Abstract: A building management system includes an entity database that stores a plurality of interconnected smart entities. The smart entities include object entities representing a plurality of people or physical devices and data entities representing data associated with the people or physical devices. The smart entities are interconnected by relational objects indicating relationships between the object entities and the data entities. Each of the object entities includes a plurality of stored identity attributes. An identity management service is configured to receive a first identity attribute from a first device within a building, receive a second identity attribute from a second device within the building, compare the first and second identity attributes to the stored identity attributes of an object entity of the plurality of interconnected smart entities, and allow access to at least one of a building space, a device of building equipment, or a computer system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically interacting with a flexible number of devices are provided. The system includes a plurality of devices, a configuration tool, and a controller. The plurality of devices are configured to measure or generate a plurality of points in a building automation system. The configuration tool is configured to generate a control program. The controller is configured to identify a primary list of N devices, where N is an integer. The controller is configured to automatically generate a plurality of secondary lists of points based on the primary list of N devices. The controller is configured to provide the plurality of secondary lists of points as inputs to a control logic configured to use the plurality of secondary lists of points to generate one or more control signals to control the N devices.

Abstract: A system for predicting HVAC equipment failure includes an actuator and a controller. The actuator is coupled to the HVAC equipment and configured to drive the HVAC equipment between multiple positions. The actuator includes a processing circuit configured to collect internal actuator data characterizing an operation of the actuator and a communications circuit coupled to the processing circuit. The communications circuit is configured to transmit the internal actuator data outside the actuator. The controller is configured to provide control signals to the actuator and receive the internal actuator data from the actuator. The controller includes a failure predictor configured to use the internal actuator data to predict a time at which the HVAC equipment failure will occur.

Abstract: A building management system includes connected equipment and a predictive diagnostics system. The connected equipment is configured to measure a plurality of monitored variables. The predictive diagnostics system includes a communications interface, a principal component analysis (PCA) modeler, and a fault predictor. The communications interface is configured to receive samples of the monitored variables from the connected equipment. The PCA modeler is configured to construct PCA models for a plurality of operating states of the connected equipment using the samples of the monitored variables. Each PCA model defines a location of one of the operating states in a multidimensional modeling space. The fault predictor is configured to determine a proximity of a new sample of the monitored variables to one or more of the operating states using the PCA models and to predict a fault occurrence based on the proximity.

Abstract: A vapor compression system includes a first conduit fluidly coupling a liquid collection portion of a condenser and an evaporator, where the first conduit is configured to direct a first flow of refrigerant from the condenser to a first inlet of the evaporator and a second conduit fluidly coupling the liquid collection portion of the condenser and the evaporator, where the second conduit is configured to direct a second flow of refrigerant from the condenser to a second inlet of the evaporator via gravitational force, and where the first inlet is disposed above the second inlet relative to a vertical dimension of the evaporator.

Abstract: A building management system includes multiple different types of building equipment configured to serve different types of spaces in a building or campus and perform different building functions. The building management system includes a controller configured to determine a type of building equipment and/or a type of space to be monitored or controlled via a user interface and select a layout for the user interface from multiple different layouts based on the type of building equipment or the type of space to be monitored or controlled via the user interface. The selected layout is configured for use with multiple different building equipment having the type of building equipment or multiple different spaces having the type of space. The processing circuit is configured to generate the user interface by populating the selected layout with building equipment-specific information for a particular building equipment or space-specific information for a particular space.

Abstract: A display device includes a front portion, a rear portion, a halo, and sides extending between the front portion and the rear portion. The front portion, the rear portion, and the sides form an enclosure. The halo includes a rim and an internal structure. The rim is positioned between the front portion and the rear portion. The internal structure is at least partially within the enclosure and includes a sweep portion and a receiving post. The receiving post and the sweep portion are configured to receive light emitted by one or more light emitting devices and at least one of guide, direct, diffuse, focus, and scatter light emitted by the one or more light emitting devices out of the display device.

Abstract: A plant room management system. The plant room management system may include one or more memory devices configured to store instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to obtain steady-state values of data samples generated by plant room equipment and generate key performance indicators based on the steady-state values; and generate a dashboard that displays the generated key performance indicators. The dashboard may include a plant efficiency and building cooling load widget that displays plant efficiency and building cooling load; a chiller efficiency and chiller cooling load widget that displays chiller efficiencies and chiller cooling load for a chiller; and a plant energy consumption widget that displays energy consumption grouped by equipment type.

Abstract: A system or method for a VSD with an active converter including a controller, an inductor, an active converter, a DC link, and an inverter. The active converter is controlled to receive an input AC voltage and output a boosted DC voltage to a DC link, up to 850 VDC, the active converter using only low voltage semiconductor switches to provide the 850 VDC DC link voltage. The controller is configured to operate with a reactive input current magnitude equal to zero at a predetermined system load, and at system loads less than the predetermined system load, to introduce a reactive input current that results in a converter voltage having a magnitude less than the input voltage, wherein the vector sum of the input voltage and an inductor voltage is equal to the converter voltage.

