Building Digital Control Systems
Content
JOHNSON CONTROLS WHITE PAPER
Control Systems
Arrive in the
21st Century
Better late than never: After years of delay, technologies emerge to make good on the promise of building-automation systems
By TERRY HOFFMANN Global Products Marketing Manager Johnson Controls Inc.
D
epending on how you account for time, ing. During the 1970s, it was about marketing. we are either two years or three years During the 1980s, it was about communicainto the 21st century. It may seem tions. And during the 1990s, it was all about strange to write about anyone or anything information. Today, data streams are everyarriving there, but working with building where, and managers are connected to informasystems is a lot like traveling by plane these days. tion about their employees, their manufacturing With all of the extra effort required processes, and their financial condito get to your destination, it feels tion. It is not enough to have this good to be there—no matter how late information in a report or on a deskyou step off the jetbridge. top computer, it must be accessible Given the false starts of the 1980s from anywhere at any time using and the largely unfulfilled promises personal digital assistants (PDAs) or of the 1990s, being fashionably tardy data-enabled wireless telephones. for the 2000s is refreshing. It would Computerized building automabe far too easy to point fingers at tion systems (BAS) have run a paralthe institutions and individuals who lel, if compressed, path. During caused delay in the implementation the early 1970s, we struggled with of meaningful technology in our developing automated electronic Terry Hoffmann industry. Instead, we will talk of how alternatives to the electrical and things have come together after all—and the mechanical devices we previously relied on resultant benefits to building owners, building for comfort and safety. Then we sold these new occupants, and enterprises that need comfort- systems aggressively, but found that many buildable, efficient, and productive environments. ing owners and operators were unaware of the benefits that could be derived from automation. So marketing became a requirement, with IT’S ALL ABOUT THE INFORMATION If we compare building systems to some the focus on saving energy dollars, increasing of the forces that have driven business environ- productivity, and reducing requirements for ments over the past 50 years, we can see some facilities staffs. During the mid-1990s, we began to get interesting parallels. It could be said that during the 1950s, global business was all about manu- serious about providing communication links facturing. During the 1960s, it was about sell- between systems (“connectivity” and “interoperNETWORKED CONTROLS
July 2003
1
Information has to be available to management on an anywhere-anytime basis. At the very least, this means on every computer on every desktop and away from the office via a virtual private network. Even facilities supervisors are ignoring the computer systems in their control rooms in favor of having critical alarms forwarded directly to their pager or wireless phone. Third, we found that information must be easy to access, with a user interface tailored to the needs of the class or function of the user. Static HTML-style pages for access over the LISTENING TO THE CUSTOMER Recent customer research by Johnson Con- Web are fine for looking up the start time of a trols puts that premise into question and movie at the local cineplex, but a richer, more exposes a number of interesting opportunities intelligent user interface must be delivered if for building systems to take a logical place in the third parties are to take advantage of the free information-technology (IT) infrastructure, flow of information from building systems. Fourth, we found that the delivery of infornext to financial, human-resource, and other mation to individuals or groups is not enough. management information support systems. First, our research found that simply deliver- While management decision-making is aided by the quick, easy, and ining building-systems tuitive delivery of apdata to management is To be meaningful to a business manager, propriate information not enough. For it to to individual users, the be meaningful to a business manager, that building-systems data has to be condensed into future of information flow is much more data has to be condensed into smaller smaller pieces and connected to outcomes. dependent on delivery from computer to pieces and connected computer. This proto outcomes. In other words, data has to be translated into conse- vides further opportunity for consolidation and quences. So, telling a senior accountant that the analysis, as well as setting the foundation for vibration sensor on the motor-side bearing of a intelligent systems applications (which were 1,000-ton chiller now reads 0.29 in. per second promised by a number of manufacturers during at the primary frequency of the device and the marketing phase of our industry referred to nearly half that at the first harmonic is like earlier). Finally, we learned that whatever the technotelling your golden retriever that your feet are cold when what you really want is for the dog to logical platform is, it must be compatible and get your slippers. The information provided fully integratable with the IT infrastructure that should support the decision that funds are exists in the enterprise today and tomorrow. The necessary to repair the chiller now, as opposed IT department is looked upon as a provider of to ignoring the situation and facing a more services for the safe and efficient transportation costly and extensive rebuild down the road. For of digital information. example, if a vibration sensor on a large chiller indicates pending failure, you could: WE KNOW THE ‘WHY’; WHAT ABOUT • Have the bearing replaced this weekend or THE ‘HOW’? next (unplanned maintenance cost: $3,300; Let’s recap: Users are looking for meaningful office downtime: none). information that goes beyond the data provided • Ignore the problem and risk the chiller to facilities departments by current automated failing during productive office hours (chiller systems. They want information anywhere at rebuild cost: $29,000; office downtime: 8 to 24 anytime, and they want access to be quick and hr, depending on the time of the failure; result- easy. They want information to ride on the same ant productivity impact: $72,000). data highway that they currently use for all of The choice of action may not always be this their other business purposes. obvious, but it certainly bears a close resemAttacking the problem in reverse order makes blance to, “Get the slippers.” sense. Second, our research found that delivering To facilitate the use of an IT infrastructure, information to a dedicated workstation is not building systems need to communicate over enough—even if information from all of the Internet-provider networks, which have become building systems can be consolidated there. ubiquitous in our business enterprises. This ability” became common terms of desire), using open protocols and standard networks and even a little access via the Internet. With a few notable exceptions, though, information on buildings and conditions within them was delivered only to facilities departments. Facilities information generally was ignored by upper management because it was of little importance to the health and welfare of the enterprise. Or so it seemed.
NETWORKED CONTROLS
2
July 2003
means complete compliance with transport The key to delivering information across the protocols so that all hubs, switches, and routers Web to a distributed user interface is the ability are compatible, and no special equipment to leverage a Web-based system as opposed to a is necessary. It also means that devices sharing Web-enabled system. The difference is in how the network will work best if based on standard the systems are constructed. Web-enabled refers operating systems and hardware platforms. This to a system to which browser access was added. would include, but be largely limited to, stan- Web-based means that at its core, in the way the dard operating systems from Microsoft, Apple, system is built, the Web is a central component and Linux and hardware that matches the of how the system works and communicates. current state of the art for PDAs, PCs, and Web access is not an add-on. It is inherent to server-class machines. the system’s design and operation. In the past, several standard protocols were In a Web-enabled environment, you are stuck developed with the promise that they would with a certain framework, and you cannot add deliver system integration and interoperability. or delete a lot of views or information. You Those protocols included LonTalk, BACnet, basically view information through an interface, and N2, the Johnson Controls standard. Each but are not able to take much action. With a has strengths and weaknesses in terms of what it Web-based system, you can view that informacan do, and they all will continue to deliver tion within a browser and also take action: value to building owners and operators far into respond and acknowledge alarms, command the future. But in the end, each one requires points, and do tasks. significant programThis is a fundamenming time and indital difference between Information must be easy to access, vidually customized the BAS of today and solutions to deliver the new systems we with a user interface tailored to the needs the true interoperabilare developing. New ity and informationcapabilities allow a sharing capabilities it user to bring up multiof the class or function of the user. promises. ple screens in a stanWhen it comes to dard browser. Differthe transparent sharing of information across ent pieces of a screen can be detached within networks with people or other computers, we a browser framework, providing a better way believe that a system based on a Web-services to arrange information and maximize the model provides the best future value to our screen’s real estate. A Web-based system can customers. That is because Web services are provide command and control capability for built on the Internet technology and program- all points connected to the network, while a ming already in place throughout the informa- Web-enabled alternative is limited by the tion systems used by most enterprises daily. Web-page design and server capabilities. With a The Web gives millions of users immediate Web-based system, you do not have to load a access to all sorts of information. The Web- bunch of software to get access to your system. services model does the same thing for compu- At the most, all you need is a plug-in to your ter programming: It effects connections standard browser, and away you go. between applications and devices in a way that is With a Web-based system with a truly flexible transparent to the user. and complete distributed user interface, there