Virtual Building Controllers With Orchestrated Edge Reassignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building management systems require significant investments for hardware and software upgrades to adapt to evolving building requirements and modifications, and on-site technician intervention is necessary for changes, leading to a tedious and expensive process.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing virtual controllers hosted on computing devices, with edge controllers and an orchestrator to manage and dynamically adjust resources, allowing for remote monitoring and automatic updates or replacements, reducing the need for on-site interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional building management systems use on-site centralized supervisory controllers and device controllers, then the system can provide stable control functionality, but the system requires significant hardware upgrades and on-site technician intervention to adapt to changing building requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of controllers (virtual supervisory controllers and virtual device controllers) that run as software instances on computing devices. These virtual controllers replicate the functionality of physical controllers, allowing system adaptation through software deployment rather than hardware replacement. The virtual controllers can be instantiated, configured, and deployed remotely to meet changing building requirements without physical hardware changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical hardware-based controller system with a software-based virtual controller system. Instead of physically upgrading hardware devices and having technicians reprogram them, the system uses virtual machine technology to deploy new controller instances remotely. This substitution eliminates the need for on-site hardware manipulation and enables flexible adaptation through software delivery.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional building management systems perform hardware and software upgrades to meet evolving building requirements, then the system can provide additional benefits and value add services, but the upgrade process requires significant investment and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares virtual controller images and configurations in advance on remote computing devices. When adaptation is needed, these pre-configured virtual controllers are rapidly deployed to edge controllers without requiring on-site preparation or configuration work. The virtual controller images can be updated and prepared offline, then pushed to the building management system when needed, significantly reducing implementation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automatic self-provisioning and self-configuration of virtual controllers. The virtual controller images contain embedded configuration data and can automatically register with the building management system upon deployment. This self-service capability eliminates the need for technician intervention during the upgrade process, allowing rapid deployment of new technologies and services.
3Reliability
If conventional building management systems require on-site technician visits for modifications, then the system can ensure proper installation and configuration, but the process becomes tedious and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote computing device as an intermediary that manages the deployment and configuration of virtual controllers. This intermediary prepares virtual controller images, handles configuration data, and orchestrates the deployment process remotely. The intermediary ensures proper installation and configuration through automated validation and error handling, eliminating the need for on-site technician presence while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual controller deployment system performs self-validation and self-configuration during installation. The virtual controller images include embedded configuration parameters and automatically register with the building management system upon deployment. The system includes automated error detection and correction mechanisms that ensure proper installation without requiring technician intervention, thereby maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation.
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.