Programmable Symbol Animation Pre-Processor for Building Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building automation systems face challenges with rigid user interfaces that make it difficult and time-consuming for managers to monitor and control complex systems, particularly in delivering timely information about the status of multiple devices.
Innovation Solution
A programmable symbol animation pre-processor is used to enable the display of graphical symbol animations that reflect the status of multiple data points from building devices, allowing for intuitive and timely information delivery through customizable graphical user interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rigid user interface architecture is used for displaying building automation system data, then the system structure is simple and stable, but it becomes difficult and time-consuming for building managers to monitor and control complex systems and deliver time-sensitive information
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a rigid user interface to a dynamic graphical interface where symbols can be selectively animated based on data point changes. The interface adapts its behavior dynamically by evaluating scripts and determining whether to animate symbols based on multiple data points, allowing the system to respond flexibly to different monitoring scenarios while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The graphical symbol animation system serves multiple functions: it can display static information, animate symbols based on single data points, animate based on multiple data points through script evaluation, and provide customizable animation behaviors. This multi-functional approach consolidates various monitoring needs into a single versatile interface framework.
2Adaptability or versatility
If only one data point is used for symbol animation in the evaluation, then the animation logic is simple, but the flexibility for providing symbol animation reflecting information and alerts regarding the status of building devices is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The animation evaluation process is segmented into distinct components: data point identification, script association detection, script evaluation, animation determination, and symbol rendering. This segmentation allows the system to handle complex multi-data-point animations by breaking down the evaluation into manageable steps, where each component can be independently processed and combined.
Solution Approach 2:
A script evaluation mechanism serves as an intermediary between multiple data points and the animation determination process. The script acts as a mediator that receives multiple data point values, performs custom logic evaluation, and produces a result that drives the animation behavior. This intermediary layer provides flexibility without requiring complex direct integration of multiple data sources.
3Loss of information
If multiple data points from the same or respective building devices are employed in the symbol animation, then the information delivery about building device status is more comprehensive and timely, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-associating scripts with symbol properties and pre-defining the evaluation logic before runtime. When multiple data points need to be animated, the script is already in place and configured, so the system can directly evaluate the script with the current data point values without requiring complex runtime decision-making about which data points to use and how to combine them.
Solution Approach 2:
The script evaluation approach can be copied and applied to multiple symbol properties and data point combinations. Once a script evaluation mechanism is established for one symbol, the same pattern can be replicated for other symbols with different data point configurations, reducing the overall processing complexity through reuse of the evaluation framework.
Data Source
AI summary
Management systems, methods and mediums are provided for displaying graphics using a programmable symbol animation pre-processor. One method includes identifying a symbol associated with a building graphic, identifying a symbol property to be animated, and determining whether the symbol property is associated with a script. When it is, identifying a plurality of different data points referenced in the script where each data point corresponds to the same device or a respective device in the building. The method identifies a respective value for each identified data point as received from a management system operably connected to each of the plurality of devices, identifies an operation in the script that corresponds to an evaluation of the values of the identified data points, generates a first evaluation result based on the operation, and displays a graphical representation of the symbol based on the first evaluation result and in association with the building graphic.