Hierarchical Scheduling for Multi-Site Building Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing multiple schedules for hundreds or thousands of building locations with various types of equipment across different sites is daunting, requiring a hierarchical scheduling system to improve monitoring and control.
Innovation Solution
A multi-site building management system (BMS) allows portfolio-level users to create and distribute equipment schedules to remote sites, enabling site-level users to customize or override these schedules locally while maintaining adherence monitoring and cloud-based storage for master schedules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a portfolio manager manually manages schedules for hundreds or thousands of building locations, then each location can be controlled individually, but the complexity and time required for monitoring and control increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides schedule management into hierarchical levels: portfolio-level master schedules and site-level local schedules. This segmentation allows individual location control while reducing overall complexity through organized decomposition of the management system into manageable segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The portfolio-level master schedule serves multiple functions: it provides a template for all sites, enables centralized control, and can be selectively overridden at individual sites. This multi-functionality reduces complexity by using a single schedule structure to address multiple management needs.
2Ease of operation
If site-level users are allowed to customize local schedules, then local operational flexibility improves, but the difficulty of maintaining consistency across multiple sites increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides visual indicators that show whether a site is following its master schedule or a customized local schedule. This feedback mechanism helps site-level users understand the impact of their customizations and maintains awareness of consistency across the portfolio without requiring complex coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The schedule system is dynamic, allowing sites to switch between following the master schedule and using customized local schedules as needed. This dynamic capability enables local operational flexibility while maintaining the option to revert to consistency when required.
3Stability of the object's composition
If portfolio-level master schedules are enforced at all sites, then centralized control and consistency are maintained, but the ability to respond to local operational needs decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows different parts of the organization (portfolio vs. individual sites) to have different schedule characteristics. Portfolio-level sites follow standardized master schedules for consistency, while individual sites can customize local schedules for operational flexibility, with each level having appropriate quality characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The schedule structure is nested, with site-level local schedules contained within the broader portfolio-level master schedule framework. This nesting allows local customization to exist within the context of centralized control, enabling both consistency and flexibility simultaneously.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple independent schedules are maintained for each site, then local customization is maximized, but the time and resources required for creation and maintenance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The portfolio-level master schedule performs preliminary work by establishing a standardized schedule template that can be automatically distributed to all sites. This preliminary action eliminates the need for each site to create schedules from scratch, significantly reducing creation and maintenance time while still allowing local customization when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses copying to distribute the master schedule template to multiple sites automatically. This copying mechanism reduces the time and resources required for schedule creation and maintenance by replicating the standardized structure across sites, with local customization applied only where necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more screens are displayed that allow a portfolio level user to create one or more portfolio level equipment schedules that are distributed from a multi-site BMS to one or more controllers at remote sites, which are configured to control operation of corresponding equipment at the remote sites in accordance with the portfolio level equipment schedules. A site level user is allowed to change a portfolio level equipment schedule and apply the changed portfolio level equipment schedule to one or more of the controllers of a remote site, resulting in an changed portfolio level equipment schedule. The portfolio level user is allowed to override the changed portfolio level equipment schedule at the first remote site and return to the portfolio level equipment schedule.