阅读说明：本技术 确定hvac系统中故障的原因 (Determining causes of faults in HVAC systems ) 是由 李春富 安键·乔杜里 约翰·布思罗伊德 于 2018-11-01 设计创作，主要内容包括：本文描述了用于确定供暖、通风和空调(HVAC)系统中故障的原因的装置、方法和系统。一个装置包括存储器和处理器,该处理器被配置为执行存储在存储器中的可执行指令以接收与HVAC系统相关联的操作数据,将所接收的操作数据存储在数据库中,在HVAC系统中发生故障时,通过将数据库中的操作数据应用于映射能够在HVAC系统中发生的可能故障的原因和对应于每个相应可能故障的症状的表来确定故障的原因,并且向用户提供在HVAC系统中发生的故障的原因。(Described herein are devices, methods, and systems for determining a cause of a fault in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. One apparatus includes a memory and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to receive operational data associated with an HVAC system, store the received operational data in a database, determine, upon a fault occurring in the HVAC system, a cause of the fault by applying the operational data in the database to a table mapping causes of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault, and provide the user with the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system.)

1. A computing device for determining a cause of a fault in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:

receiving operational data associated with the HVAC system;

storing the received operational data in a database;

upon occurrence of a fault in the HVAC system, determining a cause of the fault by applying the operational data in the database to a table mapping causes of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault; and

providing the cause of the fault in the HVAC system to a user.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein to apply the operational data in the database to the table comprises to determine whether the operational data matches the symptom corresponding to any of the possible faults in the table.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the cause in the table whose corresponding symptom is determined to match a possible failure of the operational data is the cause of the failure in the HVAC system.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein providing the user with the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system comprises:

generating an alert for the fault occurring in the HVAC system, wherein the alert includes the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system; and

sending the alert to a device of the user.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the alert comprises an indication of whether the fault occurring in the HVAC system is a critical fault.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system include possible faults that can occur in equipment of the HVAC system; and

the fault occurring in the HVAC system is a fault occurring in the equipment of the HVAC system.

7. A computer-implemented method for determining a cause of a fault in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, operational data associated with an HVAC system;

storing the received operational data in a database;

upon occurrence of a fault in the HVAC system, determining, by the computing device, a cause of the fault by applying the operational data in the database to a table mapping causes of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault; and

correcting, by the computing device, the cause of the fault in the HVAC system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises generating the table based on input received from a user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises:

continuously receiving, by the computing device, the operational data associated with the HVAC system; and

the received operational data is continuously stored in the database.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein correcting the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system comprises:

receiving, by the computing device, an input from a user for correcting the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system; and

correcting, by the computing device, the cause of the fault in response to receiving the input.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises receiving, by the computing device, the operational data associated with the HVAC system from a controller of the HVAC system via a network.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the table comprises:

a list of the possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system; and

an identification of the symptom corresponding to each respective possible failure.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the list includes the possible faults that can occur in each type of equipment of the HVAC system.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the symptom in the table comprises a particular operational data point of the operational data in the database that is above or below a particular value.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the symptom in the table comprises a difference between two particular operational data points of the operational data in the database that is greater than or less than a particular value.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to devices, methods, and systems for determining a cause of a fault in an HVAC system.

Background

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems may be used to control the environment within a facility (e.g., a building). For example, an HVAC system may include a number of components (e.g., devices, sensors, operating panels, controllers, actuators, etc.) that may be used to control the air temperature of different zones of a facility (e.g., rooms, areas, spaces, and/or floors) in order to maintain the zones in a comfortable state for their occupants.

However, during operation of the HVAC system, faults may sometimes occur in the HVAC system (e.g., in different components of the HVAC system). For example, detecting and correcting faults in an HVAC system may be important to provide a comfortable environment for occupants of a facility, prevent further damage to the HVAC system from the fault, and/or avoid inefficient operation of the HVAC system (which may result in higher energy consumption).

