US 20120310602A1

( 19 ) United Sta tes

( 12) Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion ( 10) Pub. N o. : US 2012/0310602 A1
J a cobi et a l. ( 4 3) Pub. D a te: D ec. 6, 2012
( 5 4 ) FACILITIES MAN AGEMEN T SYSTEM ( 5 2) US. Cl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703/1
( 5 7) ABSTRACT
( 75 ) Inv entor s : J im J a cobi, The W oodla nds , TX
_ Lon -ter m f a cili ma intena nce ma be mor e ef ?cient W hen
( Us ) ; Scott Ga uthler H ous ton TX da ta g f r om multiplz s our ces a r e comliined onto a n ea s ily na v i
( US) g a ble dis pla y . In pa r ticula r , building model da ta f r om a thr ee
dimens iona l computer a s s is ted des ig n ( CAD ) ?le ma y be
combined W ith ma intena nce inf or ma tion f r om a computer
iZ ed ma intena nce ma na g ement s y s tem ( CMMS) a nd other
da ta s our ces s uch a s us er s ma nua ls a nd r epa ir g uides . The
combined da ta ma y be a cces s ible thr oug h a thr ee-dimen
( 21) App1_ N O; 13/15 2, 8 8 3 s iona l dis pla y of the building on a mobile dev ice. The mobile
dev ice a lloW s a us er to na v ig a te thr oug h the building a nd
_ s elect components to v ieW a dditiona l ma intena nce inf or ma
( 22) Flledi J un- 31 2011 tion f or the s elected components . The dis pla y ma y inter a ct
W ith loca tion s ens ing dev ices , s uch a s GPS, in the mobile
dev ice to a utoma tica lly dis pla y model da ta nea r the us er s
loca tion. Additiona lly , a us er ma y modif y component inf or
( 73) As s ig nee: W a lter P. Moor e a nd As s ocia tes ,
Inc. , H ous ton, TX ( US)
Publica tion Cla s s i?ca tion
( 5 1) Int. Cl. ma tion on the mobile dev ice, W hich is tr a ns mitted to the
G06F 1 7/5 0 ( 2006. 01) CMMS to upda te the s tor ed component inf or ma tion.
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Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 1 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
FIG. 1
PRIOR ART
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Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 4 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
Pr oper ties
Item [ B' \ 4 02
Fa cility Ma na g ement Sy s tem ' \ 4 04
Gener a l
a s s etN o: FB' 07' 70 \ 4 04 a
des m-p?om Fa n Power ed Box \ 1104 b
ma nuf a ctur er : Titus \ 4 04 c
mode' N o: D TFS-F-C-t? \ 4 04 d
s er ia lN o: 10-5 79 734 -( 3 065 \ 4 04 8
s upplier : 21 \ 4 04 t
s uppiier Phone: 7134 664 761 \ 4 04 9
Ra ting
H ig h Limits of T3 CFM \
Oper a tion:
Low Limits of 230cm \ 4 04
Oper a tion: I
Atta chments
@mtmmr m \ 4 04 1
FIG. 4
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 5 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
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FIG. 5
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 6 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
612
6 ?
D ATA STORAGE _
e02 606 608 610 614 e
\ \ \ \ \
COMMUN ICATION S
CPU ROM RAM IIO AD APTER AD APTER
604 /
USER IN TERFACE D ISPLAY
616/ AD APTER AD APTER \ 622
FIG. 6
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 7 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
710
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06/09 LUBRICATED FAN S 7108
05 /11 REPLACED FAN S
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08 /02 IN SPECTION
11/11 REPLACE FAN S
FIG. 7
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 8 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
ALERT
LOCATION
8 04 ACOMPON EN T N EAR YOUR
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MAIN TEN AN CE!
PART: I
ACTION : I LUBRICATE FAN
COMPLETE POSTPON E
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FIG. 8
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 9 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
9 %
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MOD EL D ATA D ATA
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9 04 A \ 9 02 9 08 9 10
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STORAGE 4 _ USER IN TERFACE
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FIG. 9
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 10 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
1000
\ 9 02 1010
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D ATA STORAGE
\ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ v
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FIRST D ATA SECON D D ATA
STORAGE STORAGE
TH IRD D ATA
STORAGE
FIG. 10
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 11 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
1102 1104 1106 1108
\ \ \ \
CMMS MOD EL SERVER CLIEN T
1112
\
REQ UEST D ISPLAY FOR
1114 EN VIRON MEN T AT LOCATION X
\
FETCH MOD EL D ATA
FOR LOCATION X 1115
\
RETURN D ISPLAY FOR
EN VIRON MEN T AT LOCATION X
1118
REQ UEST IN FORMATION FOR
1120 COMPON EN T Y
\
FETCH IN FORMATION FOR COMPON EN TY
1122
\
RETURN IN FORMATION FOR
COMPON EN T Y
1124
UPD ATE IN FORMATION FOR
1125 COMPON EN T Y
UPD ATE IN FORMATION FOR COMPON EN T Y
FIG. 11
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 12 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
1200
1102 1104 1108
\ \ \
CMMS MOD EL CLIEN T
1202
FETCH MOD EL D ATA
FOR LOCATION X
1204
\
RETURN D ISPLAY FOR
EN VIRON MEN T AT LOCATION X
1206
\
FETCH IN FORMATION FOR COMPON EN T Y
1208
\
RETURN IN FORMATION FOR COMPON EN T Y
1210
\
UPD ATE IN FORMATION FOR COMPON EN T Y
FIG. 12
Pa tent Applica tion Publica tion D ec. 6, 2012 Sheet 13 0f 13 US 2012/0310602 A1
138 START
V
RETRIEv E AN EN v IRON MEN T FROM A FIRST D ATA SOURCE \ 1302
I
D ISPLAYASD MOD EL ILLUSTRATIN G TH E EN VIRON MEN T \ 1304
V
RECEIVEAREQ UEST FOR IN FORMATION REGARD IN GA
COMPON EN T IN TH E EN VIRON MEN T \ 1306
V
RETRIEv E IN FORMATION REGARD IN G TH E COMPON EN T FROM A
SECON D D ATA SOURCE \ 13Os
V
D ISPLAY TH E IN FORMATION REGARD IN G TH E COMPON EN T \ 1310
FIG. 13
US 2012/0310602 A1
FACILITIES MAN AGEMEN T SYSTEM
TECH N ICAL FIELD
[ 0001] The pr es ent a pplica tion is dir ected to methods a nd
a ppa r a tus es f or impr ov ed f a cilities ma na g ement. Speci?
ca lly , the pr es ent a pplica tion is dir ected toW a r ds s of tW a r e
a pplica tions f or us e by a f a cilities ma na g ement s ta f f in v ieW
ing a nd ma na g ing building components .
BACKGROUN D
[ 0002] The lif ecy cle of a commer cia l building ty pica l s pa ns
thr ee pha s es ides ig n, cons tr uction, a nd oper a tion. In r ecent
y ea r s , eng ineer ing ?r ms inv olv ed in the ?r s t tW o pha s es i
des ig n a nd cons tr uctioniha v e beg un to us e a dv a nced tools
to ca ptur e a nd pr es ent inf or ma tion a bout the building . As a n
ex a mple, one or mor e Building Inf or ma tion Models ( BIMs )
ma y be dev eloped by v a r ious pr oject pa r ticipa nts . A BIM is a
thr ee-dimens iona l ( 3D ) computer a s s is ted des ig n ( CAD )
model of the building integ r a ted W ith inf or ma tion a bout v a r i
ous building components r epr es ented in the model. Sepa r a te
BIMs ma y be dev eloped f or v a r ious des ig n a s pects of the
building s uch a s , f or ex a mple, s tr uctur a l, civ il, a r chitectur a l,
a nd MEP ( mecha nica l, electr ica l, a nd plumbing ) . Ex a mples
of conv entiona l s of tW a r e f or dev eloping BIMs include Rev it,
Civ il3D , AutoD es k, Tekla , Pipe3D , Ca tia , D ig ita l Pr oject,
Bentley Pr oject, AutoCa d 3D , SketchUp, Rhino, N a v is
W or ks , a nd Gr a s s hopper .