Abstract: A building management system includes one or more data sources that provide utilization data describing an actual utilization of one or more spaces and a utilization circuit. The utilization circuit is configured to, for each space of the one or more spaces, calculate a utilization attribute of the space based on the utilization data describing the actual utilization of the space, and retrieve, from a space profile for the space, a utilization target corresponding to the utilization attribute. At least two of the plurality of space profiles are associated with a different type of space that serves a different function and define the target utilization of the space. The utilization circuit is further configured to generate a normalized utilization metric for the space by normalizing the utilization attribute relative to the utilization target and generate and provide a utilization recommendation for the space based on the normalized utilization metric.

Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system may include a HVAC unit that may control air flow, a first control system that may directly control operation of equipment in the HVAC unit, and a second control system communicatively coupled to the first control system. The second control system may be located in a different zone of a building as compared to the first control system, such that the second control system may receive a request to adjust the air flow output by the HVAC unit and send a command to the first control system based on the request. The command may cause the first control system to adjust the operation of the equipment in the HVAC unit to cause the air flow output by the HVAC unit to be adjusted according to the request.

Abstract: A building energy system includes equipment operable to consume, store, or generate one or more resources subject to a block-and-index rate structure. The building energy system includes a controller configured to obtain a cost function that represents a block of the resource(s) from the utility provider as being sourced from a first supplier at a fixed rate and a remainder of the resource(s) from the utility provider as being sourced from a second supplier at a variable rate. The controller is configured to optimize the cost function to generate values for one or more decision variables that indicate an amount of resource(s) to purchase, store, generate, or consume at each of a plurality of time steps, and control the equipment to achieve the values of the one or more decision variables at each of the time steps.

Abstract: A method for determining a participation strategy for a load-following-block rate structure and controlling equipment in accordance with the participation strategy includes selecting a plurality of hedge percentages, running a simulation over a time period for each of the plurality of hedge percentages, determining, for each of the plurality of hedge percentages, a total cost for the time period based on the simulation for the hedge percentage, selecting a recommended hedge percentage based on the total costs, and controlling the equipment to consume a total amount of at least one of energy or power from a utility provider. The recommended hedge percentage of the total amount is priced at a fixed rate and a remainder of the total amount is priced at a variable rate.

Abstract: A method includes operating equipment to consume energy resources including energy or power purchased from a utility, and obtaining a block-and-index rate profile for a future time period. The block-and-index rate profile includes a block rate and a block size for each of a plurality of sub-periods in the future time period. The block size for a sub-period identifies an amount of energy or power priced at the block rate for the sub-period. The method also includes applying the block-and-index rate profile in an optimization process for the equipment over the time period, running the optimization process, and allocating energy resources to the equipment over the time period in accordance with a result of the optimization process.

Abstract: A variety of assemblies are configured for use with an actuator. One embodiment relates to an actuator that includes a cover and a lower body. The cover includes a first cover end, a second cover end disposed axially away from the first cover end, the second cover end in contact with a lower body, a cover surface disposed between the first cover end and the second cover end, a protrusion radially disposed along an external surface of the cover surface, and a plurality of snap elements that extend axially away from the first cover end. The lower body includes a first body end, the first body end configured to receive the second cover end, a second body end disposed axially away from the first body end, a body surface extending axially between the first cover end and the second cover end; and a plurality of snapping surfaces.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration circuit that includes a controller communicatively coupled to a compressor, an expansion valve, and a sensor of the refrigeration circuit. The controller may activate the compressor and actuate the expansion valve such that the compressor is active while the expansion valve is closed. The controller may also measure a pressure of a refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit using the sensor while the compressor is active and the expansion valve is closed. Additionally, the controller may determine whether a refrigerant leak exists based on a maximum measurement time being reached or a time difference between a first time associated with the compressor being active while the expansion valve is closed and a second time associated with the measured pressure falling below a threshold value.

Abstract: A vapor compression system that includes a controller. The controller includes instructions for switching between first and second modes of operation of the vapor compression system. The controller activates a first compressor and a second compressor of the vapor compression system in the first mode of operation in response to a temperature level and a humidity level exceeding a threshold temperature and a threshold humidity level, respectively. And in the second mode of operation, the controller activates the first compressor in response to only the humidity level exceeding the threshold humidity level.

Abstract: An actuator in a HVAC system includes a mechanical transducer, a processing circuit, a wireless transceiver, and a power circuit. The processing circuit includes a processor and memory and is configured to operate the mechanical transducer according to a control program stored in the memory. The wireless transceiver is configured to facilitate bidirectional wireless data communications between the processing circuit and an external device. The power circuit is configured to draw power from a wireless signal received via the wireless transceiver and power the processing circuit and the wireless transceiver using the drawn power. The processing circuit is configured to use the power drawn from the wireless signal to wirelessly transmit data stored in the memory of the actuator to the external device via the wireless transceiver, wirelessly receive data from the external device via the wireless transceiver, and store the data received from the external device in the memory.

Abstract: A building management system includes building equipment operable generate training data relating to behavior of a building system and a controller configured to perform a system identification process that includes generating a prediction error function based on the training data and a system model, generating initial guesses of one or more parameters of the system model, running an optimization problem of the prediction error function for a first group of iterations, discarding, after the first group of iterations, a portion of the initial guesses based on one or more criteria and ranking a remaining portion of the initial guesses, running the optimization problem of the prediction error function for a top-ranked initial guess of the remaining portion to local optimality to identify a first set of values of the one or more parameters, and identifying the one or more parameters as having the first set of values.