Intelligent Office Automation

Advantech Company is a large international company with over 1000 employees. It has over 25 meeting rooms of varying sizes. Even so, meeting space requirements were not well met and caused constant problems. Inefficient use of existing meeting space created pressure for the Advantech Company to purchase additional conference facilities. In order to raise the efficiency of meeting room usage and save facility and energy cost, Advantech Company decided to integrate common facilities in their conference rooms.

After reviewing users’ needs and conference room facilities, there were five systems which needed to be integrated:
• Video conferencing
• Audio conferencing
• Lighting systems
• Presentation systems
• Distant training systems

After reviewing the Advantech company’s requirements, Advantech provided a scenario solution, multi-function conference room. This solution adapts four main devices to integrate with the existing systems: UbiQ-230, dimmer, Adam 4050 and an IR remote controller. Dimmer-controlled lighting creates a variety of lighting effects using adjustments in overall lighting intensity, plus fading, and delay. Adam 4050 controls the switching of electronic devices such as the projection screen, projector, camera, and video- and audio- conferencing facilities. The UbiQ-230T, a 3.5” scenario-control touch panel, features seven programmable keys for five scenarios: presentation, break, theater, e-learning, and video conference. Users can set scenarios with the UbiQ-230T, controlling lighting effects and switching electronic devices. When they are in a meeting, ABC company users can also use the IR remote controller, which has the same interface as the UbiQ-230T, to control all related devices as well, without touching the UbiQ-230T.

At the conclusion of this construction project, the versatile conference room demonstrated highly integrated functions. UbiQ-230T replaced many remote controls with different interfaces. Integrated facilities, and the unified, user-friendly interface, have reduced the previously steep learning curve. Now with improved integration, this conference room plays different roles for different users, and the room now enjoys a much increased usage rate. With this solution the company has also realized huge maintenance and energy savings.

Experience the Joyful eLifestyle- Digitalization Equals Smarter Home Living
Date: 10/8/2007

Integrating the home with the community

         Man used to dream about conveniences of the future: one can turn lights on or off with just a clap of the hands, and we can switch the power on or off at home with a simple telephone call. Today, these dreams are realities. All this exciting progress makes one wonder how far man will travel towards futuristic lifestyles made of brilliant ideas and magical conveniences.

Interview and editing by Ming; Photography by Shih Chi-Hong

"My house will be built with wood, glasses, cement and stones, and it will be built on a hill with most of the glass windows facing Washington Lake and overlooking Seattle to the west. It will provide a breathtaking view of sunsets and the magnificent Olympic Mountains. My house will also be built with silicon chips and software. A device with silicon microprocessor and memory chip powered by software will furnish the entire house with features of an interactive network and these features will be common to millions of houses to be built in the next few years. The technology I am using today is experimental; but after awhile, part of it will be widely accepted and adopted by the general public; it will also be cheaper than it is at present. My entertainment system can almost simulate actual usage of media in the future and with it, I can foresee the coexistence of different technologies."

This is Bill Gate's description of his mansion (which was under construction at the time) in his book Embracing the Future. The book was translated and published in Chinesein 1996. Looking back at his initial vision today, one decade later, one must admit that his visions have gradually become realities.

If we look at residential construction in Taiwan, the number of projects that are now incorporating digital and automated infrastructures have significantly increased in recent years. Some have been completed already. A couple of recent examples that have been completed include the Jia Xin Li Shui Gardenand Bao Lai Garden Square. Each represents a fine example of a well-known construction project. Although most of these involve luxury mansions, the trend is actually similar to the introduction of a new product in the IT industry: innovative products are adopted gradually; most new concepts begin at the top of a consumer pyramid and then gradually become more affordable, percolating down to the broader social strata.

What is the smart eHome?

It is 9:00 in the morning and Maggie is running late for work. She opens the door and dashes out of her house and waves for a taxi. When she finally settles down in her car, she recalls that she has forgotten to turn off her stove, on which she was boiling water. Calm and collected, she reaches for her mobile phone and connects to the network in her home through 3G and turns off the main switch for the gas stove instead of asking the driver to turn around and head back home (which used to happen a lot in the past).

At 10 A.M., Maggie's mobile phone rings. She glances at her phone and the face of her newly hired housekeeper shows on the phone's screen: her housekeeper is standing before the intercom at Maggie's front door. As she presses the doorbell, the system installedat Maggie's home immediately connects to the 3G network and notifies Maggie of her visitor's identity. After verifying the identity of her visitor, Maggie opens the lock on her front door to let the housekeeper in. As her housekeeper tidies the place, Maggie supervises her progress by accessing the surveillance camera in front of her house via the company computer.