[ 0003] In a ty pica l pr oject, not a ll us ef ul inf or ma tion is
included in one BIM. For ex a mple, a BIM g ener a ted by a n
MEP contr a ctor dur ing the des ig n pha s e is unlikely to conta in
complete inf or ma tion on a ll mecha nica l, electr ica l, a nd
plumbing components tha t W ill ev entua lly be included in the
building . Ra ther , tha t BIM likely W ill s imply r es er v e s pa ce f or
s uch components . D ur ing the cons tr uction pha s e, a s pur cha s e
decis ions a r e ma de f or v a r ious building components , a ddi
tiona l BIMs ma y be cr ea ted by contr a ctor s W ith a dditiona l
inf or ma tion on the a ctua lly pur cha s ed components . As a n
ex a mple, a BIM cr ea ted in the des ig n pha s e ma y des ig na te a
s pa ce f or a chiller , but conta in no f ur ther inf or ma tion. A
s epa r a te BIM cr ea ted by a dif f er ent compa ny dur ing the con
s tr uction pha s e ma y include a dditiona l inf or ma tion a bout the
chiller a ctua lly pur cha s ed a nd ins ta lled, s uch a s the model
a nd s er ia l number . Additiona lly , neither of thes e BIMs ma y
include a r chitectur a l elements , W hich a r e ins tea d included in
a s epa r a te BIM.
[ 0004 ] D ur ing the thir d pha s e of the building , the oper a
tions pha s e, a f a cilities ma na g ement ( FM) g r oup ov er s ees
ma intena nce a nd r epa ir of the building . To ma na g e thes e
ta s ks , FM g r oups ty pica lly utiliZ e a computer iZ ed ma inte
na nce ma na g ement s y s tem ( CMMS) . Ex a mples of conv en
tiona l CMMSs include Ma ins a v er , Ma x imo, a nd FM D es k
top. The CMMS ma y include inf or ma tion to a s s is t FM s ta f f
s uch a s s cheduled a nd uns cheduled ma intena nce ta s ks a nd
completed a nd r epa ir r eques t tickets . A CMMS ty pica lly
includes a tex tua l lis ting of building components , W ith ea ch
ty pica lly a s s ig ned a s er ia l number or other unique identi?er
a nd a tex tua l des ig na tion of loca tion W ithin the building . To
loca te a component W ithin the building , a f a cilities ma na g e
ment employ ee mus t ma nua lly cr os s -r ef er ence the tex tua l
loca tion of the component lis ted in the CMMS W ith 2D CAD
dr a W ing s . Such dr a W ing s a r e ty pica lly pr ov ided to the FM
s ta f f f or r ef er ence a t the completion of cons tr uction. An illus
tr a tion of a conv entiona l 2D CAD dr a W ing is s hoW n in FIG. 1.
D ec. 6, 2012
[ 0005 ] 2D CAD dr a W ing s a r e not a n ef ?cient tool f or FM
beca us e they g ener a lly do not include much da ta . Thus , the
FM s ta f f ma y be r equir ed to loca te a n identi?er f or a compo
nent on the 2D CAD dr a W ing a nd s ea r ch a dditiona l docu
ments to loca te inf or ma tion a bout the component. For
ex a mple, in a ddition to ma nua lly cr os s -r ef er encing loca tion
inf or ma tion W ith 2D CAD dr a W ing s , a f a cilities ma na g ement
employ ee ma y a ls o need to ma nua lly a cces s a dditiona l pa per
a nd electr onic r epos itor ies to lea r n mor e inf or ma tion a bout
the component, s uch a s thr oug h a us er s ma nua ls . Addition
a lly , 2D CAD dr a W ing s a r e not upda ted a s the building is
upda ted. Building con?g ur a tion cha ng es , building a dditions ,
a nd building r emov a ls a r e not enter ed into the or ig ina l 2D
CAD dr a W ing s . Ins tea d, thes e cha ng es ma y be r e?ected in
a dditiona l 2D CAD dr a W ing s . Thes e a dditiona l 2D CAD
dr a W ing ma y only r e?ect the upda ted por tions a nd ma y
r equir e the FM s ta f f to r ef er ence thos e dr a W ing s in combina
tion W ith the or ig ina l 2D CAD dr a W ing s a nd other r ef er ence
ma ter ia ls .
[ 0006] Cur r ently , the W ea lth of inf or ma tion cr ea ted dur ing
the des ig n a nd cons tr uction pha s es of a building a nd ca ptur ed
in v a r ious BIMs r ema in una v a ila ble to a PM s ta f f dur ing the
oper a tions pha s e. Ev en if a contr a ctor W er e to pr ov ide a BIM
?le to the FM g r oup, a ty pica l f a cilities ma na g ement g r oup
does not ha v e a cces s to or ex per ience W ith the a dv a nced 3D
modeling s of tW a r e neces s a r y to v ieW a nd utiliZ e a BIM. Addi
tiona lly , beca us e r elev a nt inf or ma tion is ty pica lly s pr ea d
a cr os s s ev er a l dif f er ent BIMs cr ea ted by dif f er ent contr a ctor s
in v a r ious pha s es of the pr oject, ther e is no one s ing le s our ce
of us ef ul inf or ma tion.
[ 0007] A BIM v ieW ing a pplica tion W ould a ls o not be a ble
to r epla ce a ll f unctions of a leg a cy CMMS s y s tem s uch a s , f or
ex a mple, log g ing a nd s cheduling ma intena nce a ctiv ities a nd
ma na g ing help tickets . It W ould a ls o be cos tly a nd dis r uptiv e
f or a PM g r oup to r epla ce a n ex is ting leg a cy CMMS s y s tem.
[ 0008 ] Ther ef or e a s olution is needed to pr ov ide FM g r oups
the bene?t of the inf or ma tion a nd v is ua liZ a tion a v a ila ble in a
BIM in a us er -f r iendly pa cka g e a nd to integ r a te W ith the
ex is ting inf or ma tion a nd f unctiona lity of a leg a cy CMMS
s y s tem W ith the BIM inf or ma tion.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[ 0009 ] Accor ding to one embodiment, a method includes
r etr iev ing f r om a ?r s t da ta s our ce da ta r epr es enting a n env i
r onment in a building a nd a t lea s t one component in the
env ir onment. The method a ls o includes dis pla y ing a thr ee
dimens iona l model illus tr a ting da ta f r om the ?r s t da ta s our ce,
including the a t lea s t one component. The method f ur ther
includes r eceiv ing a r eques t f or inf or ma tion r eg a r ding a com
ponent s elected f r om the a t lea s t one component. The method
a ls o includes r etr iev ing inf or ma tion r eg a r ding the s elected
component f r om a s econd da ta s our ce dif f er ent f r om the ?r s t
da ta s our ce. The method f ur ther includes dis pla y ing the inf or
ma tion r eg a r ding the s elected component. The ?r s t da ta
s our ce a nd the s econd da ta s our ce ea ch conta in a r ecor d f or
the s elected component a nd the r ecor d of the ?r s t da ta s our ce
a nd the r ecor d of the s econd da ta s our ce include a n identi?er
identif y ing the s elected component.
