JP7249078B1 - building management system - Google Patents

Abstract

A building management system capable of more effectively managing buildings is provided. [Solution] Multiple types of facility equipment (air conditioners, lighting equipment, doors, sensors such as wireless sensor devices, switches, etc.) classified into one of multiple management items (air conditioning, lighting, hygiene, alarms, energy, etc.) , other electric devices, etc.), a wireless sensor device that can detect multiple types of detection items (temperature, humidity, illuminance, acceleration, contact, etc.), and the first layer device that is the upper layer in ascending order ( micro edge device 60), second tier equipment (such as application edge device 62), third tier equipment (such as integration edge device 64), fourth tier equipment (such as enterprise edge server 66) and at least the first hierarchical device and the second hierarchical device. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, a building management system that manages buildings via an information communication network.

For example, Patent Literature 1 listed below discloses an invention relating to a network-distributed building management system. In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, as described in paragraph 0017 and FIG. In-building equipment is monitored via

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-134120

By the way, when renovating a building, there is a need to replace existing equipment (including sensors and switches) with new ones. A conventional network system such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 and a conventional building management system can manage facility equipment designed to comply with a common communication standard, but many more than that can be managed. It was not possible to correspond to various types of equipment. For example, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to select equipment control devices for each manufacturer (paragraph 0009). In recent years, assuming the management of intelligent buildings and the management of multiple buildings, the number of monitoring points will be enormous. rice field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a building management system capable of more effectively managing buildings.

In order to achieve the above object, the building management system according to the present invention comprises:
a plurality of types of equipment classified into one of a plurality of management items;
a sensor device capable of detecting multiple types of detection items;
at least a first layer device and a second layer device among a first layer device, a second layer device, a third layer device, and a fourth layer device, which are upper layers in ascending order;
It is possible to define a plurality of item systems with at least one of the management items as one item system,
A building management system in which the item system includes at least an air conditioning system, a lighting system, an alarm system, and an energy system,
A plurality of the sensor devices are provided,
a plurality of the sensor devices,
outputting digital information to the first layer device according to at least one wireless communication standard;
A group of sensor devices spanning the multiple item systems is constructed.

According to the above invention, it is possible to provide a building management system capable of performing building management more effectively.

It is an explanatory view showing roughly a building management system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a wireless sensor device; FIG. 4 is a flowchart schematically showing a procedure for creating a database; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing information in a database;

<Overview of Building Management System According to Embodiment>
A building management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The building management system of the present embodiment freely and centrally manages various management items such as air conditioning (air conditioner), lighting, hygiene, alarm (security), energy, etc. , distributed control.

The building management system of this embodiment includes each equipment in the building. Equipment includes various equipment such as air conditioners, lighting equipment, and doors. Equipment also includes temperature sensors that detect room temperature, humidity sensors that detect humidity, illuminance sensors that detect the illuminance of lighting equipment, and contact sensors that detect door opening/closing (sensors). .

The facility equipment also includes an air conditioner operation panel and remote controller (remote controller), a lighting operation panel and remote controller, and various switches installed on the wall (switches). In addition, equipment can also include current transformers, energy monitors, circuit protectors, power supply units, compact gateways, etc. (other electrical equipment) related to grasping the usage of electricity. .

These are examples of equipment, and other equipment generally used for building management can also be included in the equipment of this embodiment.

In the building management system of this embodiment, based on the information collected by each equipment, the building manager who monitors the equipment of the building and the general users of each equipment (employees of tenants who use floors and sections) etc.) enables users to select equipment and enter instructions (commands) from their own personal information terminals (smartphones, tablets, etc.).

Furthermore, in the building management system of this embodiment, the types of software (including application software) for building management are minimized by system integration. Also, in the building management system of this embodiment, a monitoring system that enables monitoring of the entire building is provided as standard equipment.

It may seem like a matter of course, but in the conventional building management system, specifications of various information (signal standards, communication standards, OS (operating system), OS (operating system), Regardless of differences in programming languages, etc.), it is impossible to collect information horizontally (horizontally) and provide integrated services to building managers and general users of facilities and equipment. was difficult. The building management system of this embodiment made this possible.

More specifically, the building management system of this embodiment attempts to "release from the building monitoring room (central monitoring room)". This means that it is possible to abolish the central monitoring room that has conventionally been installed in a building, or to minimize the number of personnel involved in central monitoring, such as one person.

In the conventional building management system, a central monitoring room was indispensable in the building. Moreover, each installed device was independently managed for various management items such as air conditioning, lighting, hygiene, alarms, and energy. As described above, for example, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to select equipment control devices for each manufacturer (paragraph 0009). For this reason, even if the control of equipment can be integrated vertically (vertically) in the system configuration, it can be integrated horizontally (horizontally) regardless of the differences in the specifications of various information for each manufacturer and vendor. ) could not be integrated and was fragmented.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a building management system 10 of this embodiment. The figure shows an example of a plurality of systems (item systems) related to equipment. Shown in FIG. 1 are an air conditioning system 12 , a lighting/outlet system 14 , a hygiene/plumbing system 16 , a status/alarm system 18 , and an energy system 20 .

The air-conditioning-related system 12 indicates a system (collection, group) of a plurality of equipment related to air conditioning, such as air conditioners (air conditioners, air conditioners), temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and the like.

The lighting/outlet system 14 indicates a system of facility equipment related to lighting equipment, an illuminance sensor, equipment connected to a commercial power supply, and the like. The sanitation/plumbing system 16 indicates a system of a plurality of equipment related to sanitation and plumbing, such as a toilet, a washroom, and a hot water supply.

The status/alarm system 18 indicates a system of a plurality of equipment related to countermeasures against door opening/closing, earthquakes, intrusion by unauthorized persons, and the like. The energy system 20 indicates a system of a plurality of equipment such as sensors and switches for grasping the amount of power used (power consumption), the amount of solar power generation, the amount of fuel used, and the like.

