Technology has transformed the lives of people world over, has saved us loads of time and has made life easier for all of us.
Automation
The idea of remote control that controls machines after the World War 1 in Germany gave birth of automation. Automation can be defined as the use of control systems, Human activities and applications in all areas of life has rapidly expanded from the combination of automated devices with mathematical and organizational tools which created complex systems that have been used in industrial, commercial, economic, and social ranges of man’s life. The evolution of controllers and automation has been developing and still continue to develop to these days.
What is Home Automation
Home is the word that refers to relaxing and rest after a long day of work, that when you get home you need all the reasons of relax, in the past man was coming home and was finding hit wife had created the comforts for him, but then women choose to be man’s partner in all areas of life, so to find technology took the rule and start to create comfort for both man and woman at home.
The first appearance of home automation was the TV remote control and then inventions followed one another.
Home automation is a system in which user can control his home subsystems using an interface provided by the system to achieve the purpose of home automation.
The idea of home automation came from modern home which filled with electronic apparatus and appliances -which are the home subsystems foundation- to make life easier at home, more secure, and more comfortable that the user can control his house while he is relaxing or working.
When the user leaves his home to go on holiday, he loses all control over the functions of the house while he is away and cannot tell whether someone has punctured the security or whether he had left the living room light on. If the alarm has been triggered at his home, there is no way that the user can become aware of this unless he returns to his compromised home. In order for the system be useful, the appliances must be able to be moved around the house and still retain their ability to communicate with the system. A degree of automation is needed in a house so that certain functions in the house occur automatically, for example the outside light can turn on when it becomes dark outside.
There is a need for a reliable, secure and interactive system that exercises full control over the electric and electronic aspects of the house, with the potential to be accessed from across the globe.
A home control system controls the user’s whole house, triggering routines and events involving Home Subsystems. An automation system controls a collection of “Home Subsystems”.
A Home Subsystems includes light fixtures, the heating-cooling system, security components, entertainment, as well as devices like motorized drapes or any other condition that the user selects. Is a system that even when operating automatically provides benefits to the system user. A home automation system puts two or more Home-Subsystems under the control of one central controller which is PIC microcontroller and the user interface attached to the controller for example touch screen, key pad, handheld remotes, or a PC which we will describe it later in this chapter.
The Smart House system would adjust the power supplied to each appliance according to need. Each appliance is provided with sufficient power to provide for its peak use. In addition, the Smart House controllers could schedule the operation of heavy power consuming appliances (such as dishwashers, electric water heaters, and air conditioners) to take maximum advantage of off-peak electric rates. These adjustments could result in lower utility costs.