[ 0010] Accor ding to a nother embodiment, a computer pr o
g r a m pr oduct includes a non-tr a ns itor y computer r ea da ble
medium ha v ing code to r etr iev e f r om a ?r s t da ta s our ce da ta
r epr es enting a n env ir onment in a building a nd a t lea s t one
component in the env ir onment. The medium a ls o includes
code to dis pla y a thr ee-dimens iona l model illus tr a ting da ta
US 2012/0310602 A1
f r om the ?r s t da ta s our ce, including the a t lea s t one compo
nent. The medium f ur ther includes code to r eceiv e a r eques t
f or inf or ma tion r eg a r ding a component s elected f r om the
env ir onment. The medium a ls o includes code to r etr iev e
inf or ma tion r eg a r ding the s elected component f r om a s econd
da ta s our ce dif f er ent f r om the ?r s t da ta s our ce. The medium
f ur ther includes code to dis pla y the inf or ma tion r eg a r ding the
s elected component.
[ 0011] Accor ding to a f ur ther embodiment, a method
includes pr ov iding a thr ee dimens iona l computer a s s is ted
des ig n ( 3D CAD ) model to a client. The method a ls o includes
pr ov iding a n inter f a ce f or the 3D CAD model to the client
including a cces s to a computer iZ ed ma intena nce ma na g e
ment s y s tem ( CMMS) . The method f ur ther includes pr ov id
ing upda tes to the 3D CAD model to the client on a s ubs cr ip
tion ba s is .
[ 0012] The f or eg oing ha s outlined r a ther br oa dly the f ea
tur es a nd technica l a dv a nta g es of the pr es ent inv ention in
or der tha t the deta iled des cr iption of the inv ention tha t f ol
loW s ma y be better under s tood. Additiona l f ea tur es a nd
a dv a nta g es of the inv ention W ill be des cr ibed her eina f ter
W hich f or m the s ubject of the cla ims of the inv ention. It
s hould be a ppr ecia ted by thos e s killed in the a r t tha t the
conception a nd s peci?c embodiment dis clos ed ma y be
r ea dily utiliZ ed a s a ba s is f or modif y ing or des ig ning other
s tr uctur es f or ca r r y ing out the s a me pur pos es of the pr es ent
inv ention. It s hould a ls o be r ea liZ ed by thos e s killed in the a r t
tha t s uch equiv a lent cons tr uctions do not depa r t f r om the
s pir it a nd s cope of the inv ention a s s et f or th in the a ppended
cla ims . The nov el f ea tur es W hich a r e believ ed to be cha r a c
ter is tic of the inv ention, both a s to its or g a niZ a tion a nd method
of oper a tion, tog ether W ith f ur ther objects a nd a dv a nta g es
W ill be better under s tood f r om the f olloW ing des cr iption
W hen cons ider ed in connection W ith the a ccompa ny ing ?g
ur es . It is to be ex pr es s ly under s tood, hoW ev er , tha t ea ch of the
?g ur es is pr ov ided f or the pur pos e of illus tr a tion a nd des cr ip
tion only a nd is not intended a s a de?nition of the limits of the
pr es ent inv ention.
BRIEF D ESCRIPTION OF TH E D RAW IN GS
[ 0013] For a mor e complete under s ta nding of the pr es ent
inv ention, r ef er ence is noW ma de to the f olloW ing des cr ip
tions ta ken in conjunction W ith the a ccompa ny ing dr a W ing .
[ 0014 ] FIG. 1 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a conv entiona l tW o
dimens iona l computer a s s is ted des ig n dr a W ing of a building .
[ 0015 ] FIG. 2 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y f a cili
ties ma na g ement inf or ma tion dis pla y of a hig h-r is e toW er
a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e.
[ 0016] FIG. 3 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y f a cili
ties ma na g ement inf or ma tion dis pla y of a s ing le ?oor of a
hig h-r is e toW er a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clo
s ur e.
[ 0017] FIG. 4 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y dis pla y
of component inf or ma tion including ma intena nce inf or ma
tion a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e.
[ 0018 ] FIG. 5 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y mobile
dis pla y of a f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem
a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e.
[ 0019 ] FIG. 6 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
mobile dev ice f or dis pla y ing a nd inter a cting W ith a f a cilities
ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one embodi
ment of the dis clos ur e.
D ec. 6, 2012
[ 0020] FIG. 7 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
dis pla y f or s cheduling ma intena nce of a component in a
f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one
embodiment.
[ 0021] FIG. 8 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
dis pla y f or a ler ting a technicia n of s cheduled ma intena nce f or
a component in a f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem
a ccor ding to one embodiment.
[ 0022] FIG. 9 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one
embodiment of the dis clos ur e.
[ 0023] FIG. 10 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
da ta s tor a g e f or a f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem
a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e.
[ 0024 ] FIG. 11 is a ca ll dia g r a m illus tr a ting communica
tions betW een a client dev ice a nd a s er v er f or dis pla y ing
model a nd ma intena nce da ta a ccor ding to one embodiment.
[ 0025 ] FIG. 12 is a ca ll dia g r a m illus tr a ting communica
tions betW een a client dev ice a nd tW o da ta s our ces f or dis
pla y ing model a nd ma intena nce da ta a ccor ding to one
embodiment.
[ 0026] FIG. 13 is a H ow cha r t illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
method f or oper a ting a client dev ice W ith a f a cilities ma na g e
ment inf or ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one embodiment.
D ETAILED D ESCRIPTION
Integ r a tion Pr oces s
[ 0027] As dis cus s ed a bov e, a t the conclus ion of the con
s tr uction pha s e of a building lif ecy cle, v a r ious contr a ctor s
ma y ha v e dev eloped numer ous s epa r a te BIMs . To ma ke thos e
BIMs us ef ul to a n FM g r oup, it ma y be neces s a r y to combine
thes e BIMs into a s ing le v ir tua l model. Such a pr oces s is
ca lled coor dina tion a nd ma y cons is t of s ta cking the models ,
identif y ing cla s hes , identif y ing other coor dina tion is s ues ,
a nd r es olv ing a ll cla s hes a nd coor dina tion is s ues . N a v is
W or ks is a s of tW a r e pa cka g e tha t ma y be us ed to a s s is t in this
pr oces s . The a g g r eg a ted v ir tua l model ma y ta ke a ny a ppr o
pr ia te f or m, s uch a s a s ing le BIM ?le, or multiple ?les a g g r e
g a ted us ing a ppr opr ia te s of twa r e. Sor ne eng ineer ing ?r ms
ma y pr ov ide coor dina tion s er v ices a s pa r t of pr oj ect ma na g e
ment dur ing the des ig n pha s e of the pr oject to, f or ex a mple,
integ r a te BIMs f r om s tr uctur a l, civ il, a r chitectur a l, a nd/or
MEP eng ineer s a s pa r t of a multi-dis ciplina r y r ev ieW pr oces s .
The s a me techniques a pplied in thos e s itua tions W ould be
a pplica ble to this ta s k. In s ome pr ojects , it ma y not be neces
s a r y to per f or m coor dina tion a s a s ing le BIM ma y include
s uf ?cient inf or ma tion.
[ 0028 ] Accor ding to one embodiment, a g g r eg a ting inf or
ma tion f r om multiple BIMs ma y include a da pting inf or ma
tion f r om multiple pla tf or ms a nd ha v ing one s ub-contr a ctor
build upon a nother s ub-contr a ctor s BIM. For ex a mple, a
civ il eng ineer ing ?r m ma y pla n a s teel s tr uctur e f or a build
ing . Then, a s teel f a br ica tion s ub-contr a ctor ma y us e the civ il
eng ineer ing ?r m s s teel model a nd input f a br ica tion inf or ma
tion s uch a s s teel ma nuf a ctur ing inf or ma tion or CN C la y outs .
Thus , the civ il eng ineer ing model includes both s tr uctur a l
inf or ma tion a nd component inf or ma tion a g g r eg a ted tog ether .
Pr ev ious ly , this inf or ma tion W ould not be s a v ed or W ould not
be loca ta ble W ithin a s ing le model. Ins tea d, W hen FM
r equir ed inf or ma tion FM W ould s ea r ch thr oug h ma ny poor ly
index ed document collections . Simila r collections of da ta
ma y be obta ined f r om, f or ex a mple, electr ica l eng ineer ing
?r ms a nd electr icia ns . N a v is W or ks , a commer cia l s of tW a r e
US 2012/0310602 A1
pa cka g e, is one ex a mple of s of twa r e tha t ma y be us ed f or
s ta cking multiple BIMs a nd cr ea ting a s ing le a g g r eg a te
model.
