Distributed Event Engine for Low-Latency Building Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The distance between controllers and distributed devices in building management systems causes latency and vulnerability to hacking and data corruption due to the centralized location of controllers, which are not necessarily close to the distributed devices they control.
Innovation Solution
Implement a distributed controller architecture where event engine processes are distributed across devices with sufficient computing and storage capabilities, located close to the devices being controlled, using a distributed ledger to ensure secure and efficient communication and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If controllers are located at a central location in the building closer to a core of the network, then system management and control is simplified, but latency increases and vulnerability to hacking and data corruption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The event engine is divided into multiple distributed processes that execute on different devices throughout the building network. Each distributed device runs its own event engine process locally, eliminating the need for centralized control and reducing communication latency while maintaining system management capabilities through distributed coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimensional centralized control architecture to a multi-dimensional distributed architecture where event processing occurs across multiple spatial locations simultaneously. This dimensional expansion allows local devices to process events independently without requiring communication with a central controller, thereby reducing latency.
2Ease of operation
If controllers are located at a central location in the building closer to a core of the network, then system management and control is simplified, but vulnerability to hacking and data corruption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The event engine functionality is segmented across multiple distributed devices rather than concentrated in a single central controller. This segmentation ensures that a security breach or data corruption event at one location does not compromise the entire system, as other distributed processes continue to operate independently and securely.
Solution Approach 2:
A blockchain-based distributed ledger serves as an intermediary layer that securely coordinates communication and data sharing between distributed event engine processes. The blockchain's cryptographic security and consensus mechanisms protect against hacking and data corruption while enabling the distributed devices to cooperate without requiring a centralized trust authority.
3Loss of time
If event engine processes are distributed across devices with sufficient computing and storage capabilities, then latency is reduced and system performance is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Standard distributed devices with sufficient computing and storage capabilities are designed to execute event engine processes, making them multi-functional units that can both perform their primary building automation functions and serve as event processing nodes. This universality reduces the need for specialized complex hardware while achieving low-latency distributed event processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain distributed ledger acts as an intermediary that simplifies the complexity of coordinating distributed event engine processes. By providing a standardized, secure communication layer with built-in consensus and data validation mechanisms, the blockchain reduces the operational complexity that would otherwise arise from managing distributed device coordination, making the distributed architecture more manageable despite its inherent complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A distributed event engine for controlling distributed devices of a building management system executes as discrete event processes on distributed devices with sufficient computing power and availability. The distributed devices communicate via a peer-to-peer network and a distributed ledger (e.g. blockchain). An event engine configuration module assigns the event processes to the distributed devices based on device and capability information published to the distributed ledger. An edge device scoring process executing on the distributed devices executing the event processes determines which other distributed devices to control based on which devices are compatible with local event processes and/or electrically and geographically close, resulting in decreased latency, vulnerability to hacking and corruption of data.