Smart Fixture Operation Scheduling via IoT Gateway Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need in facility management to effectively manage and monitor Internet of Things (IoT) enabled fixtures, such as faucets and air quality sensors, to collect usage data, determine predictive maintenance, provide alerts, and execute commands in real-time, while integrating with building management solutions (BMS).
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a fixture management system that integrates with BMS, utilizing an IoT architecture where fixtures communicate through endpoint devices and facility gateways with a cloud network. This system collects and processes data, determines maintenance needs, and provides real-time alerts and commands via a BACnet gateway device using LoRa WAN communication protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an IoT architecture with multiple components (endpoint devices, gateways, cloud networks) is implemented to enable real-time monitoring and management of fixtures, then the functionality and monitoring capability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct functional segments: endpoint devices embedded in fixtures for data collection, facility gateways for local processing and protocol conversion, and cloud platforms for centralized management. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, improving reliability while making the overall complex system manageable through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Facility gateways act as intermediaries between endpoint devices and cloud networks, performing protocol conversion (e.g., BACnet to cloud protocols) and data preprocessing. This intermediary layer simplifies communication by handling protocol compatibility issues locally, reducing the complexity burden on both endpoint devices and cloud infrastructure.
2Productivity
If real-time data collection and processing is implemented across multiple fixtures, then the productivity of facility management is improved, but the use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic data collection and transmission intervals rather than continuous real-time operations. Endpoint devices collect data locally and transmit to gateways at scheduled intervals, reducing energy consumption from constant communication while maintaining adequate monitoring productivity for facility management decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
Data is pre-processed and filtered at the endpoint device level before transmission, with only relevant changes or anomalies being transmitted to gateways and cloud platforms. This preliminary action reduces the volume of data requiring transmission and processing, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining management efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A fixture that includes an electro-mechanical (EM) element; a communication interface; a processor; and a computer-readable storage media coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a service via the communication interface, parameters for scheduling an operation of the fixture; determining, based on the parameters, a plurality of commands for the EM element and a respective time to execute each of the commands; providing, at the respective time, each of the commands to the respective EM element for execution; providing, via the communication interface, an indication of completion of the operation of the fixture to the service.