Here, the item system classification is not limited to the above example. For example, multiple systems may be integrated, such as "air conditioning/lighting/outlet system". Moreover, each may be made independent like a "lighting system", an "outlet system", a "sanitation system", and a "water system." Furthermore, it may be divided into "air conditioning 1", "air conditioning 2", "lighting 1", and "lighting 2".

In the above-described various item systems (air conditioning related system 12, lighting/outlet system 14, hygiene/water system 16, status/alarm system 18, energy system 20, etc.), equipment from various manufacturers and vendors is used. It is common to be For this reason, in the past, each manufacturer and vendor had to deal with information and communication in each item system, and when building renovation work or new construction work, construction work was ordered to contractors designated by the manufacturer or vendor. I had to.

In addition, common signal standards and communication standards are often used by manufacturers and vendors. Therefore, it is possible to build a management system using common signal standards, communication standards, OS, programming language, etc. for each manufacturer or vendor. Also, when equipment predetermined to support the multi-protocol communication standard is used, it is possible to handle only those equipment in an integrated manner. However, in these cases, it is necessary to install a server corresponding to the manufacturer or vendor and build a management system.

For example, in one item system (for example, air conditioning related system 12, etc.), if equipment from multiple manufacturers and vendors is adopted, multiple servers are installed for each item system, and multiple management systems had to build.

Also, for example, for each item system (air conditioning related system 12, lighting/outlet system 14, hygiene/water system 16, status/alarm system 18, energy system 20, etc.), it seems that the manufacturer and vendor are unified. In that case, it was necessary to install a server for each item system and build a management system.

In this way, it is relatively easy to integrate each manufacturer or vendor (vertical integration in system configuration), but each item system (air conditioning related system 12, lighting/outlet system 14, It was not easy to integrate (horizontal direction integration in terms of system configuration) crossing the status/alarm system 18, energy system 20, etc.). In conventional building management systems, IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology) are separated.

The building management system 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can eliminate the central monitoring room by integrating the items of equipment related to various management items and by performing appropriate cloud conversion. The building management system 10 of the present embodiment enables remote monitoring of various management items from the building manager's mobile information terminal 22 such as a smartphone or tablet without installing a large number of application software. As a result, it is no longer necessary to tie people to the central monitoring room, making it possible to reduce the number of personnel required for management and personnel costs.

In addition, the building management system 10 of the present embodiment allows general users such as employees of tenants to remotely manage predetermined management items from mobile information terminals 24 such as smartphones and tablets without installing a large number of application software. can be operated with

<Hierarchical structure>
As shown in FIG. 1, the building management system 10 according to this embodiment is broadly divided into five hierarchical structures of level 0 to level 4. FIG. Level 0 is the sensor hierarchy and level 1 is the sensor controller (micro edge device) hierarchy. Level 2 is the application edge device hierarchy, and level 3 is the integration controller (integration edge device) hierarchy. Level 4 is the hierarchy of enterprise edge servers. Each layer is explained below.

<Level 0: Sensor>
The lowest level hierarchy in building management system 10 is the sensor. Conventionally, for example, in order to convert various analog information such as temperature and humidity into digital information, it was necessary to provide a sequencer and set and manage thresholds for various kinds of information.

The data sent out from the sensor is formed as a single mass with the addition of various elements such as threshold value, current value, and range conversion. In other words, data was processed in the sequencer, thresholds were set by designers and workers, and only a portion of the output data was used for building management.

It can be said that this is a feature of conventional building management systems, but conventional building management systems only physically connect devices and connect them via a specific serial bus (RS485). Communication was performed using a serial bus (RS485) interface, and signal processing was performed using a communication chip without a CPU. For this reason, conventional building management systems have only limited functions and lack intelligence.

In the building management system 10 according to the present embodiment, a wireless intelligent sensor device (hereinafter referred to as "wireless sensor device") 30 as shown in FIG. 2 is used as a level 0 sensor. The wireless sensor device 30 can detect multiple types of detection items (physical quantities) (eg, five types of temperature, humidity, illuminance, acceleration, and contact).

The wireless sensor device 30 is used in a plurality of item systems (for example, the air conditioning system 12, the lighting/outlet system 14, the hygiene/water system 16, the status/alarm system 18, the energy system 20, etc.). Furthermore, the wireless sensor device 30 has a plurality of models, and performs wireless communication according to each communication standard. Therefore, the wireless sensor devices 30 include devices that perform wireless communication according to different communication standards. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the wireless sensor device 30 is designed to support multiple protocols.

The wireless sensor device 30 is installed, for example, on the wall surface, ceiling, door, etc. of a building, and wirelessly transmits detected information to a level 1 sensor controller (to be described later). As the wireless sensor device 30, it is possible to adopt a mixture of various products provided by a plurality of manufacturers and vendors.

The wireless sensor device 30 includes a temperature sensor section 32, a humidity sensor section 34, an illuminance sensor section 36, an acceleration sensor section 38, and a contact sensor section 40, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the wireless sensor device 30 includes a CPU 42, a storage unit 44, an information format conversion unit 46, an information input unit 48, a wireless communication unit 50, a power generation unit 52, and the like.

The temperature sensor unit 32 includes a temperature sensor, and can detect the temperature of indoor air, for example. The humidity sensor unit 34 includes a humidity sensor, and can detect the humidity of indoor air, for example. The illuminance sensor unit 36 includes an illuminance sensor, and can detect the brightness of a room, for example.

The acceleration sensor unit 38 includes an acceleration sensor, and can detect, for example, impact transmitted to a wall. The contact sensor unit 40 includes a contact sensor (magnet contact sensor), and can detect opening and closing of a door, for example.

As the temperature sensor, humidity sensor, illuminance sensor, acceleration sensor, and contact sensor provided in the wireless sensor device 30, various general sensors can be employed.

The wireless sensor device 30 employs a communication standard (EnOcean) for generating power using energy harvesting technology and wirelessly transmitting the power. In the wireless sensor device 30, the power generation (here, photovoltaic power generation) of the power generation unit 52 supplies power necessary for normal operation of the CPU 42 and the sensor units 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40. FIG.

The wireless sensor device 30 can select the detection function of which detection item to use. The wireless sensor device 30 can also use all sensing functions simultaneously.

