HVAC Data Integration Framework for Automated Performance Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
HVAC systems in buildings waste 10% to 40% of energy due to faults like biased sensors and malfunctioning controllers, posing challenges for energy efficiency and sustainability, and existing algorithms struggle to effectively analyze and improve their performance due to complex information integration requirements.
Innovation Solution
An information integration system that acquires, integrates, and manages data from heterogeneous models and sensors, providing a query mechanism to support multiple performance analysis algorithms, facilitating energy savings and proactive maintenance by converting and storing HVAC system information, and transmitting relevant data for algorithm execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If performance analysis algorithms are deployed to analyze HVAC system performance, then energy efficiency and sustainability are improved, but the complex information integration requirements create deployment challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an information integration system as an intermediary layer between heterogeneous HVAC data sources (sensors, controllers, building management systems) and performance analysis algorithms. This mediator consolidates and standardizes information from multiple sources, converting proprietary data formats into a unified structure that algorithms can process, thereby resolving the complexity barrier without compromising energy analysis capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the complex information integration task into distinct functional modules: data acquisition from heterogeneous sources, data conversion to standardized formats, information consolidation, and algorithm interface provision. This segmentation allows each module to handle specific aspects of data integration independently, reducing overall system complexity while enabling comprehensive performance analysis
2Productivity
If multiple performance analysis algorithms are supported simultaneously, then comprehensive performance monitoring is improved, but the information retrieval complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal query mechanism that serves multiple performance analysis algorithms through a single standardized interface. This query system is designed to retrieve information required by diverse algorithms (fault detection, energy optimization, comfort analysis) using consistent methods, eliminating the need for separate retrieval mechanisms for each algorithm and reducing overall query complexity
3Measurement precision
If heterogeneous data from sensors and controllers is integrated, then system monitoring accuracy is improved, but data format conversion complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies parameter changes by transforming data from various proprietary formats into a standardized parameter structure. The information integration system identifies and extracts key parameters (temperature, humidity, airflow, equipment status) from heterogeneous sources and represents them in a unified format, maintaining measurement precision while simplifying data handling through consistent parameter representation
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method includes, in one aspect, retrieving HVAC system information; converting the retrieved HVAC system information from one or more first data formats to a second data format; storing the converted HVAC system information; identifying first portions of the stored HVAC system information that pertain to a particular component; and generating one or more associations among the identified, first portions of the stored HVAC system information; receiving a request for HVAC system information that is used by a performance analysis algorithm; determining a type of component of the HVAC system that is related to the requested HVAC system information; and identifying one or more items of the stored HVAC system information that is of the requested HVAC system information; and transmitting the identified one or more items of the stored HVAC system information for use in execution of the performance analysis algorithm.