Building Automation Room Grouping for Flexible Floor Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building automation systems face inefficiencies in adapting to changes in floor plans due to the repetitive nature of control programs and the need for extensive manual engineering when rooms are rearranged or modified.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves separating room and segment control functions, allowing for flexible assignment and reassignment of segments to rooms using identifiers, which enables online, offline, or automatic reconfiguration without extensive manual engineering, thereby simplifying the process of adapting to changes in room configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If control programs are customized for specific floor plans with separate addressable objects for each room, then the system can accurately control individual rooms and their equipment, but the engineering process becomes time-consuming and inefficient when floor plans change
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the floor plan into standardized segments (e.g., 5x5 foot grid cells) that can be independently assigned to rooms. Each segment contains standardized addressable objects, allowing rooms to be constructed by grouping segments rather than custom-programming each room individually. This segmentation enables rapid reconfiguration when floor plans change.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal room templates and standardized segment definitions that can be applied across multiple rooms and floor plans. These reusable components contain pre-defined control logic and addressable objects that work consistently across different configurations, eliminating the need to customize programs for each specific room layout.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual engineering is performed to alter control programs when floor plans change, then the system can adapt to new configurations, but the process requires extensive manual effort and programming work
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration by pre-defining standardized segments, room templates, and control logic before the actual floor plan is implemented. When a floor plan changes, the pre-configured components can be rapidly reasigned and reconfigured without requiring new programming work, as the foundational elements are already in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic room assignment where segments can be automatically assigned to rooms based on their physical location and configuration. This dynamic assignment updates control program associations automatically when floor plans change, eliminating the need for manual engineering and allowing the system to adapt flexibly to new layouts.
3Reliability
If preloaded applications are changed to account for floor plan alterations, then the system can maintain proper control functionality, but the process requires design work and manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses copyable room templates and segment definitions that can be duplicated and assigned to multiple locations. When floor plans change, existing templates can be copied and reconfigured for new rooms rather than creating new control programs from scratch, maintaining functionality while reducing configuration complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Flexible control is provided in building automation. By dividing a floor space into segments (20), different segments (20) may be assigned to rooms (22). The operation of the building automation likewise includes room level and segment level control functions and corresponding objects. To assign or reassign a given segment (20) to a room (22), the segment (20) is linked to the room (22) using an identifier of the corresponding room control function. The building automation equipment (24) and corresponding control for the segment (20) is linked to the room operation. The separation of the room and segment functions may avoid any or extensive manual engineering other than re-assignment. The assignment or reassignment of segments (20) to rooms (22) may be performed online (e.g., at a panel or management station), offline (e.g., at a computer or engineering station), or automatically (e.g., moveable wall system).