Automatic control method of generating sub-systems and sub-system arbitration from the deconstruction of a complex equipment graph
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current building automation systems face challenges in automatically discovering and understanding the equipment and connections within complex building systems, making it difficult to automate control and optimization of systems like HVAC, energy, and lighting.
Innovation Solution
A method to decompose a graph representing building equipment into sub-systems, enabling automatic labeling, controllability inference, prioritization, and classification into synchronous and asynchronous groups, reducing the state space complexity and allowing for machine-driven control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If building automation systems attempt to automatically discover and understand complex equipment connections, then control automation capability is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of detection increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex building equipment graph into multiple sub-graphs based on equipment types, functions, and relationships. Each sub-graph represents a specific subsystem (e.g., HVAC, lighting, security) with its own equipment and connections. This segmentation reduces the overall complexity by breaking down the large-scale system into manageable, independently analyzable units, enabling automated discovery and understanding of equipment connections within each subsystem.
2Ease of operation
If the equipment graph is decomposed into sub-systems, then controllability and management efficiency are improved, but the decomposition process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-defining equipment categories, relationship types, and sub-system templates before decomposition. The system pre-establishes rules for identifying equipment connections, grouping criteria for sub-systems, and control strategies. This preliminary preparation reduces the complexity of the actual decomposition process by providing a structured framework that guides the automated decomposition, making the system more controllable and manageable.
3Productivity
If semantic labeling is applied to sub-systems and equipment, then information retrieval efficiency is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the semantic labeling process with the sub-system decomposition process. Instead of performing labeling as a separate post-processing step, the system integrates labeling into the decomposition workflow, assigning semantic labels to equipment and sub-systems as they are identified and grouped. This merging eliminates redundant processing, reduces overall computation time, and maintains high information retrieval efficiency while minimizing the time loss associated with labeling.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for organizing automatic control in automation systems from a system description, using deconstruction of complex equipment graphs. A system control scheme is automatically generated from a deconstruction of an equipment graph into controllable sets of prioritized sub-systems. An equipment graph comprises one or more subsystems of equipment. Prioritized sub-systems comprise a unique routing path through an equipment graph. Prioritized sub-systems comprise the ability to be actuated and are divided into groups of sub-system sets. Groups of sub-system sets comprise synchronous and asynchronous sets and are created for conjoined routing paths of parallel sub-systems.