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HOME AUTOMATION: INNOVATIVE HOUSES

home automation

HOME AUTOMATION: INTRODUCTION

Home automation is the science that deals with the study of technologies suitable for improving the quality of life in the home.

This highly interdisciplinary area requires the contribution of many technologies and professionals. These include construction engineering, architecture, energy engineering, management engineering, automation, electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications, computer science and design.

WHAT IS HOME AUTOMATION

Home automation was born during the third industrial revolution in order to study, find tools and strategies to:

  • improve the quality of life;
  • increase security;
  • simplify the design, installation, maintenance and use of the technology;
  • reduce management costs;
  • convert old rooms and facilities.

Home automation plays a very important role in making equipment, installations and systems intelligent. For example, a smart electrical system can self-regulate the switching on of appliances so as not to exceed the threshold that would trigger the meter. The term “smart home” refers to an environment that provides the user with systems that go beyond the “traditional”. In this environment equipment and systems are capable of performing partially autonomous or user-programmed functions or, recently, fully autonomous functions.

At a higher level we talk about building automation or “building automation”. The intelligent building, with the support of new technologies, allows the coordinated, integrated and computerized management of technological systems, computer networks and communication networks, in order to improve management flexibility, comfort, safety and to improve the quality of living and working inside buildings.

It should be noted that home automation does not always allow for energy savings in private homes, in fact the very consumption of the home automation system may increase the energy needs of the home. Thanks to home automation, systems of this type can be used in other contexts such as hospitals, homes for the disabled, or in companies to manage night lighting, supervise a photovoltaic system, etc..

home automation

THE SMART HOME

Home automation can be controlled by the user through appropriate user interfaces, which make contact with the intelligent control system, based on a central computer unit or on a distributed intelligence system. The different components of the system are connected to each other and to the control system through various types of interconnection. The KNX protocol has been developed for the interconnection of the different components in a home automation environment.

The centralized control system, or the set of peripheral devices in a distributed intelligence system, carries out the commands given by the user; continuously monitors environmental parameters; autonomously manages some adjustments and generates any alerts to the user or to remote assistance services. Automation systems are usually designed so that every time a command is operated, the user is notified through a visual warning/confirmation of the operation carried out or, in the case of systems for the disabled, with other types of signalling.

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

A home automation system is completed, usually, through one or more communication systems with the outside world to allow control and visualization of the status even remotely. Communication systems of this type, called gateways or residential gateways perform the function of advanced routers, allowing the connection of the entire home network to the outside world, and therefore to the public domain networks. Example of functions of an intelligent lighting system: multiple and automatic switching on of lights according to specific scenario conditions; automatic switching on according to patterns copied from reality of lights after the automatic recognition of a prolonged absence; centralisation of the switching off or auto switching off of lights when the absence of users is recognised; completely autonomous and automatic management of lighting.

The programming of the new gateways also allows the creation of Virtual Rooms, which combine the functions of several devices in a single device even if they do not belong to the same group. This innovative programming has given the meaning of “behavioral” to the classic home automation contributing to the birth of the category Switch-Home, from the union of the term switch, understood as a change / transition, and the term home, home.

CHARACTERISTICS

The technological solutions that can be adopted for the realization of a domotic system are characterized by peculiarities of use typical of household objects:

  • Simplicity;
  • Continuity of operation;
  • Reliability;
  • Low cost;
home automation

ADVANTAGES

Home automation technologies also allow you to get some benefits such as:

  • Energy saving: a fully automated system should avoid the costs generated by energy waste due to forgetfulness or other situations.
  • Automation of daily actions: a home automation system must simplify some daily actions, especially the repetitive ones, it must not complicate them in any way.

All these features, if not developed individually but as a whole, lead to the creation of an integrated home automation system that can simplify life inside the home. The house becomes intelligent not because intelligent systems are installed in it, but because the intelligent system with which it is equipped is able to control and manage the operation of the systems present in an easy way. Currently, the technological equipment is poorly integrated with each other and the control is still largely manual, in the home automation equipment is controlled by a single automated system that makes an intelligent control.

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Finally, if you need personalized guidance on making your home smart with home automation, send an email to valeriadesign@casaomnia.it! Drop by our online portal CasaOmnia.it!

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