iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Home Automation

This article is about automation within residences. For automation within commercial buildings, see Building automation.


Enlarge picture
Light control computerized system


Home automation (also called domotics) is a field within building automation, specializing in the specific automation requirements of private homes and in the application of automation techniques for the comfort and security of its residents. Although many techniques used in building automation (such as light and climate control, control of doors and window shutters, security and surveillance systems, etc.) are also used in home automation, additional functions in home automation include the control of multi-media home entertainment systems, automatic plant watering and pet feeding, and automatic scenes for dinners and parties.

The main difference between building automation and home automation is, however, the human interface. In home automation, ergonomics is of particular importance: the control should be largely image-based and self-explanatory.

When home automation is installed during construction of a new home, usually control wires are added before the drywall is installed. These control wires run to a controller, which will then control the environment.

Standards and bridges

Specific domotic standards include INSTEON, X10, KNX (standard), System Box, LonWorks, Crestron, C-Bus, Universal powerline bus (UPB), UPnP, ZigBee and Z-Wave that will allow for control of most applications.

Some standards use control wiring, some embed signals in the powerline, some use radio frequency (RF) signals, and some use a combination of several methods. Control wiring is hardest to retrofit into an existing house.

Some appliances include USB that is used to control it and connect it to a domotics network.

Bridges translate information from one standard to another (eg. from X10 to EIB).

Effects

In extreme installations, rooms can sense not only the presence of a person but know who that person is and perhaps set appropriate lighting, temperature and music/TV taking into account day of week, time of day, and other factors.

Other automated tasks may include setting the air conditioning to an energy saving setting when the house is unoccupied, and restoring the normal setting when an occupant is about to return. More sophisticated systems can maintain an inventory of products, recording their usage through an RFID tag, and prepare a shopping list or even automatically order replacements.

Some practical implementations of home automation are for example when an alarm detects a fire or smoke condition, then all lights in the house will blink to alert occupants. If the house is equipped with a home theater, a home automation system can shut down all audio and video components to alert the user to a possible fire or a burglar.

System

The elements of a domotics system are:

Architecture

From the point of view of where the intelligence of the domotic system resides, there are three different architectures:

Centralized Architecture: a centralized controller receives information of multiple sensors and, once processed, generates the opportune orders for the actuators.

Distributed Architecture: all the intelligence of the system is distributed by all the modules that are sensors or actuators. Usually it is typical of the systems of wiring in bus.

Mixed Architecture: systems with decentralized architecture as far as which they have several small devices able to acquire and to process the information of multiple sensors and to transmit them to the rest of devices distributed by the house.

Interconnection

By wire:
  1. xDSL
  2. optical fiber
  3. cable (coaxial and twisted pair)
  4. powerline
  5. Cresnet
Wireless:
  1. radio frequency, including:
  2. : Wi-Fi
  3. : GPRS and UMTS
  4. : Bluetooth
  5. : DECT
  6. : ZigBee
  7. : Z-Wave
  8. : EnOcean
  9. infrared
  10. : Consumer_IR

Tasks

HVAC

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) solutions include temperature and humidity control.

Lighting

Lighting control systems involves aspects related to controlling electric lights.
  • Extinguished general of all the lights of the house
  • Automatization of switched off / ignition in every point of light
  • Regulation of the illumination according to the level of ambient luminosity.
This category also typically includes control of exhaust and ceiling fans.

Natural lighting

Natural lighting control involves controlling electric window shades and draperies. Recent advances include use of RF technology to avoid wiring to switches and integration with third party home automation systems for centralized control.

Audio

This category includes audio switching and distribution. Audio switching determines the selection of an audio source. Audio distribution allows an audio source to be heard in one or more rooms. This feature is often referred to as 'multi-zone' audio.

Video

This includes video switching and distribution, allowing a video source to be viewed on multiple TVs. This feature is often referred to as 'multi-zone' video.

Integration of the door entry system to the telephone, or of the video door entry system to the television set.

Security

Control and integration of security systems.

This category also includes control and distribution of security cameras (see surveillance).
  • Detection of possible intrusion
  • sensors of detection of movement
  • sensors of magnetic contact of door/window
  • sensors of crystal breakage
  • Simulation of presence.
  • Detection of attempts of fire, flights of gas, water escapes (see fire alarm and gas alarm)
  • Medical alert. Teleassistance.
  • Precise and safe closing of blinds.

Intercoms

An intercom system allows communication via a microphone and loud speaker between multiple rooms.
  • Ubiquity in the external control as much internal, remote control from the Internet, PC, wireless controls (p.ej. PDA with WiFi), electrical equipment.
  • Transmission of alarms.
  • Intercommunications.

Robotics

  • Control of home robots, using if necessary domotic electric beacon.
  • Home robot communication (i.e. using WiFi) with the domotic network and other home robots.

Other systems

Using special hardware, almost any electric or electronic device can be controlled automatically or remotely with efficient control and easy handling.

Including:
  • Pool pump(s) and heater, Hot tub and Spa
  • Coffee pot
  • Pet feeder(s)
  • Garage Door(s)
  • Sprinkler System
  • Under Floor Heating

Organizations

See also

External links

Building automation is a programmed, computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices that monitor and control the mechanical and lighting systems in a building. The intent is to create an intelligent building and reduce energy and maintenance costs.
..... Click the link for more information.
Building automation is a programmed, computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices that monitor and control the mechanical and lighting systems in a building. The intent is to create an intelligent building and reduce energy and maintenance costs.
..... Click the link for more information.
A home is a place where a person, family, or group of people live or spend much of their time, or where a person feels safe or comfortable.

