Accelerate Your Path Towards A Sustainable Net-Zero Future with ADI

4 Apr 2024

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Technology, especially in fields like consumer electronics, is advancing rapidly every day. However, there are still other applications where tech has yet to make a widespread impact. One of these is buildings (homes, businesses, factories, etc). This article explores how microelectronic solutions from ADI can help enable the global goal of achieving a sustainable net zero future through sensing, measurement, power management and connectivity in intelligent buildings.

Building digitalization is critical to enable the global goal of achieving a sustainable net-zero future. Leveraging our rich history of domain expertise and industry-leading sensing, measurement, power, processing, and connectivity technologies, Analog Devices is unlocking operational insights that transform traditional buildings into intelligent buildings. ADI’s commitment to using our technology, people, and voice to protect the planet and improve quality of lives to drive positive change for future generations makes us a co-creation partner of choice. Equip your building with innovative technologies that improve safety, accessibility, building management, and energy efficiency, maximizing building’s occupants’ comfort.

The Future of Intelligent Buildings

Digitizing, Connecting, Delivering Sustainability

Building digitalization, coupled with increased levels of interconnected automation systems, intelligent edge sensors and actuators are providing operational efficiencies that deliver long-term sustainable improvements in building management. These actionable insights reduce energy consumption, create safer environments, and increase occupancy comfort, leading to higher productivity and a greener future.

Operational Efficiencies with Interconnected Building Systems

Edge nodes monitor, analyze, and influence the physical operational environment of the intelligent building. Artificial intelligence at the edge and in the cloud is using data to optimize system performance to achieve the required business outcomes and environmental objectives. Data must be able to flow across traditionally siloed IT and OT networks, reinforcing the need for continued convergence. This holistic approach relies on an underlying communications framework that connects the building’s automation subsystems to the building management system. Ethernet to the edge is enabling IP-addressable nodes to communicate over existing standard twisted pair cable, thus facilitating a seamless upgrade path for legacy systems.

Localizing Intelligence and Protecting the Edge

To make informed decisions, data from many devices must be collected and interpreted. By decentralizing intelligence, this data can be locally analyzed for more timely decision-making, with only the outcome being communicated to the control layer. With more accessible nodes comes a need to protect the edge. Authentication and secure boot are some of the features that are needed to secure edge nodes from potential cyber-attacks.

Enabling Adaptable Buildings and Legacy Building Upgrades

Digitalization is the connection of edge sensors and actuators, the extraction of insights and the automation of actions to deliver on operational goals. In new buildings, spaces must be adaptable, with the ability to be reconfigured for new or expanded use cases. For legacy buildings, additional sensing and control must be integrated with existing I/O controllers and cabling, so they can grow organically as investment increases and ROI is realized. A configurable software I/O solution provides the flexibility needed for both new and legacy buildings, enabling owners to maximize the return on their asset investments.

Urbanization on the Horizon

Population growth contributes to urbanization and it’s estimated that >65% of the world’s population will live in an urban environment by 2050. It is predicted that the global building floor space will double by 2060, equivalent to adding an extra New York to the world every month for 40 years.

Reduced Operational Costs with Increased Automation

The holistic connected building is becoming smarter, automatically reacting to the needs of its occupants both inside and outside of working hours. Automated adjustment of room lighting, temperature, ventilation, and window blinds based on occupancy and external weather conditions is creating a more comfortable and productive environment for workers, while enabling significant reductions in energy usage and cost for the business. With 90% of existing buildings likely to be still standing by 2050, organizations must invest in greater automation to overcome increasing operational costs and to meet their sustainability goals.

Reduced Energy Usage with Efficient Power Design

Fully integrated building management systems can bring significant energy savings through sequencing processes, optimizing the environment for occupancy patterns, and detecting and diagnosing equipment working efficiencies. Savings can also be realized through core system design, requiring a development partner that understands trade-offs and can deliver on the solutions needed for efficient power design.

ADI’s Key Enabling Technologies

Unlock new sources of efficiency

Making buildings more sustainable is fundamental to reducing global energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. Many new buildings are being outfitted with technologies to remotely monitor and control HVAC systems, sense room occupancy, autonomously control lighting, and monitor environmental conditions, making these buildings more sustainable while also making them safer and more comfortable for their occupants. Analog Devices’ industry-leading measurement, connectivity, power, and processing technologies are helping to make intelligent buildings a reality.

Access Control

Utilizing AI, facial and audio access control is now becoming common place. Secure your building from external and internal threats with a host of ADI technologies, including cybersecurity and AI enabled processing solutions. From door access to voice-activated blind control, the MAX78000 AI microcontroller is built to enable neural networks to execute at ultra low power at the intelligent edge.

