I. The Four Basic Modules of Smart Home Controllers
1. Wireless transceiver base station module
Primarily designed for use with the wireless remote control module, it is an essential component of the system. As a wireless transceiver base station, it transmits information from the remote control to the system information control center via the home control network. Then, it transmits instructions and SMS messages from the system information control center to the wireless remote control via wireless radio frequency signals. It is the place where wireless information is converted into wired home control network information.
2. Relay switch control module
Low-power circuit control uses high-performance solid-state relays. Upon receiving commands from the smart home controller, it controls the switching of low-power appliances in the home, primarily lights (including various audio systems, televisions, and electric curtains), with a control power of 100 watts per circuit. The high-power appliance control module also uses solid-state relays, but with higher power and only one circuit. Upon receiving commands from the smart home controller, it can control the switching of high-power appliances in the home (such as air conditioners and water heaters), with a maximum control power of 2500 watts per circuit.
3. Thyristor dimming control module
Low-power circuit control is achieved using a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR). Upon receiving instructions from the smart home controller, its main function is to control the dimming of lights in the home, with a control power of 100 watts per circuit and a dimming range of 5 levels: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%.
4. Information switch module
Information switches completely change the original concept of switches. They use switch information points to complete the functions of traditional switches, overcoming the limitations of fixed and singular switch functions. By setting relevant control parameters, any control point can be controlled, thereby achieving group control functions.
In addition, future monitoring node modules may also include home environment monitoring modules, resident health monitoring modules, etc.
II. Smart Home System Design Principles
1. Practicality
The most basic goal of smart homes is to provide people with a comfortable, safe, convenient, and efficient living environment. For smart home products, the most important thing is to focus on practicality, discarding those flashy but impractical functions that can only serve as decorations, and prioritizing practicality, ease of use, and user-friendliness.
We believe that when designing a smart home system, the following most practical and basic home control functions should be integrated based on users' needs for smart home functions: including smart appliance control, smart lighting control, electric curtain control, burglar alarm, access control intercom, gas leak detection, etc. At the same time, it can also be expanded to include functions such as meter reading, video on demand, park services, cloud platform services, and necessary and value-added functions required by future smart cities.
Smart home control methods are diverse, including local control, remote control, centralized control, remote control via mobile phone or tablet, sensor control, network control, wireless Wi-Fi control, and timer control. The aim is to free people from tedious tasks and improve efficiency. However, if the operation process and program settings are too complicated, users may develop a negative attitude. Therefore, the design of smart homes must fully consider user experience, focusing on ease of operation and intuitiveness. Ideally, a graphical control interface should be used, allowing for a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) experience.
2. Reliability
All intelligent subsystems of the entire building should be able to operate 24 hours a day, and the safety, reliability, and fault tolerance of the systems must be given high priority. Appropriate fault-tolerant measures should be taken for each subsystem in terms of power supply and system backup to ensure normal and safe use, good quality and performance, and the ability to cope with various complex environmental changes.
3. Standardization
The design of smart home system solutions should comply with relevant national and regional standards to ensure system scalability and expandability. Standard TCP/IP network technology and the European EIB standard should be used for system transmission to guarantee compatibility and interconnectivity between systems from different manufacturers. The system's front-end devices should be multifunctional, open, and expandable. For example, the system host, terminals, and modules should adopt standardized interface designs to provide an integration platform for external manufacturers of smart home systems. Their functionality should be expandable; when additional functions are needed, there is no need to excavate pipelines, making it simple, reliable, convenient, and economical. The selected systems and products should enable interoperability with future-developing third-party controlled devices.
4. Convenience
The simplicity of cabling installation directly affects cost, scalability, and maintainability. It is essential to choose a system with simple cabling that can be installed along with the community broadband network, making it simple and easy to use. The equipment should also be easy to learn, operate, and maintain.
