Generic Middleware for User-friendly Control Systems in Home and Building Automation

In the field of Home Automation and Building Automation systems, the lack of interoperability of subsystems constitutes a major problem, especially for the integration of subsystems of different vendors. In order to overcome this drawback, our research group developed a concept of a generic control framework, which allows for integration of heterogeneous subsystems in an easy to control manner. This control framework contains functions to provide a dependable and secure control system for various Home Automation respectively Building Automation applications. To achieve that, the framework must be able to handle multiple users with different access rights using a variety of applications, as well as multiple devices (sensors, actuators, controllers, PCs, switches, routers, etc.) with different algorithmic roles. As a proof of concept, selected functions of this framework have been implemented and tested at a local test site. In this paper, we outline the architecture of the framework, describe the centerpiece of this architecture (i.e., the middleware layer), and show some results of the validation process. Keywords—Home Automation; Communication Infrastructure; User Control; Generic Interfaces