The detection function to be used is set by storing information for identifying the selected detection function (detection function identification information) in the storage unit 44 . The detection function identification information can be stored using an external communication device capable of wireless communication.

Examples of the above-described external communication device include mobile information terminals such as smart phones and tablet terminals (mobile information terminals 22 and 24, etc.). In this case, it is possible to install predetermined application software in the portable information terminal and operate the application software. Predetermined application software includes a device management application for administrators used by a building manager, a device management application for general users, and the like.

In the wireless sensor device 30, the signals of the sensor units used (at least some of the sensor units 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40) are converted into information in industrial units by the information processing of the CPU 42, Digital data is generated. In the wireless sensor device 30, a wireless packet is created using the generated digital data, and the wireless packet is sent to a level 1 sensor controller (micro edge device), which will be described later.

For sensor units that detect a continuous amount, such as the temperature sensor unit 32, the humidity sensor unit 34, and the illuminance sensor unit 36, information is transmitted every predetermined time (for example, several tens of seconds to three minutes). . Information related to signals from the acceleration sensor unit 38 and the contact sensor unit 40 is transmitted when acceleration or contact (contact pressure, etc.) with a magnitude reaching a predetermined threshold value is detected.

As the information transmission interval of the temperature sensor unit 32, the humidity sensor unit 34, the illuminance sensor unit 36, etc. is increased, the amount of information transmission can be reduced. Information relating to the temperature sensor unit 32, the humidity sensor unit 34, and the illuminance sensor unit 36 may be transmitted within the predetermined time, and the temperature sensor unit 32, the humidity sensor unit 34, and the illuminance sensor may be transmitted at intervals of the predetermined time. The information related to the unit 36 may be transmitted in order.

In conventional building management systems, wireless information communication has often been avoided due to problems such as the need for frequent battery replacement and the interruption of wireless signals. The building management system 10 of this embodiment solves the problem of the battery in such a wireless system by energy harvesting technology.

Note that the power generation unit 52 used in the energy harvesting technology is not limited to photovoltaic power generation, and may be, for example, thermoelectric power generation, electromagnetic wave power generation, vibration force power generation, or the like.

In thermoelectric power generation, for example, a thermoelectric conversion element (an element that converts heat and electric power) using the Seebeck effect (a phenomenon in which temperature difference is converted into voltage) is used, and the temperature difference of an object is converted into voltage. For example, heat generated from an air conditioner, pipes in a building, or the like is converted into electrical energy.

In electromagnetic wave power generation, for example, power is generated by converting the energy of radio waves emitted by a wireless LAN or the like in a building into direct current using a rectifying antenna.

In vibration force power generation, pressure generated by vibration is converted into electric power via a piezoelectric element or the like. For example, pressure sensors are installed in the floor of a building, and the pressure generated when people walk down the aisle and the pressure caused by vibrations are converted into electrical energy.

In addition, in the building management system 10 of this embodiment, a wireless switch (not shown) is used as a switch for turning on/off the lighting. The wireless switch incorporates a switch mechanism unit and a wireless communication unit, and uses energy harvesting technology to wirelessly transmit information indicating the state of the switch mechanism unit to the outside.

On/off information (on/off information) is wirelessly transmitted using induced power when an administrator or general user operates the wireless switch with their fingers. The wireless switch can be installed on the wall surface by fixing with screws, attaching a magnetic sheet, or the like.

By using a wireless switch, the lights can be turned on and off without the need for wires. Since no wiring is required, there are no restrictions on where switches can be placed, and there is a high degree of freedom in arranging switches. In addition, no battery is required, which also eliminates the need for labor-intensive battery replacement work.

As described above, by using as many wireless sensor devices 30 and wireless switches as possible for the necessary sensors and switches, wiring is routed, and the sensors and switches that make up the end of the system Eliminates the need to connect devices to a sequencer. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform the installation work of sensors and switches.

A large number of sensors and switches are included in the item systems 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 described above. In addition, the number of sensors and switches used in a single building varies depending on the number of rooms on the floor, etc., but the more intelligent the building, the greater the number of sensors and switches.

For this reason, the number of man-hours (number of personnel x hours) required for wiring of sensors and switches is considerable when renovating or building new buildings with many rooms or highly intelligent buildings. . Therefore, by using the wireless sensor device 30 and the wireless switch, much of the wiring work can be eliminated, and the number of man-hours can be greatly reduced.

Conventionally, the content of work and the number of man-hours required for wiring work tend to be left up to the work site, which has been a major factor in inaccurately estimating the construction period and labor costs. For example, how to wire between the sensor device and the sequencer, how to wire the sequencer and the above-mentioned equipment, etc. was often determined by the work site. Also, the number of sensor devices to be installed reaches several hundred to several hundred thousand depending on the form and scale of the building. Furthermore, labor costs account for a large portion of building renovation costs and new construction costs. Therefore, reducing the man-hours required for wiring greatly contributes to cost reduction.

In addition, in the building management system 10 according to the present embodiment, all sensors and switches are not limited to being wireless, and some sensors and switches send signals to a sequencer or the like by wire. There may be. In addition, the other electric devices described above may include devices that perform wireless communication and devices that perform wired communication.

<Level 1: Sensor Controller (Micro Edge Device)>
The digital data transmitted from each wireless sensor device 30 is received by a level 1 sensor controller (micro edge device 60). A sensor controller is constituted by the micro edge device 60 .

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, a plurality of micro edge devices 60 are used according to conditions such as the size and number of buildings to be managed. Three micro edge devices 60 are shown in FIG. 1 as an example. One micro edge device 60 is associated with, for example, 100 or more (maximum of about 200) wireless sensor devices 30, and although not shown, can be connected to wired sensors and switches. It is possible to associate sequencers that have been created. One micro edge device 60 is capable of data processing of about 100 to 200 monitoring points.

