Echelon Unveils Power Line Technology Suite for Home Automation Systems
[August 29, 2005]
Echelon Corporation, developer of LonWorks control and communications technology, has expanded its power line technology [PLC] in order to significantly expand the number and types of applications under which existing electrical wiring is used for control networks. The new technologies include the second-generation of Echelon's patented "switched-leg" technology that makes power line communications reliable in all homes, new Interoperable Self-Installation [ISI] software that allows end-users to configure two or more products by simply plugging them into the wall, and two new rapid design tools -- the Mini EVK for testing and software development and the PL DSK [Rev 2] for developing hardware using Echelon's power line technology. Echelon also lowered the price of its PL 3120 and PL 3150 Power Line Smart Transceivers.
Most electrical devices require an electrical connection consisting of both line and neutral wires in order to operate; the "Line" wire provides the source of electrical current, and the "Neutral" wire provides its return path. In most lighting circuits, however, the Line wire [or "leg"] is first routed through a wall switch or dimmer before being connected to the light, while the Neutral wire is present only at the light fixture itself. This wiring style is called "switched-leg." For designers of home automation products, the lack of a Neutral wire at the switches and dimmers has made it impossible to locate control devices at these locations.
The traditional way of overcoming the lack of a Neutral wire was to tear into walls and rewire the circuit. Attempts to design two-way control devices that can be wired into a switched leg have heretofore been unsuccessful. Echelon's first-generation switched-leg technology enabled communications over switched-leg circuits using only incandescent lights, while fluorescent lamps remained a technical challenge. Echelon's new technology for the first time allows reliable, bi-directional communications in a switched-leg circuit with incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent lamps.
According one of the controls vendors using Echelon's new switched-leg technology, it will permit such vendors to add multi-room heating control to homes and apartments, without requiring any new wiring and without the reliability problems of RF technology. Before Echelon's breakthrough, the consumer would have to call in an electrical contractor to run new wiring to each room -- an expensive and disrupting situation. Now the consumer or contractor will be able to simply replace the existing light switch with an integrated light switch and thermostat based on Echelon's technology, significantly reducing installation costs and time.
Reflecting a breakthrough in simplicity and ease-of-use, Echelon's new ISI technology makes adding multi-zone lighting, multi-zone heating control, and pool/spa controls as simple as plugging in a power cord. Devices equipped with ISI software are ideally suited to the home environment because they do not need specialized software or programming to work. As soon as power is applied or a "service" function is activated, the devices discover one another and configure themselves into fully functional control systems. System changes, such as the addition of a new device or changing a lighting scene, can take place at any time without any expertise or training on the part of the user.
Echelon's new rapid design tools are intended to significantly expand the base of customers using Echelon's power line technology by accelerating the process of evaluating, designing, and shipping products based on Echelon's PL 3120 and PL 3150 Power Line Smart Transceivers. The new Mini PL EVK is an ultra low-cost development and evaluation tool for engineers who wish to evaluate Echelon's power line technology and/or develop simple devices. Engineers can initialize and run a power line based network in as little as five minutes after opening the product packaging, and can start writing new application code shortly thereafter. The PL DSK includes reference schematics, PCB layout files, bills of material, and sample ICs for developing hardware using Echelon's power line technology. By offering reference designs, the process of creating new products based on power line technology can be compressed to a matter of days.
As a key part of making this technology broadly available for home automation markets, and based on the rising volume of product shipments, Echelon has reduced the price of its power line smart transceiver family by 10%. The price reduction has made Echelon's power line solution cost-effective for use in white and brown goods, light switches and luminaires, audio/video home theatre controls, smoke and gas detectors, irrigation controls and timers, and pool/spa controls.
Echelon Corporation is the creator of the LonWorks platform, a globally used standard for connecting everyday devices such as appliances, thermostats, air conditioners, electric meters, and lighting systems to each other and to the Internet. Thousands of companies have developed and installed more than 16 million LonWorks based devices into homes, buildings, factories, trains, and other systems worldwide.
The protocol underlying LonWorks networks and the signaling used by Echelon's power line and free topology transceivers have both been adopted as standards by the American National Standards Institute [ANSI]. Echelon is also a founding member of the LonMark Interoperability Association, an open industry forum of hundreds of leading manufacturers, integrators, and users dedicated to promoting the use of interoperable LonWorks devices.
The company is headquartered in Palo Alto [California]. Its shares are traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol: ELON.
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