WO2024201440A1

WO2024201440A1 - Method and system for configuring and managing intelligent building automation

Info

Publication number: WO2024201440A1
Application number: PCT/IB2024/053193
Authority: WO
Inventors: Siim VIPS
Original assignee: Bisly Oü
Priority date: 2023-03-30
Filing date: 2024-04-02
Publication date: 2024-10-03

Abstract

A method for configuring and managing intelligent building automation to quick development of desired functional configuration and automatic creation of a software configuration that implements desired functionality. The functionality of the building automation hardware is pre-set in the software configurator database. According to the specification of the user requirements entered through sales software, a selection of hardware components that meet the requirements of the configuration software and the required software configuration can be found. The software configuration is created on the cloud server and uploaded to the local server of the specific installation. During the installation of building automation devices, an encrypted connection is established between the device with a specific hardware identifier and its operating software on the local server using a unique machine-readable code entered on the device and the installer's hand-held device.

Description

Method and system for configuring and managing intelligent building automation

Technical field

The invention belongs to the field of intelligent building automation, specifically software solutions for the development, sale, installation, management and maintenance of intelligent building automation.

Background art

Intelligent building automation systems are used to control heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and other indoor climate components, provide controlled access, security and safety applications, and measure energy, water, gas and other consumption costs. The systems consist of sensors, such as a temperature sensor, a CO2 concentration sensor, a light density sensor, a color temperature sensor; actuators, such as a heater together with a control module, a light source together with a controllable power unit; one or more controllers controlling actuators according to an algorithm that is pre-programmed or generated using machine learning methods, respectively; user interface devices, such as a stationary touchscreen, a mobile device; wired or wireless communication devices that ensure the exchange of data between the components of the system. The operation algorithm may be stored elsewhere in devices connected to a computer network. Gomez, Carles, and Josep Paradells. "Wireless home automation networks: A survey of architectures and technologies." IEEE Communications Magazine 48, no. 6 (2010): 92-101.

Building automation systems can be operated locally, in which case the operation algorithm is programmed into the on-site control controller. Local systems include, for example, autonomous security systems. Building automation systems can use the cloud technology of computers, in which the operation algorithm of the devices is run on a cloud server, where sensor signals are sent via communication devices and where control signals are created for actuator cells. Are possible are hybrid solutions, in which certain management functionality is realized locally, and certain functionality is realized on a cloud server. In the case of a local solution, the challenge is that the operating logic of the system must be programmed locally, which requires a system installer or tuner with knowledge. Cloud solutions can be remotely configured, but the challenge is its dependence on the performance of communication channels and the response time of controlling the devices is delayed and the communication interruption makes the system non-functional. Hybrid systems are architecturally more complex, but are preferred for both central configurability and reliability independent of the communication quality of the cloud connection. Mocrii, Dragos, Yuxiang Chen, and Petr Musilek. "loT-based smart homes: A review of system architecture, software, communications, privacy and security." Internet of Things 1 (2018): 81-98.

Communication between building automation equipment can be carried out by wired or radio communication. Known building automation solutions with wired connections are Echelon- TP, KNX and others. Known building automation solutions using radio communications are ZWave, Zigbee, Thread and others.

In the case of known solutions, the analysis of installation requirements, the process of selling equipment, the installation and configuration of equipment are not interrelated, which adds cost to the realization of the solution and increases the likelihood of errors.

Known are the digital twin solutions for building management, see, for example, The Digital Twin as a Base for the Design of Building Control Strategies, available https://doi.org/10.26868/25222708.2019.210389, Implementation of Digital Twin based Building Control System using Wireless Sensor Box, https://doi.org/10.9708/jksci.2020.25.05.057 and Methodological Foundations for the Formation of Information Space and Digital Twin Objects in Smart Homes, https://doi.org/10.3103/S0005105519060074, which digitally mimics the behaviour of the building as a result of the operation algorithm of the control system.

Known hybrid solution US9673991B2 Distributed control scheme for remote control and monitoring of devices through a data network consists of server software and local controllers (hubs) that perform the necessary smart building automation functionality. This solution does not automatically create the required system hardware and software configuration according to the installation requirements specification.

In known solution US20130073705A1 Managing a home area Network, the functionality provided by the devices added to the building network is automatically detected, but it does not reconfigure it according to the desired functionality.

Known solution is the CN103078904B Household electric appliance control method and household electrical appliances thereof and server, in which, when logging in to the server, the work profile of the device is set according to the preferences of a particular user. The difference of this solution is that the device profile is not set according to the preferences of the user, but according to the required functionality of a particular installation, and the configuration of the device is one-time.

