LONWORKS CASE STUDIES

Home Appliance Automation

Italy-based multinational Merloni Elettrodomestici, a leading European home appliance manufacturer, offers a new group of home products that use Echelon's LonWorks system to communicate with one another in the home and through the Internet to the outside world. The Ariston Digital marks the first commercial availability of "smart" appliances that work together to be easier to use, more reliable, and at lower cost to own. The Ariston Digital product family includes refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and other home appliances, as well as a multimedia, interactive, touchscreen home smart monitor that tracks the performance of all domestic appliances, while facilitating access to the Internet.

The use of LonWorks technology makes the Ariston Digital products easy to install and use (plug and play). No complex network configuration is required, and no new wires need to be installed. To connect a new appliance to the network, the homeowner just plugs it in. The intelligence is distributed in each appliance, eliminating the need for a central computer to process the data and control the appliances. All Ariston Digital appliances communicate with each other by exchanging information through the home's power mains using Echelon's powerline communications transceivers, eliminating the need for new wires. Embedded intelligence in each appliance enables each device to be constantly "aware" of how much power is being consumed in the home and to regulate the consumption accordingly to avoid the risk of a circuit overload or blackout. Should a circuit overload threaten, the appliances are able to decide which one should be given priority; for example, the washing machine over the oven.

This built-in intelligence and new sensors developed by Merloni also allow each appliance to supply better performance with lower consumption of resources like power and water. For example, an appliance can lower power costs by shifting its electricity usage to off-peak, lower-cost hours. Ariston Digital appliances communicate to the outside world via the Internet. Each appliance can regularly transmit information to the assistance center on its running conditions or to indicate possible faults, enabling the assistance center to act more rapidly and to provide a more accurate diagnosis of the problem. For example, in the case of a prolonged power outage, the transmission of an alarm can safeguard the food stored in the freezer compartment. Each appliance also maintains and analyzes important status information (washing or cooking cycles, power consumption, repairs, etc.) to optimize its own performance and to perform proactive troubleshooting. This information can also be used by the service center to perform remote diagnostics for any possible repairs quickly and accurately.

Apartment Building Automation

Life in France gets better every day; more and more "smart" apartment buildings are opening their doors. These state-of-the-art complexes provide convenience and safety to multitenant-building dwellers, plus control infrastructure necessary to building management and service suppliers. SILD, a joint venture of Schlumberger Industries and Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez, began automating such buildings in 1992. Meeting requirements for automated comfort control, energy management, indoor and outdoor communications, remote meter reading, plus access control and other security features, demanded a flexible, yet low-cost technology. SILD had less than a year to develop and deploy systems, in order to fend off competition from two government-subsidized contenders. LonWorks technology was selected as the basis for the new building control solution, dubbed "TIPI."

The TIPI product line today consists of four different LonWorks-based control modules: a building module, governing the whole building; a technical module, providing remote access to equipment; a doorway module, for access security; and a housing module, to control individual apartment environments. The key element in every module is a neuron chip, integrating three microprocessors, memory, interface electronics, operating system, and a seven-layer communication protocol, to help ensure interoperability among the TIPI building blocks. It all begins with the TIPI housing module, an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly device installed in individual apartments. This module offers a variety of services such as temperature management, voice messages, a simulated occupancy function, antiintrusion alarm, distress calls, a hands-free intercom, and environmental fault detection, all from a single control point. Outside each building entrance is a TIPI doorway module, a waterproof, fireproof, shockproof, tamperproof unit permitting direct communication with individual apartments. It incorporates a keypad for entering a personal entry code, issuing system commands, and searching residents'names to select and call specific parties. It also houses a closed circuit video camera for remote observation and controls entrance-hall lighting. Individual occupants can determine those persons allowed to enter, as well as selecting free access periods. Such functions contribute to improvements in both resident security and property protection for building owners. The TIPI building module provides the overall system with a centralized data management service and monitoring site. Designed as a rugged, high-availability component, it receives, stores, and sends voice messages for the residents; monitors the building's overall network operation; manages external communication; creates and updates logbooks for the manager, residents, and suppliers; and processes and transmits alarms. The fourth component, the TIPI technical module, allows remote access to such building services as monitoring, network management, and maintenance of technical equipment, often a key to reducing costs and improving comfort and security. Service providers can remotely access heating systems, elevators, utility meters (water, gas, electricity), and the like. Due to the variety in both type and location of such hardware, the technical module is designed as a simple and rugged unit that can be installed close to the equipment yet still be connected to the network. All TIPI services are available from the moment a resident moves in.

The TIPI solution has succeeded in both the new construction and retrofit markets, in traditional residential buildings and those designed for students or the elderly. Its use of LonWorks technology guarantees the flexibility necessary for fast customized designs. It also means being able to keep costs low, staying abreast of technological evolution, and taking advantage of a host of existing peripherals and software programs.