Building automation describes the functionality provided by the control system of a building. A building automation system (BAS) is an example of a
distributed control systemA distributed control system refers to a control system usually of a manufacturing system, process or any kind of dynamic system, in which the controller elements are not central in location but are distributed throughout the system with each component sub-system controlled by one or more...
. The control system is a computerized, intelligent
networkComputer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. Networking, routers, routing protocols, and networking over the public Internet have their specifications defined in documents called RFCs...
of electronic devices, designed to monitor and control the mechanical and lighting systems in a building.
BAS core functionality keeps the building climate within a specified range, provides lighting based on an occupancy schedule, and monitors system performance and device failures and provides email and/or text notifications to building engineering staff. The BAS functionality reduces building energy and maintenance costs when compared to a non-controlled building. A building controlled by a BAS is often referred to as an intelligent building system.
Topology
Most building automation networks consist of a
primary and
secondary busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
which connect high-level controllers (generally specialized for building automation, but may be generic
programmable logic controllerA programmable logic controller or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or lighting fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines...
s) with lower-level controllers,
input/outputIn computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world – possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...
devices and a
user interfaceThe user interface is the aggregate of means by which people—the users—interact with the system—a particular machine, device, computer program or other complex tool...
(also known as a human interface device).
The primary and secondary bus can be
BACnetBACnet is a Data Communications Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. It is an ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO standard protocol.- Definition :...
,
optical fiberAn optical fiber is a glass or plastic fiber that carries light along its length. Fiber optics is the overlap of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of optical fibers...
,
ethernetEthernet is a family of frame-based computer networking technologies for local area networks . The name comes from the physical concept of the ether...
,
ARCNETARCNET is a local area network protocol, similar in purpose to Ethernet or Token Ring. ARCNET was the first widely available networking system for microcomputers and became popular in the 1980s for office automation tasks...
,
RS-232In telecommunications, RS-232 is a standard for serial binary data signals connecting between a
DTE and a
DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
,
RS-485In telecommunications, EIA-485, also known as RS-485 is a standard for serial binary data signals connecting between a
DTE and a
DCE...
or a
wireless networkWireless network refers to any type of computer network that is wireless, and is commonly associated with a telecommunications network whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of wires...
.
Most controllers are
proprietaryThe word proprietary indicates that a party, or proprietor, exercises private ownership, control or use over an item of property.Terms relating to Proprietary include:*Proprietary chapel*Proprietary church*Proprietary colleges*Proprietary colony...
. Each company has its own controllers for specific applications. Some are designed with limited controls: for example, a simple Packaged Roof Top Unit. Others are designed to be flexible. Most have proprietary software that will work with ASHRAE's
BACnetBACnet is a Data Communications Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. It is an ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO standard protocol.- Definition :...
or the proprietary
LonTalkLonTalk is a protocol optimized for control created by Echelon Corporation for networking devices over media such as twisted pair, powerlines, fiber optics, and RF...
.
Inputs and outputs are either analog or
digitalA digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
(some companies say binary).
Analog inputs are used to read a variable measurement. Examples are
temperatureIn physics, temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that feels hotter generally has the higher temperature. Temperature is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics...
,
humidityHumidity is the amount of water vapour in the air. In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapour in a parcel of air to the saturated vapour pressure of water vapour at a prescribed...
and
pressurePressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
sensorA sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated glass...
which could be
thermistorA thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance varies with temperature. The word is a portmanteau of thermal and resistor. Thermistors are widely used as inrush current limiters, temperature sensors, self-resetting overcurrent protectors, and self-regulating heating elements.Thermistors differ...
, 4-20 mA, 0-10
voltThe volt is the SI derived unit of electromotive force, commonly called "voltage". It is also the unit for the related but slightly different quantity electric potential difference...
or platinum
resistance thermometerResistance thermometers, also called resistance temperature detectors or resistive thermal devices , are temperature sensors that exploit the predictable change in electrical resistance of some materials with changing temperature. As they are almost invariably made of platinum, they are often...
(resistance temperature detector), or wireless sensors.
A digital input indicates if a device is turned on or not. Some examples of a digital input would be a 24VDC/AC signal, an air flow
switchIn electronics, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most familiar form of switch is a manually operated electromechanical device with one or more sets of electrical contacts...
, or a volt-free
relayA relay is an electrically operated switch. Electric current through the coil of the relay creates a magnetic field which attracts a lever and changes the switch contacts...
contact.