Known solution for adding devices to the system to create a secure communication channel is a smart building equipment provisioning solution system US10764128B2 Systems and methods for commissioning a smart hub device, which uses a light signal sequence code when registering devices, which is generated by the device being added and registered with the installer device.

For known solutions, the digital twin of the system is not automatically created during the solution sales process, and the software configuration of specific devices is not part of the digital twin.

The most similar known building automation solution is KNX Secure. KNX Secure uses low- voltage cable for data exchange, data transmission between devices in the network is encrypted. The processes of selling and configuring KNX Secure devices are not related. The equipment and quantity are selected by a competent system designer The instructions for performing the electrical connections of the devices must be prepared by the competent designer using the design software for electrical installations. The software configuration of the devices is compiled manually and programmed into the devices by a competent installer using the so- called ETS (Engineering Tools Software) configuration software and a programming device connected to the KNX network. KNX Secure devices have a factory authorization key, which is applied to the sticker of the device and is removed during the installation process after the key is fixed for the ETS software. On the sticker, the full authorization key is visible, which allows malicious capture of the key before the installation process and requires the presence of additional unique identifiers of the device on the case. Changes in behavioral logic are programmed into devices via a programming device connected to the KNX network and ETS software.

The main obstacle to making intelligent building solutions available to all market segments is not primarily the cost of the hardware, but rather the design and configuration costs. Since a complete solution for building automation can save up to 50% of energy consumption, and buildings produce about 40% of all CO2 emissions in developed countries, the broad implementation of building automation is an important global challenge. The invention is aimed at eliminating the shortcomings of the solutions described above, increasing the cost-effectiveness of configuring and configuring the installing of the building automation solution and reducing the corresponding errors. The solution presents building automation technology that makes saving energy easy and accessible.

Summary of invention

The solution according to the invention is a unified cloud platform approach that comprises sales software module, system configuration software module, and operation algorithm software module with connected devices for solving the challenge of matching the results of relevant activities, which makes building automation technology scalable both cost-effectively and free of errors.

In the solution according to the invention, the selection of the necessary equipment is carried out according to the characteristics of the particular installation, the automatic creation of the cost and price quote of the system based on it, the creation of a software configuration of equipment and the addition of equipment to the configuration in a single software system, which simplifies the design, installation of the system and reduces the associated operating costs. In this solution, configurations of the behavioral logic of devices are automatically created on a central server (cloud server) connected to the system, therefore, unlike in known solutions, there is no need to program devices locally (that is, at the place of their installation on the object).

The goal of the invention is achieved by a method comprising the following steps: in the central software product, models of building types and data on the IM configurations suitable for those building types are stored, as well as technical data on the equipment corresponding to the configurations, as well as data on the price and availability of the equipment; in response to a request for a sales quote for an object, a building type corresponding to the object, the desired intelligent building automation configuration for the object with the selection of the corresponding equipment are selected in the digital box configurator in the sales application, and a sales offer corresponding to the object, the specification of intelligent building automation corresponding to the object, connection diagrams and the digital twin of the object are automatically generated in the system; and the delivery, installation, operation and maintenance of the intelligent building automation of the object is carried out with the help of the digital twin of the object in a central software product installed on the cloud server.

List of Drawings

Fig l is a scheme of the system in which the method according to the invention is applied.

Fig 2 is a flow diagram of a method according to the invention.

Examples of carrying out the invention

The method according to the invention is applied in a system shown in Fig 1. The system comprises a cloud server 1, a building automation point-of-sale device 2, an installer device with a reader 3 for reading an optical code such as a QR code, or other type of code, wherein the cloud server 1, the point-of-sale devices 2, and the installer device 3 interconnected via an appropriate data network 4, such as a mobile network. The cloud server 1 installs the central software of the building automation system, which creates a digital twin for each object, which is used to plan, model, create quotes, install the system, as well as to simulate the behavior of the system during operation. Each site has a local control server for building automation 5, which performs the control functions of sensors 7 and actuators installed on site on-premises, and which is connected to the cloud server via a suitable data network. Control of the intelligent building automation system onsite can be carried out with variety of user devices.

The system is configured to operate according to the method below.

