Sensor Network Gateway for Legacy BMS Sensor Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Building Management Systems (BMS) are inflexible and costly to modify, limiting their ability to integrate new sensors and adapt to changing needs, such as new regulations or technologies, which reduces their effectiveness and the return on investment.
Innovation Solution
A sensor network platform that includes gateway devices and sensor network nodes with universal sensor interfaces, allowing communication with external controllers and operation centers, enabling the collection and processing of data from non-integrated sensors and presenting it to the BMS through known interfaces, thereby augmenting the control system's domain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional Building Management System is used, then the system provides basic control functionality, but the system becomes inflexible and costly to modify when new sensors or technologies need to be integrated
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct functional modules: legacy BMS components, bridge units for protocol translation, and a sensor network platform. This segmentation allows new sensors to be integrated through the platform without modifying the core legacy BMS, thereby improving adaptability while containing modification complexity within isolated modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Bridge units and gateway devices serve as intermediaries between new sensor networks and the legacy BMS. These intermediaries handle protocol translation and data formatting, enabling integration of diverse sensors without direct modifications to the legacy system, thus enhancing versatility while maintaining system stability.
2Loss of information
If new sensors are integrated into a legacy BMS, then the system can monitor additional parameters, but the integration becomes costly and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor network platform implements universal interfaces and standardized data formats that can accommodate multiple sensor types and protocols. This multi-functionality allows the system to integrate various sensors (temperature, humidity, occupancy, etc.) through a common architecture, reducing integration costs while maximizing data availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses configurable parameters and software-based adaptation layers that allow flexible adjustment to different sensor types without hardware modifications. By changing software parameters rather than physical components, the system achieves diverse sensor integration at lower cost.
3Reliability
If the BMS domain is expanded to include new sensors, then the system effectiveness improves, but the system requires modification which increases costs
Solution Approach 1:
The new sensor network platform is nested within the existing BMS architecture as a subordinate layer. The platform maintains its own independent infrastructure for sensor integration while presenting a standardized interface to the legacy BMS, thereby improving system effectiveness without requiring modifications to the core BMS structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual representations of physical sensors through software models and data abstraction layers. These digital copies allow the legacy BMS to interact with new sensors through familiar interfaces without direct physical or structural modifications, enhancing reliability while minimizing modification complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method and apparatus for augmenting a building control system domain. A sensor network platform can be configured to collect data based on measurements from sensors outside of a legacy building control system domain, and to present information based on the collected data to a known interface supported by the legacy building control system. In one embodiment, the collected data can undergo customized processing by an operation center outside of the legacy building control system domain.