Case studies
16
Sensor Readings
Advantech systems in building automation Improving building comfort and energy savings by Advantech WebAccess
monitor energy consumption so that it provides a comfortable, safe and secure environment.
During the energy crisis of the 1970s there was a sea-change in the building industry when it paid more attention to the idea of conserving energy and introduced the terms Building Management System (BMS) and Building Automation System (BAS). Continuing rising energy prices and carbon reduction issues have also spurred the development and deployment of BMS in recent years. However, the early systems were bulky, not user friendly, unreliable, and very expensive. With the advent of computerization, BMS analog signals became digitized so as to be communicated over long distance as well as facilitating the building management process these issues became less.Due to the multiple many management functions and wide range of expertise, modern BMS is quite complex. Successful building management not only needs to link to a multitude of devices but also take account of the suitability of the software for the intended application. Equipped with a web browser-based software package for human-machine interfaces (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) which provides automated, centralized and unattended management with a high degree of electronic accuracy, the BMS can fully control the building’s mechanical and electrical equipments and thus effectively
System requirements Property management is facing various and complex challenges and reducing operating costs have become increasingly important for building owners. As a result, a growing number of new and refitted buildings are being designed to use less energy and focus on the building’s performance. A System Integrator was helping a builder implement advanced BMS for its newest construction project in a creative park in Asia. The construction, a 14-storey building with four underground floors, covers an area of nearly one hundred thousand square meters and contains three distinct sectors - shopping mall, hotel guest room floors and office floors. In order to provide optimal energy management, this BMS needed to be capable of monitoring and controlling a variety of facilities, including air conditioning, power system, plumbing system, fire system, ventilation, elevator, lighting, garden watering and so on. Meanwhile, using one system with an adequate number of nodes in a main control room to manage three different places was a key requirement but each place had to have their own dedicated system and can be controlled independently without mutual interference so as to saving the implementation costs. Due to the need to monitor many areas, there would be tens of thousands of detection points, and the new system also needed to offer remote control capabilities so that building managers or patrol staff can view the status of various facilities in real-time and deal with issues using handheld or mobile devices.
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Successful building management not only needs to link to a multitude of devices but also take account of the suitability of the software for the intended application
System requirements As well as employing Advantech’s DDC controller and BAS-3000 series remote I/O modules to connect various devices on both the inside and outside of the building,
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and adopting a 12" industrial panel as an on-site HMI terminal for electromechanical cabinets, the kernel of this solution is HMI/ SCADA Software. Advantech WebAccess is a multi-layer networking architecture system and its almost unlimited nodes allow users to link a large number of remote clients to a central server. Based on a unified energy management framework and the area of responsibility concept, the system is divided into three BAS subsystems (each with about 12,000 clients) to manage the shop, hotel and office areas. The building manager can supervise the operational conditions of subsystems from the control center while each of them can operate alone in normal times but support each other when necessary. The dynamic display provides a mechanism for refreshing the state of the graphs, real-time data, historical trends and alarm information. Through a standard web browser or mobile client, users can use tablet PC to view, control and configure the system remotely. To prevent unauthorized data changes, WebAccess supports various privileges torestrict display and data access so as to enhance system security. In addition, this SCADA system can automatically turn on or off the facilities to maintain the best operating conditions with the lowest cost in light of the user’s operating strategy. Conventional periodic maintenance and overhaul (every six months) would also change in accordance with the operating hours of the equipment. Proper maintenance practices can greatly save manpower and improve work efficiency. Alarm or fault notification can be supplied via several methods such as immediately displaying on screen or sending short messages, e-mails and reports to the manager. Therefore, the person in charge can quickly find out the failures so as to quickly troubleshoot the problems and make sure that the building is always operating efficiently. l
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Sensor Readings
Case studies
17
Liquidware provides HMI to manufacturer Liquidware revamps human-machine interface and enhances motor controller performance Helping create the next generation of products for an industrial equipment manufacturer, Liquidware revamped the humanmachine interface and enhanced motor controller performance, promoting sales of the manufacturer’s equipment, and its proprietary automation software. Challenge A leading manufacturer of industrial automation controllers found that customers were interested in an upgraded, more intuitive human-machine interface (HMI). Motor controllers and automation equipment have long lifecycles, and can be installed to operate a wide variety of machinery. For their next generation product, the client was interested in designing a modern, powerful HMI that would further distinguish their equipment from the competition. Solution The manufacturer was interested in using a discrete, self-contained, embedded computer as a programmable HMI. This had the advantage of allowing customers to select different HMI depending on their budget and needs, and also allowed them to upgrade the HMI over the lifecycle of the controller. Liquidware Liquidware recommended that the manufacturer segment the customer base and design a modular HMI that could be swapped or upgraded according to the customer’s needs. This also allowed the manufacturer to scale production of their motor controllers and proprietary sensor equipment while allowing customer demand to determine the embedded computer and HMI used. Based on the manufacturer’s research and analysis, Liquidware developed 3 different HMIs- each designed to serve a different purpose. Simpler HMIs were designed to serve as a switch panel for basic functions
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and local control. These devices were equipped with 2.8” resistive touchscreens and sub-100 MHz microcontrollers with a hard programmed GUI, eliminating the need for a dedicated operating system. Mid-grade HMIs were designed with single-core ARM Cortex processors clocking at 720 MHz, loaded with a customized Linux operating system to facilitate wireless networking, complex local functions and a standard application stack. High-end HMIs served as workstations, allowing for local data analysis and real-time configuration of automation programming based on statistical readouts. All units were built with USB and RS232 interfaces, as well as custom pinouts for access to an onboard analog-to-digital converter. Liquidware also developed software and middleware infrastructure that enabled centralized remote access to each embedded computer over wireless networks. Liquidware also provided
a Windows XP Embedded option, for customers who loaded the devices with proprietary Windowsbased applications. Results As technology advisor and developer, Liquidware worked with the client to recommend specifications and types of devices that would best drive sales of their motor controllers and automation software platform. The HMIs proved to be a success with the client’s customers in early testing, boosting demand and early purchase orders. Throughout the project, Liquidware has provided technical sales support, documentation, in addition to refining assembly and installation processes. Next Steps The manufacturer is in final market testing with the finished device. Liquidware is currently ramping up production as early purchase orders are being placed with the equipment manufacturer. l
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