Building management system with intelligent visualization for heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems face challenges in developing and deploying analytic and control algorithms that are time-consuming and lack flexibility, with output data being difficult for users to conceptualize in relation to physical building components.
Innovation Solution
A system that ingests information from physical assets like heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, cross-correlates identifiers with virtual assets in a graphical model, and displays this information using the location of the virtual assets within a user interface, enabling intelligent visualization and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If analytic and control algorithms are developed and deployed in traditional building management systems, then building equipment can be controlled, but the development and deployment process is time-consuming and requires significant software development
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies (digital twins) of physical building assets that replicate the structure, behavior, and data flows of physical systems. These virtual assets can be manipulated, analyzed, and controlled without affecting physical operations, enabling rapid prototyping and deployment of control algorithms in a virtual environment before transferring them to physical systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual asset layer as an intermediary between physical building assets and control algorithms. This virtual layer serves as a mediator that simplifies the deployment process by allowing algorithms to interact with standardized virtual representations rather than directly with complex physical systems, reducing development time and effort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If analytic and control algorithms are used to control building equipment, then equipment control is achieved, but the algorithms lack flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances in the building
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates dynamic virtual assets that can be easily modified, updated, and reconfigured to reflect changing building conditions and requirements. The virtual representation allows algorithms to adapt to new scenarios by updating the virtual model rather than redesigning the entire control system, providing flexibility without proportionally increasing physical system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the building management system into distinct virtual assets that represent different physical components and their relationships. This modular virtual architecture allows individual assets to be independently modified and tested, enabling flexible adaptation of control algorithms to changing circumstances without requiring system-wide redesign.
3Ease of operation
If output data from analytic and control algorithms is generated, then building equipment control information is produced, but the output data is hard for users to conceptualize and relate to physical components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual representations of virtual assets that mirror the physical appearance and spatial relationships of actual building components. This visual copying allows users to directly associate algorithm output data with familiar physical objects and locations, improving comprehension while preserving contextual information about equipment status, performance, and relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs visual indicators such as color changes, highlights, and graphical modifications to represent different states, performance levels, and alert conditions of building assets. These visual transformations make abstract algorithm output data immediately recognizable and interpretable in relation to physical components, enhancing user understanding without losing critical information.
Data Source
AI summary
A building system including one or more storage devices storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to ingest information associated with a physical asset of a building, the physical asset being one of a heating system, a ventilation system, or an air conditioning system; cross-correlate a first identifier associated with the information with a second identifier associated with a virtual asset of a graphical model of the building to determine a location of the virtual asset within the graphical model, the virtual asset corresponding to the physical asset; cause the graphical model of the building to include a representation of the information using the location of the virtual asset; and cause a display device of a user device to display the graphical model within a user interface.