Semantic Model Integration for Building Management Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems (BMS) lack standardization, making it difficult for users to interact with and manage building equipment and systems effectively, as existing systems do not provide a semantic model to describe objects and relationships in a natural manner, leading to inefficiencies in monitoring and control.
Innovation Solution
A BMS that utilizes semantic modeling by obtaining and classifying semantic information for BMS objects, updating a semantic site model, and adjusting parameters based on this information, allowing for user-defined identifiers and control operations, and providing recommendations for improved management and monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a BMS uses traditional object representation without semantic modeling, then the system structure is simpler, but user interaction and system management become less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a semantic model as an intermediary layer between the BMS system and users. This semantic model includes ontology data models that define classes, properties, and relationships of building objects, enabling users to interact with the system using natural language and common sense reasoning rather than complex technical parameters. The semantic model translates user intent into system commands, resolving the contradiction by improving ease of operation without requiring users to understand underlying system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the representation parameters of BMS objects from traditional technical identifiers to semantic descriptors based on ontology classes and relationships. By changing how objects are parameterized and described in the system, users can interact with building equipment using intuitive semantic terms rather than complex technical parameters, thereby improving operational ease while maintaining systematic rigor.
2Ease of operation
If a BMS implements semantic modeling with ontology data models, then user interaction improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining ontology data models, classes, properties, and relationships before actual system operation. The semantic model framework is established in advance with standardized schemas for building objects, equipment, and their relationships. This preliminary structuring enables efficient user interaction during operation without requiring complex real-time processing, as the reasoning framework is already in place to handle queries and commands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal semantic model that can represent diverse building objects and systems through a common ontology framework. The same semantic modeling approach handles HVAC equipment, lighting, security systems, and other building infrastructure through unified class definitions and relationships. This multi-functional semantic layer simplifies system management across different device types while the standardized framework manages the complexity of integrating various systems.
3Measurement precision
If a BMS uses detailed semantic information for each object, then monitoring precision improves, but information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments semantic information into hierarchical ontology classes and properties rather than storing all details at once. Building objects are divided into class hierarchies (e.g., Building → Floor → Zone → Equipment) with specific properties defined at each level. This segmentation allows the system to retrieve only relevant semantic information for each monitoring task, improving identification accuracy while reducing the effective data volume processed at any given time through selective property access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a semantic dimension to object representation by introducing ontology classes, relationships, and properties as a new layer of information organization. Instead of storing only raw object data, the system organizes information in a multi-dimensional semantic space where objects are characterized by their class membership, relationships to other objects, and property values. This dimensional organization enables precise object identification through semantic queries while managing data volume through structured access patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A building management system (BMS) includes memory devices having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by processors, cause the processors to perform operations including obtaining for each of a plurality of respective BMS objects respective semantic information for each of the plurality of the respective BMS objects, the respective semantic information being stored on the each of the respective BMS objects, identifying a plurality of predetermined classifications that pertain to the plurality of the respective BMS objects using the respective semantic information, classifying the plurality of BMS objects using the plurality of predetermined classifications, updating a semantic site model associated with the building site by including the respective semantic information associated with the plurality of the respective BMS objects and adjusting a plurality of parameters associated with the respective BMS objects using the semantic site model.