FEATURE SWITCHES, DISPLAYS & UIS
IT’S HOME, SMART HOME
Home/building automation has the potential to transform our everyday surroundings, helping us keep up with the unrelenting pace of the modern world. Bridgetek takes us through the appeal of these applications, through the frame of their display technology
F
rom a safety/security perspective, a higher degree of automation can guard us against the possibility of an intruder entering our home, as well as offering elevated vigilance with regard to fire or flooding. On top of this, there are the benefits it can bring to the aged and infirmed, enabling and simplifying activities, such as atmospheric maintenance, that ensures a sustained quality of life. The widespread deployment of home/ building automation equipment has not taken place at anything like the rate that was originally expected though. One of the main reasons is that each player in the market has brought out their own solution to serve a particular function (whether it is involved in heating, lighting, etc.), with little, if any, thought about interoperability with other solutions addressing different tasks. Hence all of the resulting subsystems require their own dedicated control units or smartphone apps.
As a consequence of this, an over-complicated arrangement currently exists, where a multitude of user interfaces have to be dealt with, each relating to a separate function and each having has its own look and navigation framework. What is really needed is a way of connecting the numerous subsystems together through one all-encompassing platform, with a consolidated user interface that significantly simplifies operation. The difficulty here has been bridging together the respective communication protocols that each of the subsystems involved relies upon.
By having a centralised architecture
with a consistent user interface style (instead of distinct user interfaces for each subsystem), all of the functions would be easier to access. It would also mean that different functions might be coordinated with one another - allowing
18 OCTOBER 2019 | ELECTRONICS
via a smart app. In addition to these options, Amazon Voice Service has been incorporated into the PanL platform for Alexa-based responses to vocal commands and sounds. PanL has been designed to be compatible with the hardware and software from key manufacturers, including OSRAM, Philips, Heimann, Daikin, iHorn, NYCE, EuChips, DMX, Somfy, etc. Thanks to its cascading capability, the platform is fully configurable and scalable, allowing hardware to be added/removed as requirements change. Taking things beyond the confines of
the curtains to be drawn at the same time as the lighting turns on, as just one example. Through its PanL solution, Bridgetek is pushing for a more integrated approach to home/building automation. As the focal point of this, its PanL Hub supports numerous wireless and wired connectivity protocols. These include WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ethernet, as well as other common protocols (such as DALI, DMX512 and Hue). It is thus able to connect with a broad range of home/ building automation hardware. The upshot of this is that lighting, heating, air conditioning and building access subsystems, as well as the motors responsible for opening/closing curtains or blinds (plus other forms of actuators), can all be controlled from the same user interface. In addition, input data (concerning ambient illumination levels, person proximity, presence of smoke, etc.) from sensors situated throughout the living/working space, can be captured and subsequently utilised. Control may be executed either
through the wall-mounted, touch- enabled display units situated around the buildings’ interior, or remotely
the home, this technology can also assist in the office, ensuring full utilisation of available assets, akin to Smart Analytics programmes made popular recently. The PanL Room Manager will enable the booking of meeting rooms, checks and booking alterations, preventing clashes; room access is gained by entering a passcode into the touch display unit, or via its RFID feature (using a staff card to activate it). This is complemented by the PanL Desk Manager, which attends to the needs of employees that are ‘hot desking’, so that desk space can be rapidly assigned and maintained. Areas that are vacant can be indicated, then booked through a QR code. In both these use cases, office administrators will have visibility of how regularly resources are being made use of, in order to decide if there is enough to satisfy demand. By getting away from the disjointed
structure that has characterised Smart automation until this stage, and concentrating instead on the user experience, this market will be able to flourish. A smarter future now lies ahead.
Bridgetek
www.brtchip.com / ELECTRONICS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
