Virtual Controller Orchestration for Building Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building management systems require frequent and costly upgrades to adapt to changing building requirements, and modifications such as reconfiguring devices for new tenants are time-consuming and expensive due to the need for on-site technician visits and centralized controller reprogramming.
Innovation Solution
A building management system utilizing a pool of virtual controllers hosted on computing devices and edge controllers, with an orchestrator that monitors operational characteristics and automatically modifies or replaces virtual controllers and maps edge controllers to ensure efficient resource allocation and reduced downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional building management systems use centralized supervisory controllers and device controllers, then control functionality is provided, but frequent and costly hardware and software upgrades are required to adapt to changing building requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of controllers (virtual device controllers and virtual supervisory controllers) that can be instantiated, modified, and deployed remotely. These virtual controllers replicate the functionality of physical controllers but can be updated without hardware changes, allowing rapid adaptation to new building requirements through software-based virtualization rather than physical reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is segmented into multiple virtual controller instances that can operate independently. The supervisory controller is divided into virtual supervisory controllers, and device controllers are divided into virtual device controllers. This segmentation allows individual virtual controllers to be updated, replaced, or reconfigured without affecting the entire system, enabling incremental adaptations to changing building needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional building management systems require on-site technician visits for modifications, then device controllers can be repositioned or reprogrammed, but the process becomes tedious, time-consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service reconfiguration through automated processes. When building modifications occur, the orchestrator automatically detects changes, selects appropriate virtual controllers from the pool, and reassigns them to new devices or locations without requiring on-site technician intervention. The virtual controllers can be programmatically created, modified, and deployed remotely, making the system self-configuring rather than manually reconfigurable.
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual controllers are pre-configured and maintained in a pool ready for deployment. When building reconfiguration is needed, pre-configured virtual controllers can be quickly assigned to new devices or locations without requiring on-site setup or programming work. This preliminary preparation of virtual controller instances enables rapid response to tenant changes or building modifications.
3Reliability
If building management systems use centralized controllers, then control commands can be issued, but frequent upgrades require significant investment and business justification
Solution Approach 1:
The orchestrator acts as an intermediary between the pool of virtual controllers and the building control devices. It manages the complexity of controller selection, instantiation, and assignment automatically. When upgrades or new functionality is needed, the orchestrator handles the coordination of virtual controller lifecycle management, shielding users from the complexity while maintaining reliable control functionality through standardized interfaces and automated processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for controlling operation of a plurality of building control devices includes a pool of virtual controllers that are hosted on one or more computing device and are configured to provide control commands for controlling one or more associate building control devices of the plurality of building control devices. Each of a plurality of edge controllers are associated with at least one building control device and are configured to receive and execute control commands from one or more of the virtual controllers to control the associated one or more building control devices. An orchestrator is configured to monitor one or more operational characteristics of each of the virtual controllers and to modify one or more aspects of the pool of virtual controllers when one or more of the operational characteristics of one or more of the virtual controllers meets predetermined characteristics.