In order to quickly and efficiently correct a fault in an HVAC system, the cause (e.g., root cause) of the fault must be determined. However, previous approaches may focus on symptoms (e.g., operating conditions) that may be caused by (e.g., caused by) the fault, rather than the cause of the fault itself. For example, in previous methods, when a fault occurs, an alarm may be generated that includes only the symptoms of the fault and not the cause of the fault. Thus, in such prior approaches, determining the cause of the failure may be difficult, time consuming, and/or expensive, as the symptoms of the failure may not immediately indicate the root cause of the failure.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system to determine a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary air handling unit of an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates an example of a table for mapping causes of possible faults that can occur in an HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of a method of determining a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 illustrates an example of a computing device to determine a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Described herein are devices, methods, and systems for determining a cause of a fault in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. For example, an embodiment includes a memory and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to receive operational data associated with an HVAC system, store the received operational data in a database, determine, upon a fault occurring in the HVAC system, a cause of the fault by applying the operational data in the database to a table mapping causes of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault, and provide the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system to a user.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to determine the cause (e.g., root cause) of a fault in an HVAC system and correct the fault in a manner that is easier, less expensive, and/or less time consuming than previous methods. For example, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the cause of a fault in the HVAC system may be determined and provided to the user as compared to previous methods in which only the symptoms of the fault, rather than the cause of the fault itself, may be provided to the user. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may enable faults to be quickly and efficiently corrected, thereby maintaining a comfortable environment for occupants of the facility, preventing further damage to the HVAC system from the fault, and/or avoiding inefficient operation of the HVAC system, which may result in higher energy consumption.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The drawings show, by way of illustration, ways in which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced.

These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and mechanical, electrical, and/or process changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that elements shown in the various embodiments herein can be added, exchanged, combined, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. The proportion and the relative size of the elements provided in the drawings are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure, and should not be taken as limiting.

The drawings herein follow the following numbering convention: one or more of the first digits correspond to the drawing figure number, while the remaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures may be identified by the use of similar digits. For example, 108 in FIG. 1 may reference element "08", and a similar element in FIG. 5 may be referenced as 508.

As used herein, "a" or "several" items may refer to one or more of such items, while "a plurality of" items may refer to more than one of such items. For example, "several faults" may refer to one or more faults, while "multiple faults" may refer to more than one fault. Additionally, as used herein, the reference numerals "N" and "M," particularly with respect to reference numerals in the drawings, indicate that the particular features so specified may be included within embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a system 100 to determine a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The HVAC system may be, for example, an HVAC system of a facility (e.g., a building), such as a commercial office building. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular type of facility.

HVAC systems may be used to control the environment within a facility. For example, an HVAC system may include a number of components that may be used to control the air temperature of different zones (e.g., rooms, areas, spaces, and/or floors) of a facility in order to maintain comfort for occupants of those zones. Components of the HVAC system may include, for example, objects, control components (e.g., controllers), equipment (e.g., mechanical equipment), devices, networks, sensors, and/or actuators, such as valves, such as heating and/or cooling valves, coolers (e.g., cooling plants), boilers (e.g., boiler plants), pumps, such as hot and/or cold water pumps, fans, compressors, air dampers, such as variable air volume (VHV) dampers, Air Handling Units (AHUs) (e.g., AHU plants), coils, such as heating and/or cooling coils, air filters, heat exchangers, and/or cooling towers, and so forth. The HVAC system can also include connections (e.g., physical connections) between components, such as a chain of equipment (e.g., ductwork, ducting, ventilation and/or electrical and/or gas distribution equipment) connecting components, among other connections.

Further, the HVAC system may include (e.g., be divided into) a plurality of zones. A zone of the HVAC system may correspond to a zone of a facility, for example. Examples of HVAC systems (e.g., AHUs of HVAC systems) are further described herein (e.g., in conjunction with fig. 2).

As shown in fig. 1, the system 100 may include a controller 102. The controller 102 may be, for example, a controller of an HVAC system of a facility. For example, the controller 102 may be used to check and/or set the status of components, component connections, and/or zones of the HVAC system. Although one controller is shown in fig. 1, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited (e.g., system 100 and/or HVAC system may include multiple controllers similar to controller 102).