Analog outputs control the speed or position of a device, such as a
variable frequency driveA variable-frequency drive is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. A variable frequency drive is a specific type of adjustable-speed drive...
, a I-P (current to
pneumaticsPneumatics is the use of pressurized gas to effect mechanical motion.Pneumatics is that branch of technology,which deals with the study and application of use of pressurised gas to affect mechanical motion....
)
transducerA transducer is a device, electrical, electronic, electro-mechanical, electromagnetic, photonic, or photovoltaic, that converts one type of energy or physical attribute to another for various purposes including measurement or information transfer .There are two kinds of transducers...
, or a valve or damper
actuatorAn actuator is a mechanical device for moving or controlling a mechanism or system. An actuator typically is a mechanical device that takes energy, usually created by air, electricity, or liquid, and converts that into some kind of motion....
. An example is a hot water valve opening up 25% to maintain a
setpointSetpoint is the target value that an automatic control system, for example PID controller, will aim to reach. For example, a boiler control system might have a temperature setpoint, that is a temperature the control system aims to attain....
.
Digital outputs are used to open and close relays and switches. An example would be to turn on the parking lot lights when a photocell indicates it is dark outside.
Controller
Controllers are essentially small, purpose-built computers with input and output capabilities. These controllers come in a range of sizes and capabilities to control devices commonly found in buildings, and to control sub-networks of controllers.
Inputs allow a controller to read temperatures, humidity, pressure, current flow, air flow, and other essential factors. The outputs allow the controller to send command and control signals to slave devices, and to other parts of the system. Inputs and outputs can be either digital or analog.
Controllers used for building automation can be grouped in 3 categories. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), System/Network controllers, and Terminal Unit controllers. However an additional device can also exist in order to integrate 3rd party systems (i.e. a stand-alone AC system) into a central Building automation system).
PLC'sA programmable logic controller or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or lighting fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines...
provide the most responsiveness and processing power, but at a unit cost typically 2 to 3 times that of a System/Network controller intended for BAS applications. Terminal Unit controllers are usually the least expensive and least powerful.
PLC'sA programmable logic controller or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or lighting fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines...
may be used to automate high-end applications such as clean rooms or hospitals where the cost of the controllers is a lesser concern.
In office buildings, supermarkets, malls, and other common automated buildings the systems will use System/Network controllers rather than PLC's. Most System controllers provide general purpose feedback loops, as well as
digital circuitDigital electronics are systems that represent signals as discrete levels, rather than as a continuous range. In most cases the number of states is two, and these states are represented by two voltage levels: one near to zero volts and one at a higher level depending on the supply voltage in use...
s, but lack the millisecond response time that PLC's provide.
System/Network controllers may be applied to control one or more mechanical systems such as an Air Handler Unit (AHU), boiler, chiller, etc., or they may supervise a sub-network of controllers. In the diagram above, System/Network controllers are often used in place of PLCs.
Terminal Unit controllers usually are suited for control of lighting and/or simpler devices such as a package rooftop unit, heat pump, VAV box, or fan coil, etc. The installer typically selects 1 of the available pre-programmed personalities best suited to the device to be controlled, and does not have to create new control logic.
Occupancy
Occupancy is one of 2 or more operating modes for a building automation system. Unoccupied, Morning Warmup, and Night-time Setback are other common modes.
Occupancy is usually based on time of day schedules. In Occupancy mode, the BAS aims to provides a comfortable climate and adequate lighting, often with zone-based control so that users on one side of a building have a different thermostat (or a different system, or sub system) than users on the opposite side.
A temperature sensor in the zone provides feedback to the controller, so it can deliver heating or cooling as needed.
If enabled, Morning Warmup (MWU) mode occurs prior to Occupancy. During Morning Warmup the BAS tries to bring the building to setpoint just in time for Occupancy. The BAS often factors in outdoor conditions and historical experience to optimize MWU. This is also referred to as Optimised Start.
An override is a manually-initiated command to the BAS. For example, many wall-mounted temperature sensors will have a push-button that forces the system into Occupancy mode for a set number of minutes. Where present, web interfaces allow users to remotely initiate an override on the BAS.
Some buildings rely on occupancy sensors to activate lighting and/or climate conditioning. Given the potential for long lead times before a space becomes sufficiently cool or warm, climate conditioning is not often initiated directly by an occupancy sensor.
