What is EIB (European Installation Bus)?
EIB has what it takes to make smart buildings tick. EIB is a building management system that happens to do lighting control, heating control, blind & curtain control and much more as a standard part of its function. It is not just a lighting system that 'happens' to do other things as well. EIB is also an open protocol brought to the market
by a large number of manufacturers, so you are not over a barrel with a single company, so there's lots of flexibility and plenty of innovation and new products keeping EIB up at the front of building technology.
Whether for single family homes, residential apartment buildings, office and commercial buildings or workshops and factory floors, EIB provides the framework for the right solution.
Click here to link to a useful
introductory document about EIB technology.
(http://www.knx-developer.de/online/data/introduc.pdf)
Network Technology for Intelligent Homes and Buildings
The EIB (or Instabus) is an intelligent building control system which is able to control, regulate, measure, switch,
service and monitor.
The secret of EIB - Simple chips in switches and consumer connected by an open bus wire. Each switch can "broadcast" a message on the bus. The effect: each switch can "talk" to any number of targeted consumers regardless of where it is located in the building.
Its basis is a communications bus which lies in parallel with the 230V mains network. Intelligent system components, operating by distributed control, are coupled to this communications bus. Each system component can be programmed to perform prescribed functions in combination with other system components, either from controlling elements within the system or via PC control. Together, these form the infrastructure of the basic functional level of the system.
Two types of system component are used:
Sensors (Transmitters) - these send information on the status or condition of system elements or environmental conditions via the bus to actuators (receivers). This information can range from simple two state conditions (e.g. on/off, open/closed, yes/no) to measurements (e.g. temperature, time, wind speed, brightness etc.). Thus, examples of sensor components are light switches, temperature monitors, movement detectors etc.
Actuators (receivers) - these take the information from the sensors and perform actions based on their preprogrammed function, e.g. turn down the heating, close shutters, extinguish lights etc. Examples of actuators are lights, displays, shutter motors, valves etc.
Connection of the bus can be in linear, star or tree configurations which allows flexibility in the applications in all forms of modern electrical installation.
Benefits of EIB
* Requires installation of only a single control bus, separate from the mains wiring.
* Decentralised configuration independent of the size of the installation.
* Simple reconfiguration of room functions without the need for rewiring.
* Flexible planning and simple installation.
* All equipment incorporated in the system is capable of communicating with all others on the bus.
* Reduction in the need for 230V mains wiring since many bus components require only low current and low voltage.
* Simple expansion to up to 11520 bus components.
* Reduction of fire risk due to reduction in mains wiring.
* Multiple applications of bus components. Information from sensors is available for use at all points on the bus, thereby allowing savings in duplication of some devices and the expansion of control and functional capability.
Now you can see what makes EIB so cost effective: you no longer need a whole lot of individual wired systems for alarm system, roller shutters, lighting, and so on ... but just one that can do the lot.
Intelligent Lighting
Total integration is one of the main features of EIB. Not only can your lighting be controlled and managed by the bus system, there is also a comprehensive range of curtain, blind, shutter and window modules.
For total energy conservation and comfort, solar detectors can be used to track the suns angle and intensity along with other sensors (wind and rain) to provide a fully automated solution to your blind control.
As EIB offers a total solution to building control and automation, the blinds and windows can be connected to the same bus system. This allows information to flow freely between the applications without the need for complex systems integration.
Constant lighting control can be used to dim perimeter light fittings within an office area linked to external solar monitoring all controlled by the EIB system. The external weather station can monitor the suns angle, position and intensity round the building. This data is broadcast on the bus system and can be used to motor the blinds to the correct position to reduce glare and solar internal heat gain. The internal luminairs can be dimmed to maintain the designed office light levels.
All this can be achieved using around 30% less cabling and avoiding complex integration to third party systems with EIB. Connecting your blinds or curtains to the bus system will also allow you to perform scenes within conference and meeting rooms. By simply pressing one wall mounted push button or infrared handheld control you can dim the lighting and close the blinds at the same time to create your presentation mood.
There are many standard types of shutter actuators within the EIB range for curtain, blind, shutter and window control. These devices are all widely used around the world to operate a vast array of perimeter shading equipment.
EIB and Konnex Update
The Konnex Device Network 2001 will see the formal merger of the 3 leading European systems for Home and Building Automation (EIB, EHS, BatiBus) into the specification of the new Konnex Association. The common specification of the "KNX" system is due for publication this spring, sporting an enhanced "toolkit" of services and mechanisms for network management.
EIB's mainstay of centralized late binding and parametrisation (typically with the PC-based ETS tool) will be referred to as S ("System")-mode. It is joined by E ("Easy")-mode device profiles, which can be configured through simple manipulations - without the need for a PC tool. Both configuration modes share a common run-time Interworking, covering applications for load- and energy management, lighting and shutter control, HVAC, access control and security etc. Completing the family, A ("Automatic")-mode achieves plug-and-play configuration of consumer products such
as white and brown goods. All extensions are fully backward compatible to EIB.
On the Konnex Device Network, all these devices come to life to form distributed applications in the true sense of the word. Even on the level of the applications themselves, tight interaction is possible, wherever there is a need or benefit. All march to the beat of powerful Interworking models with standardized datapoint types and "Funtional Block" objects, modeling logical device channels. The available Twisted Pair and Powerline communication media will soon (early 2002) be completed with Radio Frequency (868 MHz band).
http://www.konnex-knx.com/ The EIBA (European Installation Bus Association) coordinates the underlying technology behind the industry, publishing technical specifications for all EIB equipment under an open standard and thereby ensuring that all manufacturers' equipment is fully compatible with each other.
This page last updated: 14th February, 2006