The controller 102 may collect data associated with the HVAC system, such as real-time operational data. For example, the controller 102 may receive data from a component of the HVAC system, such as the sensors 104-1,.., 104-N shown in fig. 1. Such data may include, for example, the current number, status, and/or attributes of the components, the component connections, and/or the zones of the HVAC system.

As shown in fig. 1, the system 100 may include a computing device 108. The computing device 108 may be part of a centralized analysis service (e.g., a server and/or database) located remotely from the HVAC system and/or the controller 102, and will be further described herein (e.g., in connection with fig. 4).

As shown in FIG. 1, controller 102 may send (e.g., push) collected data to computing device 108 via network 106 (e.g., computing device 108 may receive data from controller 102 via network 106. network 106 may be a wired or wireless network.

As used herein, a "network" may provide a communication system that directly or indirectly links two or more computers and/or peripheral devices and allows users to access resources on other computing devices and exchange messages with other users. The network may allow users to share resources on their systems with other network users and access information on systems located at a central location or systems located at remote locations. For example, a network may connect multiple computing devices together to form a distributed control network (e.g., a cloud).

The network may provide connectivity to the internet and/or to networks of other entities (e.g., organizations, institutions, etc.). A user may interact with a network-enabled software application to issue a network request to retrieve a file or print on a network printer. The application may also communicate with network management software that may interact with the network hardware to transfer information between devices on the network.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 may include a table (e.g., mapping table) 112 and a database 114. Although mapping table 112 and database 114 are shown as being located outside of computing device 108 (e.g., separate from computing device 108), embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. For example, in some embodiments, mapping table 112 and/or database 114 may be included in computing device 108.

The operational data received by the computing device 108 may be stored in the database 114. For example, the computing device 108 may continuously (e.g., in real-time) receive operational data and continuously store the received operational data in the database 114.

The mapping table 112 may map the causes of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system (e.g., in the equipment of the HVAC system) and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault. For example, the mapping table 112 may include a list of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system, such as a list of possible root causes of faults that can occur in each type of device in the HVAC system, and an identification of a symptom corresponding to each respective possible fault in the list.

As used herein, a fault in an HVAC system can include and/or refer to a component (e.g., a device) of the HVAC system not operating properly and/or causing abnormal behavior in the HVAC system and/or a facility, and/or to an event that occurs to cause the component to operate improperly or cause abnormal behavior. For example, a fault in an HVAC system can include and/or refer to a component of the HVAC system crashing, failing, ceasing to operate properly, or operating in an unexpected manner. As further examples, the fault may include and/or abnormal (e.g., abnormal) behavior of the finger.

As used herein, a symptom corresponding to a fault may include and/or refer to an operating condition of the HVAC system that is caused by (e.g., caused by) the fault. In contrast, as used herein, the cause of a failure may include and/or direct the root cause of the failure that causes one or more particular symptoms to occur. For example, correcting the cause of the fault will cause the corresponding symptom of the fault to no longer occur, but correcting the symptom corresponding to the fault will not necessarily mean that the fault itself has been corrected.

For example, a cause of a fault in an HVAC system may be a stuck cooling valve, and symptoms corresponding to such a fault may include high exhaust gas temperatures and overheating AHUs. Additional examples of the causes of possible faults and their corresponding symptoms are described further herein.

The symptoms included in the mapping table 112 may include, for example, that a particular operational data point of the operational data in the database 114 is above or below a particular value (e.g., a threshold), that a difference between two particular operational data points of the operational data in the database 114 is greater than or less than a particular value, and/or that a particular operational data point of the operational data in the database 114 is true or false. Examples of mapping tables 112 (e.g., mappings of causes of possible faults that can occur in an HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault) will be further described herein (e.g., in conjunction with fig. 3).

The mapping table 112 may be generated (e.g., defined), for example, based on input received from a user. For example, the mapping table 112 may be generated based on domain knowledge and/or expert experience of a user associated with settings (e.g., installation) and/or operations of an HVAC system (e.g., a facility manager and/or an engineer).