Concept

While a house (or other residential dwelling) is often referred to as a "home," the concept of home is broader than a
..... Click the link for more information.
Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007).
..... Click the link for more information.
INSTEON is a home automation networking technology invented by SmartLabs, Inc., owner of Smarthome. Insteon was developed for control and sensing applications in the home. Examples of applications include remote control lighting, HVAC, sprinklers, access control etc.
..... Click the link for more information.
X10 is an international and open industry standard for communication among electronic devices used for home automation, also known as domotics. It primarily uses power line wiring for signaling and control, where the signals involve brief radio frequency bursts representing digital
..... Click the link for more information.
KNX is a standardised (EN 50090,ISO/IEC 14543), OSI-based network communications protocol for intelligent buildings. KNX is the successor to, and convergence of, three previous standards: the European Home Systems Protocol (EHS), BatiBUS, and the
..... Click the link for more information.
LonWorks is a networking platform specifically created to address the unique performance, reliability, installation, and maintenance needs of control applications. The platform is built on a protocol created by Echelon Corporation for networking devices over media such as twisted
..... Click the link for more information.
Crestron Electronics

Private
Founded (1971)
Headquarters Rockleigh, New Jersey

Key people George Feldstein, President
Industry Automation and control
Products Home automation
Revenue 250 (est) Million (2006)
Employees 1200+
Website www.
..... Click the link for more information.
C-Bus is a home and building automation protocol that is used in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, Russia, USA, South Africa, the UK and other parts of Europe including Greece and Romania.
..... Click the link for more information.
Universal powerline bus (or UPB) is an industry emerging standard for communication among devices used for home automation. It uses power line wiring for signaling and control.

UPB was developed by PCS Powerline Systems of Northridge, California and released in 1999.
..... Click the link for more information.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a set of computer network protocols promulgated by the UPnP Forum. The goals of UPnP are to allow devices to connect seamlessly and to simplify the implementation of networks in the home (data sharing, communications, and entertainment) and
..... Click the link for more information.
ZigBee is the name of a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs), such as wireless headphones connecting with cell phones via short-range
..... Click the link for more information.
Z-Wave is the interoperable wireless communication protocol developed by Danish company Zensys and the Z-Wave Alliance . It is designed for low-power and low-bandwidth appliances, such as home automation and sensor networks.
..... Click the link for more information.
Electric power transmission, a process in the delivery of electricity to consumers, is the bulk transfer of electrical power. Typically, power transmission is between the power plant and a substation near a populated area.
..... Click the link for more information.
Radio frequency, or RF, is a frequency or rate of oscillation within the range of about 3 Hz and 300 GHz. This range corresponds to frequency of alternating current electrical signals used to produce and detect radio waves.
..... Click the link for more information.
USB
Universal Serial Bus

Original USB Logo
Year created: January 1996


Width:
Number of devices: 127 per host
Capacity Up to 12Mbit/s (USB 1.0)
Up to 480 Mbit/s (USB 2.
..... Click the link for more information.
The term air conditioning most commonly refers to the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air for thermal comfort. In a broader sense, the term can refer to any form of cooling, heating, ventilation or disinfection that modifies the condition of air.
..... Click the link for more information.
worldwide view.


Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used while achieving a similar outcome. This practice may result in increase of financial capital, environmental value, national security, personal security, and human
..... Click the link for more information.
For , see .


Inventory is a list for goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. Inventory are held in order to manage and hide from the customer the fact that manufacture/supply delay is
..... Click the link for more information.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders.
..... Click the link for more information.
Home cinema, also called home theater, seeks to reproduce cinema quality video and audio in the home.

Technically, a home cinema could be as basic as a simple arrangement of a television, DVD, and a set of speakers.
..... Click the link for more information.
programmable logic controller (PLC), or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of industrial processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines.
..... Click the link for more information.
sensor is a type of transducer. Direct-indicating sensors, for example, a mercury thermometer, are human-readable. Other sensors, such as a thermocouple, only produce an output voltage or other electrical output which must be interpreted by another device (such as a computer).
..... Click the link for more information.
An actuator is a mechanical device for moving or controlling a mechanism or system. The actuator is usually a physical mechanism but also refers to an artificial agent intelligent agent.
..... Click the link for more information.
sensor is a type of transducer. Direct-indicating sensors, for example, a mercury thermometer, are human-readable. Other sensors, such as a thermocouple, only produce an output voltage or other electrical output which must be interpreted by another device (such as a computer).
..... Click the link for more information.
An actuator is a mechanical device for moving or controlling a mechanism or system. The actuator is usually a physical mechanism but also refers to an artificial agent intelligent agent.
..... Click the link for more information.
bus (bidirectional universal switch) is a subsystem that transfers data or power between computer components inside a computer or between computers, and a bus typically is controlled by device driver software.
..... Click the link for more information.
sensor is a type of transducer. Direct-indicating sensors, for example, a mercury thermometer, are human-readable. Other sensors, such as a thermocouple, only produce an output voltage or other electrical output which must be interpreted by another device (such as a computer).
..... Click the link for more information.
An optical fiber (or fibre) is a glass or plastic fiber designed to guide light along its length. Fiber optics is the overlap of applied science and engineering concerned with such optical fibers.
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter