Summary:
- To present levels of programming has (home appliance systems)
- To show how we can use the tools and software for implementation of application in house
1. Domotic Systems Designing
Nowadays, the instrumentation, apparatus and in-home automation systems cannot be conceived as stand alone elements, because the requirements concerning the comfort and the power resources saving, as well as the programming facilities and the remote acting are essential for the appliances.
Development of automatic systems responding to household needs implies a unitary conception of the hardware and software elements thus generating specific or local functions with low and mean level of complexity. On the other hand, the elements must function together to fulfill global optimal functions at a house or building level. They can be qualitatively different from the elements’ local, specific functions in this way being achieved their integration.
In terms of component elements, systems can be classified as follows:
- Systems that implement functions defined by a finite number of states
- Systems that implement regulators for dimensions control
- Complex systems that implement control strategies
- Intelligent systems able to recognize languages, messages, to adapt themselves automatically to environment circumstances, to recognize states and to respond according to them
Distributed systems have micro controllers or systems containing micro processors which generates their functionality; they transmit and pick up data through the mediation of communication protocols in order to correlate the function of all in-home systems. From the middle nineties of twenty century it has become statutory the principle which stipulate that each function would be implemented by its processor, a principle that allows for:
- a functional structuring of applications
- a separate development of software and hardware modules
- an easy modules integration on the basis of standard interfaces’ previous defining
- reduction of developing costs
- reduction of production costs
- reduction of maintenance costs
More, by defining some general interfaces to domotic system elements it would be possible an implementation of automatic recognition function thus to identify new-added network elements. This mechanism can be applied to all domotic system elements and is known as „plug and play” mechanism.
In many situations it is necessary for the structuring of domotic system elements to modify themself automatically within their life cycle in order to achieve the objects desired in the most optimum manner.
Such systems that can modify their structure within their function time thus to fulfill certain criteria for optimal functioning are known as systems with dynamic reconfiguration. In this purpose, “in-system programming” of these elements has received a more focused attention.
Distributed systems are also suited to a hierarchy of the constituent elements, each group being in charge with a different kind of activity: local functions implementation, group functions governing, integration and supervision activities.
Besides, there are systems dedicated to the adjustment of some specific processes: systems that implement the thermal comfort or the light comfort, precinct-surveying systems, systems that deal with audio-visual equipment control, house or building access, control of communication systems.
It is essential for those systems to intercommunicate in order to become integrated systems, as an optimal aspect to achieve.
Because domotic systems elements are generally programmable elements, programming environments or programming languages are the means used for implementing their functionality. These can be:
- low level programming languages
- medium level programming languages
- high level programming languages
- macro-languages, languages specialised for different programming fields, such as XML (Extensible Markup Language).
- formal languages (they are used for describing what an application or a system should do in a general acception), such as: UML (Unified Modeling Language); VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language).