Lighting
LightingA lighting control console is an electronic device used in theatrical lighting design to control multiple lights at once...
can be turned on and off with a building automation system based on time of day, or the occupancy sensors and timers. One typical example is to turn the lights in a space on for a half hour since the last motion was sensed. A photocell placed outside a building can sense darkness, and the time of day, and modulate lights in outer offices and the parking lot.
Air handlers
Most air handlers mix return and outside air so less temperature change is needed. This can save money by using less chilled or heated water (not all AHUs use chilled/hot water circuits). Some external air is needed to keep the building's air healthy.
Analog or digital temperature sensors may be placed in the space or room, the return and supply air ducts, and sometimes the external air. Actuators are placed on the hot and chilled water valves, the outside air and return air dampers. The supply fan (and return if applicable) is started and stopped based on either time of day, temperatures, building pressures or a combination.
Constant volume air-handling units
The less efficient type of air-handler is a "constant volume air handling unit," or CAV. The fans in CAVs do not have variable-speed controls. Instead, CAVs open and close dampers and water-supply valves to maintain temperatures in the building's spaces. They heat or cool the spaces by opening or closing chilled or hot water valves that feed their internal
heat exchangerA heat exchanger is a device built for efficient heat transfer from one medium to another. The media may be separated by a solid wall, so that they never mix, or they may be in direct contact. They are widely used in space heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, power plants, chemical plants,...
s. Generally one CAV serves several spaces, but large buildings may have many CAVs.
Variable volume air-handling units
A more efficient unit is a "
variable air volumeVariable air volume is a technique for controlling the capacity of a heating, ventilating, and/or air-conditioning system. The simplest VAV system incorporates one supply duct that, when in cooling mode, distributes approximately supply air...
(VAV) air-handling unit," or VAV. VAVs supply pressurized air to VAV boxes, usually one box per room or area. A VAV air handler can change the pressure to the VAV boxes by changing the speed of a
fanA mechanical fan is an electrically powered device used to produce an airflow for the purpose of creature comfort , ventilation, exhaust, cooling or any other gaseous transport....
or
blowerBlower may refer to:* Blower , a fish of the Atlantic coast of the United States and the West Indies* USS Blower , a submarine of the United States Navy...
with a
variable frequency driveA variable-frequency drive is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. A variable frequency drive is a specific type of adjustable-speed drive...
or (less efficiently) by moving inlet guide vanes to a fixed-speed fan. The amount of air is determined by the needs of the spaces served by the VAV boxes.
Each VAV box supply air to a small space, like an office. Each box has a damper that is opened or closed based on how much heating or cooling is required in its space. The more boxes are open, the more air is required, and a greater amount of air is supplied by the VAV air-handling unit.
Some VAV boxes also have hot water valves and an internal heat exchanger. The valves for hot and cold water are opened or closed based on the heat demand for the spaces it is supplying. These heated VAV boxes are sometimes used on the perimeter only and the interior zones are cooling only.
A minimum and maximum CFM must be set on VAV boxes to assure adequate ventilation and proper air balance.
VAV hybrid systems
Another variation is a hybrid between VAV and CAV systems. In this system, the interior zones operate as in a VAV system. The outer zones differ in that the heating is supplied by a heating fan in a central location usually with a heating coil fed by the building boiler. The heated air is ducted to the exterior dual duct mixing boxes and dampers controlled by the zone thermostat calling for either cooled or heated air as needed.
Central plant
A central plant is needed to supply the air-handling units with water. It may supply a chilled water system, hot water system and a condenser water system, as well as
transformerA transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core, and thus a varying magnetic field...
s and
auxiliary power unitAn auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle whose purpose is to provide energy for functions other than propulsion. Different types of APU are found on aircraft, as well as on some large ground vehicles.-Functions of APU:...
for emergency power. If well managed, these can often help each other. For example, some plants generate electric power at periods with peak demand, using a gas turbine, and then use the turbine's hot exhaust to heat water or power an absorptive chiller.
Chilled water system
Chilled water is often used to cool a building's air and equipment.
The chilled water system will have
chillerThe chiller brand Refrisat from Brazil is an international reference in water-cooled chiller. A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle...