When a fault occurs in an HVAC system (e.g., a device of the HVAC system), the computing device 108 can determine the cause (e.g., root cause) of the fault by applying the operational data stored in the database 114 to the mapping table 112. For example, the computing device 108 may determine whether the operational data stored in the database 114 matches symptoms corresponding to any possible faults in the mapping table 112 and, upon determining that the operational data matches the symptoms corresponding to one of the possible faults, determine that the cause of the possible faults in the mapping table 112 is the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system. That is, the reason why a fault may occur in the mapping table 112 (whose corresponding symptoms are determined to match the operational data stored in the database 114) may be determined as the reason why the fault occurred in the HVAC system. The computing device 108 may determine whether the operational data stored in the database 114 matches symptoms corresponding to any possible faults in the mapping table 112 in sequence (e.g., one by one), as will be described further herein (e.g., in connection with fig. 4).

In some embodiments, all symptoms corresponding to a possible fault in the mapping table 112 need to match the operational data in the database 114 in order to determine the cause of the possible fault as the cause of the fault in the HVAC system (e.g., if the operational data matches some, but less than all, of the causes of the fault in the HVAC system, the cause of the possible fault in the mapping table 112 may not be determined as the cause of the fault). In such embodiments, the computing device 108 may determine whether all of the operational data stored in the database 114 matches symptoms corresponding to any possible faults in the mapping table 112, and, upon determining that the operational data matches all symptoms corresponding to one of the possible faults, determine that the cause of the possible faults in the mapping table 112 is the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system. Such embodiments may reduce the effects of noise and/or prevent false positives (e.g., erroneously determining that the cause of a possible fault in the mapping table 112 is the cause of the fault in the HVAC system, and in fact, that the cause of the possible fault is not the cause of the fault in the HVAC system).

In some embodiments, the symptoms corresponding to the possible faults in the mapping table 112 need to match the operational data in the database 114 for a particular amount of time (e.g., a period of time) in order to determine the cause of the possible fault as the cause of the fault in the HVAC system (e.g., if the operational data matches the corresponding symptoms of the possible fault in the mapping table 112 for less than the amount of time, the cause of the possible fault may not be determined as the cause of the fault in the HVAC system). In such embodiments, the computing device 108 may determine whether the operational data stored in the database 114 matches a symptom corresponding to any possible fault in the mapping table 112 within a particular amount of time, and upon determining that the operational data matches the symptom corresponding to one of the possible faults within the amount of time, determine that the cause of the possible fault in the mapping table 112 is the cause of the fault occurring in the HVAC system. The specific amount of time may be, for example, 15 minutes. Such implementations may reduce noise effects and/or prevent false positives.

Once the cause of the fault in the HVAC system is determined, the computing device 108 may provide the cause of the fault to a user (e.g., a technician, operator, or facility manager of the HVAC system) and/or may correct (e.g., take action to correct) the cause of the fault. For example, the computing device 108 may generate an alert including the determined cause of the fault for the fault occurring in the HVAC system and send (e.g., transmit) the alert to the device 110-1. An alert of the cause of the fault may then be displayed to the user on a user interface of the device 110-1. The device 110-1, 110-M may be, for example, a computing device (e.g., a service management system portal computing device or a customer portal computing device), such as a desktop computer or laptop computer, or a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer.

In some embodiments, the computing device 108 may determine whether a fault occurring in the HVAC system is a critical fault that may require rapid action and/or response. In such embodiments, the alert generated by the computing device 108 and sent to the device 110-1.

The computing device 108 may receive input from a user for correcting a cause of the fault (e.g., instructions on how to correct), and correct the cause of the fault in response to receiving the input. For example, the computing device 108 may transmit input from the device 110-1...., 110-M via the network 106 (e.g., a user may input to the device 110-1...., 110-M, which may then transmit the input to the computing device 108 via the network 106).

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary Air Handling Unit (AHU)215 for an HVAC system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The HVAC system may be, for example, the HVAC system previously described in connection with fig. 1 (e.g., the HVAC system in which the fault occurred).

