Objective and System Goals

The objective of this study is to integrate all home networks and offer Home Automation in heterogeneous environment. Therefore, the study proposes a MOM-based Home Automation platform (MHAP) in heterogeneous environments to achieve the objective.

Figure 1-2 shows the use cases of a basic Home Automation system in heterogeneous. The rule manager is the user configuring the scenario of automation.

The appliance operator is the user controlling the appliances. The system

administrator is the user managing the system. The appliances includes X10, Jini and LonWorks appliances. The external systems participating the Home Automation include location, temperature, motion detect and time system.

Figure 1-2 the use cases of a Home Automation System in Heterogeneous Environment

As Table 1-1 indicates, an ideal Home Automation system offers easy-to use configuration and control functions for user. Therefore, the user can reconfigure the scenario of Home Automation every time when his requirement changes. The user can also control and monitor the appliances and the subsystems at home through a consistent method. They needn’t prepare different controllers to control different appliances or subsystem.

Set automation

information Maintain appliance

information A Home Automation System in Heterogeneous

Environments

Table 1-1 configuration and control use cases for a Home Automation System

Use Case Actors Description

Login

Rule manager, System administrator, Appliance controller

The User uses account and password to login to MHAP.

Set automation rule Rule manager The user sets the rules for Home Automation.

View automation rule Rule manager The user browses the rules for Home Automation set before.

Delete automation

rule Rule manager The user removes the specified rule for Home Automation set before.

View appliance

information Rule manager The user browses the states of specified home appliance.

Control appliance Appliance operator The user sets the states of specified home appliance.

On the other hand, a Home Automation system requires the administration mechanism to manage the user permission and device information. Table 1-2 indicates the function of administration in a Home Automation.

Table 1-2 administration use cases for a Home Automation System

Use Case Actors Description

Add user System administrator The system administrator adds the account for new user.

Delete user System administrator The system administrator deletes the account of specified user.

View user

information System administrator The system administrator browses the account of specified user.

Set user permission System administrator The system administrator sets the permission of specified user.

Maintain appliance

information System administrator The system administrator sets URL for the profiles of the appliances.

An ideal Home Automation system offers both the scheduling and event-driven

automation. As Table 1-3 describes, the appliances can cooperate with any other subsystem or appliances even if they are supporting incompatible home network technologies.

Table 1-3 device automation use cases for a Home Automation System

Use Case Actors Description

Detect motion Motion detection system

External motion detection system detect the change of motion states and then MHAP checks if any Home Automation operation should be finished according to the rules.

Detect temperature Temperature detection system

External temperature detection system detect the change of temperature states and then MHAP checks if any Home Automation operation should be finished according to the rules.

Provide location

information Location system

External Location system detect the change of location states and then MHAP checks if any Home Automation operation should be finished according to the rules.

The MHAP executes Home Automation operations to control the X10 appliance, UPnP appliance, LonWorks appliance or Jini appliance.

The appliances change it state by itself, and then MHAP checks if any Home Automation operation should be finished according to the rules.

Provide time

information Time system

External time system detect the change of time states and then MHAP checks if any Home Automation operation should be finished according to the rules.

To meet all the Home Automation requirements, the MHAP has six main design

goals indicated and explained as follows:

1.2.1 Event-driven Home Automation

In a Home Automation system, events represent the changes of states of appliances or sub systems. Some Home Automation operations need events to trigger them.

Therefore, a complete Home Automation platform should support the event-based Home Automation. MHAP is proposed to provide the events across different home networks. To take a simple example, in MHAP, the change of the power state of an UPnP media player is an event which may trigger another Home Automation operation like closing an X10 light. With such mechanism, the person at home can close the light in living room by powering off the television in bedroom.

1.2.2 Protocol and Platform Independence

Another goal of MHAP is being device and protocol independent. Therefore, Home Automation not limited by the kinds of home networking technology. MHAP is designed for heterogeneous environments and over any existing or new device and protocol. Any kinds of the appliances capable of any home networking technology such as UPnP multimedia players, X10 motion sensors or INSTEON dim lights could join a MHAP system. When adding an appliance which uses an additional protocol, it can also cooperate with the existing appliances to finish Home Automation through MHAP.

1.2.3 Reliability and Fault Tolerance

Reliability and Fault Tolerance: Certain kinds of Home Automation operations, especially the operations of security systems, must be reliable (Figure 1-3). For example, there were a series of Home Automation operations executing, which automatically lock the door at 11:00 PM. If a child shut down the home gateway at that time, the MHAP should continue to finish the previous locking operation after

system restart.

Figure 1-3 reliability requirement of Home Automation System

On the other hand, when some appliances or certain part of the network fail, the system should be still effective because the Home Automation operation may relate to security closely. The MHAP should offer fault tolerant function to ensure the system’s working to handle the situation, especially when cooperating with Internet services.

1.2.4 High Scalability

People may buy new appliances and the appliances are joining Home Automation increasingly. However, increasing of the number of appliances at home should not apparently affect the performance of the MHAP. On the other hand, MHAP is designed to scale from home domain to building, campus and Internet. That is, the appliances at home can cooperate with other appliances at the building or an Internet service to facilitate human life.

1.2.5 Extensibility

High extensibility is an important goal of the MHAP. There may be some appliances only supporting additional home networking technology on market. The extensibility of MHAP makes new smart appliances and new home networking

L

Loocckk tthhee ddoooorr oonn 1111::0000 PPMM……......

doesn’t finish

technologies join the MHAP dynamically.

1.2.6 Easy to Use

MHAP is designed for providing human reconfigurable Home Automation and human convenient way to configure Home Automation at home. Every change of the Home Automation setting or scenario needn’t complex processing such as downloading separate macro program or configuration to each appliance. On the other hand, MHAP is proposed to provide convenient service deployment and management mechanisms. The Home Automation software needs update when the user plugs the additional appliances into the platform. MHAP will automatically download the updating software bundle from service provider through internet. When updating and activating the additional bundle, the other service running will not be affected.

Besides, the user can easily install, activate, deactivate and uninstall the software bundle from MHAP without stopping all services.