Software-Defined Gateway for Building IT-OT Data Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional building management systems face challenges in integrating and processing data from diverse sources due to differences in data ingestion techniques and communication protocols used by hardware gateway devices, leading to high maintenance and integration costs.
Innovation Solution
A building management system incorporating an entity database, software-defined gateway, and entity service that stores and manages smart entities representing building equipment, people, and spaces, capable of receiving and processing IT and OT data from various sources using different communication protocols, and transforming static and dynamic attributes for data integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hardware gateway devices with different data ingestion techniques and communication protocols are used to collect data from diverse data sources, then the system can integrate various building equipment and data sources, but the maintenance and integration costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a software-defined gateway as an intermediary layer between diverse data sources and the building management system. This software gateway translates and standardizes data from multiple protocols (BACnet, Modbus, LonTalk, etc.) into a unified data model, eliminating the need for multiple specialized hardware gateways and reducing integration complexity while maintaining adaptability to various data sources
Solution Approach 2:
The software-defined gateway is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple communication protocols and data formats within a single platform. It can simultaneously connect to different building equipment types (HVAC, lighting, security) using various protocols and transform all incoming data into a standardized format, replacing multiple specialized gateways with one universal solution
2Reliability
If traditional hardware gateway devices are used to collect and pre-process data, then data can be ingested from building equipment, but the maintenance costs and integration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical hardware gateway devices with a software-defined gateway that runs on standard computing infrastructure. This substitution eliminates hardware failure modes, simplifies deployment (software can be remotely updated or replaced), and reduces maintenance costs while maintaining reliable data collection through virtualized gateway functions
Solution Approach 2:
The software-defined gateway provides dynamic configurability where data collection parameters, protocols, and targets can be modified at runtime without physical reconfiguration. This dynamic nature allows flexible adaptation to changing building requirements and easier troubleshooting compared to static hardware gateways
3Adaptability or versatility
If different communication protocols are used to communicate with various data sources, then compatibility with different building equipment is achieved, but the system complexity and integration effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The software-defined gateway acts as a protocol translation intermediary that receives data in various protocols (BACnet, Modbus, LonTalk, MQTT, HTTP, etc.), translates them into a standardized internal data model, and forwards processed data to the building management system. This mediation layer maintains protocol compatibility while simplifying system operation by presenting a unified interface
4Loss of information
If static and dynamic attributes from IT and OT data are integrated into smart entities, then a unified view of building operations is achieved, but the data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments integrated data into distinct smart entities representing different building elements (spaces, equipment, people), with each entity containing relevant static and dynamic attributes. This segmentation organizes complex integrated data into manageable, contextually-relevant units that are easier to process and query while maintaining complete information
Data Source
AI summary
A building management system includes an entity database, a software defined gateway, and an entity service. The entity database stores a plurality of interconnected smart entities including object entities representing a plurality of physical devices, people, or spaces and data entities representing data associated with the plurality of physical devices, people, or spaces. The smart entities are interconnected by relational objects indicating relationships between the object entities and the data entities. The software defined gateway is configured to receive information technology (IT) data and operational technology (OT) data from a plurality of different data sources. The entity service is configured to create a new smart entity in the entity database or update an existing smart entity in the entity database using the IT data and the OT data. The new or existing smart entity includes one or more first attributes having values derived from the IT data and one or more second attributes having values derived from the OT data.