MyHA System Scope

Figure 3-2 MyHA System scope

Figure 3-2 is the top-view of MyHA and the environment. The base is MHAP and the white area is MyHA.

First of all, let’s see what entities are in this system, know what is performed in side this system and what should it to deal with. From the design view, we can define these entities as four categories: device, user, room and service.

In MyHA, users are service owner and more importantly, they are part of event creators. MyHA do not treat users as the central of the system as some other home automation system [19, 20], but the users’ home environment plays the significant role. This frame of reference can delight the system burden and simplify system structure, and still can fit DIY users’ requirements. As we abstract users as event

SSeerrvviiccee

creators, the system can be more flexible and users can exchange home service more easily[21-23].

3.3.1 Home Device

In MyHA system, a device is a household appliance, which routines household tasks, using electricity or some other energy input. Many home networking technologies[24] have developed such as UPnP, HAVi, X10, INSTEON, Jini[25] and LonWorks[26], they give appliances connection ability.

3.3.2 Home User

A home user is someone who is involved in the Home Automation System. They can be a power user who apply their requirements to the system and define how Service will work or just enjoy the services.

I classify Users according to their authority and duty into four types:

1. Chef Manager: A chef manager manages and defines the whole system.

Besides of the service made up, he/she also can set up the devices, person data, room information and the connection to the out side system.

2. Power User: They are end-user but own some privilege to make up their user-demanded services.

3. Bon Vivant (Normal User): some one who needn’t worry about how the System works and just take the advantage from the Service. (A Bon Vivant can order some exist service in System.)

4. Guest: Sometimes a guest is our boss, sometimes we just don’t want he/she get too close to our daily live. By using some simple identifier devices e.g. a finger print identifier, system can prevent a guest from crush into our bedroom but he/she can also use warm water in washing room in a cold cold wintertime.

Except for the Guest users, all users need ID/PW.

3.3.3 Room

Room is an area unit, the devices or services will work in it.

In the original HAMP design, system uses the room information as part of message topic and Region division to offer a Reliable Fault Tolerant Home Automation. I want to give room a more individual character, make the room data or we say the location information more useful for user demanded service.

3.3.4 Home Service

In the original design of MHAP, the service describes the functions that device can provide. In my design , the new service descriptors are divided into two kinds：1.

Basic service descriptor; 2. Home service descriptor.

Home service performs a particular job. The service is provided according to the home users’ demands or it is just an inner function using by the system and completed by a serial device works.

The following picture illustrates the life cycle of a service:

Grow Up Direct go

New Born

Stand-By

Hold Retire

Ready

Repair

On-Work Set up

In System

Dead

Figure 3-3 Reliability requirement of Home Automation System

A service will be given birth when an Appliance is plug on the system or a user want to create an on-demanded Service. At the first case, the Basic Service of that Appliance will be created by system automatically and immediately go through the Grow Up state to Ready .More over, by default setting, an On-Line Appliance its basic functions are also on-line, thus the Service is set to be on Stand-By state. When it comes to the second case, the Service will not change its state to Ready until the User completed the Set-up process

These states filled by gray are Mutual Services. A Mutual Service means that it has ability to work.

A Service at mutual state has fallowing attributes:

1. Application List

2. Event/Action procedure 3. User

Once a Service became a Ready Service, it will go to the Stand-by state or just be holding until the user call it up to Stand-by state. Even the Ready state looks like a

temporary state; only pass Ready state a service can start its career. A service on Hold state will not work, but it is still under system control, and Users and System can change and watch its content. If a user wants to change the setting of a service, or the system thinks a service need to be adjusted because of some devices or services in the system were changed and that may affect the Service working, the Service setting can be repaired and sent to Repair State. Once the repair is done, the Service goes to Ready state and moves to Stand-By or Hold state again.

A Service can retire when the System or users think it no longer usable. At this state, the System will not maintain the data of service. If users want some Services go back to working, those Services have to go Repair state first. Users can announce a Retire Service to be Dead state, and this service will be deleted form the System forever and ever.

3.3.5 Virtual Device

A Virtual Device is actually a Service. Two or more Appliances accomplish the Action part of this kind Service. Users can set a service, which is in mutual state, as a virtual device. A virtual device has a device descriptor as a real device.

When a service is in mutual state, users can define it as a virtual device and service will make a device descriptor for this virtual device。

One benefits of virtual device is that user can maintain this virtual device through universal device interface. Users can easily maintain their favorite Services. Further more, once a service became a virtual device, other services can operate it directly.

3.3.6 The Service Creation Flow

1. User proposes a Service demand.

2. Create the corresponding procedure.

3. Run down the Procedure Checker.

4. Subscribe the event( check out the correct express) 5. Mark up Time event.

6. Finish Service creation.

Make a Service 1

Submit rule express 2

Result 4

7 Subscribe Device Event 8 Subscribe Time Event Service Creation Success

9

5 Result

Rule Engine

User MOM Service Time Center

Send test rule.

3

Rule checker Service center

Figure 3-4 Reliability requirement of Home Automation System