Domain-Specific Querying Formalisms for Retrieving Information about HVAC Systems

Abstract

In order to save energy and improve the control of indoor environments, researchers have developed hundreds of computer algorithms that can automatically and continuously analyze the conditions of HVAC systems. However, the complex information requirements of these algorithms inhibit deploying them in real-world facilities. This paper proposes an integrated performance analysis framework that automatically collects, merges, and provides the information required by them. The information items that are used to represent the information needs are categorized, a domain-specific query language that can formally represent the query statements is formalized, and a library of mechanisms that can automatically reason about and retrieve the needed information is developed. In order to validate the performance of the query language and mechanisms, a prototype was also developed, which includes a graphic user interface that helps users to define the queries, and the reasoning mechanisms that process the queries was implemented.