is Web services allow two or more applications no need for dedicated workstations, except in to share information and work cooperatively the most critical systems, where life-safety or over the Internet, using a common language validation requirements are best served by such called XML. Several companies provide tool an implementation. In most cases, it is more sets for creating Web services: IBM with Web cost-effective and user-friendly to just hop on Sphere, Sun Microsystems with Java (J2EE), the Web and get the information you need and Microsoft with .Net. Johnson Controls anywhere anytime. chose to work with Microsoft and incorporate When it comes to delivering answers—or the .Net framework into the Metasys platform. suggesting options, as in the chiller-bearing.Net provides a tool set to help develop applica- replacement example earlier—this new technoltions that have Web services built into them, so ogy drives facilities information straight to the you do not have to understand all of the details heart of the enterprise. Perhaps a look at some of the code or physically write all of the code. typical applications will help. It allows someone to come up to speed fairly If I run a hospital, does my facility impact quickly to develop applications with Web serv- my mission of quality patient care? Yes! It has a ices built in. visual impact for sure, but it also has an impact
NETWORKED CONTROLS
July 2003
3
on patient comfort and security. By integrating information about environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity into a comprehensive patient-care picture, Web-based models allow you to link room scheduling with patient medical records so you can be sure that particular rooms meet the personal and medical requirements of particular patients. That might mean assuring negative pressure for infectiousdisease control or providing a nurse with enough information to determine whether an elderly patient is cold because of the temperature in the room or an underlying medical problem. Instant access to information about all aspects of the environment allows changes that keep staff and patients satisfied to be made. Another opportunity for delivering value to an enterprise reflects the bidirectional capabilities of Web services. Computerized maintenance-management systems (CMMS) and providers of remote monitoring systems traditionally have relied on BAS to push data to them based on alarms and predefined limits for total run-time hours or number of operations. A Web-services-based solution would allow a BAS to push data to these systems as usual and allow
the BAS to be interrogated by the CMMS or remote monitoring computers for other vital systems data. The result of this push-pull strategy would be better maintenance procedures based on analysis of key performance indicators, as opposed to simple work-order preparation based only on fixed events. It would be easy to expand these principles into energy analysis, emergency-response evaluation, and occupantcomfort analysis as it applies to productivity.
SUMMARY
By implementing a platform based on IT standards that support the latest technologies, such as .Net databases and Web services, we believe we can: • Make facilities information available at all levels of an enterprise. • Eliminate the need for costly dedicated workstations. • Use existing IT networks to do more. • Tailor user interfaces to the needs of the individual. • Provide information to other programs, as well as people. Welcome to the 21st century.
NETWORKED CONTROLS
Circle 04 July 2003
4
Control Systems
Arrive in the
21st Century
Better late than never: After years of delay, technologies emerge to make good on the promise of building-automation systems
By TERRY HOFFMANN Global Products Marketing Manager Johnson Controls Inc.
D
epending on how you account for time, ing. During the 1970s, it was about marketing. we are either two years or three years During the 1980s, it was about communicainto the 21st century. It may seem tions. And during the 1990s, it was all about strange to write about anyone or anything information. Today, data streams are everyarriving there, but working with building where, and managers are connected to informasystems is a lot like traveling by plane these days. tion about their employees, their manufacturing With all of the extra effort required processes, and their financial condito get to your destination, it feels tion. It is not enough to have this good to be there—no matter how late information in a report or on a deskyou step off the jetbridge. top computer, it must be accessible Given the false starts of the 1980s from anywhere at any time using and the largely unfulfilled promises personal digital assistants (PDAs) or of the 1990s, being fashionably tardy data-enabled wireless telephones. for the 2000s is refreshing. It would Computerized building automabe far too easy to point fingers at tion systems (BAS) have run a paralthe institutions and individuals who lel, if compressed, path. During caused delay in the implementation the early 1970s, we struggled with of meaningful technology in our developing automated electronic Terry Hoffmann industry. Instead, we will talk of how alternatives to the electrical and things have come together after all—and the mechanical devices we previously relied on resultant benefits to building owners, building for comfort and safety. Then we sold these new occupants, and enterprises that need comfort- systems aggressively, but found that many buildable, efficient, and productive environments. ing owners and operators were unaware of the benefits that could be derived from automation. So marketing became a requirement, with IT’S ALL ABOUT THE INFORMATION If we compare building systems to some the focus on saving energy dollars, increasing of the forces that have driven business environ- productivity, and reducing requirements for ments over the past 50 years, we can see some facilities staffs. During the mid-1990s, we began to get interesting parallels. It could be said that during the 1950s, global business was all about manu- serious about providing communication links facturing. During the 1960s, it was about sell- between systems (“connectivity” and “interoperNETWORKED CONTROLS