Conventionally, for example, a controller dedicated to blinds (dedicated controller) has been used for controlling blinds installed on windows of a building. The dedicated controller executes a blind control program to perform processing related to blind control. In other words, in a control system composed of blinds and a dedicated controller, the control of the controlled object (the blinds in this case) was completed.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, building management systems monitor and control many management items related to air conditioning, lighting, sanitation, security, energy, and the like. In the control (monitoring control) related to these management items, as described above, various signal standards, communication standards, OSs, and program languages are used depending on the difference between the device used, the manufacturer of the device, the model, etc. It was common to perform control using, for example,

In the technical field of building management, there are various standards related to IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology). It has not been possible to communicatively connect multiple types of sensors, such as those selected by building builders.

In contrast, in the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, analog data (data collected from the wireless sensor device 30), which is the starting point of all information, is digitized by the level 0 wireless sensor device 30 itself. be. For one micro edge device 60, the digital information of many wireless sensor devices 30 are aggregated in the micro edge device 60. FIG.

The wireless sensor devices 30 include those that perform information communication according to the same digital wireless communication standard and those that perform information communication according to mutually different digital wireless communication standards. The micro edge device 60 is configured to be able to handle a large number (eg, 150 or more) of communication standards (communication protocols).

In the micro edge device 60, the information of a large number of wireless sensor devices 30 is converted to a common communication standard (here, IP (Internet Protocol)) for each communication standard adopted by the wireless sensor device 30. It is possible to convert and handle. In other words, in the micro edge device 60, signals of different communication standards are input and signals of unified common specifications are output. The micro edge device 60 assigns an IP address to the associated equipment and identifies it using the IP address.

The micro edge device 60 individually functions as a gateway that aggregates signals of different communication standards and outputs a signal of common specifications. By providing a large number of micro edge devices 60 according to the scale and number of buildings to be managed, it is possible to form a large-scale gateway group composed of a plurality of gateways. Note that other gateways (subdivided gateways) may exist between each item system 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and the micro edge device 60 . The gateway group here also includes gateways that exist as equipment separate from the micro edge device 60 . As for the relationship (positioning) between the micro edge device 60 and the gateway, the micro edge device is higher and the gateway is lower.

The micro edge device 60 takes in the information from the wireless sensor device 30, organizes the necessary information, and sends it to an upper application edge device 62 (level 2). In the hierarchy (level 1) of the micro edge devices 60, for example, a large number of micro edge devices 60 constitute a micro edge device group 60A. Micro edge devices 60A can conceptually be included in the aforementioned gateways.

The micro edge device group 60A exerts the function of a gateway to perform data conversion (conversion), and sends information of standardized specifications (information of patterned format) to an upper-layer, associated application. • Send to edge device 62 .

In this way, the analog data digitized by the wireless sensor device 30 and the sequencers are pre-processed by the micro edge device 60 and sent to the upper layer as information of standardized specifications. At the micro edge device 60, the information digitized by the end wireless sensor device 30 is pre-processed for level 2 database creation.

Although not shown, the micro edge device 60 includes, for example, a CPU, a storage unit, a wireless communication unit, and the like. communication standard can be adopted.

<Level 2: Application Edge Device>
Above the micro edge device 60 (level 2) is the application edge device 62 . The application edge device 62 is responsible for collecting data for each management item (application) such as building air conditioning, electricity, sanitation, central monitoring, and the like.

As described above, in the micro edge device 60 (level 1), the data of the sensors (level 0) are aggregated, and the data digitized by the sensors (level 0) are transferred to the micro edge device 60 (level 1 ) to the application edge device 62 (level 2).

For example, one application edge device 62 is installed for about 100 micro edge devices 60, depending on the scale of the building to be managed. At the level of a so-called small and medium-sized building, one application edge device 62 can manage the entire building. In this case, level 3 and level 4, which will be described later, can be omitted.

The application edge device 62 is equipped with a central monitoring function. The central monitoring function is a function that performs processing for monitoring and controlling the energy management system (EMS) and provides the obtained information to external devices. Based on the information collected by each wireless sensor device 30, the central monitoring function unit processes information such as power consumption in real time, visualizes it statistically, and outputs it as displayable information. That is, an energy management system (EMS) monitoring and control system is embedded in the application edge device 62 .

In the application edge device 62, as shown in FIG. 3, the information sent from the micro edge device 60 is read into database creation software (S (step) 11), and the database is created automatically. (S12). Furthermore, a productivity tool is used for setting individual recognition data (parameter setting, etc.).

The productivity tool was developed as one of the application software used in the building management system 10 of this embodiment. Productivity tools are discussed below. As software for creating a database, various general software can be adopted.

Various attributes (including properties) of the collected data are recorded in the created database, as shown in FIG. The recorded attributes include information such as IP address, building name, floor, area, management item, information type, information acquisition date, and information acquisition time. In the case of sensor information, it also includes information such as the detected value of each sensor (detected value information), on/off information, and the like.

Conventionally, it has been necessary to manually input setting data into intelligent sensors and micro edge devices 60 one by one. In addition to the fact that the input work itself requires a lot of time and effort, such work cannot be performed without an understanding of the characteristics and mechanisms of data. According to the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, a database is automatically created, so data can be registered without requiring manual work or understanding of mechanisms.

Furthermore, in the application edge device 62, the central monitoring function unit is used to statistically visualize information such as temperature, humidity, and power consumption collected from each equipment in real time based on the databased information. Can output information for display. The output information is displayed on a display device connected to the building manager's PC (personal computer) or a mobile information terminal via an Internet line (public wireless communication line and public wired communication line) 68. be. A connection to the central monitoring application software is made via a browser installed in the building manager's PC or mobile information terminal.

The aforementioned EMS (energy management system) visualizes information. In other words, information gathered from each device such as sensors, lighting, air conditioning, sanitation, and energy does not create value simply by their existence. This data (information) is categorized by type, only the necessary parts and necessary time are aggregated, statistically processed, and displayed on the screen to create value.

The EMS in the building management system 10 of the present embodiment is configured so that electricity usage can be seen in various graphs. Of course, it is also possible to see the amount of electricity for each of the various equipment in use.

