System and method for testing the validity of BIM-designed electrical wiring pathways

A testing system for verifying that a building information model-designed electrical distribution system in a building provides a valid wiring pathway between every device and a distribution source, wherein the building information model provides a building floor plan, x-y-z locations of the devices and distribution sources on the building floor plan, and an identity of both a distribution source and a circuit assigned to each device, comprising:

• a digital processor having access to informational content of the building information model-designed electrical distribution system, and
• a user interface operatively connected to the digital processor, and a display screen operatively connected to the digital processor,
• wherein the digital processor executes the steps of:
• (a) extracting from the building information model-designed electrical distribution system the location of the devices and the distribution sources and any wiring pathway elements included within the building information model-designed electrical distribution system or added thereafter;
• (b) determining the identity of wiring pathway elements that form a wiring pathway for each distribution source circuit assigned to each device, and identifying the exit points and entry points of each wiring pathway;
• (c) determining the locations of the exit points and entry points of each wiring pathway;
• (d) selecting, for each device, a closest exit point for the wiring pathway associated with the device's assigned circuit;
• (e) selecting a nearest entry point of the wiring pathway associated with the device's assigned circuit to the distribution source associated with the assigned circuit by tracing backwards from the closest exit point of the identified wiring pathway elements to the last pathway element forming the wiring pathway, and
• (f) informing a user, via the display screen, whether the distance between the device and the nearest exit point is within a pre-selected distance ε2 and the distance between the associated distribution source and the nearest entry point is within a pre-selected distance ε1 simultaneously with the positioning of pathway elements by the user into the building information model-designed electrical and signal distribution system, wherein distances less than ε1 and ε2 are indicative of a valid wiring pathway,
• wherein the wiring pathway elements include wires and protective components surrounding the wires, and
• wherein the exit points of the wiring pathway are points where the wires are accessible from the protective components.

A testing method for verifying that a building information model-designed electrical distribution system in a building provides a valid wiring pathway between every device and a distribution source, wherein the building information model-designed system includes a building floor plan having x-y-z locations of devices, distribution sources on the building floor plan, and an identity of both a distribution source and a circuit assigned to each device, wherein the building information model-designed electrical distribution system is shown on a display screen of a digital processor having a user interface, comprising the steps of:

• extracting from the building information model-designed electrical distribution system a location of the devices and their associated distribution sources;
• determining the identity of wiring pathway elements that form at least a partial wiring pathway for the circuit assigned to each device, and the location of exit points and entry points of each wiring pathway;
• selecting, for each device and its assigned source, a closest exit point to the device on its associated wiring pathway, and
• selecting, for each device, a closest entry point to the distribution source of the wiring pathway associated with the device by tracing backwards from the closest exit point elements to the last pathway element forming the associated wiring pathway, and
• displaying on the display screen whether the distances between the device and the nearest exit point and the distribution source and the nearest entry point are within pre-selected distance tolerances ε2 and ε1, respectively, indicative of a valid wiring pathway
• wherein the wiring pathway elements include wires and protective components surrounding the wires, and
• wherein the exit points of the wiring pathway are points where the wires are accessible from the protective components.