Hirschmann and the AutHoNe-DE research project
Hirschmann and the AutHoNe-DE research project
Intelligent wireless solutions for mobile automation are increasingly in demand. In addition to wireless communications devices a further focus is on developing concepts for self-organising networks. They promise to be easy to install and operate, as well as robust and failsafe in energy-efficient continuous operations.
Hirschman Automation and Control is taking part in the research project AutHoNe-DE (Autonomic Home Networking Deutschland) in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communications Systems (FOKUS), Siemens AG, Corporate Research and Technologies and the Technical University Munich, Informatik VIII Netzarchitekturen und Netzdienste (IT VIII network architectures and services). The aim of the project is to design an innovative communications structure for home networking, with autonomous components whose self-organising capabilities form the basis for various applications scenarios.
Greater reliability and lower costs
Automatic networking capabilities are to be developed using a home network. This scenario greatly facilitates the transfer of applications to other scenarios and also to mobile automation. The time spent on installation, configuration and administration is anticipated to go down significantly, resulting in lower set-up and operating costs.
New monitoring, automation and control possibilities allow for a faster, more reliable exchange of information between force, angle and length sensors. Completely re-networked and autonomous classes of device could make it possible to provide remote query and remote access to the machine infrastructure securely. A further prospect is the autonomous connection of machine operator, working environment and mobility in order to achieve a dependable, wireless supervision of actuators’ working areas, for example for cranes.
Innovative services in future products
Innovative new services and solutions for customer needs in the field of networked sensors are the challenges to be met by future product cycles from Hirschmann Automation and Control. The current proprietary sensors are to be configured for active communications (also bi-directional) by 2009 and control units are to be equipped with functions to extend their situational awareness. Robust, secure products for self-contained and interoperating sensor networks in mobile automation are targeted for 2010.