Transcript Home API: A Network-Independent Home Control Architecture

Home API
A Network-Independent Home
Control Architecture
Maurice Bizzarri
Software Director
Business Line Interconnectivity
Philips Semiconductors
Agenda
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Part I: Home API Overview
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Home API Working Group
What is Home API?
Home API and Universal Plug
and Play, 1394
Summary
Part II: Home API Architecture
New Product Opportunities
The time is ripe to move home
automation and control into
the mainstream
Home devices are becoming “intelligent”
Home/consumer networking and
connectivity are “hot”
People are actually beginning to “get it”
Both the PC and CE industries need to find
new areas to innovate - markets for
current products are becoming saturated
Possibility For 2000
Windows PC or STB as Integration Point for
Intelligent Home
Telephone
Internet
External Info
Pager
New apps enabled by integration
of information and connectivity
to controllable home devices
enhances family safety, comfort,
and convenience.
EPG
 weather, traffic
 community
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Remote Home Access
and Event Notification
Phone line
Home State
Home Mgt.
Apps
scheduled events
house mode
 config info
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DTV
DVCR
DSS
DVD
Digital A/V Networks
(1394)
Cordless
basestation
Cordless
communicator
PC
Security
HVAC
Fridge
Pad
Video
Camera
Light Sprinkler
Sensors
Control System
Data Networks
(Cat5, Phoneline
RF, PLC)
Control networks
(PLC, RF, IR)
But: Will My PC Crash
My House?
Absolutely not!
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PCs enhance home device functions
with added intelligence
Devices must still work standalone
Should use dedicated controllers for
critical tasks
Current Software Approach
“X”
Company
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“Z”
Company
PC GUI
PC GUI
PC, voice GUI
Lighting and
Small Appl
Control App
Security, HVAC
Control App
Security, Lighting
Small Appl., CE
Control App.
X-10
Drivers
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“Y”
Company
X-10
Drivers
RF
Sensor
Drivers
X-10
Drivers
IR
Drivers
Monolithic
Not easily extensible to new protocols
Vendor Specific
No published APIs for ISVs
Proprietary, non-extensible solutions don’t grow the market.
A Better Approach: Home API
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API designed for
control of Home
Devices
No new protocols
No new networks
First implementation
under Windows
Home API Working Group
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Founded Q4 ’97, went
public Q4 ’98
Now 31 participants
0.95 Spec released to
participants December ’98
http://www.homeapi.org
Home API Working Group
Promoter Companies
Who Are The Participants?
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An influential group of companies
interested in enabling new product
opportunities in the home automation,
control, and networking area
A diverse group of companies, with
hardware and software expertise,
representing:
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PCs, software applications, and peripherals
Consumer electronics and entertainment
Home HVAC and security
Home lighting
Home automation and control
Agenda

Part I: Home API Overview

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


Home API Working Group
What is Home API?
Home API and Universal Plug
and Play, 1394
Summary
Part II: Home API Architecture
The Home API Is…
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A service running in Windows
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Allowing for discovery, and control of
home devices by Windows applications
Network and protocol agnostic
A framework for device namespace
A runtime for installable
home “behaviors”
The Home API Is Not…
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A network management service
Directly involved with Media Streaming
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But, can be used to locate media streams
associated with devices in the home
Home API Services
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Object creation
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Property routes
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Context, behavior encapsulation
Associations
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Update on demand
Containers
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State change propagation
Events and subscriptions
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With discovery and control
Expose related components
Asynchronous operations
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Efficient, failure tolerant
Home API Discovery
And Control
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Standard COM/OLE
automation interfaces
Simple, centralized namespace
for devices
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Regardless of connectivity method
Notification of new devices and services
added to the system
Network and protocol agnostic
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Network or bus connectivity model left
to Service Providers
Namespace Framework
For home control devices
and services
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Designed to mirror home topographies
Scope devices to actual locations in the home
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E.g.,“home.den.light”
Home
Living Room
TV
Light
Den
Light
Phone
Runtime For Installable
Home Behavior
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Home’s “Behaviors” can be contained
completely in the Home API process
Use “Routes” to describe a relationship
between two objects properties
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“mySwitch.Power - myLight.Brightness”
More on this in next talk
Home API
Architecture
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Layered
Extensible via
installable
“Service Providers”
X-10
Service Provider
Client Application
Home API
1394
Service Provider
“Cool New Stuff”
Service Provider
Service Providers
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Service Providers supply object
instances to Home API
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E.g.. MyLightSwitch
Home API supplies wrapped instances
to clients
Clients may be other Service Providers
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E.g., Scene managers, Smart Containers
Service Providers
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Implement COM classes that expose:
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Hides network interface details
Matches events to subscriptions
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IHomeControlObject
IpersistPropertyBag
For event signaling
Responsible for adding and removing
Home API objects as devices come
and go
Must handle hot Plug and Play
Agenda
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Part I: Home API Overview
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Home API Working Group
What is Home API?
Home API and Universal
Plug and Play, 1394
Summary
Part II: Home API Architecture
Home API And
Universal Plug And Play
Windows Home Applications
Home API
Universal Plug and Play Service Provider
IP Home Networks
Using HomePNA, Ethernet, Wireless, 1394, etc.
Internet
E.g., Broadband shared via NAT
IP-based devices and services
Directly connected and proxied
Home API And IEEE 1394
Windows Home Applications
Home API
UPnP Service
Provider
Non-IP 1394
Service Providers
IP over 1394
AV/C, HAVi, etc.
IEEE 1394
1394 Devices
Home API And HAVi
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Home API
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Home API to HAVi
Service Provider
HAVi
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Easily extensible
for Home API
Complementary
to Home API
HAVi devices available
to Home API
Home API To HAVi
Service Provider
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Home API
Application
HAVi Device
1394
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Home API
HAVi
Service Provider
COM
Tracks devices on
1394 network
Installs/Removes objects
to HAPI
Installs DCMs in HAVi
devices as needed
Interacts with other
HAVi components
1394 To IP Gateway
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IP
Home API
PC
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1394/IP
Gateway
1394 Ring
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Gateway in Set Top box
or similar device
ARP, RARP equivalent
Work with “legacy”
TCP/IP Network also
SNMP support
Cooperates with HAPI
Service Provider
Agenda
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Part I: Home API Overview

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Home API Working Group
What is Home API?
Home API and Universal Plug
and Play, 1394
Summary
Part II: Home API Architecture
Home API Summary
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Open industry effort, 31 participants to date
Service provider architecture for
home automation
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Leverages PC intelligence for more flexible,
simpler home control scenarios
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Network and protocol independent
Complements Universal Plug and Play, HAVi,
and other device control models
Without making home devices dependent on PCs
Begin planning migration from proprietary
APIs now
www.homeapi.org