[ 0029 ] Once inf or ma tion is a g g r eg a ted into a s ing le v ir tua l
model, building components in the BIM mus t be linked to the
cor r es ponding r ecor ds f or thos e s a me components in the
CMMS. Methods f or a ccomplis hing this linking ma y depend
on the s ta g e of the pr oject. In s ome embodiments , a unique
key ma y be us ed to identif y ea ch component. In s ome CMMS
s y s tems , ea ch component is a s s ig ned a n a s s et number . For
pr ojects W her e a CMMS da ta ba s e ha s not y et been es ta b
lis hed, the BIM ?le ma y be us ed to g ener a te or ig ina l CMMS
da ta ba s e r ecor ds , ins ur ing tha t components in the BIM ?le
a nd the CMMS ?le s ha r e the s a me identif y ing a s s et number
or other identi?er , W hich PM ma y pr ov ide. For pr ojects W her e
a CMMS da ta ba s e is a lr ea dy in oper a tion, a link ta ble ma y be
cr ea ted to link ea ch component number or other identi?er in
the BIM ?le W ith the cor r es ponding component number or
other identi?er f or tha t component in the CMMS da ta ba s e.
Other techniques f or linking BIM da ta a nd CMMS da ta ma y
a ls o be us ed. For ex a mple, a da ta ba s e conta ining a s ing le
entr y f or ea ch component including a ll inf or ma tion needed
f or both BIM a nd CMMS pur pos es ma y be cr ea ted. As
a nother ex a mple, a s s et number s a s s ig ned to components in
CMMS r ecor ds ma y be a dded to the cor r es ponding compo
nent r ecor d in the v ir tua l model us ing a ny a ppr opr ia te tech
nique.
[ 0030] Once BIM a nd CMMS inf or ma tion ha v e been
linked, either by us e of a common key , linking ta ble, or a ny
other ma nner , the FM s ta f f ma y us e the integ r a tion s y s tem
des cr ibed beloW . Ov er the lif etime of the building , cons tr uc
tion a nd r epa ir s ma y neces s ita te upda ting of the CMMS a nd
BIM da ta . For ex a mple, a component ma y be r epla ced or
mov ed. In s ome ins ta nces , the f a cilities ma na g ement s ta f f
ma y upda te the r elev a nt inf or ma tion thr oug h the CMMS s y s
tem or the integ r a tion s y s tem dis cus s ed beloW . In other
ins ta nces , it ma y be a ppr opr ia te f or a n eng ineer ing ?r m or
other g r oup f a milia r W ith the v ir tua l model cr ea tion a nd
modi?ca tion pr oces s to upda te the v ir tua l model.
Integ r a tion Sy s tem
[ 0031] Us ing a n integ r a tion s y s tem, model da ta a nd ma in
tena nce da ta f or a building ma y be combined a nd v ieW ed
thr oug h a n inter a ctiv e us er dis pla y to impr ov e a cces s to ma in
tena nce inf or ma tion. A thr ee-dimens iona l ( 3D ) model ma y
be pr es ented to a us er ha v ing a s imila r a ppea r a nce to the
building . The us er ma y na v ig a te thr oug h the model to identif y
components f or ma intena nce. Accor ding to one embodiment,
the us er s loca tion ma y be deter mined a nd the model f or the
us er s loca tion dis pla y ed. W hen the model da ta a nd ma inte
na nce da ta a r e s tor ed in s epa r a te da ta ba s es , a n identi?er f or a
component in the model da ta ma y be cor r ela ted W ith a n
identi?er f or the component in the ma intena nce inf or ma tion
to a lloW a utoma ted a cces s to ma intena nce inf or ma tion f r om a
v ieW of the model da ta . The identi?er ma y be the s a me in the
model da ta a nd the ma intena nce inf or ma tion ( e. g . , the s a me
a s s et number ) or the identi?er ma y be dif f er ent in the model
da ta a nd the ma intena nce inf or ma tion. W hen the identi?er s
a r e dif f er ent, a ta ble s tor ed to cor r ela te identi?er s betW een the
model da ta a nd the ma intena nce inf or ma tion. The inter a ctiv e
us er dis pla y ma y dis pla y inf or ma tion f r om the model da ta
a nd the ma intena nce da ta s uch a s pr ev ious ly -per f or med
ma intena nce, f utur e s cheduled ma intena nce, component
ca pa bilities , component ma nuf a ctur er , component W a r r a nty
D ec. 6, 2012
inf or ma tion, ma nuf a ctur er conta ct inf or ma tion, W or k or der s ,
r epa ir g uides , a nd us er s ma nua ls .
[ 0032] FIG. 2 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y f a cili
ties ma na g ement inf or ma tion dis pla y of a hig h-r is e toW er
a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e. A building
inf or ma tion dis pla y 200 ma y include a building v ieW 204 , a n
inf or ma tion v ieW 202, a nd a toolba r 206. The building v ieW
204 ma y be a thr ee-dimens iona l computer a s s is ted des ig n
( 3D CAD ) dr a W ing . The 3D CAD dr a W ing ma y be s tor ed
loca lly , a cces s ed r emotely , or r ender ed r emotely a nd dis
pla y ed on the dis pla y 200. The building v ieW 204 ma y dis pla y
a hig h-r is e toW er or other building s tr uctur e.
[ 0033] Accor ding to one embodiment, the building v ieW
204 ma y be ma nipula ted by tur ning on a nd of f cer ta in ?lter s
( not s hoW n) . For ex a mple, a ?lter ma y be a ctiv a ted to only
dis pla y ev en or odd ?oor s of the building in the building v ieW
204 . In a nother ex a mple, a ?lter ma y be a ctiv a ted to only
dis pla y g a r a g e lev els or commer cia l lev els in the building
v ieW 204 . In y et a nother ex a mple, a ?lter ma y be a ctiv a ted to
not dis pla y W a lls W ithin the building v ieW 204 . Filter s a nd
other contr ols ma y be contr olled thr oug h a toolba r 206. The
toolba r 206 ma y a ls o cha ng e v ieW a nd per s pectiv e inf or ma
tion f or the building v ieW 204 . For ex a mple, the toolba r 206
ma y include Z oom a nd r ota te buttons .
[ 0034 ] Alter na tiv ely , a us er ma y na v ig a te thr oug h the
building v ieW 204 by clicking a nd dr a g g ing W ithin the build
ing v ieW 204 . Af ter na v ig a ting to a pa r ticula r ?oor the build
ing v ieW 204 ma y be upda ted a s s hoW n in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a
dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y f a cilities ma na g ement
inf or ma tion dis pla y of a s ing le ?oor of a hig h-r is e toW er
a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e. Accor ding to
one embodiment, a us er ma y a dd bookma r ks des ig na ting
cer ta in loca tions W ithin the building v ieW 204 to a lloW quick
r eca ll to a pa r ticula r loca tion. For ex a mple, a bookma r k ma y
de?ne of ?ce 38 8 or ?oor 38 s outh elev a tor ba nk. Accor d
ing to a nother embodiment, the bookma r ks ma y be pr e-popu
la ted v ieW s or s y s tem-des ig ned v ieW s .
