A Novel Strategy for Smart Building Convergence Based on the SmartLVGrid Metamodel

Abstract

Smart buildings provide opportunities for technological transformations in building environments to improve resource management, comfort, and efficiency of the systems present in these facilities. For this, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions contribute, with monitoring and remote control features, to automate these environments. However, these solutions can promote the disposal or replacement of outdated but still-needed legacy systems. Thus, a reference model that uses retrofit techniques to update pre-existing systems would be an alternative to enable smart building convergence. The lack of models that advocate this type of strategy provides an opportunity for the emergence of methods capable of filling this gap. Thus, this work presents a strategy for implementing monitoring, control, and communication resources to achieve smart building convergence in legacy building systems. This strategy consists of the use of retrofit techniques based on the adaptation of the SmartLVGrid metamodel. To validate this proposal, we developed hardware platforms and, respectively, their firmware to implement the premises established in a legacy building lighting circuit. The results obtained present a new possibility of implementing smart buildings from the retrofit of legacy infrastructures, as the pre-existing building lighting circuit obtained new functionalities and was preserved as much as possible.

A Demand Forecasting Strategy Based on a Retrofit Architecture for Remote Monitoring of Legacy Building Circuits

“…In previous works, we utilized wifi network infrastructures for communication with the supervisory centers [3][4][5]. However, in this study, we explore a different alternative for communication between our monitoring proposal and the supervisory center, as well as for the physical interface of the retrofit modules with the legacy building circuits, considering the specific characteristics of the monitored consumer unit.…”

“…In cases of expanding the legacy system, it may be necessary to increase the computational capacity of the ACU coordinator. In the metamodel, it is possible to define sub-coordinators for each cluster of ACU operators, as described in [4]. Thus, sub-coordinators are associated with a single ACU coordinator, which transfers system information to and from the supervisory center.…”

“…However, the digital transformation of legacy systems still presents challenges such as a lack of support and updates, incompatibilities, and insufficient resources to interact with current systems. Alternatively, updating these systems can occur through a process of gradual and less costly technological transformation compared to the complete replacement of legacy systems [3][4][5]. Thus, using strategies that promote the digital transformation of legacy infrastructures can be a viable alternative for acquiring data and information for data-driven management of legacy systems.…”

“…The SmartLVGrid metamodel enables the digital convergence of electrical systems to the smart grids paradigm [3,12]. In the literature, this metamodel has been used to achieve smart building convergence in legacy buildings to promote energy efficiency through resources for managing energy demand and electrical parameters in building installations [4,5].…”

Uma estratégia de retrofit para monitoramento energético em sistemas prediais legados

“…Contudo, grande parte dessas soluções possuem alto caráter tecnológico e podem implicar em altos investimentos para prover a interoperabilidade entre os ativos presentes a fim de melhorar a eficácia e eficiência nos processos e serviços. Com isso, a substituição total da estrutura legada passa a ser uma alternativa inviável ou processualmente devagar, caso seja implantada (FERNANDES et al, 2022).…”