In general, 65% of the energy consumed in buildings is for air conditioning and lighting. If air conditioning and lighting, which are left on all the time, can be controlled according to the surrounding environment, such as the outside temperature and sunlight, as well as the presence of people in the room, it will be possible to greatly reduce energy consumption. .

In order to analyze power consumption, it is also necessary to analyze multiple factors such as equipment operating conditions, temperature, and outside air temperature. In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, trend data can be displayed for energy management. Trend data can capture a lot of data in units of 1 second at the fastest, so it is most suitable for energy analysis.

Using such an EMS, it is possible to analyze the usage amount for each energy type and time-series energy analysis. Furthermore, it is possible to select equipment and perform settings and status display in real time.

The aforementioned productivity tool automatically collects information on sensors, switches, and equipment installed on the same network and creates a database (Fig. 4). Each piece of setting information can be efficiently registered in the created database.

Conventionally, in order to collect information from each device and sensor such as lighting fixtures, air conditioning, and sanitation in the building, and to display and control the current usage status, it was necessary to control all devices and their functions. Therefore, it was necessary to perform the setting work one by one.

For example, it is not limited to huge buildings with hundreds of thousands of points of contact information (monitoring points), but even if there are hundreds of points, the settings must be made manually one by one, which takes an extremely long time. Was. In addition, a lot of time and effort were required to manage the status of checking the current state of the information.

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, the aforementioned productivity tool is used to solve such problems. By using productivity tools, tasks that used to take dozens of days just by setting them up can now be done in a short amount of time. Moreover, the data to be registered can be set by downloading from a remote location. Productivity tools will greatly simplify construction work and greatly reduce construction costs.

<Level 3: Integrated controller (integrated/edge/device)>
Many application-specific systems (application-specific systems) such as air conditioning, electricity, sanitation, and central monitoring are built in buildings. The integrated controller (integrated edge device 64) in the building management system 10 of the present embodiment integrates these application-specific systems and sends the received information to the Internet line (public wireless communication line and public wired communication line). 68 to successively transmit to higher-level systems. LANs (Local Area Networks, Local Area Networks) are also used as appropriate for information transmission.

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, the hardware and software of the integrated controller (integrated edge device 64) is constructed so that one unit has the processing power to manage a building with a floor area of 100,000 square meters. It is 100,000 square meters is 10ha and corresponds to a floor of 316m x 316m or a 40-story building of which one floor is 50m x 50m. In this way, a single unified controller (integrated edge device 64) can manage a considerable scale.

<Level 4: Enterprise Edge Server>
In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, an enterprise edge device 60 (level 1), an application edge device 62 (level 2), and an integrated edge device 64 (level 3) are layered above. A hierarchy of servers 66 (level 4) is constructed. All of these devices and servers are configured using computer equipment, but the major differences between them are the performance of the computer equipment (processing capacity, processing speed, etc.) and how the memory area is used. .

Conventionally, the number of monitoring points was largely restricted. The number of CPUs is increased by using unused slots. The performance can also be improved by replacing the board with a CPU having a higher processing performance.

Further, as the enterprise edge server 66, computer equipment capable of configuring a VM (Virtual Machine) is used. By configuring WM, it is possible to multiplex (here, duplicate) the management system.

VMs are isolated from the rest of the system and are built to coexist on a single piece of hardware. VMs allow multiple different OSs (Operating Systems) to run simultaneously on a single computer device.

For example, when trying to repair a building management system, even after the repair, it is necessary to continue to use an old OS (operating system) such as Windows NT (registered trademark) or XP, which has not been newly introduced in recent years. I have to.

In the conventional building management system, since the monitoring server depends on the OS, if the equipment of the upper layer is changed, all the equipment of the lower layer must also be changed according to the upper layer. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to update the system while maintaining at least a part of the lower layer devices, it is necessary to keep the old OS because of the past system.

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, the enterprise edge server 66 can constitute a virtual server. Therefore, when a new enterprise edge server 66 is introduced, various OSs can be operated in parallel in the enterprise edge server 66 . For example, Linux (registered trademark) and Windows NT (registered trademark) can be operated in parallel.

Therefore, when the building management system is repaired, it is possible to leave the equipment of the lower layer and replace only the equipment of the upper layer with a new one. Moreover, it is possible to build systems for multiple OSs. This way of thinking itself represents a new approach, different from the conventional ones. In addition, since the old OS can be left in the VM, replacement of server equipment during system repair becomes much easier than before.

The benefits of using the enterprise edge server 66 are great. Not only does this reduce the size of the equipment that constitutes it, but it also facilitates repair work that occurs every predetermined period (about seven years).

Conventionally, it took a whole day to save, save, and reload the owned system in order to repair a large-scale system. Furthermore, since it was necessary to perform work for the number of servers, the entire repair work took several days.

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, by using the enterprise edge server 66, such a problem is solved, and the equipment can be repaired by hot swapping (while the power is on) without stopping the system. (replacement, expansion, etc.) became possible. Enterprise edge servers 66 can be made redundant in a duplex configuration to enable hot-swap equipment refurbishment. In this case, one enterprise edge server 66 is running while the other enterprise edge server 66 is refurbished.

<Function of edge device>
<< Distributed system >>
One major feature of the building management system 10 according to this embodiment is that the number of monitoring points can be easily increased by appropriately combining wireless communication and Internet communication. A conventional building management system has a limit on the number of monitoring points, and the limit is about several thousand to tens of thousands at the most. If you try to make buildings intelligent or multi-building management that manages multiple buildings, you will easily reach the limit of your management ability. With conventional building management systems, when introducing a system that exceeds the limit on the number of management points, it was necessary to create a special program and bridge multiple servers.

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, since the enterprise edge server 66 constitutes a virtual server, it is possible to easily increase the processing power by increasing the number of CPUs. This makes it possible to build a huge building management system using a hard disk (storage means), which can be said to be an infinite resource.

Also, one major feature of the building management system 10 is its distributed system. For example, one server can be distributed to two. We split the servers so that we don't have to collect all the data in one place, but keep it distributed so that it can be fetched as needed (collected on demand). In other words, there is no need to connect all servers.