[ 0035 ] A us er ma y a ls o na v ig a te thr oug h the building v ieW
204 by clicking on a loca tion in a tW o-dimens iona l ( 2D ) v ieW
220 dis pla y ed in the building v ieW 204 . The 2D v ieW 220 ma y
be dis pla y ed on or hidden f r om the building v ieW 204 by
s electing a n icon in the toolba r 206 or pr es s ing a hotkey or
hotkey combina tion. Selecting a loca tion on the 2D v ieW 220
ma y upda te the building v ieW 204 to dis pla y a n env ir onment
nea r the s elected r eg ion of the 2D v ieW 220. Accor ding to one
embodiment, the 2D v ieW 220 r es ponds to the us er by hig h
lig hting a r eg ion 222 of the 2D v ieW 220 W hen a us er s elects
the r eg ion 222 or pla ces a mous e cur s or ov er the r eg ion 222.
[ 0036] A dis pla y 300 of FIG. 3 ma y a ls o include the inf or
ma tion v ieW 202, W hich dis pla y s inf or ma tion a bout one or
mor e components s elected in the building v ieW 204 . For
ex a mple, W hen no component is s elected the inf or ma tion
v ieW 202 ma y dis pla y inf or ma tion a bout the 3D CAD ?le
dis pla y ed in the building v ieW 204 . Af ter a component is
s elected in the building v ieW 204 , the inf or ma tion v ieW 202
ma y be upda ted W ith inf or ma tion s uch a s model da ta a nd
ma intena nce da ta a bout the s elected component. Ma inte
na nce da ta f or the inf or ma tion v ieW 202 ma y be obta ined
f r om a computer iZ ed ma intena nce ma na g ement s y s tem
( CMMS) or other da ta ba s e. The inf or ma tion v ieW 202 ma y
include da ta s uch a s pa r t inf or ma tion a bout the s elected com
ponents , ca pa bilities of the s elected component, a nd/or
s cheduled a nd completed ma intena nce f or the s elected com
ponent. The inf or ma tion v ieW 202 ma y be hidden or dis
US 2012/0310602 A1
pla y ed in the dis pla y 200. Mor e deta ils of the inf or ma tion
v ieW 202 a r e des cr ibed W ith r ef er ence to FIG. 4 below.
[ 0037] FIG. 4 is a dr a wing illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y dis pla y
of component inf or ma tion including ma intena nce inf or ma
tion a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e. An inf or
ma tion v ieW 4 00 ma y include a number of ca teg or ies 4 02 a nd
4 04 , W hich ma y be ex pa nded or colla ps ed. For ex a mple a
ca teg or y 4 02 titled Item ma y dis pla y inf or ma tion r eg a r ding
the s elected component obta ined f r om the 3D CAD dr a W ing
W hen the ca teg or y 4 02 is ex pa nded. A ca teg or y 4 04 titled
Fa cility Ma na g ement Sy s tem ma y include inf or ma tion
r eg a r ding the s elected component obta ined f r om a CMMS
( s uch a s Ma ins a v er ) or other da ta ba s e s our ce W hen the ca t
eg or y 4 04 is ex pa nded. For ex a mple, the dis pla y ma y include
a unique identi?er 4 04 11, a des cr iption 4 04 b, a ma nuf a ctur er
la bel 4 04 0, a model number 4 04 d, a s er ia l number 4 04 e, a
s upplied identi?er 4 04 ] , a nd s upplier conta ct inf or ma tion
4 04 g . The inf or ma tion v ieW 4 00 ma y a ls o include ca pa bility
inf or ma tion s uch a s a hig h limit of oper a tion 4 04 k a nd a loW
limit of oper a tion 4 04 i. Accor ding to one embodiment, the
inf or ma tion v ieW 4 00 ma y a ls o include a tta ched documents
4 04 j, W hich ma y ma ke a dditiona l inf or ma tion a v a ila ble to the
us er . For ex a mple, the a tta ched documents 4 04 j ma y include
checklis ts , r epa ir ma nua ls , ins tr uctions ma nua ls , a nd/or
or der ing inf or ma tion. Althoug h the items 4 04 a -4 04 j ma y be
illus tr a ted a s la bels in FIG. 4 , the items 4 04 a -4 04 j ma y a lter
na tiv ely be tex t box es , W hich a lloW a us er to modif y the v a lue
of the items 4 04 a -4 04 j. As des cr ibed beloW , W hen the us er
modi?es a v a lue f or one of the items 4 04 a -4 04 j a computer
s y s tem dis pla y ing the inf or ma tion v ieW 4 00 ma y pus h the
modi?ed da ta to the CMMS to upda te da ta ba s e r ecor ds .
Althoug h upda ting CMMS inf or ma tion is des cr ibed, a s imi
la r pr oces s ma y be us ed to upda te model inf or ma tion. For
ex a mple, if the building is modi?ed a f ter the initia l model is
cr ea ted, then the model ma y be la ter upda ted W ith the building
modi?ca tions .
[ 0038 ] Accor ding to one embodiment, the dis pla y of the
inf or ma tion v ieW a nd the building v ieW ma y be a cces s ible
f r om a mobile dev ice. FIG. 5 is a dr a W ing illus tr a ting a n
ex empla r y mobile dis pla y of a f a cilities ma na g ement inf or
ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clo
s ur e. The unique ca pa bilities of a mobile dev ice s uch a s a
mobile phone, a ta blet computer , a per s ona l dig ita l a s s is ta nce
( PD A) , a netbook, a nd/or a la ptop computer ma y impr ov e
na v ig a tion thr oug h a building v ieW a nd impr ov e a cces s ibility
of component inf or ma tion. Accor ding to one embodiment, a
dis pla y 5 02 of a mobile dev ice 5 00 dis pla y s a building v ieW
a nd ma y dis pla y inf or ma tion r eg a r ding s elected components
in a s ideba r a s illus tr a ted in FIG. 3 a nd FIG. 4 a bov e or a s a
pop-up mes s a g e a s s hoW n in FIG. 7 a nd FIG. 8 a s des cr ibed
beloW . The mobile dev ice 5 00 is f ur ther des cr ibed W ith r ef
er ence to FIG. 6 beloW .
[ 0039 ] FIG. 6 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
mobile dev ice f or dis pla y ing a nd inter a cting W ith a f a cilities
ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one embodi
ment of the dis clos ur e. A computer s y s tem 600 ma y embody ,
f or ex a mple, the mobile dev ice 5 00 of FIG. 5 . The centr a l
pr oces s ing unit ( CPU ) 602 ma y be coupled to the s y s tem
bus 604 . The CPU 602 ma y be a g ener a l pur pos e CPU or
micr opr oces s or , g r a phics pr oces s ing unit ( GPU ) , micr o
contr oller , or the like. The pr es ent embodiments a r e not
r es tr icted by the a r chitectur e of the CPU 602 s o long a s the
CPU 602, W hether dir ectly or indir ectly , s uppor ts the mod
D ec. 6, 2012
ules a nd oper a tions a s des cr ibed her ein. The CPU 602 ma y
ex ecute the v a r ious log ica l ins tr uctions a ccor ding to the
pr es ent embodiments .
[ 004 0] The computer s y s tem 600 ma y a ls o include r a ndom
a cces s memor y ( RAM) 608 , W hich ma y be SRAM, D RAM,
SD RAM, or the like. The computer s y s tem 600 ma y utiliZ e
RAM 608 to s tor e the v a r ious da ta s tr uctur es us ed by a s of t
W a r e a pplica tion s uch a s da ta ba s es , ta bles , a nd/or r ecor ds .
The computer s y s tem 600 ma y a ls o include r ea d only
memor y ( ROM) 606 W hich ma y be PROM, EPROM,
EEPROM, optica l s tor a g e, or the like. The ROM ma y s tor e
con?g ur a tion inf or ma tion f or booting the computer s y s tem
600. The RAM 608 a nd the ROM 606 hold us er a nd s y s tem
da ta .
[ 004 1] The computer s y s tem 600 ma y a ls o include a n
input/output ( I/O) a da pter 610, a communica tions a da pter
614 , a us er inter f a ce a da pter 616, a nd a dis pla y a da pter 622.