July 2003
1
Information has to be available to management on an anywhere-anytime basis. At the very least, this means on every computer on every desktop and away from the office via a virtual private network. Even facilities supervisors are ignoring the computer systems in their control rooms in favor of having critical alarms forwarded directly to their pager or wireless phone. Third, we found that information must be easy to access, with a user interface tailored to the needs of the class or function of the user. Static HTML-style pages for access over the LISTENING TO THE CUSTOMER Recent customer research by Johnson Con- Web are fine for looking up the start time of a trols puts that premise into question and movie at the local cineplex, but a richer, more exposes a number of interesting opportunities intelligent user interface must be delivered if for building systems to take a logical place in the third parties are to take advantage of the free information-technology (IT) infrastructure, flow of information from building systems. Fourth, we found that the delivery of infornext to financial, human-resource, and other mation to individuals or groups is not enough. management information support systems. First, our research found that simply deliver- While management decision-making is aided by the quick, easy, and ining building-systems tuitive delivery of apdata to management is To be meaningful to a business manager, propriate information not enough. For it to to individual users, the be meaningful to a business manager, that building-systems data has to be condensed into future of information flow is much more data has to be condensed into smaller smaller pieces and connected to outcomes. dependent on delivery from computer to pieces and connected computer. This proto outcomes. In other words, data has to be translated into conse- vides further opportunity for consolidation and quences. So, telling a senior accountant that the analysis, as well as setting the foundation for vibration sensor on the motor-side bearing of a intelligent systems applications (which were 1,000-ton chiller now reads 0.29 in. per second promised by a number of manufacturers during at the primary frequency of the device and the marketing phase of our industry referred to nearly half that at the first harmonic is like earlier). Finally, we learned that whatever the technotelling your golden retriever that your feet are cold when what you really want is for the dog to logical platform is, it must be compatible and get your slippers. The information provided fully integratable with the IT infrastructure that should support the decision that funds are exists in the enterprise today and tomorrow. The necessary to repair the chiller now, as opposed IT department is looked upon as a provider of to ignoring the situation and facing a more services for the safe and efficient transportation costly and extensive rebuild down the road. For of digital information. example, if a vibration sensor on a large chiller indicates pending failure, you could: WE KNOW THE ‘WHY’; WHAT ABOUT • Have the bearing replaced this weekend or THE ‘HOW’? next (unplanned maintenance cost: $3,300; Let’s recap: Users are looking for meaningful office downtime: none). information that goes beyond the data provided • Ignore the problem and risk the chiller to facilities departments by current automated failing during productive office hours (chiller systems. They want information anywhere at rebuild cost: $29,000; office downtime: 8 to 24 anytime, and they want access to be quick and hr, depending on the time of the failure; result- easy. They want information to ride on the same ant productivity impact: $72,000). data highway that they currently use for all of The choice of action may not always be this their other business purposes. obvious, but it certainly bears a close resemAttacking the problem in reverse order makes blance to, “Get the slippers.” sense. Second, our research found that delivering To facilitate the use of an IT infrastructure, information to a dedicated workstation is not building systems need to communicate over enough—even if information from all of the Internet-provider networks, which have become building systems can be consolidated there. ubiquitous in our business enterprises. This ability” became common terms of desire), using open protocols and standard networks and even a little access via the Internet. With a few notable exceptions, though, information on buildings and conditions within them was delivered only to facilities departments. Facilities information generally was ignored by upper management because it was of little importance to the health and welfare of the enterprise. Or so it seemed.
