Dome Systems, the ‘smart homes’ specialist, is attacking the growing UK automated homes market. The company is using the European Installation Bus (EIB) to help achieve this end:
Dome Systems, in partnership with Siemens Automation & Drives, has recently been aiming at developing the so-called smart homes market in the UK. Such homes use a range of systems to carry out energy management and building control tasks such as the control, monitoring and optimisation of building services. Services may include heating, ventilation, lighting, window blinds and alarm systems as well as domestic appliances, TV/VCR and hi-fi, plus energy and load management for energy efficiency.
The EIB system is an open multi-vendor system designed specifically for embedded home and building control networks. The central feature is the embedded control protocol, the digital language by which any number of devices in the building communicate. Using this, the devices - such as sensors, actuators, smart controllers and so on - can co-operate to perform distributed control application functions.
EIB offers the following:
- A standard OSI-based network protocol
- Communication using twisted pair and Powerlines
- A neutral, EIB Association-maintained specification, open for Association members
- Products and systems available from many vendors, all certified for compliance with EIB specifications
- The open system allows implementation by any manufacturer based on any suitable microprocessor
- A digital language for smart, distributed applications.
The partnership:
The Dome Systems / Siemens partnership has been designed to open up the UK residential market. The system used is controlled by EIB. This protocol has been used commercially for over 12 years and Dome Systems has helped Siemens to redesign it for the residential market.
The intelligence of EIB in this context is contained within a switch that can control a wide variety of devices ranging from blinds to lighting. Should the requirements of the room change, then the switch can be simply reprogrammed, so avoiding an expensive re-wire. In addition, brightness, temperature or movement sensors can be added to the bus to control heating or enhance security.
"Some degree of smart control is being considered by most leading developers in the UK" commented Dome Systems MD Colin Price. "We have seen how important it is for an affordable system to be installed that is not only dependable but also up-gradable and future-proof."
Target audiences for Siemens and Dome Systems include developers, architects, M&E Consultants and private house refurbishment projects.
A refurbishment application:
A good recent example of a refurbishment in which EIB was chosen to add automation functions and, therefore, value to a home, is the case of a six bedroom house on Hayling Island, near Portsmouth. The owner wanted automated control of lighting, fire prevention, entertainment, data and telecoms throughout the home.
Apart from control, Dome Systems has found that it needs to provide a one-stop-shop service for 'smart home' features. This has resulted in a product portfolio that includes Cat 5 data wiring, enhanced security systems, distributed video and multi-zone audio. The result is that Dome has had to rival many specialist installers, but the benefit for the property is that fewer contractors are on site.
The features chosen at Hayling Island include:
- All lighting control
- A four-zone Opus entertainment system
- Five zones of temperature control
- Plasma screen with surround sound
- Complete data system including home network
- PABX telephone exchange to control the number of lines coming into the property
- A four-zone distributed TV around the property
Key factors in the choice of EIB Smart Controls:
Initially, the owner's main priority was to choose a system that resulted in minimal amount of wiring being seen around the house. In addition, he wanted a system that was upgradable and, therefore, as future-proof as possible.
With a whole house refurbishment of this scale, in the region of a £750, 000, the 'smart home' features represent a very small proportion of the overall cost but represent one of the biggest aspects; one moreover, that will be used on a day to day basis. Not only has the owner got an enhanced property but he is also very aware that its value will be hugely enhanced and will more than make up for the cost of much of the installation.
Dome Systems has been closely involved at all design and installation stages of the property. To do this, the company worked closely with the electricians to keep to a three-stage fix. The benefit for the clients is that they have been able to quickly call on Dome, change their minds and adapt the system, as there is no clearly defined method of installation. The customer now has added features and functions without having to rewire - for example, lights in the cellar - taking instead a spur off the wire.
Project Manager is MD Colin Price and the electrical work has been subcontracted to LF Electrical of Emsworth in Hampshire. LF Electrical had not come across EIB before, but it has been an easy wiring system to understand and the company is keen to become an EIB expert itself.
Full order books:
This domestic example demonstrates that EIB can be embraced by foresighted developers who want to be seen with an individual property that is enhanced in value and style. Dome Systems' order books have been full as the building industry responds to a smart system that is dependable and proven. They can rely also on a company that has the support of Siemens and is able to deliver everything from a multi-apartment site to a million pound house.
About Dome Systems:
Dome Systems offers the full range of smart home technology to the residential housing market though developers and builders. As a member of the EIB Association, it designs, supplies and installs lighting and environment control, audio-visual and data.
About EIB:
The EIB Device Network is a powerful embedded control protocol for digital communication between smart devices. It combines flexible node architecture for devices with strong network management features on standard transmission media plus ensured multi-vendor interworking. The EIB Tool Software is a suite of dedicated PC tools for (off-line) design, (on-line) configuration and diagnostics of EIB installations.
The two-wire installation bus is laid parallel to the power supply network and the bus line connects the bus users (actuators and sensors in the home) to all functions in an installation. In this way the power network is greatly simplified compared with conventional networks. In principle, this differs hardly at all from other fieldbus systems designed primarily for industrial automation or plant control.
The power supply is fed directly to the field devices. A stranded standard MSR-line PYCYM or telecommunication cable J-Y (St)Y 2 x 2 x 0.8 is used as a bus line. The bus cabling can be laid under floors or in conduits and trucking systems and can be installed so that it lies parallel to the 230/400 V supply cables. The line serves not only for open information exchange between the actuators and sensors but also as a protected low-voltage supply.
Depending upon the application, bus components are available for flush/surface mounting, DIN-rail mounting, and for fitting inside or onto users' own devices. Typical sensors are command initiators such as switches, pushbuttons, anemometers, temperature sensors and brightness sensors. Actuators are typically command receivers such as control devices, dimmers, switches and display devices.
The EIB can be equally effectively in the smallest home or in the largest building because the system is hierarchical. Simple tasks can be accomplished by the bus line itself, upon which up to 64 bus devices can be operated and up to 12 bus lines can be joined together with a line coupler to one bus area. Up to 15 such bus areas can be connected together using an area coupler. Further afield, the EIB can be connected to other systems via suitable interfaces.
For more functions, application controllers can be installed. These offer further facilities such as time functions, event-driven handling of control sequences, logging, connection to diagnostic and programming devices and greater chaining in control sequences - all allowing the home owner or building manager greater layers of building automation and control.
The EIB Association controls and manages the EIB protocol specification, which is laid down in the EIB Handbook for Developers. This is done through an open Community Process, with reviews and voting cycles to which member companies of the Association may participate.
Any manufacturer can develop its own implementations if it chooses. EIB enables any suitable microprocessor can be used as a platform for implementation. Alternatively, manufacturers may prefer to simply make application-specific hardware and firmware - using certified EIB building blocks (transceivers, protocol stack implementations, protocol stack source code etc.), offered by a number of specialised system providers.
This, in essence, is how the EIB works.
Contact: Colin Price
Dome Systems
Tel: 01243 572172
Email: [email protected]