Work is finished, and today is Maggie's birthday. Maggie plans to invite a few friends over and to prepare dinner herself for the occasion. She looks up the recipes for a few dishes on the internet and transfers the data to her digital system at home. The system then checks the fridge according to the list of ingredients stated in the recipes and discovered that some ingredients are not found. Then, the system sends a list of the required items to the supermarket and the items are delivered to Maggie's house before she gets home from work.

As Maggie enters her house, the groceries have just arrived, and the control panel of the intelligent building system on her wall alerts her of new messages left by her friends. She checks the messages to see a video left by her housekeeper. The housekeeper suggests that Maggie order new laundry detergent, and reminds her to buy some the next time she places order for the supermarket. After seeing the message, Maggie gets ready to cook. Before she begins, she picks up the remote and presses the Music button and the home system switches her computer on, and plays the new songs she downloaded only yesterday. Maggie's friends arrive after she finishes cooking. Maggie presses the Dine Mode button on her remote and the lights in her living room switch off instantly while her dining room lights dim down. Light jazz music comes on.

After a pleasant dinner, Maggie invites her friends to view the photos she took in Nepal. She presses “Video Viewing Mode” on the remote; the curtains close and the projector turns on immediately. The system accesses Maggie's computer at the same time and accesses her files in the designated folders. Breath-taking views of Nepalese Mountains appear on the screen.
After seeing her friends off, Maggie heads for the bathroom to brush her teeth before going to bed. She used to be rather forgetful and would sleep without turning the lights off somewhere in the house (either in the bathroom or the living room) and this always made her electricity bills too high almost every month. Butsince she moved into her new place, she only has to press the “Sleep Mode” button on her bedside table. Everything is taken care of. All the electronics in her home will be shut down from the central system.

Simplifying complicated chores makes for a more casual lifestyle

A Smart eHome is inclined towards automated controls that integrate three main utilities (water, electricity and gas) through a combination of hard-wiring and a wireless network. The concept for comprehensive control extends to all household systems, including: air-conditioning, lighting, home appliances, entertainment systems, internal communications, telecommunications and security surveillance systems. In the past, control of various household appliances were performed separately. But with the Smart eHome solution, users can create customized scenario control modules that precisely match their needs and can be managed from new, innovative daily life applications. For example, in Maggie's new system, the Movie Viewing mode is an option available on her controller: it combines control over television, lighting and curtains.

Apart from this kind of detailed control over interior scenarios at home, the Smart eHome system can also be used as an important medium for transmitting messages and information within the community; this convenience helps people to break free from the confines of concrete walls and creates a living space without boundaries. It also adds an extra layer of security that everyone can share. If we look at the structure of Advantech's eHome system, we see that the messaging and property management systems are similar to those that Maggie used in the scenario. Since construction of the system involves both elaborate interior wiring and an external cable layout, the system must be designed together with the building prior its construction. In other words, if Maggie moves out later, she wouldn't beable to take the system along with her. This fact distinguishes the Smart eHome from other digital and 3G systems so popular today: the Smart eHome is not portable – it's built into the residence.

Exterior design is crucial
 
Since the products used for constructing the Smart eHome system is usually integrated into buildings or home environments, they are usually dubbed: “intelligent building materials.” To properly complement interior designs, the aesthetic value of the components is another key consideration. Take Advantech's UbiQ eHome for example: its all-white design is stylishly succinct; it is instilled with a simple aesthetic concept: the product blends in perfectly with almost any type of interior décor.

 
Installation is a sideshow compared to post-installation maintenance

Since the Smart eHome system is not portable, there are bound to be obvious problems; nothing is moreimportant than post-installation maintenance. While no product can last forever, an integrated system built with parts of varying quality will be prone to even more problems. It is notable that the expected useable life of a residential building is typically over 50 years. However, the typical usage life of IT products currently on the market is only 2-3 years before they become obsolete or breakdown. So, what can be done if a relatively new residential system malfunctions? This problem can be tackled in two ways. The first way is to look for established companies willing to offer long-term warranties for parts, a company like Advantech, a globally recognized industrial PC manufacturer. The company is a proven manufacturer of industrial-standard control devices that offer a higher stability compared with other consumables. Advantech provides a minimum five-year warranty on spare parts, so users won't need to worry whether or not replacement parts will be available if the system malfunctions.

