Title: Home API A NetworkIndependent Home Control Architecture Maurice Bizzarri Software Director Business
1Home APIA Network-Independent Home Control
Architecture Maurice Bizzarri Software
DirectorBusiness Line InterconnectivityPhilips
Semiconductors
2Agenda
- Part I Home API Overview
- Home API Working Group
- What is Home API?
- Home API and Universal Plug and Play, 1394
- Summary
- Part II Home API Architecture
3New 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
4Possibility For 2000Windows PC or STB as
Integration Point for Intelligent Home
- Internet
- External Info
- EPG
- weather, traffic
- community
Pager
Telephone
New apps enabled by integration of information
and connectivity to controllable home
devices enhances family safety, comfort, and
convenience.
Remote Home Access and Event Notification
Phone line
Home Mgt. Apps
- Home State
- scheduled events
- house mode
- config info
DTV
DVCR
DSS
DVD
Digital A/V Networks (1394)
Cordless basestation
PC
Fridge Pad
Video Camera
Cordless communicator
Data Networks (Cat5, Phoneline RF, PLC)
Control networks (PLC, RF, IR)
HVAC
Light Control
Security
Sprinkler System
Sensors
5But Will My PC Crash My House?
- Absolutely not!
- PCs enhance home device functions with added
intelligence - Devices must still work standalone
- Should use dedicated controllers for critical
tasks
6Current Software Approach
Y Company
X Company
Z Company
PC GUI
PC GUI
PC, voice GUI
Security, HVAC Control App
Lighting andSmall Appl Control App
Security, Lighting Small Appl., CE Control App.
RF SensorDrivers
X-10Drivers
X-10Drivers
X-10Drivers
IRDrivers
- Monolithic
- Not easily extensible to new protocols
- Vendor Specific
- No published APIs for ISVs
Proprietary, non-extensible solutions dont grow
the market.
7A Better Approach Home API
- API designed for control of Home Devices
- No new protocols
- No new networks
- First implementation under Windows
8Home API Working Group
- Founded Q4 97, went public Q4 98
- Now 31 participants
- 0.95 Spec released to participants December 98
- http//www.homeapi.org
9Home API Working Group Promoter Companies
10Who Are The Participants?
- 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 - PCs, software applications, and peripherals
- Consumer electronics and entertainment
- Home HVAC and security
- Home lighting
- Home automation and control
11Agenda
- Part I Home API Overview
- Home API Working Group
- What is Home API?
- Home API and Universal Plug and Play, 1394
- Summary
- Part II Home API Architecture
12The Home API Is
- A service running in Windows
- 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
13The Home API Is Not
- A network management service
- Directly involved with Media Streaming
- But, can be used to locate media streams
associated with devices in the home
14Home API Services
- Object creation
- With discovery and control
- Property routes
- State change propagation
- Events and subscriptions
- Update on demand
- Containers
- Context, behavior encapsulation
- Associations
- Expose related components
- Asynchronous operations
- Efficient, failure tolerant
15Home API Discovery And Control
- Standard COM/OLE automation interfaces
- Simple, centralized namespace for devices
- Regardless of connectivity method
- Notification of new devices and services added to
the system - Network and protocol agnostic
- Network or bus connectivity model left to
Service Providers
16Namespace FrameworkFor home control devices and
services
- Designed to mirror home topographies
- Scope devices to actual locations in the home
- E.g.,home.den.light
Home
Den
Living Room
TV
Light
Light
Phone
17Runtime For Installable Home Behavior
- Homes Behaviors can be contained completely in
the Home API process - Use Routes to describe a relationship between
two objects properties - mySwitch.Power - myLight.Brightness
- More on this in next talk
18Home API Architecture
Client Application
- Layered
- Extensible via installable
- Service Providers
Home API
Cool New Stuff Service Provider
1394 Service Provider
X-10 Service Provider
19Service Providers
- Service Providers supply object instances to Home
API - E.g.. MyLightSwitch
- Home API supplies wrapped instances to clients
- Clients may be other Service Providers
- E.g., Scene managers, Smart Containers
20Service Providers
- Implement COM classes that expose
- IHomeControlObject
- IpersistPropertyBag
- Hides network interface details
- Matches events to subscriptions
- For event signaling
- Responsible for adding and removing Home API
objects as devices come and go - Must handle hot Plug and Play
21Agenda
- Part I Home API Overview
- Home API Working Group
- What is Home API?
- Home API and Universal Plug and Play, 1394
- Summary
- Part II Home API Architecture
22Home 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
23Home API And IEEE 1394
Windows Home Applications
Home API
UPnP Service Provider
Non-IP 1394 Service Providers AV/C, HAVi, etc.
IP over 1394
IEEE 1394
1394 Devices
24Home API And HAVi
- Easily extensible for Home API
- Complementary to Home API
- HAVi devices available to Home API
Home API
Home API to HAVi Service Provider
HAVi
25Home API To HAVi Service Provider
- Tracks devices on 1394 network
- Installs/Removes objects to HAPI
- Installs DCMs in HAVi devices as needed
- Interacts with other HAVi components
HAVi Device
Home API Application
1394
Home API
HAVi Service Provider
COM
261394 To IP Gateway
- 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
IP
Home API PC
1394/IP Gateway
1394 Ring
27Agenda
- Part I Home API Overview
- Home API Working Group
- What is Home API?
- Home API and Universal Plug and Play, 1394
- Summary
- Part II Home API Architecture
28Home API Summary
- Open industry effort, 31 participants to date
- Service provider architecture for home
automation - Network and protocol independent
- Complements Universal Plug and Play, HAVi, and
other device control models - Leverages PC intelligence for more flexible,
simpler home control scenarios - Without making home devices dependent on PCs
- Begin planning migration from proprietary APIs now
www.homeapi.org