The method according to the invention is shown in Fig 2. The data of the room installations of the site and the required functionality are entered into the sales software (step 100). The central software generates a list of required equipment for the sales offer (step 200). The system generates the necessary software configuration for the equipment and the digital twin of the installation (step 300). Once the customer has accepted the offer and the installation of the system begins, the authorised installer enters the location of the currently installed device into the installer application operating in the installer device and identifies the specific device using a machine-readable QR code located on it (step 400). The specific device is linked to the given location and task in the central software system, if necessary, reconfigured software-wise, and the data exchange is authorized using the initial encryption key created during production (step 500). When connecting an unknown device to a building communication network, such device is ignored (step 600).

The use of a unified cloud solution includes the production of hardware, during which manufactured devices and their initial security keys are recorded in a cloud database, making all connected devices and certified integrations available to integrators without the need for programming.

In addition, the system has a building system configurator, which is used by sales representatives to prepare sales offers and on the basis of which a building digital box is created.

The building's digital box configurator shows the type of building, the basic configuration and its characteristics, location and position relative to weather maps, important contacts and technical metadata.

In addition, the configurator displays relevant business and price formation information.

After entering the basic data, it is possible to configure the building, select the type of settlement, followed by the setting of floors, staircases, general areas, rooms, etc.

After entering the data describing the building into the configurator, a list of the necessary equipment is semi-automatically generated for it.

The configurator, similar to the product configurators used in the sale of cars, computers or furniture, allows you to reduce the time spent on configuring the system and the required qualifications of the employee.

The configurator allows copying of ready-made configurations in the event that the characteristics of rooms, floors or larger parts of the building are similar.

The configuration that you create is used to create bids automatically or semi-automatically. If the tender or the configuration of the building is changed during negotiations, it will be possible to automatically update the offer based on the changes made.

Based on the appropriate configuration of the installation, a production order for the equipment is drawn up and installation drawings of the equipment, drawings of electrical connections and the configuration of the local control server are automatically generated. Installation technicians use a special software application running on the installer device to install the equipment and navigate the building.

The design process, or sales process, of intelligent building automation is as follows:

The sales representative enters the central software system installed on the cloud server over the communication network using the sales representative's device. On the cloud server, the configuration of the system of the object to be installed is compiled based on the call for tender, drawings of the object and other documentation; the functionality required to control the house is determined and the necessary equipment is automatically found.

First, the type of object (building) is defined (e.g. apartment building, office building, private house, accommodation establishment, educational institution, cultural institution, production building, warehouse, sports hall, etc.).

The towers of the building, the floors, the number of apartments on the floors and the roominess of the apartments are added.

The general areas of the building (garage, storage rooms, utility rooms, corridors, etc.) are added.

The functionality that the building automation will control or measure is added, for example, by assigning the function "heating" to the building, the required amount of temperature air and floor sensors and one or more controllers according to the number of heating circuit regulators are added to all rooms.

The functions are described in the system in advance, the functions may also be e.g. lighting control, ventilation control, cooling incident, passage control, curtain control, etc. After adding general functions, the sales representative has the opportunity to save the configuration of the given building and generate a sales offer from it, together with the cost of equipment and installation.

In the event that the promoter wants an additional offer with some additional feature added, or if the developer wants to make other changes, the sales representative can add it to the entire object, save the new version and generate an upgraded offer. If necessary, the number of rooms in the apartment, functions and selected equipment can be changed in the building. Once the offer is approved by the developer, the configuration of the building will be locked and the building will be ready for installation. Based on the created configuration and building parameters, a digital twin of the building is created.

The process of installing building automation is as follows. When going to the installation on the site, the installer takes with him the necessary equipment, controllers, sensors, etc. Upon arrival at the object, the installer opens the installer's application in the installer's device and connects to the central software system over the data network. In the application, the installer selects the object (building) and the room (e.g. apartment and room) where he starts the installation process. The selection of the object and the room displays in the installer application all the equipment that needs to be installed in a given room according to the configuration of the system created in the central software system. To add a device, such as a controller, the location of the device is selected in the installer application and the QR code on the device with the installer device is scanned, which uniquely identifies the specific device. By scanning a QR code, the device is authorized and registered in the network. During registration, information is transmitted from the cloud server to the house server about what tasks a particular controller performs at the installation site of a given object.

Further operation of the device is carried out via a house server. For example, a sensor device measures microclimate parameters (air temperature, humidity, CO2, etc.) and transmits them to a house server that performs real-time control of building automation. For example, if the house server receives information about excessive CO2 levels from the sensor, the house server will send a command to the control controller to start the ventilation unit. The house server will give the order to stop the ventilation unit after receiving information from the sensor about the normalization of the CO2 level.