(s) and
pumpA pump is a device used to move fluids, such as gases, liquids or slurries. A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. One common misconception about pumps is the thought that they create pressure. Pumps alone do not create pressure; they only displace fluid, causing a flow. ...
s. Analog temperature sensors measure the chilled water supply and return lines. The chiller(s) are sequenced on and off to chill the chilled water supply.
Condenser water system
Cooling tower(s)Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or rely solely on air to cool the working fluid to near the ...
and
pumpA pump is a device used to move fluids, such as gases, liquids or slurries. A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. One common misconception about pumps is the thought that they create pressure. Pumps alone do not create pressure; they only displace fluid, causing a flow. ...
s are used to supply cool
condenserCondenser may refer to:*Condenser , a device or unit used to condense vapor into liquid. More specific articles on some types include:*Condenser , a range of laboratory glassware used to remove heat from fluids....
water to the
chillerThe chiller brand Refrisat from Brazil is an international reference in water-cooled chiller. A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle...
s. The condenser water supply to the chillers has to be constant so, speed drives are commonly used on the cooling tower fans to control temperature. Proper cooling tower temperature assures the proper refrigerant head pressure in the chiller. The cooling tower set point used depends upon the refrigerant being used. Analog temperature sensors measure the condenser water supply and return lines.
Hot water system
The hot water system supplies heat to the building's air-handling unit or VAV box heating coils, along with the domestic hot water heating coils (Calorifier).
The hot water system will have a
boilerA boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Overview:-Materials:...
(s) and pumps. Analog temperature sensors are placed in the hot water supply and return lines. Some type of mixing valve is usually used to control the heating water loop temperature. The boiler(s) and pumps are sequenced on and off to maintain supply.
Alarms and security
Many building automation systems have alarm capabilities. If an alarm is detected, it can be programmed to notify someone. Notification can be through a computer,
pagerA pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then expected to call...
, cellular phone, or audible alarm.
- Common temperature alarms are: space, supply air, chilled water supply and hot water supply.
- Differential pressure switches can be placed on the filter to determine if it is dirty.
- Status alarms are common. If a mechanical device like a pump is requested to start, and the status input indicates it is off. This can indicate a mechanical failure.
- Some valve actuators have end switches to indicate if the valve has opened or not.
- Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, yet very toxic to humans. It consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom, connected by a covalent double bond and a dative covalent bond...
and carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state...
sensors can be used to alarm if levels are too high.
- Refrigerant
A refrigerant is a compound used in a heat cycle that reversibly undergoes a phase change from a gas to a liquid. Traditionally, fluorocarbons, especially chlorofluorocarbons are the traditional refrigerants, but they are being phased out because of their ozone depletion effects...
sensors can be used to indicate a possible refrigerant leak.
- Current sensors can be used to detect low current conditions caused by slipping fan belts, or clogging strainers at pumps.
At sites with several buildings, momentary power failures can cause hundreds or thousands of alarms from equipment that has shut down. Some sites are programmed so that critical alarms are automatically re-sent at varying intervals. For example, a repeating critical alarm (of a
uninterruptible power supplyAn Uninterruptible power supply , also known as a battery backup, provides emergency power and, depending on the topology, line regulation as well to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available...
in 'by pass') might resound at 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and every 2 to 4 hours there after until the alarms are resolved.
Security systems can be interlocked to a building automation system. If occupancy sensors are present, they can also be used as burglar alarms.
Fire and smoke alarm systems can be hard-wired to override building automation. For example: if the smoke alarm is activated, all the outside air dampers close to prevent air coming into the building, and an exhaust system can isolate the alarmed area and activate an exhaust fan to move smoke out of the area. Life safety applications are normally hard-wired to a mechanical device to override building automation control.
Manufacturers
- [Alerton] Technologies
Alerton is a United States company based in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1981, Alerton is a manufacturer of building automation systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning HVAC equipment....
- AMX, LLC
- ASI Controls
ASI Controls is a private United States company founded in 1986 in San Ramon, California. The company took its name from the core mission of providing application-specific intelligent controls for the newly emerging distributed digital control market. The founders were a small team led by William F...
- Automated Logic Corporation
Automated Logic Corporation is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, and manufactures building automation systems. Several of its technological innovations include: EIKON, a uniquely powerful, universal programming tool; SuperVision, a Graphical User Interface ; ALERT alarm management; Connect...