The second method for anticipating problems is to work on better designs. Generally speaking, conduits for electrics that are built inside walls are not likely to suffer any problems; items which are likely to be damage-prone include the various panels mounted onto walls and light switches.

One notable exception to the longevity rule is that the operation interfaces of the Smart eHome are expected to have a shorter lifecycle. Why? Because touch screens and mounts can be upgraded more easily than the cabling behind the walls. Therefore, eHome interfaces and the wall panels within which they are mounted must be custom-made and easy to disassemble for quick maintenance. Incidentally, industrial PC manufacturers have the capacity to provide such services. Viewing current trends in this market, it's evident that industrial PC manufacturers are the main promoters of Smart eHome systems, so it is quite likely that their lead in this field of expertise will continue to grow.

Smart Home Application in Luxury House
Date: 10/9/2007

Bao Lai Garden Square is situated amidst a cluster of luxury housing complexes in Taipei 's Xinyi District in Taiwan . While the architecture boasts the elegance typical of luxury mansions through its ample spatial design, the owner expressed his desire to provide futuristic lifestyle conveniences for the building's residents that can rival Tokyo 's Ronppongi Hills. To achieve this vision, we began work from the concept of “Intelligent House,” “ Intelligent Building ” and “Intelligent Community” and came up with the three-in-one “Intelligent Building System.”

• Main product: EH-7106 Residential Terminal
• Primary focus on “security surveillance” and “real-time communication”

The core of the Advantech Intelligent Building System (IBS) features an “intelligent property management system,” which is somewhat like a butler in English mansions. The system provides residents with e-services that include housekeeping services, community activity notifications and even information about restaurants within close proximity. Residents are able to make reservations or place orders using a touchscreen terminal and an image-based user interface.

In this particular case, since the owner has placed primary emphasis on security surveillance and real-time communication. He specifically requested that all image signals be processed in real time during communications; so, we chose to set up a network with a vertical fiber optic backbone for improved transmission efficiency. For better real-time image communications, videophones were selected over IP units along with Advantech's EH-7106 Residential Terminal. The layout of each household security surveillance device is positioned on the system map; in this way, we hope to simplify operations for residents, and offer rapid response, two-way interactions for alerts and notifications.

For example, if a household smoke detector in building “A” is activated, the system will not only notify residents through mobile phone text messages, but it also sends alerts to the community administrator's computer. After instantaneous verification, the IBS notifies all the terminals in the community (the residents' 10.4” touchscreen terminal, server and the administrator's PC) through the LAN, broadcasting real-time notifications over the standard TCP/IP.

The IBS uses a community LAN, a fiber optic backbone, along with Cat.6 network cables to integrate the net. Security data from each household is gathered at each household data control box. Signals to the 10.4” touch screen terminals are routed via RS-486 cables, which are installed in each household for to receive and trigger alerts. These terminals can relay notifications across the network to the central community server and to the administrator's terminal.

Zero security vulnerability with ATS system

A total of 104 households participated in this case study, and the entire construction of the “Intelligent Building System” involved 110 Advantech EH-7106 Residential Terminal units. Six additional 10.4” touchscreen terminals were placed in public areas, mainly for network video phone communications and for browsing the community webpages. Three IBS Servers and relevant TCP/IP communication were installed as control interfaces.

The Advantech IBS has integrated community security surveillance, two-way video communications, video telephones, home security integrations, household appliance control interfaces, home scenario controls, DVR real-time surveillance functions, home image messaging, real-time messaging and so forth. Other functions are available, like visitor greeting and message management, response to information queries, information feeds related to the residents' daily lives. All can be easily completed using the residential terminal, which greatly enhances the security of the residents' home living space.

An intelligent control box was installed on the balcony of each household. This intelligent control box can be conceived of as the system's “central nervous system;” its main function is to link the interior wiring with the main lines running into the community. All the interior wiring is verified by the intelligent control box system, and accordingly, the system integrators planned the most logical route for wiring, so that the system could monitor it, and deliver useful data.

Physical wiring included: circuits for the intercom (in this case, one intercom for each household, plus a sub-unit in the washroom of the master bedroom and a 10.4” touchscreen terminal for integrated intercom functions); light control circuits (five sets per household, concentrated in living room/dining room areas); and an image feed for security surveillance (accommodating up to forty video cameras for the entire community).

