Feature Wireless Technology Making M2M work for you
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication enables equipment to interact with other equipment, typically without human intervention. Here, EnOcean highlight that the advantage of M2M is also one of its greatest challenges - the ability to make different communication protocols work together. That’s why M2M requires open, standardised technologies that can be seamlessly networked to form a system
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ifferent wireless standards such as GSM, Bluetooth and WiFi sup- port M2M applications in which large volumes of data must be
transmitted quickly, for example in smart metering or various PC controlled sys- tems. However, the high data rate comes at the price of high energy demand at the remote node, which requires a continu- ous supply of power either over cables or using high capacity batteries.
provide automation systems with the data to properly control the build- ing and its energy consumption. It is not much of a stretch to go from building automation to a M2M system. Facility managers can integrate and network building services as well as multi-media devices and other techno- logical areas into the building automa- tion system. This building automation
Building automation to M2M The more extensive the network, the more devices need to be integrated. As a result, common building automation wireless standards are increasingly coming into play for M2M communi- cation. Protocols such as KNX, LON, BACnet and DALI are used to auto- mate lighting, HVAC shades and secu- rity systems. Sensors detecting temperature, moisture, occupancy or CO2
Right: the smart grid is rapidly becoming a major part of the energy supply network
ing technology has been an important success factor for the establishment of the technology on the market. For this reason, the EnOcean Alliance, a consortium of companies working to develop and promote self powered wire- less monitoring and control systems, have formalised standardised applica- tion profiles (EnOcean Equipment Profiles, EEP 2.5). They allow for prod- ucts from different manufacturers to be able to communicate and work amongst themselves. Via gateways, EnOcean wireless devices can be connected to dif- ferent communication standards such as BACnet, LON, TCP/IP, KNX or DALI.
Possible applications
Below: applications for energy harvesting wireless technology include monitoring maritime shipment containers or cold chain systems in supermarkets
and maintenance-free sensors into existing WiFi or mobile networks. Energy harvesting wireless technology stems from a simple observation - where sensor data resides, sufficient ambient energy exists to power sen- sors and radio communications. Harvestable energy sources include motion, indoor light and temperature dif- ferentials. These sources provide suffi- cient energy to transmit and receive radio signals between wireless switches, sensors, actuators and controllers, sus- taining vital communications within an energy management system. Instead of batteries, miniaturised energy converters generate power for the wirelessly com- municating devices.
principle can also be transferred to other automation processes, for exam- ple industrial control or logistics.
Batteryless flexibility Traditionally, wireless solutions required power cables or batteries, which can be a drawback in complex M2M applications. Batteries last for a limited time, and must be replaced regularly and disposed of properly. This can prove costly and lead to down-times.
Energy harvesting wireless technol- ogy can overcome this challenge - con- necting a large number of batteryless
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Standardised communication The radio protocol is standardised as ISO/IEC 14543-3-10 and uses sub 1GHz frequency bands. This provides a safeguard against other wireless transmitters, whilst offering fast system response and elimination of data collisions. Telegrams transmitted by the protocol are less than one mil- lisecond in duration, and are transmit- ted at a data rate of 125kbs per second. A major system requirement is inter- operability between the products of different manufacturers - which is why M2M calls for standardised tech- nologies. Interoperability of different end products based on energy harvest-
Energy harvesting wirelessly is becom- ing the established standard for the last leg communication level in M2M appli- cations. An example is the smart grid, which is becoming a major part of the energy supply network. It’s intended to network centralised and decentralised energy suppliers to an intelligent system that provides energy only when needed, updating in real time. This requires con- tinuous data flow and processing from all involved parties, which means from millions of information points. One key to this is a smart metering system. To work reliably and cost effi- ciently, interoperability between the meters is supplied by different manu- facturers. The members of the EnOcean Alliance have defined a spe- cific device communication protocol, the Automated Meter Reading (AMR) profile for batteryless wireless devices. Other M2M applications for energy harvesting wireless technology include monitoring maritime shipment contain- ers or cold chain systems in supermar- kets. In all these scenarios, wired systems would be too elaborate in their technology and by no means cost effec- tive. Energy harvesting wireless tech- nology is consequently set to play an increasingly important role in realising deeply interconnected M2M systems more reliably, more conveniently, more economically and utilising existing communication technologies.
EnOcean
www.enocean.com T: 0794 0039 328
Enter 218 OCTOBER 2013 Automation
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