SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING AND REPORTING EVENTS IN A BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140129180A1
• Filed: 01/14/2014
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Mackay, Douglas P.
• Application Number:
  US14/155,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129180A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/189
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0248 Causal models, e.g. fault tree; digraphs; qualitative physics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Systems and methods for evaluating and reporting events in a building management system are provided. An event indication for building equipment of the building management system is received at a processing circuit. The event indication is associated with an event. The processing circuit classifies the event as at least one of a cause event and a symptom event. The processing circuit suppresses the event indication in response to classifying the event as a symptom event and displays the event indication in response to classifying the event as a cause event.

Claims

1. A computerized method for evaluating and reporting events in a building management system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit, an event indication for building equipment of the building management system, wherein the event indication is associated with an event;

classifying the event as at least one of a cause event and a symptom event;

suppressing the event indication in response to classifying the event as a symptom event; and

displaying the event indication in response to classifying the event as a cause event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the event as a symptom event comprises:

retrieving, from the building management system, event information associated with the event; and

using the event information to determine whether the event is an abnormal event; and

classifying the event as a symptom event in response to a determination that the event is an abnormal event.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to classifying the event as a symptom event, using an ontological model of the building equipment to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event; and

displaying an event indication associated with the prior event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the prior event is a first prior event representing a most direct cause of the symptom event, the method further comprising:

using the ontological model to determine whether the first prior event could have been caused by a second prior event; and

displaying the second prior event and suppressing the first prior event in response to a determination that the second prior event could have caused the first prior event.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein using an ontological model of the building equipment to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event comprises:

identifying a building object associated with the symptom event;

using the ontological model to determine one or more building objects that are causally related to the building object associated with the symptom event;

retrieving event information associated with the one or more of the causally-related building objects; and

analyzing the event information to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the event information to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event comprises:

using the event information to identify an abnormal event prior to the symptom event; and

using the ontological model to determine whether the abnormal event could have caused the symptom event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein suppressing the event indication comprises at least one of:

preventing the event indication from being displayed on a user interface; and

displaying the event indication as a secondary event on the user interface.

8. A computerized method for evaluating and reporting faults in a building management system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit, multiple fault indications for building equipment of the building management system;

using an ontological model of the building equipment to determine whether the multiple fault indications could be caused by a single fault; and

suppressing the multiple fault indications and displaying the single fault in response to a determination that the multiple fault indications could be caused by the single fault.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein using an ontological model of the building equipment to determine whether the multiple fault indications could be caused by a single fault comprises:

identifying one or more building objects associated with the multiple fault indications;

using the ontological model to determine a single building object that is causally related to each of the identified building objects;

retrieving event information associated with the single building object; and

analyzing the event information to identify a single fault which could cause the multiple fault indications.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the event information to identify a single fault which could cause the multiple fault indications comprises:

using the event information to identify an abnormal event prior to the multiple fault indications; and

using the ontological model to determine whether the abnormal event could have caused the multiple fault indications.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein using an ontological model of the building equipment to determine whether the multiple fault indications could be caused by a single fault comprises:

comparing a timestamp of the single fault to timestamps of the multiple fault indications; and

determining that the multiple fault indications could be caused by the single fault in response to the timestamp of the single fault antedating the timestamps of the multiple fault indications.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein suppressing the multiple fault indications comprises at least one of:

preventing the multiple fault indications from being displayed on a user interface; and

displaying the multiple fault indications as secondary events on the user interface.

13. A computer system for evaluating and reporting events a building management system, the computer system comprising:

a processing circuit configured to receive an event indication for building equipment of the building management system, wherein the event indication is associated with an event;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to classify the event as at least one of a cause event and a symptom event;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to suppress the event indication in response to classifying the event as a symptom event and to display the event indication in response to classifying the event as a cause event.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

retrieve, from the building management system, event information associated with the event;

use the event information to determine whether the event is an abnormal event; and

classify the event as a symptom event in response to a determination that the event is an abnormal event.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

in response to classifying the event as a symptom event, use an ontological model of the building equipment to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event; and

display an event indication associated with the prior event.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the prior event is a first prior event representing a most direct cause of the symptom event, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

use the ontological model to determine whether the first prior event could have been caused by a second prior event; and

display the second prior event and suppress the first prior event in response to a determination that the second prior event could have caused the first prior event.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein using an ontological model of the building equipment to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event comprises:

identifying a building object associated with the symptom event;

using the ontological model to determine one or more building objects that are causally related to the building object associated with the symptom event;

retrieving event information associated with the one or more of the causally-related building objects; and

analyzing the event information to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein analyzing the event information to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event comprises:

using the event information to identify an abnormal event prior to the symptom event; and

using the ontological model to determine whether the abnormal event could have caused the symptom event.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein analyzing the event information to identify a prior event which could have caused the symptom event comprises:

comparing a timestamp of the prior event with a timestamp of the symptom event; and

determining that the prior event could have caused the symptom event in response to the timestamp of the prior event antedating the timestamp of the symptom event.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein suppressing the event indication comprises at least one of:

preventing the event indication from being displayed on a user interface; and

displaying the event indication as a secondary event on the user interface.

21. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions embedded therein, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving an event indication for building equipment of the building management system, wherein the event indication is associated with an event;

classifying the event as at least one of a cause event and a symptom event;

suppressing the event indication in response to classifying the event as a symptom event; and

displaying the event indication in response to classifying the event as a cause event.