It is worthy to note that to integrate different wiring harnesses, the set up must be designed to avoid confusion or interference between different types of wires. For instance, although routed together, signal and power cable harnesses must be separated into individual tubes during the interior wiring process. It is also crucial to choose dedicated wiring with adequate protective insulation that is intended for use with control cables.

In addition to the conveniences offered by the IBS, digital technology can also be applied to increase safety by managing equipment commonly found in households, including gas detectors, anti-theft sensors, emergency help buttons and so forth. In the event of an emergency, the system will be able to activate these devices immediately. All security related information can be transmitted to home owners who are away via e-mail or mobile phone textmessages. These notifications will also be sent to the community management center for rapid response to emergencies.

The multi-functional IBS must run smoothly enough to guarantee zero security vulnerability for all residents; so, a reliable power supply is crucial. The electrical SI ( Tsun Yu Technology ) outfitted a new circuit in the community to connect its ATS to the IBS for backup power. Even if the supply of power is suddenly interrupted, the IBS will resume normal operations with backup power.

Five major features of Smart eHome

In order for residents to enjoy the convenience brought by the intelligent building system, we included five major features:

I. Community video phone:

(1) Digital video phones for the entire community.

(2) Video conferencing between households within the community (residents can choose to send their own images-en to the other party in the conferencing session).

(3) Integrated video intercomset is available at the front door of each household and one sub-unit located in the master bedroom.

(4) Residents can access the intercom and open their front doors through household telephones (optional).

II. “One-Touch” home scenario control:

Eight sets of home scenario modes are available on the touchscreen terminal for residents to make “One-Touch” adjustments.

(1) Residents can control home lighting and related devices through the 10.4" touchscreen terminal (five lighting circuit patterns have been programmed as a standard feature for each household).

(2) The “scenario modes” can be edited freely by residents at anytime according to personal preferences. For example, residents can determine which lights should turn on or off in “dining mode”; the brightness setting may be timed and adjusted between 50% or 70%, likewise, curtains may be opened or closed. All these operations are as easy as using your mobile phone and users can tweak the atmosphere oftheir home environments according to their own needs without seeking help from technicians to update configurations (light adjustment equipment is also available as an option).

(3) The easy-to-use operating interface minimizes the learning difficulty for new users.

(4) Residents can control home lighting, electrical appliance circuits and home scenario modes with their PC, PDA, or laptops over the network.

III. Helpful and convenient community e-Message system:

(1) Community management notifies residents about parcel and registered mail deliveries through the IBS administrator's dedicated system, improving management efficiency.

(2) The community electronic notice board posts real-time messages; the community administrator can update public announcements at any time.

(3) The community administrator can provide private notification services with text messages for residents.

IV. Integrated home security functions:

Each household is equipped with a security and detection device at the main entrance, including: gas detector, emergency help button and so forth. In the event of emergencies, alert messages will be sent to the management center.

(1) Residents can monitor the security status of their homes through the 10.4” touchscreen terminal and adjust anti-theft security settings, and enable or disable their household alarms.

(2) Alarm notification data is synchronized at the community management center in real-time. Text messages can be sent to residents' mobile phones (residents can choose not to use this function; each household can configure up to three sets of numbers).

(3) The community management center can send emergency notifications to specific households or all households in the event of incidents in the public area that may threaten residents' security.

V. Real-time imaging and accessible surveillance functions:

(1) Real-time video images-en by all the surveillance cameras positioned in the community's public areas can be accessed from anywhere within the community. In other words, each household can function as a surveillance center.

(2) Residents can receive digital video images-en in real-time from surveillance cameras throughout the community's internal public network.

(3) Residents can connect additional surveillance peripherals such as internet camera or DVR consoles to be directly integrated with the 10.4” terminal through the network to view real time video image captured bysurveillance cameras at any time (option).

PT1: Integrated e-Home infrastructure controls available via a single 10.4” touchscreen terminal.

Control the boundaries of your system -- easily

In recent times, development of new communications technology has led to the creation of various universal application systems for home security devices. New e-Home platform equipment can create an interface for communications between users and those sharing and protecting their living spaces. Through systematic infrastructural linkage and integration of control systems, we may create a rich variety of solutions to manage living spaces intelligently. These novel solutions are no longer limited to functions that are currently available; and we at Advantech believe, with more technological breakthroughs in the future, the potential for the “Smart eHome” will be absolutely limitless in days to come.