Asset Health Management

Electric motors account for approximately 38% of all electricity used in commercial buildings. Energy usage in HVAC systems can be optimized by monitoring vibration and power quality. ADI’s ADXL359 enables condition monitoring of assets in real time, allowing early diagnosis of mechanical faults and failing equipment. The ADE9430 power quality monitoring device and accompanying software stack allows a cost-effective way to monitor the health of the motor power supply and to preserve the health of the motor itself.

The Connected Building

Seamless connectivity to edge node sensors and actuators is resulting in substantial building operating efficiencies. Analog Devices offers a portfolio of products to bring Ethernet connectivity to all levels of a building automation system. Ethernet PHYs are available for connecting controllers over 10BASE-T/100BASE-T/1000BASE-T links. Single-pair Ethernet products (ADIN1100/ADIN1110) compatible with the 10BASE-T1L standard bring Ethernet connectivity to room controllers and edge nodes in point-to-point, ring, and line network configurations. The ADIN2111 2-port low complexity switch reduces the burden on the room controller’s microcontroller, making upgrades from legacy systems easier.

Retrofitting a Prioritity

Building retrofits are key to achieving sustainability targets, and ADI’s products are designed with a staged upgrade path in mind. The AD74412R software configurable I/O enables legacy (ADM2867E for RS-485 and ADM3055E for CAN) and new flexible communication systems (10BASE-T1L) to co-exist for optimum retrofitting. 10BASE-T1L installations use the existing twisted pair cabling infrastructure, reducing waste and installation time.

Edge Intelligence

Integrating state-of-the-art sensors and controls into most commercial buildings can save as much as an estimated 29% of site energy consumption. Building intelligence and adaptability into edge devices requires high performance inputs and outputs. Software configurable I/O (AD74412R) brings a new level of flexibility to room controllers, while the AD4130-8 is an advanced multichannel ADC that can be mated with a variety of sensors and inputs. Precision temperature sensors such as the MAX31825 and ADT7420 can provide real-time feedback on the ambient temperature, while the TMC5130A is a high performance noiseless stepper motor driver, enabling efficient, quiet operation of heating valves (TRVs) and airflow units.

Fire Safety

Building safety is an integral part of a holistic building management system. The ADPD188BI is a complete smoke detection solution from Analog Devices that enables smaller form factor designs, and reduced nuisance alarms while meeting the latest, strictest international fire safety standards. Distinguishing between life threatening and non-life threatening sources of smoke is critical. The CN0537 reference design contains a smart detection algorithm, fully verified to UL 217 and EN 14604 standards, that can make this distinction.

Intelligent Surveillance Cameras that Detect and Track

AI enabled cameras provide protection to people and infrastructure, as well as productivity insights to retailers, manufacturers, and city planners. Increasing resolution, and additional sensing, such as radar and audio, enable cameras to see and hear more, with greater clarity, and in any condition.

Cameras also need to rapidly target events, then smoothly track and record, even when exposed to vibration. Whether using a stepper motor or a more complex BLDC motor, ADI Trinamic™ motor control solutions and multiturn position sensors simplify camera design, improve efficiency, and enable precision movement.

Broad and Scalable Processor Platforms for the Edge

Best-in-class power and secure computing.

Securing the Intelligent Edge

Ensuring your data is protected
For security at the edge, the DS28S60 DeepCover® cryptographic coprocessor easily integrates into embedded systems enabling confidentiality, authentication, and integrity of information. With a fixed command set and no device-level firmware development required, the DS28S60 makes it fast and easy to implement full security for IoT devices. The MAXQ1065 ultra low power cryptographic controller offers solutions for access control, providing turnkey cryptographic functions for root-of-trust, mutual authentication, data confidentiality, and integrity.

DeepCover® embedded security solutions protect against device-level security attacks. Invasive and noninvasive countermeasures are implemented including active die shield, encrypted storage of keys using the ChipDNA PUF technology, and externally callable algorithmic subroutines.

ChipDNA™ is a physically unclonable function (PUF) providing a cost-effective solution with the ultimate protection against security attacks.

Precision Signal Chains for Sensor Measurement

Quickly digitize sensor data in every corner of the building Offering high performance, ultra low power, and support for a diverse range of sensor interface and measurement solutions, ADI’s Precision Signal Chains accelerate the design of sensor devices needed throughout intelligent buildings. Pre-selected technology combinations, tools and expertise create a simplified design journey, with variations available for key performance specifications such as power efficiency, solution size, noise immunity, and bandwidth. LTspice® signal chain level schematics allow fast simulation, optimization and onward design, while power management solutions are provided to ensure optimal performance and efficiency.