Part of the system are controllers that interface the low-voltage building automation network with a house server connected to the Ethernet local network, i.e. sensor data is read through the controller and actuators are controlled, such as relays, with which devices are controlled, such as ventilation unit, door lock, heating manifold motors. The house server is connected to the cloud server via the public Internet, allowing the user to control devices over the data network, for example, through a mobile application, being outside the object (house, apartment) intranet.

If the connection between the cloud server and the object server (house server) is interrupted, the house server will continue to operate autonomously; When the connection is restored, all changes that have occurred on the object, sensor readings, etc., are synchronized from the house server to the cloud server.

If the connection between the house server and the controller is interrupted, only physically controlled devices will remain in operation, e.g. lighting switches; No other actions can be performed at this time, since the server does not receive data from the controllers or transmit commands to the controller.

Intelligent building automation typically includes all or some of the following functionalities:

Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) Control. Smartly managed heating, ventilation and cooling make the home and office comfortable, healthy and energy-saving, accompanied by better well-being, sleep and working capacity.

Lighting control. In the course of smart lighting control, the light in the room is lit as needed. The intensity and colour of the light support working capacity and well-being, and needs-based lighting ensures up to 50% energy savings.

Access control. The video intercom app on the smartphone shows a video image of what is happening in front of the front door. The doors can be opened conveniently away from the mobile phone or from the control screen on the wall of the installation.

Energy consumption overview. From the control screen or smartphone you can see an overview of energy consumption on an ongoing basis. Awareness changes people's consumption habits and reduces over-heating and saves energy by 15-20%.

Remote reading of readings. All consumption readings are transmitted to the building manager automatically.

Intelligent building automation technology makes saving energy easy and accessible to everyone. Digital locker technology allows you to model the behavior of a building, identify configuration errors and malfunctions, and reduce energy consumption. Building automation manages and controls the living environment in private houses, apartment buildings and high- rise buildings in an energy-efficient manner. Automation solutions are suitable for demanding commercial real estate with heightened security and energy saving requirements. Hotels, motels and rental apartments offer their customers security and ease of use combined with intelligent building automation. Remote monitoring of the microclimate in buildings makes it possible to detect energy-intensive and unintended use in rental premises.

Claims

1. A method for configuring and managing an intelligent building automation system, in which the design, preparation of sales offers, delivery, installation, operation and maintenance of the intelligent building automation is carried out in a single software system.

2. Method for configuring and managing the intelligent building automation system as in claim 1, wherein: the central software product stores models of building types and data on the intelligent building automation configurations suitable for those building types, as well as technical data on the equipment corresponding to the configurations, as well as data on the price and availability of the equipment; in response to a price request for an object, the building type corresponding to the object is selected in the sales application, the functionality of the building automation desired for the object with the specific characteristics of the corresponding equipment is automatically generated in the system, a sales offer corresponding to the object, an intelligent building automation solution diagram corresponding to the object with the electrical connections of the equipment, and a digital twin of the object is created; and the delivery, installation, operation and maintenance of the intelligent building automation of the object takes place in a central software product installed on the cloud server, which enables the modelling of the object using digital twin software technology.

3. Method for configuring and managing the intelligent building automation system as in claims 1 to 2, wherein in the production process of the equipment, the equipment is provided with an individual machine-readable code to identify the equipment.

4. Method for configuring and managing the intelligent building automation system as in claim 3, wherein the installation of said intelligent building automation system of an object provides the installer with a list of the equipment to be installed on the site by room in the installer's application, and when the equipment is installed, the machine- readable code of the device is scanned by the installer device by which the device is registered and authorised in the central software product, whereby registration with the central software product shall be given to the device functionality provided in the system.

5. Method for configuring and managing the intelligent building automation as in claim 4, where registering the device in a central system transmits information from the cloud server to the obj ect server concerning what tasks the device performs on a given obj ect.

6. An intelligent building automation configuration and management system comprising a cloud server (1), a building automation point-of-sale equipment (2), installer devices with an optical code reader (3), on-site building automation control controllers (5), wherein the cloud server (1), the point-of-sale equipment (2), the installer devices (3) and the control servers (5) are connected via a data network (4), wherein the cloud server (1) being adapted to run a central software of the building automation system to create a digital twin of the object, to plan the building automation system, to model, to prepare quotes, to install the system, as well as to simulate the behavior of the system during operation, and the control control (5) is adapted to perform the control functions of the sensors (7) and actuators (8) installed on the object onsite.