Complete energy analytical model building information modeling (BIM) integration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10628535-B2
Application number	US-201615091321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2016
Priority date	Feb 1, 2007
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A method and system provide a complete energy analytical model. An input model is acquired and consists of a combination of architectural building elements (ABEs) and conceptual massing elements (CMEs). The input model is pre-processed by extracting information from both the ABEs and the CMEs, and constructing virtual elements that encapsulate the extracted information. A discrete set of points in three-dimensional (3D) space that is distributed over boundary faces of the ABEs or CMEs is determined. The discrete set of points is used to provide a representation of the input model that is used in combination with a 3D cubical grid (a voxel grid) to analyze a spatial structure of the input model. A two-dimensional (2D) discrete approximation of the geometry of the input model is used to determine surfaces of the energy analytical model which is then output.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method for providing a complete energy analytical model comprising:
(a) acquiring an input model, wherein the input model comprises a combination of one or more architectural building elements (ABEs) and one or more conceptual massing elements (CMEs), wherein:
(1) the ABEs comprise individual objects that represent individual physical components of a building without explicitly modeling 3D spaces for the input model;
(2) the individual physical components comprise walls, floors, windows, and roofs;
(3) the ABEs represent characteristics of physical and geometric forms of architectural elements of the building; and
(4) inaccuracies between ABEs exist in the input model;
(5) the CME comprises a representation of the input model as a single composite 3D solid;

(b) pre-processing the input model, wherein the pre-processing:
(1) extracts information from both the ABEs and the CMEs in the input model; and
(2) constructs a virtual element that encapsulates the extracted information;

(c) determining a discrete set of points in three-dimensional (3D) space, distributed over boundary faces of the ABEs or CMEs;
(d) providing, using the discrete set of points, a representation of the input model that is used to analyze a spatial structure of the input model;
(e) approximating a geometry of the input model utilizing a two-dimensional (2d) discrete approach;
(f) based on the spatial structure and the approximated geometry of the input model, determining surfaces of the energy analytical model wherein the energy analytical model is not a precisely accurate airtight energy analytical model, wherein in a precisely accurate airtight energy analytical model analytic faces meet without any gaps to bound 3D spaces;
(f) outputting the energy analytical model comprised of the spatial structure and the surfaces; and
(g) simulating energy usage of a building represented by the energy analytical model.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the information comprises a surface and a material/thermal property.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the surface comprises a face of one or more of the CMEs or the ABEs.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the information comprises a category of one of the CMEs or one of the ABEs.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the information comprises a level associated with one of the CMEs or one of the ABEs.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the virtual element comprises a list of faces defining a three-dimensional (3D) shape and a separate list of faces used to construct surfaces.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the discrete set of points comprises a point cloud.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the discrete set of points further comprises: determining the spatial structure of the input model using a 3D voxel grid.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
utilizing the 3D voxel grid to discretize the spaces and surfaces of the energy analytical model at a perimeter of the input model to represent differences in heat loss and gain.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the determining surfaces comprises:
defining a rectangular grid in a 2D coordinate plane for a representative face of one of the ABEs or one of the CMEs;
for each cell in the rectangular grid, moving to a side of the representative face, examining 3D voxels until a voxelized space is reached, while tracking the ABEs and CMEs passed through;
deciding if a current cell should be part of a surface;
if the current cell should not be part of the surface, process a next cell in the rectangular grid;
if the current cell should be part of the surface, encoding information needed to determine which surface the current cell will be part of; and
determining connected sets of cells having a same encoding, wherein connected sets of cells approximate the surfaces associated to a portion of one of the ABEs or CMEs.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
utilizing a building information model (BIM) representation of the energy analytical model within a building design software application;
querying the energy analytical model, within the building design software application; and
updating the BIM representation before running an energy simulation.

Assignees

• Autodesk Inc

Inventors

• Mitchell John William
• Molloy Ian Patrick

Classifications

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G06F2111/10

  Numerical modelling · CPC title

• F24F11/46

  Improving electric energy efficiency or saving · CPC title

• G06F30/13 Primary

  Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads · CPC title

• G06F17/5004 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic