Avnet and supplier partners put HVAC control in the cloud to turn data into insights
Avnet engineers at Embedded World 2023 will demonstrate a fully connected, real-time, remotely monitored HVAC system that puts control in the cloud and turns data into actionable insights.
The demo shows what’s possible to improve efficiency in the way we create, distribute and consume energy. Efficiency has become a priority in nearly every vertical market application. And the Internet of Things (IoT) is here to help, especially when it comes to system control.
To better understand concepts that underpin our HVAC demo, consider answers to these questions: If asked what IoT means, you may say it is a way of sharing information between electronic devices. You may further explain that it adds electronic control to things that used to be purely mechanical. If you are feeling really inspired, you may predict that, soon, everything will be connected in some way.
But what would you say if someone asked WHY we need IoT? After some thought, your response may be that IoT enables greater automation, and greater automation increases efficiency. Today, efficiency in the way we create, distribute and consume energy is becoming a priority in every vertical market sector.
IoT gives us the tools to do things more efficiently. Control becomes distributed, so too does the data needed to administer that control. Remote access to electromechanical devices is a big part of what IoT brings. We often talk about the value in the data that sensors create.
The so-called Big Data paradigm imagines a world where we can deliver fine-grained control to have wide-ranging positive impacts. And this is where IoT really is enabling. We couldn’t imagine creating and maintaining any kind of fully integrated, co-dependent, balanced and large system without data transparency.
But, despite being two decades old, IoT is still in its infancy. We don’t yet have fully automated smart cities or smart roads where traffic congestion is a thing of the past.
How does IoT improve efficiency?
Existing large systems, such as rail infrastructure, are examples where smaller changes are having a big impact. These kinds of systems have always been highly automated by necessity. The kind of fail-safe control systems used may have once been deeply embedded and operate as closed systems. That is changing, bringing the benefits of wide-area connectivity to systems that rely on sophisticated control solutions.
The same is true for buildings. Building automation systems predate the idea of a smart building, but they are good examples of how IoT is delivering greater control. This leads to higher efficiency, particularly in the way they use energy.
Take HVAC as an example. Pressure sensors are used to measure the airflow in ducts. The raw sensor data feeds a control system that keeps things moving. But what if you want to share that data with maintenance personnel? Or predict faults and plan shutdowns before the system suffers catastrophic failure? Or control an entire HVAC system from a PC halfway across the world?
This is where IoT comes in. Adding secure connectivity to real-time control systems is the next step. It can be a challenge, but Avnet can help. To prove it, Avnet engineers developed a fully connected, real-time, remotely monitored HVAC demonstrator that puts control in the cloud and turns data into actionable insights.
The demonstration uses two pressure sensors from TE Connectivity, a differential pressure sensor and an ultra-low pressure sensor. The output is fed to a Wi-Fi-enabled board based on a Microchip MIPS32 microcontroller.
Avnet integrated its IoT acceleration software, IoTConnect®, into both the firmware running on the microcontroller and the cloud platform it connects to. IoTConnect also provides the web-based dashboard used to visualize the data and add remote control.
This solution provides the security, authentication and data parsing needed to take raw sensor data and use it in the cloud. It can also send smart control back from the cloud to the board.
Avnet works with supplier partners TE Connectivity, Microchip and Microsoft to show how to connect HVAC systems. We’re doing the same with other suppliers in other vertical markets where IoT can make a positive difference.
Learn more at the Embedded World 2023 exhibition and conference or contact your Avnet representative.