As shown in fig. 2, AHU 215 may include multiple components (e.g., devices). For example, the AHU may include blowers 220-1 and 220-2 powered by motors 222-1 and 222-2 operating on currents 224-1 and 224-2, respectively, filters 226-1 and 226-2, dampers 228-1 and 228-2, an enthalpy wheel 230-1 and a sensible wheel 230-2 powered by motors 232-1 and 232-2, respectively, a coil 234, a screen 236, and a valve 238. As shown in FIG. 2, outside air may pass through (e.g., be filtered by) the filter 226-1 and damper 228-1, be heated or cooled using the coil 234, and be supplied by the blower 220-2 to a zone of the HVAC system. In addition, return air from these zones may pass through filter 226-2 and damper 228-2 and be exhausted by blower 220-1.

During operation of AHU 215, faults may occur in components of AHU 215. For example, the filters 226-1 and/or 226-2 may become dirty or clogged, the dampers 228-1 and/or 228-2 may become stuck, the screen 236 may become clogged, the valve 238 may become stuck or clogged, the coil 234 may become clogged, and/or the motors 232-1 and/or 232-2 may trip, among other malfunctions. Such a fault may cause (e.g., cause) symptoms such as the motors 220-1 and/or 220-2 operating at high current, high vibration, and/or wrong rotation, the water being supplied to the coil 234 being too hot or too cold, the coil 234 leaking water, the coil 234 being air cooled or overcooled, and/or the air being supplied to a zone of the HVAC system being at an improper temperature (e.g., too hot or too cold) and/or being supplied at an improper flow (e.g., pressure).

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a table (e.g., mapping table) 312 for mapping causes of possible faults that can occur in an HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Table 312 may be, for example, part of mapping table 112 previously described in connection with fig. 1, and may be an example of part of the mapping table of AHU 215 previously described in connection with fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, mapping table 312 may include a list of possible root causes of faults that can occur in AHU 215 equipment, including, for example, faulty (e.g., closed) dampers or actuators, plugged filters (e.g., plugged pre-filters and/or bag filters), plugged or plugged cooling coil valves, and passing cooling coil valves. Further, mapping table 312 may include an identification of symptoms corresponding to each respective possible failure in the list.

For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the symptoms corresponding to a clogged pre-filter may include a pre-filter pressure differential equal to or greater than a certain pressure threshold, and the symptoms corresponding to a clogged bag filter may include a bag filter pressure differential equal to or greater than a certain pressure threshold. Further, symptoms corresponding to a stuck closed or blocked cooling coil valve may include a difference between a closed coil temperature and an open coil temperature of less than five degrees, a number of cooling valve commands greater than 20, and a temperature of the supply of water (e.g., CHW IN) to the coil greater than four degrees and less than 14 degrees. Further, the symptoms corresponding to the passing cooling coil valve may include a difference between the closed and open coil temperatures greater than five degrees, and a number of cooling valve commands less than five.

As previously described in connection with fig. 1, if the operational data stored in the database 114 matches a (e.g., all) symptom corresponding to one of the possible faults in the mapping table 312, the fault may be determined to be the root cause of the fault in the HVAC system. For example, if the operational data stored in the database 114 includes a pre-filter differential pressure that is equal to or greater than a particular pressure threshold, it may be determined that a clogged pre-filter is the root cause of a fault in the HVAC system. Further, if the operational data stored in the database 114 includes a bag filter differential pressure that is equal to or greater than a particular pressure threshold, it may be determined that a clogged bag filter is the root cause of a fault in the HVAC system. Further, if the operational data stored IN the database 114 includes an off-coil temperature and an on-coil temperature having a difference of less than five degrees, the number of cooling valve commands is greater than 20, and the temperature of CHW IN is greater than four degrees and less than 14 degrees, it may be determined that a stuck or blocked cooling coil valve is the root cause of a fault IN the HVAC system. Further, if the operational data stored in the database 114 includes an off-coil temperature and an on-coil temperature having a difference greater than five degrees, and the number of cooling valve commands is less than five, it may be determined that passing the cooling coil valve is the root cause of the fault in the HVAC system.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a method 450 of determining a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 450 may be performed, for example, by the computing device 108 previously described in connection with fig. 1.

At block 452, the method 450 includes generating a mapping table. The mapping table may be, for example, mapping tables 112 and/or 312 previously described in connection with fig. 1 and 3, respectively, and may map the causes (e.g., root causes) of possible faults that can occur in the HVAC system and symptoms corresponding to each respective possible fault, as previously described herein.