The U0 a da pter 610 a nd/or the us er inter f a ce a da pter 616
ma y , in cer ta in embodiments , ena ble a us er to inter a ct W ith
the computer s y s tem 600. For ex a mple, the us er inter f a ce
a da pter 616 ma y couple the computing s y s tem 600 to input
dev ices s uch a s a mous e, a key boa r d, a tr a ck pa d, a nd/or a
touch s cr een. In a f ur ther embodiment, the dis pla y a da pter
622 ma y dis pla y a g r a phica l us er inter f a ce a s s ocia ted W ith a
s of tW a r e or W eb-ba s ed a pplica tion.
[ 004 2] The I/ O a da pter 610 ma y connect one or mor e s tor
a g e dev ices 612, s uch a s one or mor e of a ha r d dr iv e, a
compa ct dis k ( CD ) dr iv e, a ?oppy dis k dr iv e, a nd a ta pe dr iv e,
to the computer s y s tem 600. The communica tions a da pter
614 ma y be a da pted to couple the computer s y s tem 600 to a
netW or k, W hich ma y be one or mor e of a loca l a r ea netW or k
( LAN ) , W ide a r ea netW or k ( W AN ) , a nd/ or the Inter net. The
U0 a da pter 610 ma y be a da pted to couple the computer
s y s tem 600 to a s tor a g e dev ice 612. The dis pla y a da pter 622
ma y be dr iv en by the CPU 602 to contr ol a dis pla y . For
ex a mple, the dis pla y a da pter ma y dis pla y the building a nd
inf or ma tion v ieW s illus tr a ted in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 , a nd
FIG. 5 on a liquid cr y s ta l dis pla y ( LCD ) or a n electr onic ink
( eInk) dis pla y .
[ 004 3] Accor ding to one embodiment, the communica tions
a da pter 614 ma y be coupled to a dev ice f or deter mining a
loca tion of the computer s y s tem 600. For ex a mple, the
a da pter 614 ma y be coupled to a g loba l pos itioning s y s tem
( GPS) r eceiv er f or deter mining a long itude, la titude, a nd/or
elev a tion of the computer s y s tem 600. In a nother ex a mple, the
communica tions a da pter 614 ma y be coupled to a r a dio f r e
quency identi?ca tion ( RFID ) r eceiv er , or a ny other nea r ?eld
communica tion ( N FC) dev ice. The a da pter 614 ma y r eceiv e
f r om the RFID r eceiv er a s ca n code, W hich ma y be us ed to
loca te loca tion inf or ma tion. For ex a mple, a n RFID ta g ma y
be s ca nned by the RFID r eceiv er W hen enter ing a r oom, ?oor ,
a nd/or a cces s s pa ce of a building , then the r eceiv ed code
ma tched to the RFID ta g s loca tion in the building . Altema
tiv ely , RFID ta g s ma y be pla ced on components W ithin the
building a nd the ta g ma y be s ca nned by a n RFID s ca nner to
identif y a pa r ticula r component identi?ca tion f or s ea r ching a
3D CAD model or CMMS. In y et a nother ex a mple, the
a da pter 614 is coupled to a ba r code r ea der . The a da pter 614
ma y r eceiv e f r om the ba r code r ea der a s ca n code, W hich ma y
be us ed to loca te loca tion inf or ma tion f r om a r ef er ence ta ble.
In a nother ex a mple, the a da pter 614 is coupled to a ca mer a ,
W hich ma y ta ke pictur es of a us er s s ur r ounding a nd deter
mine the us er s loca tion to a lloW dis pla y of a n a ppr opr ia te
env ir onment f r om a model. In a f ur ther ex a mple, the a da pter
US 2012/0310602 A1
614 is coupled to iner tia l s ens or s s uch a s a compa s s a nd/or
a cceler ometer to deter mine a us er s mov ement f r om a ba s e
loca tion a nd deter mine a n env ir onment f or dis pla y . In y et
a nother ex a mple, the a da pter 614 is coupled to a W ir eles s
netW or k hots pot ( s uch a s W iFi) , a nd the netW or k identi?er of
the netW or k hots pot ha s a knoW n loca tion, W hich the com
puter s y s tem 600 identi?es a s its loca tion.
[ 004 4 ] A us er oper a ting a mobile dev ice a s illus tr a ted in
FIG. 5 a nd FIG. 6 ma y inter a ct W ith the building v ieW 5 02 by
phy s ica lly mov ing the mobile dev ice 5 00. For ex a mple, the
mobile dev ice 5 00 ma y deter mine a us er s cur r ent pos ition
thr oug h one of the s y s tems des cr ibed a bov e s uch a s GPS,
RFID , ba r codes , a nd/ or ca mer a pictur es . Once the us er s ini
tia l pos ition is deter mined the building v ieW 5 02 is upda ted
W ith the env ir onment of the us er s cur r ent pos ition. The us er
ma y then phy s ica lly point the mobile dev ice 5 00 up a t the
ceiling a nd the building v ieW 5 02 is upda ted W ith a v ieW of the
ceiling a nd/or components in the ceiling a bov e the us er s
pos ition. Mov ement of the mobile dev ice 5 00 ma y be deter
mined thr oug h one of the pos itioning s y s tems des cr ibed
a bov e. Alter na tiv ely , mov ement of the mobile dev ice 5 00
ma y be deter mined by iner tia l s ens or s by mea s ur ing a n a ccel
er ometer , ma g netometer , dig ita l compa s s , or the like a nd
computing the us er s pos ition a nd v ieW ing a ng le f r om the
us er s or ig ina l pos ition deter mined by the pos ition s y s tem.
For ex a mple, a f ter the us er s or ig ina l pos ition is deter mined if
the us er r ota tes 18 0 deg r ees to v ieW the other dir ection doW n
a ha llW a y , a dig ita l compa s s in the mobile dev ice 5 00 ma y
detect the us er s r ota tion a nd upda te the building v ieW 5 02 to
dis pla y the ha llW a y in the dir ection the us er is noW f a cing .
[ 004 5 ] Accor ding to one embodiment, the communica tions
a da pter 614 ma y a lloW the computer s y s tem 600 to commu
nica te W ith a n equipment ma na g ement s y s tem. For ex a mple,
the communica tions a da pter 614 ma y a lloW the computer
s y s tem 600 to a lter temper a tur e a nd/or humidity s etting s in a
building , a ctiv a te a nd/or dea ctiv a te a la r m s y s tems , a nd oper
a te door locks in the building . In a nother ex a mple, the com
munica tions a da pter 614 ma y a lloW the computer s y s tem 600
to inter a ct W ith other commer cia l s y s tems f or ma na g ing
equipment in the building s uch a s a s ecur ity s y s tem a nd/or a
telecommunica tions s y s tem.
[ 004 6] The a pplica tions of the pr es ent dis clos ur e a r e not
limited to the a r chitectur e of computer s y s tem 600. Ra ther the
computer s y s tem 600 is pr ov ided a s a n ex a mple of one ty pe of
computing dev ice tha t ma y be a da pted to per f or m f unctions
f or dis pla y ing a nd inter a cting W ith the building inf or ma tion
s y s tem a s des cr ibed a bov e W ith r es pect to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 , a nd
5 . For ex a mple, a ny s uita ble pr oces s or -ba s ed dev ice ma y be
utiliZ ed including , W ithout limita tion, per s ona l da ta a s s is ta nts
( PD As ) , ta blet computer s , s ma r tphones , computer g a me con
s oles , a nd multi-pr oces s or s er v er s . Mor eov er , the s y s tems
a nd methods of the pr es ent dis clos ur e ma y be implemented
on a pplica tion s peci?c integ r a ted cir cuits ( ASIC) , v er y la r g e
s ca le integ r a ted ( VLSI) cir cuits , or other cir cuitr y . In f a ct,
per s ons of or dina r y s kill in the a r t ma y utiliZ e a ny number of
s uita ble s tr uctur es ca pa ble of ex ecuting log ica l oper a tions
a ccor ding to the des cr ibed embodiments .
