Heterogeneous Device Abstraction for BMS Interoperability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Building Management Systems (BMS) and Centralized Technical Management (CTM) face challenges due to proprietary environments, lack of standardization, interoperability issues, insecure communication protocols, and limited scalability, leading to increased maintenance and operational costs, as well as difficulties in adapting to technological advancements and handling new functionalities.
Innovation Solution
A method that translates information from heterogeneous equipment into abstract objects using a central unit, applying predefined processing to supervise operations and interactions, and utilizing an abstraction and categorization module to define behavior parameters, ensuring secure and standard communication across all functional areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary environments and specific equipment are used for each functional area, then each area can have specialized functionality, but interoperability and standardization are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal object-oriented framework where heterogeneous devices from different manufacturers are standardized into common object classes (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, actuators). This allows the system to maintain specialized functionality for each functional area while ensuring interoperability through a unified communication protocol and data model, resolving the contradiction between specialization and standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer consisting of object-oriented abstraction and translation mechanisms that mediate between proprietary device protocols and the standardized system interface. This intermediary framework translates diverse device-specific data into uniform object models, enabling interoperability without sacrificing the specialized capabilities of individual functional areas.
2Adaptability or versatility
If software gateways are established between applications and databases of various manufacturers, then communication between equipment items is enabled, but maintainability and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the communication and translation functionality from complex proprietary gateways and consolidates it into a standardized object-oriented framework. By taking out the translation logic and embedding it in a universal interface layer, the system reduces gateway complexity while maintaining communication capabilities across heterogeneous devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of device communication by transitioning from proprietary protocol-based gateways to a parameter-based object model. Devices are represented by standardized parameters (e.g., temperature, pressure, status) rather than manufacturer-specific data structures, simplifying integration and improving scalability without sacrificing communication flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If application versions are updated, then new functionalities can be added, but gateway operability may be compromised due to database and software functionality modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic system where the object-oriented framework and device interfaces are designed to be version-agnostic. The standardized object model allows application versions to be updated and new functionalities added without compromising gateway operability, as the translation layer adapts to changes through the flexible parameter-based interface rather than rigid protocol dependencies.
4Productivity
If real-time communication is implemented, then day-to-day operations are improved, but system complexity and security requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies real-time communication by changing the data representation parameters to standardized objects with predefined properties. This parameter standardization reduces the complexity of real-time data handling while maintaining the speed and efficiency required for day-to-day operations, and the uniform structure facilitates easier implementation of security protocols.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling and commanding a plurality of heterogeneous equipment in a technical installation, each piece of equipment being capable of receiving and/or delivering at least one piece of information (18, 40), a method comprising the following steps: - translating (20) each piece of information into a class of abstract objects (24) independent of the physical characteristics of said equipment, said class being defined according to intrinsic properties previously stored in an abstraction knowledge base, - associating (26) each class of abstract objects with a category of automatically interpretable data, - applying (46) to each category of data at least one specific processing from among a plurality of predefined processing in order to centrally supervise the operations and interactions of the different equipment.