At block 454, the method 450 includes receiving operational data associated with the HVAC system. The operational data may be received from the controller 102 previously described in connection with fig. 1, as previously described herein.

At block 456, the method 450 includes storing the operational data. The operational data may be stored in the database 114 previously described in connection with fig. 1, as previously described herein.

At block 458, the method 450 includes applying the operational data to the mapping table for a root cause of a possible failure in the table. Applying the operational data to the mapping table to obtain a possible root cause of the possible failure in the mapping table may include, for example, determining whether the operational data matches a symptom corresponding to the root cause of the possible failure in the mapping table, as previously described herein and as shown at block 460 of method 450. If it is determined that the operational data matches a symptom corresponding to the root cause of the possible fault, the method 450 proceeds to block 462. If it is determined that the operational data does not match the symptom corresponding to the root cause of the possible fault, the method 450 proceeds to block 464.

At block 462, the method 450 includes generating an alert that includes the root cause of the possible fault. Although not shown in fig. 4, the generated alert may be sent to the user's device, as previously described herein.

At block 464, the method 450 includes determining whether the operational data has been applied to the mapping table for all possible root causes of all possible failures in the mapping table. If it is determined that the operational data has been applied to the mapping table for all possible root causes of all possible faults in the mapping table, the method 450 returns to block 454. If it is determined that the operational data has not been applied to the mapping table for all possible root causes of all possible faults in the mapping table, the method 450 returns to block 458 where the operational data is applied to the mapping table for different possible root causes of possible faults in the mapping table. In this manner, the method 450 may determine whether the operational data sequentially (e.g., one by one) matches symptoms corresponding to each respective possible root cause of the possible faults in the mapping table 112.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a computing device 508 that determines a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computing device 508 may be, for example, the computing device 108 previously described in connection with fig. 1, and may be, for example, a laptop computer, desktop computer, or mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, PDA, etc.). However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular type of computing device.

As shown in fig. 5, computing device 508 may include a memory 572 and a processor 574. Memory 572 may be any type of storage medium that is accessible by processor 574 to perform various examples of the present disclosure. For example, the memory 572 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions (e.g., computer program instructions) that the processor 574 may execute to determine a cause of a fault of the HVAC system according to the present disclosure. That is, the processor 574 may execute executable instructions stored in the memory 572 to determine a cause of a fault in an HVAC system according to the present disclosure.

The memory 572 may be volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 572 may also be removable (e.g., portable) memory or non-removable (e.g., internal) memory. For example, memory 572 may be Random Access Memory (RAM) (e.g., Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and/or Phase Change Random Access Memory (PCRAM)), Read Only Memory (ROM) (e.g., Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) and/or compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), flash memory, laser compact disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, and/or magnetic media such as magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape or disk, among other types of memory.

Additionally, although memory 572 is shown as being located within computing device 508, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. For example, memory 572 may also be located internal to another computing resource (e.g., to enable computer-readable instructions to be downloaded over the Internet or another wired or wireless connection).

As shown in fig. 5, the computing device 508 may include a user interface 576. A user (e.g., an operator) of the computing device 508, such as a facility manager, an operator, and/or a technician of an HVAC system, may interact with the computing device 408 via the user interface 576. For example, the user interface 576 can provide (e.g., display) information to a user of the computing device 508 and receive (e.g., input by a user of the computing device 508) information from a user of the computing device 508.

In some embodiments, the user interface 576 may be a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that may include a display (e.g., a screen) that may provide information to a user of the computing device 508 and/or receive information from a user of the computing device 508. The display may be, for example, a touch screen (e.g., the GUI may include touch screen functionality). As a further example, the user interface 576 may include a keyboard and/or mouse that a user may use to input information into the computing device 508. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular type of user interface.

Although specific implementations have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same techniques may be substituted for the specific implementations shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of the disclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been presented by way of illustration, and not limitation. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

The scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure includes any other applications in which the above structures and methods are used. The scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped together in the example embodiments shown in the figures for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the disclosure require more features than are expressly recited in each claim.

Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.