- Beckhoff Automation
Beckhoff Automation GmbH is a medium-sized, internationally acting company located in Verl, Westphalia, Germany. It was established in 1980 as a business unit of the Elektro Beckhoff GmbH, an electrical installation and retail company which was founded in 1953 by Arnold Beckhoff Senior...
- Carrier Corporation
The Carrier Corporation is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and a global leader in the commercial refrigeration and food service equipment industry...
- Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is a multinational corporation with more than 65,000 employees and annual revenue of US$36.10 billion as of 2009. Headquartered in San Jose, California, it designs and sells networking and communications technology and services....
- Citect
Citect was a software development company specialising in the Automation and Control industry. The main software products developed by Citect included CitectSCADA, CitectSCADA Reports, and Ampla.- History :...
- Computrols, Inc.
- Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Electronics is a company that manufacturers high-end systems for home automation and audio/video control. The hardware developed by Crestron includes control processors, touch panels, keypads, lighting control systems, amplifiers and audio servers....
- Dynalite Intelligent Light Pty Ltd
Dynalite is a former Australian control company that designs and manufactures technology solutions for lighting control, building automation, home automation and room automation applications and sells its products worldwide....
- EnOcean
The EnOcean technology is a proprietary environment not yet set out for international, European or national standardisation. However, EnOcean GmbH ist offering its technology and licenses for the patented features under license with the EnOcean Alliance framework. The concept was developed to...
- Honeywell Home and Building Control
Honeywell is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
- Invensys Building Systems
Invensys plc is a British engineering company, headquartered in London, England. The company is multinational with operations in over 60 countries, employing around 23,000 employees. Invensys is quoted on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:The company was...
- Johnson Controls Inc.
Johnson Controls, Inc. is a company, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It was founded in 1885 by professor Warren S. Johnson, inventor of the first electric room thermostat....
- MGO Building Automation Ltd.
MGO may refer to;*MgO, the chemical formula of Magnesium oxide.*MGO, abbreviation of Methylglyoxal.*Metal Gear Online, an online video game....
- Panduit
Panduit is a global manufacturer of physical infrastructure solutions that support power, communications, computing, control, and security systems. The company has a global coverage of more than 4,000 employees with support in over 120 countries...
- Priva
Priva is a Dutch privately owned company that sells equipment and software for climate and process control in horticulture and for buildings, being the world leader in the field in horticulture. The company headquarters are located in De Lier...
- Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a French global company. It was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Eugène I and Adolphe Schneider.In the first part of the 20th century, Schneider et Cie associated itself with Westinghouse Systems, a major international electrical group at the time. The group began...
- Siemens Building Technologies
Siemens AG is a German electrical and telecommunications companysiemens may refer to*siemens , the SI unit of electrical conductance, equivalent to 1 ampere/voltSiemens may also refer to:...
- Staefa Control System
- TAC
TAC is a Swedish-based building automation company in the fields of both energy solutions and security. It also operates in other countries including the United Kingdom and the USA and was originally established as Tour Agenturer in 1925 in Stockholm...
- Teletrol Systems Inc.
Teletrol is a United States company based in Manchester, NH. Teletrol is a supplier of building automation systems and components. Its products are designed to centralize the management and control of heating/cooling and lighting systems to reduce energy consumption and operating costs for...
- Trane Global Control Systems
Trane Inc. is a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand and is the successor company to the American Standard Companies. It is a global provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls under the Trane and American Standard brand names...
- Trend Control Systems Ltd.
Trend Control Systems Ltd is a United Kingdom based company, head-quartered in Horsham, UK.Trend are one of Europe's leading Building Management System manufacturers to worldwide HVAC markets....
- WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG
- Wonderware
Wonderware is a brand of industrial automation and information software products, owned by Invensys Operations Management , itself a division of the UK technology company Invensys. Having sold more than 500,000 software licenses in over 100,000 plants worldwide...
Protocols and industry standards
- ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) is an international organization for people involved in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or refrigeration (HVAC&R).
- BACnet
BACnet is a Data Communications Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. It is an ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO standard protocol.- Definition :...
is a network communications protocol for building automation and control systems that has been adopted worldwide as ISO 16484-5:2003. It has reached an agreement with SoftDEL SystemsSoftDEL partners with industrial product companies for control & connectivity based engineering services. The company focuses on real time, embedded and PC hosted software development and hardware design to provide product engineering solutions to customers across Process & Factory Automation,...
to establish an test lab for its BACnet products.
