HVAC Sensor-Actuator Pairing Using Signal Similarity Metrics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building HVAC systems face challenges in automatically establishing relationships between sensors and actuation devices, and in comparing time series data due to dimensional mismatches and different units of measurement, making it difficult to perform data analysis and fault detection.
Innovation Solution
A controller is configured to calculate similarity metrics between actuation signals and sensor response signals, automatically establish device pairings, and correct dimensional mismatches by applying discrete cosine transformation, allowing for direct comparison of time series data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual identification of associations between sensors and actuation devices is used, then device pairing accuracy can be maintained, but the process becomes cumbersome, error-prone, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically identifies and establishes associations between sensors and actuation devices through self-testing procedures. The controller autonomously performs device discovery, signal transmission, and pairing without requiring manual configuration, allowing the system to serve itself in the pairing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary self-testing and device discovery procedures to pre-establish associations between sensors and actuation devices before actual HVAC operation begins. This preliminary automated pairing process eliminates the need for manual configuration during system setup or after building modifications.
2Measurement precision
If time series data from sensors with different sampling rates and units is compared directly, then data analysis can be performed, but dimensional mismatches prevent accurate comparison
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms time series data by standardizing sampling rates and units through mathematical operations. Data from sensors with different characteristics is converted to a common format, enabling accurate comparison while maintaining the original measurement precision. This parameter transformation allows apples-to-apples comparison of temperature, humidity, and other environmental variables.
3Adaptability or versatility
If building remodeling is performed, then building evolution and adaptation are achieved, but existing relationships between paired sensors and actuation devices are broken
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically re-establishes sensor-actuation device associations after building remodeling or configuration changes. Rather than maintaining static pairings that break during remodeling, the system performs automated re-pairing procedures that adapt to the new building configuration, restoring reliability after structural changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a building includes a plurality of actuation devices operable to affect one or more variables in the building, a plurality of sensors configured to measure the variables affected by the actuation devices, and a controller. The controller is configured to operate the actuation devices to affect one or more of the measured variables by providing an actuation signal to the actuation devices and to receive sensor response signals from the sensors. The sensor response signals indicate an effect of the actuation signal on the measured variables. For each of the sensor response signals, the controller is configured to calculate a similarity metric indicating a similarity between the sensor response signal and the actuation signal. The controller is configured to automatically establish a device pairing including one of the actuation devices and one of the sensors based on the similarity metrics.