Concept Evolution

Concept Evolution

Final Project: Networked Objects for Home Automation and Energy Management

Networking alarm clocks to energy units at home for activating/deactivating domestic appliances, optimising water/air temperature, front door panels with a device itenary. The network links off to a ring network between a laptop , cell phone and user once the user exits home.

Detailed working.

My Final Project Proposal is to network devices within a home environment for automating systems such as water, temperature, electrical appliances.At this point I am contemplating a star network where the clock acts as the centre of the network.While the clock acts as a central device triggering the various activities I envision a front door panel as a visual reminder of all the necessary devices one might carry with him everyday.In the unlikely event that this part of the prototyping is successful I intend for a ring network to be activated between the user and his paraphernelia once he exits the door.

1) The alarm clock and energy system,appliances are configured in master slave mode.

2) The interface of the alarm clock has a touch sensitive panel highlighting all the devices it networks to.Any of these can be disabled by a user.

3) The clock is designed to activate and deactivate the system depending on the users activity.Once asleep status of various devices is checked and deactivated if powered on.Sleep conditions are optimised.Once the user is awake the system activates all devices highlihted on its user panel.

4) It is assumed that the alarm snoozes.Time lag 'T' between the first call and the succeeding calls is used to trigger appliances.If the alarm clock is deactivated and pressure sensors detect movement on the floor the 'ON' status of devices is maintained.Within time '2T' a low input read by the clock from the sensors deactivates the appliances.Settings of all appliances/devices/systems being triggered are preprogrammed and can be reprogrammed at any stage.

Part II

5) The door panel acts as a visual reminder of a users devices.For the purpose of prototyping it networks to a laptop and a cellphone.The door panel is also a system that gets activated by the alarm clock each morning.Once the user exits the door, the door panel gets deactivated.It wires the alarm clock.The alarm clock deactivates all devices that have not been manually switched off.

Current Home Automation Systems

Some of the current home automation systems work as follows

Three components comprise a home automation system: structured wiring, a connection center, and a computer-like microprocessor. Professional installers run the structured wiring throughout your home to the various hubs located in the connection center. The connection center, which is the nucleus of your home automation system, houses the microprocessor and connects it to the numerous hubs. The home automation system microprocessor allows you to operate the various home electronic systems and appliances wired into your home automation center from:

• touch screens
• wireless remote controls
• keypads
• PDAs
• anywhere in the world via the Internet

What are the possibilities with a home automation system?

In today's day and age, we go 100 mph, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The more packed our calendars get, the shorter the days seem. A home automation system rids our lives of tedious tasks that seem to take up more and more of our time. The example below shows how a home automation system can simplify your life.

You're getting ready to leave work on Friday afternoon, and you start to think about your day.

• dropped kids at school/daycare at 7:30 a.m.
• hit the gym at 7:45 a.m.
• got to the office at 9 a.m.
• drove to the cleaners on your lunch break
• had 45-minute parent-teacher conference at 1 p.m.
• pick up kids at 5 p.m.
• cook dinner for your in-laws at 8 p.m.

Now, imagine right before shutting down your computer at work you log onto your home automation system, click an icon, and your home air conditioner turns on. You can also see on the monitor, via your security cameras, that you forgot to start the dishwasher and washing machine. Clicking another icon starts them both.

While sitting in traffic, you open your PDA and hit a button, which turns on your oven to preheat. You also realize it's getting dark, so punching another button turns on your front-porch lights. When you turn into your neighborhood, you click your wireless remote, and your home automation system turns on the garage lights and opens the door, disables your security system, starts a pot of coffee brewing, and begins playing your favorite jazz song over your audio system

X -10

	These transmitters send a specially coded low-voltage signal that is super-imposed over the 120 volts on the home's electrical wires. A transmitter is usually capable of sending up to 256 different addresses on the AC line. Multiple transmitters can send signals to the same module. Devices with this symbol receive the special signals sent by the transmitters. Once a matching signal comes in, the device responds and turns ON or OFF or dims or brightens. Receivers generally have "code dials" that are adjusted by the user to set the address. Multiple devices with the same address can co-exist in the same home.
	These devices both send and receive X10 signals. Like regular receivers and transmitters, they can communicate on all 256 addresses. 2-Way products are helpful for status reporting and triggering other receivers to turn on, off or even run a macro event (a multi-step event run by an intelligent controller).
	These products add the convenience of a radio frequency link (e.g. signals which travel through the air) to X10 Home Automation products. Popular products in this class include wireless hand-held remote controls and wireless motion detectors. A plug-in unit with an antenna is required to catch the radio signal from the wireless unit and puts the X10 signal onto the line (just like a garage door opener remote activates the garage door opener).

X10 ADVANTAGES

It is estimated that X10 Home Automation-compatible products can be found in over 10 million American homes. This is because it has so many advantages over other types of radio frequency remote control products and home automated systems:

• Inexpensive
• No new wiring is required -- perfect for retrofit
• Simple to install
• 100's of X10 Home Automation-compatible products
• Control up to 256 lights and appliances
• Time proven -- it has been around for over 25 years

Technologies Considered:

Bluetooth, IrDA, Home RF and IEEE 802.11.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a high-speed, low-power microwave wireless link technology, designed to connect phones, laptops, PDAs and other portable equipment together with little or no work by the user. Unlike infra-red, Bluetooth does not require line-of-sight positioning of connected units. The technology uses modifications of existing wireless LAN techniques but is most notable for its small size and low cost. Whenever any Bluetooth-enabled devices come within range of each other, they instantly transfer address information and establish small networks between each other, without the user being involved.

Features:

• Operates in the 2.56 GHZ ISM band which is globally available (no license required)
• Uses FHSS (Frequency hop spread spectrum)
• Can support upto 8 devices in a piconet
• Omni-directional, non line of sight transmission through walls
• 10m to 100m range
• Low cost, $20
• 1mW power
• Extended range with external power ampilifier (100 meters)

  HomeRF

  HomeRF is a subset of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and primarily works on the development of a standard for inexpensive RF voice and data communication.

  The HomeRF Working Group has also developed the Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP). SWAP is a industry specification that permits PCs, peripherals, cordless telephones and other devices to communicate voice and data without the usage of cables. SWAP is similar to the CSMA/CA protocol of IEEE 802.11 but with an extension to voice traffic. The SWAP system can either operate as an adhoc network or as an infrastructure network under the control of a connection point. In an adhoc network, all stations are peers and control is distributed between the stations and supports only data. In an infrastructure network, a connection Point is required so as to coordinate the system and it provides the gateway to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). Walls and floors don't cause any problem in its functionality and some security is also provided through the use of unique network IDs. It is robust, reliable, and minimizes the impact of radio interference.

  Features:

  • Operates in the 2.45 GHz range of the unlicensed ISM band
  • Range: upto 150 feet
  • Employs frequency hopping at 50 hops per second
  • It supports both a TDMA service to provide delivery of interactive voice and CSMA/CA service for delivery of high speed data packets
  • The network is capable of supporting upto 127 nodes
  • Transmission Power : 100mW
  • Data Rate : 1Mbps using 2FSK modulation and 2 Mbps using 4 FSK modulation
  • Voice connections : upto 6 full duplex conversations
  • Data Security : Blowfish encryption algorithm (over 1 trillion codes)
  • Data Compression : LZRW3-A algorithm

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The Big Question: What Tangents do I bring to my system that makes it different.

Use Xbee Radios to broadcast status and operate digital switches.

Types of devices: Asynchronus data devices

The SWAP protocol is a client server but is peer to peer between the control point and data devices.