It is possible to collect necessary data from multiple servers by performing necessary operations when necessary. In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, for example, when a command to the effect that "I want only data A, data B, and data C" is input to a PC or a portable information terminal, necessary data is output. The building management system 10 of this embodiment operates as if it were processed by one computer.

Most conventional building management systems are of the client-server type and cannot operate in this manner. The conventional building management system could not become a decentralized system and had to become a large system. It is one of the features of the building management system 10 of the present embodiment that a system that overcomes this limit has been constructed.

<<Use of Edge Server>>
Conventional building management systems aggregated data in a single server and centrally managed it. For this reason, the system itself has become large. However, the building management system 10 of this embodiment uses an edge server to decentralize the system. Although distributed, for example, when a command to the effect that "I want to see specific data of the micro edge device 60" is input, the data can be viewed on demand.

<<Uniform Data Format>>
Another feature of the building management system 10 of this embodiment is that all information is managed in a unified manner. As previously mentioned, using the wireless sensor device 30 automatically collects data in a uniform fashion. Moreover, the format is common to all four types of edge devices (micro edge device 60, application edge device 62, integrated edge device 64, and enterprise edge server 66). has been made

The data format structure handled by the micro edge device 60 (level 1), the application edge device 62 (level 2) above it, the integrated edge device 64 (level 3), and the enterprise edge device 64 (level 3). The structure of server 66 (level 4) is the same. Therefore, the edge device at the higher level can take over the data of the edge device at the higher level.

Data in a uniform format is created as described above, and the created data is utilized in various management items (various applications such as air conditioning, electricity, sanitation, central monitoring, etc.). By using data in a unified format, it is possible to construct a building management system 10 that is integrated as a whole as if block toys having a common connection structure are combined to create a desired model.

<Utilization of cloud>
<<Remote monitoring>>
The cloud is utilized in the building management system 10 of this embodiment. Therefore, building supervisors and general users can receive building management services using public communication networks without having their own servers or storage devices. One reason for using the cloud in this way is for remote monitoring.

However, if data digitized from a plurality of low-order devices is transferred to the upper layer as it is, the high-order device that receives the data may increase the amount of communication and reduce the data processing speed.

According to the knowledge of the inventors, when using the cloud for building management, among the data collected from the site (the terminal of the building management system 10) by sensors and switches, the data to be uploaded to the cloud is the actual data. However, a few percent (for example, about 3%) of all collected data is sufficient. A few percent of them are, for example, EMS (energy management system), energy data, and FMS (facility management system). Even if these data are collected once every 30 minutes or once every hour, for example, it is possible to perform sufficient building management.

The data required for building management is static data, that is, static data, rather than data that changes dynamically from moment to moment. For static data, collecting and accumulating at regular time intervals is sufficient for building management. For this reason, as will be described later, building management is performed using both on-premise data collection and cloud data collection.

<<On-Prem Cloud>>
Currently, cloud services are the mainstream of information processing services. Cloud services tend to be thought of as simply collecting a large amount of data and accumulating big data. was difficult to build.

One of the reasons why it was difficult to build an effective building management system was that it was difficult to understand how to handle the information in the collected data, and in some cases it was not even necessary to use more than 90% of the collected data. .

Even if all 100% of the data collected at the site (end of the building management system 10) is put on the cloud (uploaded), 90% or more of the data is Not used.

Uploading (uploading) to the cloud incurs communication costs, incurs CPU usage charges, and requires a storage area (also referred to as a "usage area") for storing information for uploading to the cloud. If we secure a storage area that can store all the generated data, the size of the storage area is expected to reach petabytes or more, not just gigabytes or terabytes. In addition, the storage capacity of the cloud becomes huge, and the maintenance and management of the cloud naturally requires a huge amount of money.

Therefore, the building management system 10 of the present embodiment utilizes an edge device (system for on-site preprocessing) and properly uses on-premises data processing and cloud services to construct an effective building management system. It is possible.

In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, selected data is put on the cloud instead of putting (uploading) all the data on the cloud. In normal times, only static data is selectively uploaded, and only when a predetermined condition is met (for example, when an alarm is issued), other data (such as historical data) is stored on-premises data. used from.

By doing so, for example, when an alarm is issued, by referring to on-premises data during the time period when the event that caused the alarm occurred, a processing program for investigating the cause is executed. Such a thing becomes possible. In addition, efforts are being made to reduce the amount of communication and the storage area, and to improve the communication speed and response speed.

<<Technology Integration>>
In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, various devices and tools (application software) are provided to utilize collected data in the cloud or on-premises. These devices and tools do not exist individually, but work together. And these instruments and tools have become indispensable for maximizing system performance.

<Central monitoring function>
<<Achieving a variety of visualizations through the fusion of IT and OT>>
A major purpose of a building management system is centralized status monitoring and control of equipment installed in a building. Conventionally, such overall management was difficult. However, the building management system 10 of this embodiment realizes overall management by combining various ideas. For example, with regard to electric energy, visualization is performed for the total total for a predetermined period (designated period) and the total for each device. In addition, it is possible to check items such as when, where, which device is using how much power, and so on.

<<Visualization of lighting, temperature, humidity, etc.>>
In the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to display the lighting status of the lighting as well as the status of on/off and dimming control in a specific manner on the screen. As for the indoor environment, it is possible to display the indoor CO2 concentration, temperature, humidity, etc. on the screen in a specific manner (heat map, etc.).

<<Environment Visualization - Trend Graph>>
In the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, temperature, humidity, illuminance, etc. can be displayed on the screen using trend graphs.

<<Usage Status and Linked Applications>>
In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, schedules, operation histories, forms, earthquake warning systems, cloud applications, etc. can also be displayed on the screen.

<Remote monitoring function>
<<Cloud monitoring system that enables management of multiple buildings>>
In the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, various devices related to air conditioning, lighting, sanitation, alarms, and energy in the building can be monitored and controlled via mobile information terminals such as smartphones and tablets. . Also, monitoring and control can be performed from a remote location away from the building via the portable information terminal.

In the portable information terminal, it is possible to connect to application software for building management via an installed browser and use the application software. An easy-to-operate and highly responsive management screen is provided via the browser of the portable information terminal.

