Query Engine for Building Automation Cross-Subsystem Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building automation systems face challenges in system integration due to protocol differences and incompatibilities, making it difficult to exchange information and implement queries across multiple subsystems.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system with an ontology database storing a logical model and a fact database that relates information for disparate building automation subsystems, enabling cross-subsystem queries by decomposing them into subsystem queries and providing updated messages with hierarchical information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional BAS subsystems are used with different protocols, then each subsystem can operate independently, but information exchange between subsystems becomes difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an integration server as an intermediary component that mediates between disparate BAS subsystems. The server contains a query engine that translates cross-subsystem queries into subsystem-specific queries, and a database that stores both logical models and factual data. This intermediary resolves protocol differences and enables information exchange without requiring subsystems to directly communicate, thus maintaining subsystem independence while reducing integration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the integration function into distinct modular components: an ontology database for storing logical models, a fact database for storing subsystem data, and a query engine for processing queries. This segmentation allows each component to handle specific aspects of integration independently, making the overall system more manageable and easier to maintain while enabling complex cross-subsystem operations.
2Loss of information
If system integration is implemented to enable cross-subsystem queries, then information exchange improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integration server acts as a mediator that handles the complexity of information exchange internally. It provides a unified interface for applications to query multiple subsystems without exposing the underlying complexity of protocol translations and data mappings. The query engine automatically decomposes cross-subsystem queries into subsystem-specific queries, hiding the integration complexity from end users and applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the physical subsystem hierarchy in the ontology database. This logical model mirrors the actual subsystem structure but uses standardized representations that simplify query processing. By working with this copied logical model rather than directly interfacing with diverse physical subsystems, the system reduces information loss while managing complexity through abstraction.
3Device complexity
If protocol standardization is applied to reduce integration complexity, then subsystem compatibility improves, but adaptability to diverse protocols decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The integration server provides universal functionality by implementing a standardized query interface that works with multiple different subsystem protocols. The query engine is designed to handle various protocol types through configuration rather than requiring separate integration mechanisms for each protocol. This multi-functional approach enables the system to adapt to diverse protocols while maintaining a consistent level of integration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter-based configuration to adapt to different protocols. The ontology database stores logical models with parameters that can be customized for each subsystem type, and the query engine adjusts its behavior based on these parameters. This allows the same integration architecture to work with diverse protocols by changing configuration parameters rather than modifying the core integration mechanism, thus maintaining low complexity while preserving protocol versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented system for facilitating cross-subsystem queries of a plurality of building automation subsystems includes a first database storing a logical model for a building automation system. The system further includes a second database storing information for the plurality of building automation subsystems. The second database relates information for the plurality of building automation subsystems based on the logical model of the first database. The system also includes a query engine configured to decompose a cross-subsystem query received from an application into a plurality of subsystem queries using the information of the second database.