[ 004 7] A us er ma y inter a ct W ith the model inf or ma tion
thr oug h f or ms on the dis pla y s illus tr a ted in FIG. 2, FIG. 3,
FIG. 4 a nd FIG. 5 . Accor ding to one embodiment, the dis
pla y s a r e s hoW n on the mobile dev ice 5 00 of FIG. 5 . The
f or ms ma y a lloW a us er , s uch a s a ma intena nce technicia n, to
enter a W or k or der r eques t thr oug h a f or m illus tr a ted in FIG.
7 or to r eceiv e noti?ca tion of a ma intena nce a s s ig nment
D ec. 6, 2012
thr oug h a f or m illus tr a ted in FIG. 8 . FIG. 7 is a block dia g r a m
illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y dis pla y f or s cheduling ma intena nce
of a component in a building ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s
tem a ccor ding to one embodiment. A dis pla y 700 ma y include
a building v ieW 702. Af ter a us er s elects a component 704
f r om the building v ieW 702, a f or m 710 is dis pla y ed to a lloW
the us er to enter a W or k or der or ma intena nce r eques t. The
f or m 710 ma y include inf or ma tion 71011 a bout the s elected
pa r t, a tex t box 7101) f or enter ing the W or k or der r eques t, a nd
comma nd buttons 7100 a nd 710d f or ca ncelling or a ccepting
the W or k or der r eques t, r es pectf ully . The f or m 710 ma y a ls o
include other inf or ma tion 710e a bout the component 704 . For
ex a mple, the inf or ma tion 710e ma y include pr ev ious ly com
pleted ma intena nce or f utur e s cheduled ma intena nce f or the
component 704 .
[ 004 8 ] W hen inf or ma tion is enter ed into the tex t box 7101)
a nd the comma nd button 710d is a ctiv a ted the inf or ma tion in
the tex t box 7101) ma y be r ecor ded f or a component cor r e
s ponding to the pa r t 71011 in the CMMS. Accor ding to one
embodiment, the upda ted inf or ma tion ma y be tr a ns mitted
dir ectly to the CMMS. Accor ding to a nother embodiment, the
upda ted inf or ma tion ma y be s ent to a n inter media te computer
s y s tem, W hich pr oces s es the inf or ma tion a nd upda tes the
CMMS a ccor ding ly . Althoug h FIG. 7 illus tr a tes the entr y of a
W or k or der r eques t, W hich ma y be tr a ns mitted to the CMMS,
other da ta ma y be enter ed into a dis pla y s imila r to the dis pla y
700 a nd us ed to upda te component inf or ma tion in the CMMS.
[ 004 9 ] FIG. 8 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
dis pla y f or a ler ting a technicia n of s cheduled ma intena nce f or
a component in a f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem
a ccor ding to one embodiment. A dis pla y 8 00 ma y include a
building v ieW 8 02. W hile a us er is v ieW ing inf or ma tion a bout
the env ir onment dis pla y ed in the building v ieW 8 02, a us er
ma y be dis pla y ed a n a ler t 8 10 a bout a component W ith s ched
uled ma intena nce. Accor ding to one embodiment, the a ler t
8 10 is g ener a ted f r om loca tion inf or ma tion of the mobile
dev ice ca r r ied by the us er . Accor ding to a nother embodiment,
the a ler t 8 10 is tr a ns mitted to the us er s mobile dev ice f r om a
s uper v is or or s er v er . The a ler t 8 10 ma y notif y the us er of W or k
a s s ig ned to a component 8 02. The a ler t 8 10 ma y include a
mes s a g e 8 1011 pr ov iding ins tr uctions to the us er , a pa r t iden
ti?ca tion 8 10b, a n a ction to be per f or med 8 100, a nd inputs
8 10d a nd 8 10e to a lloW the us er to indica te tha t the ma inte
na nce W a s completed or pos tponed, r es pectiv ely .
[ 005 0] FIG. 9 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem a ccor ding to one
embodiment of the dis clos ur e. A s y s tem 9 00 ma y include a
s er v er 9 02, da ta s tor a g e dev ices 9 06a , 9 06b, 9 060, a netW or k
9 08 , a nd a us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10. The da ta s tor a g e dev ices
9 06 ma y include dif f er ent dev ices or da ta ba s es s tor ing , f or
ex a mple, inf or ma tion a bout a building model in model da ta
s tor a g e 9 060, building ma intena nce da ta in CMMS da ta s tor
a g e 9 06b, a nd other inf or ma tion in da ta s tor a g e 9 06a .
Accor ding to one embodiment, a da ta ba s e r es iding on da ta
s tor a g e 9 06a includes a ta ble ma pping components in the
model da ta 9 060 to ma intena nce da ta in the da ta s tor a g e 9 0619 .
For ex a mple, a da ta ba s e s tor ed in the da ta s tor a g e 9 06a ma y
ma p unique identi?er s in the model da ta 9 060 to unique
identi?er s in the CMMS 9 061) . Accor ding to a nother embodi
ment, the da ta s tor a g e 9 06a ma y include a ta ble ma pping
s ca nned ba r codes , RFID ta g s , a nd/or W iFi hots pots to loca
tions in a building . In a f ur ther embodiment, the s y s tem 9 00
ma y include a s tor a g e contr oller 9 04 , or s tor a g e s er v er con
?g ur ed to ma na g e da ta communica tions betW een the da ta
US 2012/0310602 A1
s tor a g e dev ice 9 06 a nd the s er v er 9 02 or other components in
communica tion W ith the netW or k 9 08 . In a n a lter na tiv e
embodiment, the s tor a g e contr oller 9 04 ma y be coupled to the
netW or k 9 08 . In y et a nother embodiment, the da ta s tor a g e
dev ices 9 06 ma y be loca ted in s epa r a te loca tions a nd coupled
tog ether thr oug h the netW or k 9 08 .
[ 005 1] In one embodiment, the us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10 is
r ef er r ed to br oa dly a nd is intended to encompa s s a s uita ble
pr oces s or -ba s ed dev ice s uch a s a des ktop computer , a la ptop
computer , a per s ona l dig ita l a s s is ta nt ( PD A) or ta blet com
puter , a s ma r tphone or other a mobile communica tion dev ice
or or g a niZ er dev ice ha v ing a cces s to the netW or k 9 08 . In a
f ur ther embodiment, the us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10 ma y a cces s
the Inter net or other W ide a r ea or loca l a r ea netW or k to a cces s
a W eb a pplica tion or W eb s er v ice hos ted by the s er v er 9 02 a nd
pr ov ide a us er inter f a ce f or ena bling a us er to enter or r eceiv e
inf or ma tion.
[ 005 2] The netW or k 9 08 ma y f a cilita te communica tions of
da ta betW een the s er v er 9 02 a nd the us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10.
The netW or k 9 08 ma y include a ny ty pe of communica tions
netW or k including , but not limited to, a dir ect PC-to-PC con
nection, a cellula r netW or k, a s a tellite netW or k, a loca l a r ea
netW or k ( LAN ) , a W ide a r ea netW or k ( W AN ) , a modem-to
modem connection, the Inter net, a combina tion of the a bov e,
or a ny other communica tions netW or k noW knoW n or la ter
dev eloped W ithin the networ king a r ts W hich per mits tW o or
mor e computer s to communica te, one W ith a nother . In one
embodiment, the us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10 a cces s es the s er v er
9 02 thr oug h a n inter media te s ev er ( not s hoW n) . For ex a mple,
in a cloud a pplica tion the us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10 ma y
a cces s a n a pplica tion s er v er . The a pplica tion s er v er f ul?lls
r eques ts f r om the us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10 by a cces s ing a
da ta ba s e thr oug h the s tor a g e contr oller 9 04 .