As mentioned above, only static data is put on the cloud, and less frequently used dynamic data is placed on edge devices. For this reason, the cloud usage area is small, and cost reduction and response improvement are realized.

<<Realization of CBM>>
In multi-building management that manages a plurality of buildings, it is important to know in which building a failure (abnormality) has occurred. Conventionally, constant monitoring has been performed in which the occurrence of abnormalities is constantly confirmed. On the other hand, in the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, "preventive maintenance" (CBM: Condition Based Maintenance) is realized in which data is collected periodically and measures are taken only when an abnormality occurs. ing.

If an abnormality is found based on the data collected periodically, a countermeasure is taken such that an alarm is notified to the mobile information terminal. Furthermore, by specifying the building where the alarm occurred and drilling down, it is possible to grasp the situation in more detail even from a remote location. In the drilldown, various predetermined analyzes are performed by selecting the data linked to the attribute of the building where the alarm occurred.

<Smart palm that can be monitored and controlled from the palm of your hand (trademark registration pending)>
The building management system 10 of this embodiment makes full use of the latest technology to realize an intelligent tool for controlling lighting and air conditioners suitable for the new age. Smart Palm (trademark registration pending), which is provided to building managers and general users via a browser, realizes remote control (remote control) for both lighting and air conditioning on a mobile information terminal, It makes it possible to control and monitor lighting and air conditioners. Smart Palm (trademark registration pending) is a tool that provides operability as if the palm were a switch.
<<Remote monitoring across networks is possible>>
In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to control the building management system from anywhere by using a mobile information terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet, without being bound by restrictions such as location and time.

<<Control of lighting and air conditioning>>
In the building management system 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to directly control air conditioning, lighting, etc. using a portable information terminal. This eliminates the need for office personnel to travel to a wall switch, for example, to change the temperature of office lighting or air conditioning.

For example, with respect to lighting, a system is constructed so that all the lights on the floor can be turned on/off collectively or can be turned on/off by group. In addition, the system is constructed so that the brightness can be controlled from the hand.

Smart Palm (trademark registration pending) provided via a browser has a function of displaying the amount of electricity used, for example, by floor, by group, and by lighting. Therefore, it is possible to check how much electricity is used in the target range through the portable information terminal.

<<Settings and generation of QR code (registered trademark)>>
In the building management system 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to change the groups of lighting and air conditioning (air conditioners) that have been once set using the mobile information terminal. By doing so, for example, there is no need to have an air-conditioning contractor or a system contractor use weekends when the tenants in the building are closed to perform group change work. Become.

When performing such work, in order to control lighting and air conditioning, for example, in a general user group for setting management, a QR code (registered trademark) is sent to a predetermined group administrator. Distributed. The QR code (registered trademark) is distributed from the group manager to other group members. A group is made up of a range of general users (which may include building managers and other managers) that is predetermined and specified so that settings are permitted. The range of lighting that can be set is determined using a lighting design tool, which will be described later.

The distributed QR code (registered trademark) is displayed on a display device, personal digital assistant, or the like connected to the PC of the group member. The QR code (registered trademark) is read by the camera of another group member's mobile information terminal, and the URL or the like is displayed. The URL or the like links to the setting change site related to the corresponding application edge device 62 .

When a group member selects a URL or the like, a setting change site related to the corresponding application edge device 62 is displayed on the group member's portable information terminal. A group member operates the setting of the equipment whose setting is to be changed on the setting change site.

By doing so, the general user can change the groups of lighting and air conditioners via the browser without installing application software for changing settings.

<<Multiple projects can be set>>
The contents set via the portable information terminal can be saved as a project. Multiple projects can be saved. This makes it possible, for example, to change the settings for each time period, or to change the groups for lighting and air conditioning between weekdays and weekends. In this way, there is no need to mount new switches or control panels on the wall for changing groups. In addition, there is no need to carry out work to connect wiring to the switch or operation panel and route it inside the wall, under the floor, or the like. Furthermore, the user can change the settings within his/her own company without asking a construction company to do the work.

<<Lighting Design Tool>>
When installing lighting fixtures, how much equipment should be installed on the floor, how to group the installed lighting and switches for turning on and off are important focal points. If the design is too detailed, the control becomes complicated and many machines for control are required. Conversely, if the design is excessively rough, it will be wasteful, for example, the lighting will turn on even when no one is there.

For this reason, in the building management system 10 of this embodiment, a lighting design tool is developed as one of the application software. For the lighting design tool, for example, a building supervisor connects to the application edge device 62 (level 2) and performs design operations within the displayed lighting design tool site.

