Simulation based design environment for multi-agent systems in buildings

With increasing experience and understanding of the behavior of users in buildings, it is very often difficult to properly build a control system that operates in the real world. To explore such a potential, this paper addresses a new approach to building automation systems that utilizes hybrids systems in order to model large scale systems typically arising in multi-agents. In fact hybrid systems are crucial for solving complex problems and for designing real-time controllers that can be used to automatically regulate HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning) systems and building components. A statechart formalism is also used for modelling of the entire building system behaviour in the structural analysis paradigm, in order to achieve a comfortable indoor climate while fulfilling operating constraints. Particularity, this paper concerns the relevance and reliability of integrating control and building performance simulation environments by run-time coupling, over TCP/IP protocol suite. In addition, this paper involves a case-study with two important steps; first consists of experiments obtained in TU Delft test-cell, and then simulation results are obtained with the use of run-time coupling approach.