Appliance Design - October 2007 - (Page 33)

ELECTRONICS ZigBee Zings Utility Utility Network Utility Network Network Fig. 1. ZigBee-based home area network enables demand response from utilities network. Electric Meter Home Automation System Thermostat Lighting Controls In-Home Display Water Meter ZigBee Home Area ZigBee Network (HAN) Home Area Network (HAN) HVAC System Smart Appliances Gas Meter ver since the first Internet toaster was demonstrated at the 1990 Interop conference in San Jose, the concept of the fully connected home — where all the major home systems and appliances talk seamlessly with each other — has been met with a mix of amazement and amusement. While consumers are personally more connected than ever, the various systems and appliances in our homes remain blissful islands unto themselves, with no effective means — or apparent need — to communicate. However, the need for appliances to communicate is rapidly emerging, and fortunately, so are the means with the advent of ZigBee low-cost wireless platforms. E Why communicate? Public concerns over growing energy demand, shrinking supplies, increasing costs and climate change are everywhere. Under the Energy Star banner, appliance designers have engineered dramatic reductions in www.applianceDESIGN.com appliance energy consumption. Attention is now turning toward the peak-energy demand dilemma, where approximately 10 percent of total electric generating capacity exists only to be used less than 1 percent of the time. If energy demand can be made responsive to the available energy supply, huge cost and reliability gains can be achieved within the energy grid. This benefit has not escaped the notice of government regulators: the U.S. Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, California’s Title 24, and similar initiatives across North America and Europe, are driving requirements for “demand response” systems in the home. Demand response systems use Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks that provide real-time, two-way communications between electric, gas, and/or water meters and their associated utilities. These increasingly include wireless Home Area Networks (HANs) that connect communicating thermostats, load switches, lighting Wireless networking of appliances gets easier. by bob gohn Bob Gohn is vice president marketing, Ember Corp., Boston, Mass. applianceDESIGN October 2007 33 http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - October 2007

Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Applying Powder Coatings to Plastic Parts is No Longer a Pipe Dream New Technology Platform Provides the Ability for a single IC to Control Two- Motors in a Single Appliance, Simplifying Motor Control Design Advanced Motor-Control Techniques have Become More Accessible to a Wider Array of Appliances, Helping to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Noise Adding USB Host Capability to Appliances Permits In-Field Programming and Acquisition of Test Data ZigBee Modules Make it Easier to Design Wireless Connectivity into Applications New Concepts such as Rapid Tooling and Rapid Injection Molding Provide Stepping Stones Between Prototyping and Full Scale Production A Number of Factors and New Developments Affect the Decision on Whether to Build Prototypes In-House or Outsource to a Service Bureau DesignMart Advertiser’s Index Association Report: CEA

Appliance Design - October 2007

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