Mobile BAS Remote Diagnostics for Building Equipment Faults
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building management systems (BMS) and building automation systems (BAS) face challenges in diagnosing and repairing faults in equipment without requiring technicians to physically travel to the building, leading to prolonged equipment downtime.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device application that establishes a connection with a remote system of a building, allowing it to obtain operational data, diagnose equipment faults, transmit control signals to address the faults, and subsequently verify if the faults have been resolved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If technicians physically travel to the building to diagnose equipment faults, then accurate diagnosis can be performed, but equipment downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary remote diagnostics and fault identification before the technician arrives at the building. The mobile device connects to the building automation system to retrieve operational data, identify equipment faults, and even execute corrective actions in advance, so that when the technician arrives, the equipment may already be resolved or the issue is fully characterized for rapid repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary between the technician and the building automation system. It retrieves operational data from remote devices, transmits control signals to address faults, and provides diagnostic information to the technician without requiring the technician's physical presence at the equipment location.
2Reliability
If technicians travel to the building for every fault diagnosis, then direct equipment inspection is possible, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical requirement of physical travel with electronic data transmission and remote control. The mobile device communicates with the building automation system over a network, transmitting diagnostic requests and control signals electronically, thereby substituting the need for physical movement while maintaining diagnostic capability.
3Loss of time
If remote diagnosis is implemented, then equipment downtime is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device is designed with multi-functionality, serving as a remote diagnostic tool, control interface, and verification system all in one device. It can retrieve operational data, identify faults, transmit control signals for corrective actions, and verify fault resolution, thereby consolidating multiple functions into a single platform and managing system complexity.
4Ease of operation
If local control is used, then simple operations are possible, but remote diagnostic capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a remote dimension to local control by enabling the mobile device to connect to the building automation system over a network. This allows technicians to perform diagnostics and control operations from a remote location while maintaining the ability to interact with the same equipment interface, effectively adding spatial flexibility without sacrificing operational capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A Building Automation System application, stored by one or more memory devices of a mobile device, can include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to establish a connection with a remote system of a building, obtain operational data includes an indication that a first device of building equipment has experienced an equipment fault, transmit one or more control signals to the remote system to address the equipment fault and to cause a change in operation of one or more devices of building equipment of the plurality of devices of building equipment, and obtain subsequent operational data that corresponds to operations of the first device of building equipment after transmission of the one or more control signals and indicates whether the equipment fault has been resolved.