Building control knowledge information modeling and control self-configuration

Building control systems play an important role in building energy conservation and indoor environment control. A large number of research studies have been focusing on the development of advanced control algorithms. These new algorithms have showed energy savings and other improvements in the studied cases. There are a few interrelated infrastructural needs among building control related research studies, applications and industrial practices, which may further facilitate the new technology deployment and standardization. First, there is a need for standard procedures to modularize control structure. Second, there is a need for standard representation formats and management tools for building control knowledge (BCK). Third, there is a need for an open-access HVAC dynamic simulation platform to develop and test advanced control algorithms. Further, there is a need for an automated control configuration mechanism to support reconfiguration of the control system, and to eliminate manual programming errors.;This study aims to bridge these gaps through an integrated study with an overall goal to develop a BCK representation and management framework, and utilize this framework to self-configure building control. More specifically, this study accomplishes a number of objectives, 1) developed a universal/standard data schema for the BCK based on analysis of existing representation formats; 2) created a database prototype to manage the BCK; 3) developed a selfconfiguration framework to configure control for specific building system based on interacting with BCK database; and 4) developed a dynamic HVAC simulation platform to serve as the testing bed for the control configuration.;Results from this study show that building control self-configuration can be achieved through interacting with a BCK database that enables the exchange of specific system information to initiate the self-configuration process. This study contributes to information modeling for building control system (especially focus on the representation of BCK), the dynamic HVAC system modeling for control analysis, and the control self-configuration to support system reconfiguration and adaptation.