[ 005 3] Applica tions a nd/or s cr ipts on the s er v er 9 02 ma y
a cces s da ta s tor ed in the da ta s tor a g e dev ices 9 06 v ia a Stor
a g e Ar ea N etwor k ( SAN ) connection, a LAN , a da ta bus , or
the like. The da ta s tor a g e dev ices 9 06 ma y include a ha r d dis k,
ha r d dis ks a r r a ng ed in a n Redunda nt Ar r a y of Independent
D is ks ( RAID ) a r r a y , a ta pe s tor a g e dr iv e compr is ing a phy s i
ca l or v ir tua l ma g netic ta pe da ta s tor a g e dev ice, a nd/or a n
optica l s tor a g e dev ice. The da ta ma y be a r r a ng ed in a da ta ba s e
a nd a cces s ible thr oug h Str uctur ed Q uer y La ng ua g e ( SQ L)
quer ies , or other da ta ba s e quer y la ng ua g es or oper a tions .
[ 005 4 ] In one embodiment, the da ta ba s es ma y be s tor ed on
a r emote s er v er or a cloud computing s y s tem a nd a cces s ible
thr oug h W eb s er v ices . Thus , the da ta ba s e need not be s tor ed
loca lly on the dev ice a cces s ing r ecor ds of the da ta ba s e. The
da ta ba s es ma y be pa r t of leg a cy commer cia l s y s tems a cces
s ible thr oug hAPI s . For ex a mple CMMS 9 061) ma y cons is t of
CMMS r ecor ds f or a n ex is ting leg a cy FM s y s tem s uch a s
Ma ins a v er a cces s ed thr oug h a nAPI connection to Ma ins a v er .
The da ta ma y be s epa r a tely a cces s ible f r om Ma ins a v er s
na tiv e inter f a ce. Simila r ly , model da ta 9 060 ma y be a v ir tua l
model s tor ed W ithin a commer cia l pr og r a m s uch a s N a v is
W or ks a cces s ed thr oug h a n API connection to N a v is W or ks .
Simila r ly , s er v er 9 02 ma y a cces s other s er v ices s uch a s , f or
ex a mple, commer cia l s y s tems f or ma na g ing equipment in the
building s uch a s a s ecur ity s y s tem a nd/or a telecommunica
tions s y s tem, a lter ing temper a tur e a nd/or humidity s etting s in
a building , a ctiv a ting a nd/or dea ctiv a ting a la r m s y s tems , a nd
oper a ting door locks in the building .
[ 005 5 ] FIG. 10 is a block dia g r a m illus tr a ting a n ex empla r y
da ta s tor a g e f or a f a cilities ma na g ement inf or ma tion s y s tem
a ccor ding to one embodiment of the dis clos ur e. In one
D ec. 6, 2012
embodiment, a da ta ma na g ement s y s tem 1000 ma y include
the s er v er 9 02. The s er v er 9 02 ma y be coupled to a da ta -bus
1002. In one embodiment, the da ta ma na g ement s y s tem 1000
ma y a ls o include a ?r s t da ta s tor a g e dev ice 1004 , a s econd
da ta s tor a g e dev ice 1006, a nd/or a thir d da ta s tor a g e dev ice
1008 . In f ur ther embodiments , the da ta ma na g ement s y s tem
1000 ma y include a dditiona l da ta s tor a g e dev ices ( not
s hoW n) . In s uch a n embodiment, ea ch da ta s tor a g e dev ice
1004 , 1006, a nd 1008 ma y ea ch hos t a s epa r a te da ta ba s e tha t
ma y , in conjunction W ith the other da ta ba s es , conta in r edun
da nt da ta . Alter na tiv ely , a da ta ba s e ma y be s pr ea d a cr os s
s tor a g e dev ices 1004 , 1006, a nd 1008 us ing da ta ba s e pa r ti
tioning or s ome other mecha nis m. Alter na tiv ely , the s tor a g e
dev ices 1004 , 1006, a nd 1008 ma y be a r r a ng ed in a RAID
con?g ur a tion f or s tor ing a da ta ba s e or da ta ba s es thr oug h ma y
conta in r edunda nt da ta . D a ta ma y be s tor ed in the s tor a g e
dev ices 1004 , 1006, 1008 , a nd 1010 in a da ta ba s e s uch a s a
r ela tiona l da ta ba s e.
[ 005 6] In one embodiment, the s er v er 9 02 ma y s ubmit a
quer y to s elected da ta f r om the s tor a g e dev ices 1004 a nd
1006. The s er v er 9 02 ma y s tor e cons olida ted da ta s ets in a
cons olida ted da ta s tor a g e dev ice 1010. In s uch a n embodi
ment, the s er v er 9 02 ma y r ef er ba ck to the cons olida ted da ta
s tor a g e dev ice 1010 to obta in a s et of r ecor ds . Alter na tiv ely ,
the s er v er 9 02 ma y quer y ea ch of the da ta s tor a g e dev ices
1004 , 1006, a nd 1008 independently or in a dis tr ibuted quer y
to obta in the s et of da ta elements . In a nother a lter na tiv e
embodiment, multiple da ta ba s es ma y be s tor ed on a s ing le
cons olida ted da ta s tor a g e dev ice 1010.
[ 005 7] In v a r ious embodiments , the s er v er 9 02 ma y com
munica te W ith the da ta s tor a g e dev ices 1004 , 1006, a nd 1008
ov er the da ta -bus 1002. The da ta -bus 1002 ma y compr is e a
SAN , a LAN , or the like. The communica tion inf r a s tr uctur e
ma y include Ether net, Sma ll Computer Sy s tem Inter f a ce
( SCSI) , Ser ia l Adv a nced Technolog y Atta chment ( SATA) ,
Adv a nced Technolog y Atta chment ( ATA) , Cloud Atta ched
Stor a g e, a nd/or other s imila r da ta communica tion s chemes
a s s ocia ted W ith da ta s tor a g e a nd communica tion. For
ex a mple, the s er v er 9 02 ma y communica te indir ectly W ith the
da ta s tor a g e dev ices 1004 , 1006, 1008 , a nd 1010 thr oug h a
s tor a g e s er v er or the s tor a g e contr oller 9 04 .
[ 005 8 ] The s er v er 9 02 ma y include modules f or inter f a cing
W ith the da ta s tor a g e dev ices 1004 , 1006, 1008 , a nd 1010,
inter f a cing a netW or k 9 08 , inter f a cing W ith a us er thr oug h the
us er inter f a ce dev ice 9 10, a nd the like. In a f ur ther embodi
ment, the s er v er 9 02 ma y hos t a n eng ine, a pplica tion plug -in,
or a pplica tion pr og r a mming inter f a ce ( API) .
[ 005 9 ] Accor ding to one embodiment, us er s ma y s ub
s cr iber to s er v ices pr ov ided by the s er v er 9 02. For ex a mple, a
us er ma y s ubs cr ibe one or mor e client dev ices to a s er v ice on
the s er v er 9 02 tha t pr ov ides model da ta f or a building a nd
ma intena nce inf or ma tion f or components in the building .
W hen cons tr uction a nd r epa ir s a r e per f or med on the building ,
the client dev ices ha v e a cces s to the neW es t inf or ma tion
thr oug h the s ubs cr iption s er v ice. For ex a mple, if a neW pa r k
ing g a r a g e is cons tr ucted a nd a tta ched to the building , the
upda ted des ig ns ma y be pr ov ided to the client dev ice thr oug h
the s er v er 9 02. As a r es ult, a us er W ill not ha v e to cons ult
multiple documents or da ta ba s e to deter mine component
inf or ma tion f or the building .
[ 0060] FIG. 11 is a ca ll dia g r a m illus tr a ting communica
tions betW een a client dev ice a nd a s er v er f or dis pla y ing
model a nd ma intena nce da ta a ccor ding to one embodiment. A
ca ll dia g r a m 1100 s ta r ts a t ca ll 1112 W hen a client 1108 , s uch