Method and apparatus for verifying service of installed devices using RFID
A service management system validates service on building management systems. Devices of the building management systems include wireless transmitters (for example, radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags) for transmitting wireless signals containing identification information. During service, a technician reads the identification information using a mobile computing device (for example, an RFID reader) while also recording the signal strength of the wireless signals. The mobile computing sends the identification information and signal strength information to a connected services system along with information about the service, and a validation module confirms that the identification information and signal strength information indicates that the technician was actually in the vicinity of the devices that were serviced.
1. A service management system for facilitating testing of devices of a building management system, comprising:
mobile computing devices for detecting wireless signals generated from wireless transmitters of the devices and determining identification information for the devices in the wireless signals and determining signal strength information for the wireless signals, and generating local service data using the identification information;
a service workflow module for receiving the local service data from mobile computing devices and generating service events from the local service data; and
a validation module for analyzing the service events and the signal strength information to validate the service to the devices.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mobile computing devices are smart phones and/or radio-frequency identification reader devices.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmitters are radio-frequency identification tags and/or Bluetooth low energy transmitters.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmitters are integral components of the devices and/or are attached to the exterior of the devices.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the validation module validates service to the devices by determining if the signal strength information indicates that the signal strength of the detected wireless signals are above a predetermined threshold.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the devices include devices of the building management system that are not connected to a control panel of the building management system or to a connected services system.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the devices include distributed devices and/or control panels.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the validation module validates the service to the devices by determining whether the service events and identification information for serviced devices are coherent with the identification information and signal strength information from the wireless transmitters.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the validation module validates the service to the devices by determining whether the signal strength information indicates that the mobile computing device was in vicinity of the serviced device at a time when the service was performed.
10. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal strength information is retained as evidence that a technician was present at a serviced device.
11. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the local service data indicates that particular devices of the building management system have been serviced.
12. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the local service data includes inspection results and/or narrative description of the service from a technician performing the service.
13. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the service events include real time and/or historical service information for installation, repair, testing, inspection, and compliance testing services being carried out on the building management system.
14. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the service workflow module creates a report including the service events and validation results for the service events generated by the validation module based on the signal strength information.
15. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mobile computing devices receive input from technicians indicating the local service data.
16. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the validation module determines whether the service events and identification information for serviced devices are coherent with the identification information and signal strength information from the wireless transmitters by determining whether the identification information from the wireless transmitters matches identification information for devices that were serviced according to the service events and determining whether the signal strength information indicates that the signal strength was above a predetermined threshold, indicating that that mobile computing devices were in vicinity of the serviced devices at times that services were performed according to the service events.
17. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmitters are attached to each device of the building management system and transmit wireless signals containing identification information associated with the devices to which the wireless transmitters are attached.
18. A method for facilitating testing of devices of a building management system, comprising:
mobile computing devices detecting wireless signals generated from wireless transmitters of the devices, determining identification information for the devices in the wireless signals, determining signal strength information for the wireless signals, generating local service data using the identification information and generating service events from the local service data; and
analyzing the service events and the signal strength information to validate the service to the devices.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the mobile computing devices are smart phones and/or radio-frequency identification reader devices.
20. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the wireless transmitters are radio-frequency identification tags and/or Bluetooth low energy transmitters.
21. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the wireless transmitters are integral components of the devices and/or are attached to the exterior of the devices.
22. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising validating service to the devices by determining if the signal strength information indicates that the signal strength of the detected wireless signals are above a predetermined threshold.
23. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the devices include devices of the building management system that are not connected to a control panel of the building management system or to a connected services system.
24. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the devices include distributed devices and/or control panels.
25. A method for validating services provided using mobile equipment of a building, comprising:
devices in different zones of the building detecting beacons generated from the mobile equipment;
determining identification information for the mobile equipment in the beacons, and determining signal strength information for the beacons;
generating local service data using the identification information and generating service events from the local service data; and
analyzing the service events and signal strength information to validate the services performed using the mobile equipment.