It all started with a new hardware platform and a brand new technology called XML Extended Markup Language. This technology was created by members of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and is implemented in SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) by Microsoft.
Since LONWORKS® is an Echelon® technology, they tried to develop basic products as much as possible. Investments in developing a new product must have a long-term effect, and it is necessary for the product to be easily sold worldwide, and it is also desirable to be able to integrate the product into most existing IT applications.
In a competitive world, introducing a new product means finding a niche for it in the market.
It was exciting and interesting in 2002, when products like the i.LON®100 were new. Based on a three-tier model connecting the IT world with management technologies, the i.LON®100 is the first link to network control.
The downstream connection to the LON-WORKS® world was simply and clearly defined by compatibility, LonMark profiles and network variables.
In response to the demands of major software developers, the new technology was introduced into the upward connection with the IT world. However, the i.LON®100 is far from being a mass product. The XML/SOAP technology with the new WSDL Web Service Description Language standard and other specifications have not yet been fully established in the market. Apart from a few far-sighted magazines, no one could explain the correctness of our statements, could confirm that this is the path to the future of communication in data exchange. However, over time, the XML/SOAP technology was introduced, representing a real standard for data transfer in IT+ applications. Today, Apple, Linux, i.LON100e3 or Microsoft platforms can exchange data without losing formatting and syntax. This technology theoretically makes it possible to do without any other software servers or clients, such as DDE or OPC.
In 2002, the first i.LON100 appeared on the Echelon price list. A lot has happened since then, and most importantly, the product has found its place in very interesting applications. Capable of acting as a small surveillance, control and data acquisition system, including an interface allowing remote access, the i.LON100 was used in building automation from the very beginning. At the time of its introduction, the product was mainly known as a means of remote access via modem or IP, and its applications such as time control, alarm management, or error reporting and data logger were not used at all. This changed with the release of e2 in the last quarter of 2004.
e2 is an abbreviation for evolution 2 – the second generation. This version had a more user-friendly web+interface, and the system integrator could quickly install the product and use it easily. An M-Bus interface was integrated; It can read data from gas, water, and electricity meters thanks to support for RS232 or RS484 interfaces with an external level converter.
At the same time as the new product release, companies started using the product in new projects, realizing its significant complexity. The idea of a SCADA monitoring and control system capable of managing thousands of decentralized trade and retail networks independently of each other was no longer a fantasy, but was already being implemented in practice in various fields. And it was soon possible to see that Echelon’s concept was the key to decentralized automation and management of diverse retail networks.
Data can be logged and visualized, functions can be monitored and errors can be reported. And all this through parameterization using XML/SOAP via IP, modem or external GSM phone. This was a sensation in contrast to the usual communication direction in the IT world, which is typically based on the “Client-Server” scheme.
Echelon implemented a new method using an established technology.
The so-called Web binding mechanism uses http://requests in both directions and is thus capable of transmitting event-driven information. It has become possible to connect a large number of different domains, i.e. LONWORKS networks, locally or decentrally, or to connect to SCADA systems, which in turn are supplied with data according to the event-driven principle. By means of an external level converter, the integrator can connect different M+Bus meters. They convert the data into the correct format via an integrated standard translator, and they can be received either in the LONWORKS network or viewed only via the web server. This concept is successfully used in many trade and retail chains around the world. Based on this system, they work independently of each other.
At any time, the head office can change the parameters or, in the event of a failure, send a timely error message, without prior data polling by the server. In the retail application, i.LON100e2 implemented the visualization task with its web server. Thus, through the web, it became possible to save on the cost of individual terminals for each building or room.
Finally, our review has reached today's stage in the success story of the i.LON100e3. The product has been continuously improved, but is still based on the same hardware as in 2002. Once again, new features have been added, and existing features have been made even more user-friendly. Based on the widely used MOD-Bus technology, Echelon has adapted the MODBus Client with an RS485 interface. With this feature, various devices
of these two worlds can exchange data. This function is especially important if even such unusual devices as, for example, a radar sensor for contactless collection of water level information must transmit information to a central computer. To make it easier for system integrators to create visualization websites, Echelon has developed a software module for the Contribute® product from Macromedia®. Today, this software is part of the hosting solutions of many Internet providers. With a simple click of the mouse, it allows you to create beautiful websites using simple wizards. With the help of an integrated module called LonVision, the website is extended with LON network data points.
The latest release of e3 also includes a standard LONWORKS router. This makes it possible to improve the local functioning of network structures. If data must be forwarded across domains, i.LON100e3 allows the use of the data binding function via the web.
Since the i.LON100e3 includes an FTT or powerline interface, it is also possible to connect different subsystems via IP as a backbone. In applications using relatively expensive E60 or E90 fire-resistant cables, powerline technology has made it possible to transmit power and data to devices over the same wires, significantly reducing costs. Savings are achieved by eliminating the need for control cables and additional installations, as well as eliminating the need for connecting connectors and their cross-connection.
Another application that I would like to present here is street lighting. Some modern cities use very outdated systems controlled either by long waves or by controlled voltage pulsations. Both have been on the market for a long time and continue to find new consumers. Unfortunately, this technology allows data to be sent only in one direction. There is no so-called return channel, which means there are no diagnostic functions.
For the first projects based on the i.LON100e3, the power line version meant the solution to all problems. The luminaires are equipped with power line controllers and can be switched on via GPRS. In the event of a failure of the GPRS communication interface, control is transferred to the built-in astronomical calendar. At the same time, the input and output points of the external luminaire controller, as well as the corresponding light flows, can be registered. If defined threshold values such as voltage or current exceed or fall below the limit, or if natural light disappears, the email client in the i.LON100e3 automatically sends a signal for switching. Thus, a small control system can be used for the street in the same way as it is used for buildings with thousands of network nodes.
Author: J. Schneck 07.03.2006
j.schneck@echelon.de
Translation: Elena Shishlo
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