to acquire a selection of a first object representing a component of a building subsystem, acquire information regarding a second object associated with the first object where the information includes an involvement type for a relationship between the first object and the second object, and generate an involvement map for display via a graphical user interface. The involvement map includes a first indicia representing the first object and a second indicia representing the second object. The first indicia and the second indicia are connected via a connector line. The connector line includes the involvement type disposed therealong. The involvement type indicates whether the relationship between the first object represented by the first indicia and the second object represented by the second indicia is a referential involvement, a command involvement, or an unbound involvement.