<Inventions that can be extracted from the embodiment>
The following inventions can be extracted from the embodiments described so far.
(1) Multiple types of equipment (air conditioners, lighting equipment, doors, sensors such as wireless sensor devices 30, switches, etc.) classified into one of multiple management items (air conditioning, lighting, hygiene, alarms, energy, etc.) , other electrical equipment, etc.) and
a sensor device (wireless sensor device 30, etc.) capable of detecting multiple types of detection items (temperature, humidity, illuminance, acceleration, contact, etc.);
First layer devices (micro edge device 60, etc.), second layer devices (application edge device 62, etc.), third layer devices (integration edge device 64, etc.), fourth layer devices, etc. at least the first tier device and the second tier device among tier devices (such as the enterprise edge server 66);
A plurality of item systems (air conditioning related system 12, lighting/outlet system 14, hygiene/water system 16, status/alarm system 18, energy system 20, etc.) can be defined with at least one of the management items as one item system. is possible and
A building management system in which the plurality of item systems includes at least an air conditioning system, a lighting system, an alarm system, and an energy system,
A plurality of the sensor devices are provided,
a plurality of the sensor devices,
outputting digital information to the first layer device according to at least one wireless communication standard;
A building management system that configures a group of sensor devices spanning a plurality of item systems.
(2) the first layer device,
Capable of conversion processing (conversion to IP, etc.) of digital information of a plurality of wireless communication standards,
digital information from the sensor device group is converted from the wireless communication standard adopted by the sensor device into digital information of a common communication standard (such as IP), which is a common communication standard, and transmitted by wireless communication;
The second layer device is
receiving digital information of the common communication standard from the first layer device;
The building management system according to (1) above, wherein the information collected from the plurality of sensor devices is put into a database based on the digital information collected from the plurality of sensor devices.
(3) When the second layer device is not provided with the third layer device,
When a user's terminal device (portable information terminal 22, 24, etc.) requests a specific management item (air conditioning, etc.) via a public wireless communication line (Internet line 68, etc.), the database is created. Select pre-processing information (air conditioning temperature, room humidity information, etc.) necessary for responding to the user from the information,
Based on the pre-processing information, provided information (such as an air conditioning temperature setting screen on which the air conditioning temperature can be set by operating the mobile information terminals 22 and 24), which is information about the specific management item, is transmitted according to the common communication standard. , the building management system according to the above (2), which is provided to the terminal device of the user via the public wireless communication line.
(4) when a plurality of the second layer devices are provided, one third layer device is provided for the plurality of the second layer devices;
If the third hierarchical device is not provided with the fourth hierarchical device,
When a user's terminal device (portable information terminal 22, 24, etc.) requests a specific management item (air conditioning, etc.) via a public wireless communication line (Internet line 68, etc.), the second hierarchical device to select and transmit pre-processing information (air conditioning temperature, room humidity information, etc.) necessary for responding to the user from the information in the database,
Provided information (portable information terminals 22, 24) which is information about the specific management items based on the pre-processing information sent from the second layer device via the public wireless communication line according to the common communication standard The building management according to (2) above, wherein an air-conditioning temperature setting screen, etc., on which an air-conditioning temperature can be set by the operation of is provided to the terminal device of the user via the public wireless communication line according to the common communication standard. system.
(5) when a plurality of the second layer devices are provided, one third layer device is provided for the plurality of the second layer devices;
when a plurality of the third hierarchical devices are provided, the fourth hierarchical device is provided;
The fourth layer device is
When a user's terminal device (portable information terminal 22, 24, etc.) requests a specific management item (air conditioning, etc.) via a public wireless communication line (Internet line 68, etc.), the third layer device to select and transmit pre-processing information (air conditioning temperature, room humidity information, etc.) necessary for responding to the user from the information stored in the database. ,
The third layer device is
relaying the pre-processed information sent from the second layer device via the public wireless communication line according to the common communication standard to the fourth layer device;
The fourth layer device is
Based on the pre-processing information relayed by the third layer device, provision information (air-conditioning temperature setting screen on which air-conditioning temperature can be set by operating the mobile information terminals 22 and 24), which is information about the specific management item etc.) to the terminal device of the user via the public wireless communication line according to the common communication standard.
(6) A building management method performed by the building management system of (1) to (5) above.
(7) An invention in which the "building management system" of the above (1) to (5) is replaced with a "building management device".

<Others>
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, substitutions and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

10: Building management system 12: Air conditioning related system 14: Outlet system 16: Water system 18: Alarm system 20: Energy system 22, 24: Personal digital assistant 30: Wireless sensor device 60: Micro edge device 60A: Device Group 62: Application Edge Device 64: Integration Edge Device 66: Enterprise Edge Server

Claims (5)

a plurality of types of equipment classified into one of a plurality of management items;
a sensor device capable of detecting multiple types of detection items;
at least the first layer device and the second layer device among a first layer device, a second layer device, a third layer device, and a fourth layer device, which are upper layers in ascending order;
It is possible to define a plurality of item systems with at least one of the management items as one item system,
A building management system in which the plurality of item systems includes at least an air conditioning system, a lighting system, an alarm system, and an energy system,
A plurality of the sensor devices are provided,
a plurality of the sensor devices,
capable of outputting digital information to said first layer device according to at least one wireless communication standard;
A building management system that configures a group of sensor devices spanning a plurality of item systems. The first layer device has at least
capable of converting digital information of a plurality of said wireless communication standards,
digital information from the sensor device group is converted from the wireless communication standard adopted by the sensor device into digital information of a common communication standard, which is a common communication standard, and transmitted by wireless communication;
The second layer device is
receiving digital information of the common communication standard from the first layer device;
2. The building management system according to claim 1, wherein the information collected from the plurality of sensor devices is put into a database based on the digital information collected from the plurality of sensor devices. If the second hierarchical device is not provided with the third hierarchical device,
Selecting pre-processing information necessary for responding to the user from the information stored in the database when there is a request related to the specific management item from the user's terminal device at least via a public wireless communication line,
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, based on said pre-processing information, provided information, which is information about said specific management item, is provided to said user's terminal device via said public wireless communication line according to said common communication standard. building management system. when a plurality of the second layer devices are provided, one third layer device is provided for the plurality of the second layer devices;
If the third hierarchical device is not provided with the fourth hierarchical device,
When there is a request related to the specific management item from the user's terminal device at least via the public wireless communication line, the information stored in the database is sent to the second layer device necessary for responding to the user. requests to select and send appropriate pre-processing information,
Based on the pre-processed information sent from the second layer device via the public wireless communication line according to the common communication standard, provide information, which is information about the specific management item, according to the common communication standard 3. The building management system according to claim 2, wherein said building management system is provided to said user's terminal device via said public wireless communication line. when a plurality of the second layer devices are provided, one third layer device is provided for the plurality of the second layer devices;
when a plurality of the third hierarchical devices are provided, the fourth hierarchical device is provided;
The fourth layer device is
When there is a request related to the specific management item from the user's terminal device at least via the public wireless communication line, the second layer device is sent to the second layer device via the third layer device as a response to the user request to select and submit the required pre-processing information;
The third layer device is
relaying at least the pre-processed information sent from the second layer device via the public wireless communication line to the fourth layer device according to the common communication standard;
The fourth layer device is
Based on the pre-processed information relayed by the third layer device, provision information, which is information on the specific management item, is provided to the user at least via the public wireless communication line according to the common communication standard. 3. The building management system according to claim 2, provided to a terminal device.

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