Energy Management Gateway Protocol Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building management systems face challenges in effectively monitoring and controlling the power usage of various devices within buildings, leading to inefficiencies in resource consumption, particularly since proprietary control devices and communication protocols can limit interoperability and scalability.
Innovation Solution
An energy management gateway system is introduced, which facilitates communication between devices using a computer system, enabling monitoring and control of power usage through standardized protocols like CISCO EnergyWise, allowing for centralized management and configuration of devices across networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary control devices and communication protocols are used in building management systems, then device-specific control functionality is achieved, but interoperability and scalability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between proprietary control devices and the building management system. The gateway translates proprietary communication protocols into standardized protocols, enabling interoperability without requiring changes to the existing proprietary devices. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining device-specific functionality while achieving system-wide interoperability through protocol translation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device is designed with multi-functional capabilities to handle multiple proprietary protocols and translate them into a universal standardized format. It can simultaneously support different device types and communication standards while providing a unified interface to the building management system, thereby achieving versatility without increasing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If conventional building management systems monitor power usage of subsystems, then resource consumption is tracked, but centralized management and configuration across diverse devices is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a centralized intermediary that consolidates management of diverse devices. It provides a unified interface for monitoring and controlling power usage across different subsystems and device types, enabling centralized management while supporting device compatibility through protocol translation and standardized communication interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway implements universal communication capabilities that allow it to interact with various device types using their native protocols while presenting a standardized interface to the building management system. This multi-functionality enables centralized management of heterogeneous devices without requiring separate management systems for each device type.
3Productivity
If proprietary control devices are used to monitor subsystems, then specific control functions are achieved, but resource consumption monitoring efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway acts as an efficient intermediary that consolidates monitoring functions for multiple devices. By centralizing the communication and data processing through a single gateway rather than having multiple proprietary devices communicate independently with the building management system, overall monitoring efficiency is improved while reducing redundant data transmission and energy consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
An energy management gateway is provided. The energy management gateway includes a memory, a processor coupled to the memory, a building management system (BMS) interface executed by the processor and an energy management system interface executed by the processor. The BMS interface is configured to receive a first message, the first message being structured according to an industrial protocol. The energy management interface is configured to translate the first message into a second message structured according to an energy management protocol different from the industrial protocol, the second message including a query comprising at least one command and a set of qualifiers, the query being addressed to at least one first endpoint and to provide the second message to a first domain member of a first domain including the at least one first endpoint, the first domain member being a device other than the at least one first endpoint.