SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF BUILDING AUTOMATION SUBSYSTEMS

• US 20120011126A1
• Filed: 07/07/2010
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Park, Youngchoon, Dorneanu, Radu M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,516,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

A computer-implemented system for facilitating communication between a plurality of building automation subsystems and a plurality of applications includes a first database storing a hierarchical model of a building automation system. The system further includes a second database storing information for the plurality of building automation subsystems. The second database stores each record with a projected semantic type string. The projected semantic type string includes multiple levels of type information and based on the hierarchical model stored in the first database. The system further includes a messaging engine configured to receive a message from one of the disparate building automation subsystems and for one of the plurality of applications. The messaging engine is configured to use the information in the second database to transform the message into a standard format, to append the projected semantic type string to the transformed message, and to provide the transformed message to one of the plurality of applications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for facilitating communication between a plurality of building automation subsystems and a plurality of applications, comprising:

a first database storing a hierarchical model of a building automation system;

a second database storing information for the plurality of building automation subsystems, wherein the second database stores each record with a projected semantic type string comprising multiple levels of type information and based on the hierarchical model stored in the first database; and

a messaging engine configured to receive a message from one of the disparate building automation subsystems and for one of the plurality of applications, wherein the messaging engine is configured to use the information in the second database to transform the message into a standard format, to append the projected semantic type string to the transformed message, and to provide the transformed message to one of the plurality of applications.

2. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the first database is an ontology database;

and

wherein the second database is a fact database and the projected semantic type string describes a full type hierarchy for each building automation system object.

3. The computer-implemented system of claim 2, wherein relationships of the full type hierarchy are represented by delimiters in the projected semantic type string.

4. The computer-implemented system of claim 3, wherein the delimiters are less than three characters in length and wherein different delimiters represent different types of relationships.

5. The computer-implemented system of claim 3, further comprising:

an indexing engine that maintains an index for the fact database by using building automation subsystem-specific information a key for a hash function.

6. The computer-implemented system of claim 3, further comprising:

a query engine configured to use the hierarchical information of the fact database to query information from multiple building automation subsystems.

7. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, further comprising:

a workflow engine configured to use stored subscription information to monitor new information received from the plurality of building subsystems

8. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the workflow engine monitors the plurality of building subsystems by periodically executing a stored query using the query engine.

9. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of building subsystems comprise a first heating, cooling or air-conditioning (HVAC) system and a second HVAC system;

wherein the plurality of applications comprise an HVAC management application and an energy management application.

10. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of building automation subsystems comprise a plurality of disparately protocolled building systems or subsystems.

11. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the first database, the second database, and the messaging engine reside in one or more memory devices local to an integration server and wherein the integration server comprises at least one processor for executing computer code stored in the memory devices and for controlling the messaging engine, first database, and the second database.

12. A computer-implemented method for facilitating communication between a plurality of building automation subsystems and a plurality of applications, comprising:

storing a hierarchical model of a building automation system in a first database;

storing information for the plurality of building automation subsystems in a second database, wherein the second database stores each record with a projected semantic type string comprising multiple levels of type information and based on the hierarchical model stored in the first database;

receiving a message from one of the plurality of building automation subsystems and for one of the plurality of applications at a messaging engine;

using the information in the second database to transform the message into a standard format;

using the messaging engine to append the projected semantic type string to the transformed message, and

providing the transformed message to one of the plurality of applications.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the first database is an ontology database;

and

wherein the second database is a fact database and the projected semantic type string describes a full type hierarchy for each building automation system object.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein relationships of the full type hierarchy are represented by delimiters in the projected semantic type string.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the delimiters are less than three characters in length and wherein different delimiters represent different types of relationships.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

maintaining an index for the fact database by using building automation subsystem-specific information a key for a hash function.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

using the hierarchical information of the fact database to relate and query information from the plurality of building automation subsystems.

18. The computer-implemented system of claim 12, further comprising:

using stored subscription information to monitor new information received from the plurality of building automation subsystems

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

using a workflow engine to monitor the plurality of building automation subsystems by periodically executing a stored query.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of building automation subsystems comprise a plurality of disparately protocolled building systems or subsystems.