- C-Bus
C-Bus is a proprietary communications protocol for home and building automation that can handle cable lengths up to 1000 meter using Cat.5 cable. It 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...
- CIBSE Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers.
- DALI
The Digital Addressable Lighting Interface is a digital protocol for the controlling of lighting in buildings, such as electrical ballasts and dimmers....
- DSI
Digital Signal Interface is a protocol for the controlling of lighting in buildings . It was created in 1991 by Austrian company Tridonic ATCO and is based on Manchester-coded 8-bit protocol, data rate of 1200 baud, 1 start bit, 8 data bits , 4 stop bits, and is the basis of the more...
- Dynet
Dynalite is a former Australian control company that designs and manufactures technology solutions for lighting control, building automation, home automation and room automation applications and sells its products worldwide....
- Energy Star
ENERGY STAR is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products. It was first created as a United States government program in 1992, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted the program...
is program created by the United States governmentThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land...
to promote energy efficient consumer products.
- EnOcean
The EnOcean technology is a proprietary environment not yet set out for international, European or national standardisation. However, EnOcean GmbH ist offering its technology and licenses for the patented features under license with the EnOcean Alliance framework. The concept was developed to...
(batteryless, interoperable, wireless standard)
- KNX
KNX is a standardised , OSI-based network communications protocol for intelligent buildings. KNX is the successor to, and convergence of, three previous standards: the European Home Systems Protocol , BatiBUS, and the European Installation Bus...
, a system for Home and Building Controls
- LonTalk
LonWorks is a networking platform specifically created to address the needs of control applications. The platform is built on a protocol created by Echelon Corporation for networking devices over media such as twisted pair, powerlines, fiber optics, and RF...
is a protocol created by Echelon CorporationEchelon Corporation is an American company which designs control networks to connect machines and other electronic devices, for the purposes of sensing, monitoring and control....
for networking devices.
- Midac
MIDAC is an acronym created in 1981 by a Sydney-based business, Combined Resources Computing . It stands for Microprocessor Intelligent Data Acquisition and Control...
- Modbus
Modbus is a serial communications protocol published by Modicon in 1979 for use with its programmable logic controllers . It has become a de facto standard communications protocol in industry, and is now the most commonly available means of connecting industrial electronic devices...
- oBIX
oBIX is a standard for Web Services-based interfaces to building control systems. Building control systems include those electrical and mechanical systems that operate inside a building, including Heating and Cooling, Security, Power Management, and Life/Safety Alarms that are in nearly all...
- OpenTherm
OpenTherm is a protocol used in central heating systems between a central heating boiler and a thermostat or controller. It is a point to point protocol where one device is the master and the other the slave . Multiple devices can be linked by using the Multi Point to Point...
- ZigBee
ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard for wireless personal area networks , such as wireless headphones connecting with cell phones via short-range radio...
is a short range, low-powered wireless communication standard targeted at Building Automation.
- OpenWebNet
OpenWebNet is a Communication Protocol developed by Bticino since 2000.OpenWebNet Protocol allow a “high level” interaction between a remote unit and Bus SCS of MyHome domotic system....
- Building Management System
A Building Management System is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems...
- Control engineering
Control engineering or Control systems engineering is the engineering discipline that applies control theory to design systems with predictable behaviors...
- Control system
A control system is a device or set of devices to manage, command, direct or regulate the behavior of other devices or systems.There are two common classes of control systems, with many variations and combinations: logic or sequential controls, and feedback or linear controls...
- Home automation
Home automation may designate an emerging practice of increased automation of household appliances and features in residential dwellings, particularly through electronic means that allow for things impracticable, overly expensive or simply not possible in recent past decades...
- HVAC control system
A HVAC control system is a computerized control system for climate control in buildings. Stand alone control devices may be pneumatic or electronic. Some may have microprocessors, but to be considered a "control system" for the context of this article, computerized and networked are expected...
- Lighting control system
Lighting control system consists of a device, typically an embedded processor or industrial computer, that controls electric lights for a building or residence. Lighting control systems usually include one or more keypads or touch panel interfaces...
- Smart environment
See also
- Building Management System
A Building Management System is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems...
- Crestron
- Digital home
Digital home refers to a residence with devices that are connected through a computer network. A digital home has a network consumer electronics, mobile, and PC devices that cooperate transparently and simplify usability in the home. All computing devices and home appliances conform to the same...
- Hall Research Technologies