NETWORKED CONTROLS
2
July 2003
means complete compliance with transport The key to delivering information across the protocols so that all hubs, switches, and routers Web to a distributed user interface is the ability are compatible, and no special equipment to leverage a Web-based system as opposed to a is necessary. It also means that devices sharing Web-enabled system. The difference is in how the network will work best if based on standard the systems are constructed. Web-enabled refers operating systems and hardware platforms. This to a system to which browser access was added. would include, but be largely limited to, stan- Web-based means that at its core, in the way the dard operating systems from Microsoft, Apple, system is built, the Web is a central component and Linux and hardware that matches the of how the system works and communicates. current state of the art for PDAs, PCs, and Web access is not an add-on. It is inherent to server-class machines. the system’s design and operation. In the past, several standard protocols were In a Web-enabled environment, you are stuck developed with the promise that they would with a certain framework, and you cannot add deliver system integration and interoperability. or delete a lot of views or information. You Those protocols included LonTalk, BACnet, basically view information through an interface, and N2, the Johnson Controls standard. Each but are not able to take much action. With a has strengths and weaknesses in terms of what it Web-based system, you can view that informacan do, and they all will continue to deliver tion within a browser and also take action: value to building owners and operators far into respond and acknowledge alarms, command the future. But in the end, each one requires points, and do tasks. significant programThis is a fundamenming time and indital difference between Information must be easy to access, vidually customized the BAS of today and solutions to deliver the new systems we with a user interface tailored to the needs the true interoperabilare developing. New ity and informationcapabilities allow a sharing capabilities it user to bring up multiof the class or function of the user. promises. ple screens in a stanWhen it comes to dard browser. Differthe transparent sharing of information across ent pieces of a screen can be detached within networks with people or other computers, we a browser framework, providing a better way believe that a system based on a Web-services to arrange information and maximize the model provides the best future value to our screen’s real estate. A Web-based system can customers. That is because Web services are provide command and control capability for built on the Internet technology and program- all points connected to the network, while a ming already in place throughout the informa- Web-enabled alternative is limited by the tion systems used by most enterprises daily. Web-page design and server capabilities. With a The Web gives millions of users immediate Web-based system, you do not have to load a access to all sorts of information. The Web- bunch of software to get access to your system. services model does the same thing for compu- At the most, all you need is a plug-in to your ter programming: It effects connections standard browser, and away you go. between applications and devices in a way that is With a Web-based system with a truly flexible transparent to the user. and complete distributed user interface, there is Web services allow two or more applications no need for dedicated workstations, except in to share information and work cooperatively the most critical systems, where life-safety or over the Internet, using a common language validation requirements are best served by such called XML. Several companies provide tool an implementation. In most cases, it is more sets for creating Web services: IBM with Web cost-effective and user-friendly to just hop on Sphere, Sun Microsystems with Java (J2EE), the Web and get the information you need and Microsoft with .Net. Johnson Controls anywhere anytime. chose to work with Microsoft and incorporate When it comes to delivering answers—or the .Net framework into the Metasys platform. suggesting options, as in the chiller-bearing.Net provides a tool set to help develop applica- replacement example earlier—this new technoltions that have Web services built into them, so ogy drives facilities information straight to the you do not have to understand all of the details heart of the enterprise. Perhaps a look at some of the code or physically write all of the code. typical applications will help. It allows someone to come up to speed fairly If I run a hospital, does my facility impact quickly to develop applications with Web serv- my mission of quality patient care? Yes! It has a ices built in. visual impact for sure, but it also has an impact
NETWORKED CONTROLS
July 2003
3
on patient comfort and security. By integrating information about environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity into a comprehensive patient-care picture, Web-based models allow you to link room scheduling with patient medical records so you can be sure that particular rooms meet the personal and medical requirements of particular patients. That might mean assuring negative pressure for infectiousdisease control or providing a nurse with enough information to determine whether an elderly patient is cold because of the temperature in the room or an underlying medical problem. Instant access to information about all aspects of the environment allows changes that keep staff and patients satisfied to be made. Another opportunity for delivering value to an enterprise reflects the bidirectional capabilities of Web services. Computerized maintenance-management systems (CMMS) and providers of remote monitoring systems traditionally have relied on BAS to push data to them based on alarms and predefined limits for total run-time hours or number of operations. A Web-services-based solution would allow a BAS to push data to these systems as usual and allow
the BAS to be interrogated by the CMMS or remote monitoring computers for other vital systems data. The result of this push-pull strategy would be better maintenance procedures based on analysis of key performance indicators, as opposed to simple work-order preparation based only on fixed events. It would be easy to expand these principles into energy analysis, emergency-response evaluation, and occupantcomfort analysis as it applies to productivity.
SUMMARY
By implementing a platform based on IT standards that support the latest technologies, such as .Net databases and Web services, we believe we can: • Make facilities information available at all levels of an enterprise. • Eliminate the need for costly dedicated workstations. • Use existing IT networks to do more. • Tailor user interfaces to the needs of the individual. • Provide information to other programs, as well as people. Welcome to the 21st century.
NETWORKED CONTROLS
Circle 04 July 2003
4
