Entity Node Editor for Bi-Directional Relationship Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional building management systems struggle to effectively visualize and manage complex relationships between numerous entities, often limiting their ability to present relevant information due to their one-dimensional relationship support, making it difficult for security operators to manage large numbers of entities efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface (GUI) node editor is implemented to construct and manage entity datablocks, which include descriptive information, categories, names, and relationships, allowing for bi-directional relationships to be represented as nodes and lines, enabling users to edit and manage entities and connections interactively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a hierarchical tree structure is used to abstract entity relationships, then the complexity of displaying numerous entities is reduced, but the system can only support one dimension of complexity and cannot effectively represent multi-dimensional relationships
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional one-dimensional hierarchical tree structures to a two-dimensional graphical interface where entities are represented as nodes and relationships as edges. This dimensional change allows simultaneous representation of multiple relationship types (parent-child, sibling, peer-to-peer) and enables users to visually navigate complex multi-dimensional entity networks that cannot be effectively displayed in a single linear hierarchy.
2Loss of information
If the system displays all related entities in the GUI, then complete information is provided, but the GUI becomes difficult to display and understand as the number of entities increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and displays only the most relevant entities and relationships based on user context and selection, rather than displaying all entities simultaneously. The graphical node editor allows users to focus on specific entities of interest while maintaining the ability to access complete entity information through interactive exploration, thus balancing information completeness with interface usability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the display of entities into manageable visual units (nodes) that can be independently interacted with. Instead of presenting a monolithic list of all entities, the system divides entities into discrete graphical nodes that can be selectively expanded, collapsed, or navigated, making the GUI manageable even when representing large numbers of entities.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional one-dimensional relationship support is used, then the system structure is simple to implement, but the system cannot effectively manage complex multi-dimensional entity relationships
Solution Approach 1:
The graphical node editor implements a universal relationship representation where a single edge element can represent multiple types of relationships between nodes. The system uses a unified data structure (entity datablock with relationship identifiers) that can model parent-child, sibling, and peer-to-peer relationships simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate implementation mechanisms for each relationship type while maintaining full functionality for managing complex multi-dimensional entity networks.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for visualizing and managing entities and connections between entities based on a graphical user interface (GUI) node editor includes constructing an entity datablock, wherein the entity datablock is a data structure describing an entity and comprises entity descriptive information, an entity category, an entity name, entity relationships, and an entity identifier. The method includes establishing the entity relationships as bi-directional relationships, wherein the bi-directional relationships link two disparate entities. The method further includes representing the entity datablock as a node and the bi-directional relationships as lines connecting two nodes, wherein the node comprises at least one of the entity descriptive information, the entity category, or the entity name.