2012 Fourth International Conference on Intelligent Networking and Collaborative Systems

Collaborative Systems for

Building Automation
Ioan Valentin Sita
Department of Automation
Technical University of Cluj–Napoca
Cluj–Napoca, Romania

Abstract— This paper describes the use of new generation of programming PLC’s. Communication steps are presented in [9,
PLC’s and WinCC software in creating collaborative systems for 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14].
managing, controlling and supervising building electric
equipment. These systems assure all the requirements of a
building and offer to the operators and maintenance technicians
II. SYSTEM SCHEMATIC
a more user friendly interface, accessible from distance and from A building automation system consists in elements like
many places. The communication between PLC’s and WinCC sensors, actuators, controllers and controllers cabinets named
software is made using Industrial Ethernet making the nodes (where are the fuse protections, power supplies,
monitoring and control more flexible. electronic components and drives between controllers and
actuators). These elements placed in the building are connected
Keywords – Building Automation System; PLC; WinCC; Re- to the controllers inputs/outputs. When the building automation
dundancy; HVAC; HAS; SCADA; HMI system is implemented and properly configured the data from
all processes can be acquired and operators have access to
I. INTRODUCTION installations processes control through a WinCC HMI.
For energy economy in the first place and for the rising of The presented system addresses to big buildings like
people working standards at office and living standards at hospitals, hotels, malls, big office buildings. This system
home, beneficiary want automation management systems for contains two servers, two clients, the industrial Ethernet
the building electric components to supervise and control their communication network and twelve PLC’s dedicated for
functions: Home Automation Systems (HAS) for small Lighting Control, Window Blinds Control, HVAC, Energy
buildings particularly in residential area and Building Consumption Management System, Safety Alarm System,
Automation Systems (BAS) for large buildings like office Security and Access Control, Intercom Control, Public Address
buildings, hotels, hospitals, malls and supermarkets, swimming Audio System Control, De-icing System, Water Supply and
pools, schools). Both HAS and BAS concern on local, central Irrigation System, Elevators Control and Gates Control. A
and remote access to the building devices and their functions. possible number of thirty-two clients can be connected to a
Central monitoring and control equipment that can be accessed WinCC server or servers. Maximum twelve servers can be
with remote wireless or wired devices can significantly reduce included in the system. A generalized schematic of the system
costs. With multiple client equipments, technicians can is presented in Fig. 1.
collaborate for surveillance and maintenance activities.

This paper proposes a building automation system based on

a decentralized architecture. Every zone or complex equipment
is served by a node that contains a PLC. All nodes are
connected in a network using Industrial Ethernet protocols
through PLC Ethernet extension module or PLC integrated
Ethernet port.
Redundancy in building automation systems is very impor-
tant and consist in installing multiple servers that have direct
access to the field PLC’s through a network realized with
distribution equipments that permit dual connection. The
authors in [1] present the basis of using WinCC software in
making Building Automation System projects. In [2 and 3]
autonomous and intelligent building systems are described. The
software redundancy of the by using multiple servers is
presented in a more complex way in [4] and the redundancy of
the networks using ring topology is presented in [5]. The
documentations [6, 7, and 8] show the way for configuring and Figure 1. Generalized diagram of Building Automation System

978-0-7695-4808-1/12 $26.00 © 2012 IEEE 485

DOI 10.1109/iNCoS.2012.98
 For the proposed building automation system a redundant connected, X206-1 where PLC1 and the SIMATIC PG are
WinCC configuration is implemented. The redundancy connected, one X208 where the Client 2 and the PLC 2 are
configuration consist of two servers that perform the same connected and another X206-1 where Client 1 is connected.
functions but not simultaneous. One server, marked as master The connection between SCALANCE X208 and the two
(server1) runs all the time and one standby server (server2), SCALANCE X206-1 is made using twisted pair cable. The
which is programmed to start only when the master server fails. connection between SCALANCE X204-2 and the two
The clients start to communicate with the standby server SCALANCE X206-1 is made using fiber optic. The connection
(server2), which acquires data from the building. between servers, clients, PLC’s and SCALANCE switches is
made using also twisted pair cables.
III. SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
For field on-line monitoring this system uses V. CONCLUSIONS
computers/servers that runs SIEMENS (company) application Using SIEMENS SIMATIC S7-300 PLC’s local building
named SIMATIC WinCC, version 7.0. All the data acquired real-time processes for building automation can be
from the building with the analog/digital modules are implemented, but the building automation system in general is
transmitted by the PLC’s through the real-time Industrial not real-time.
Ethernet Network to this computer/server that is equipped with
an Industrial Ethernet PCI board. Using multiple SIEMENS SIMATIC servers a redundant
BAS can be implemented.
WinCC is a powerful scalable engineering and runtime
HMI application for use on Windows operating systems, which Also several technicians can monitor a single process or
communicates with both the operator and the automation installation from the building, and each technician can see the
system. With the WinCC Runtime software, the operator can manipulations performed by the other technicians, so they can
run and monitor the process. The WinCC Explorer is the core collaborate through the systems in their work.
of the configuration software.
REFERENCES
In the building automation system, as a SIMATIC
[1] Zhao Xiu-fen and Wang Hong-yu, “Application of WinCC Software to
environment, the WinCC communication peers are the central Building Automation System”, 2010 International Conference on Future
modules from PLC’s and the communications processors from Power and Energy Engineering, pp. 19-21.
the computers/servers. These communicate with each other and [2] Akio Orihara, Ken Nozaki, Nobuhisa Kobayashi, Masahiro Oguri,
exchange data. Maximum 32 WinCC clients can have access to Shinobu Tajima and Masahiro Inoue, “An Autonomous Decentralized
the same redundant server project. The technology is "client System Platform under Multi-vendor Environments in Building
without a project". All WinCC data is stored in the integrated Automation”, Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on
Autonomous Decentralized Systems (ISADS’97), pp. 409-415.
Microsoft SQL Server database on the WinCC server and the
[3] Michael LeMay, Jason J. Haas and Carl A. Gunter, “Collaborative
WinCC clients do not have their own WinCC project. Recommender Systems for Building Automation”, Proceedings of the
PC stations are distinct between applications like: 42nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2009, pp. 1-
10.
Engineering Station used for both configuring the building
[4] ***SIMATIC HMI WinCC V7.0, System Description, 09/2008, A1900-
automation system operated with S7 stations as well as for L531-B996-X-7600, SIEMENS AG, 5-52.
process control tasks, Run-time PC used for control tasks, [5] ***Industrial Ethernet Switching, November 2008, SIEMENS AG.
PG/PC used for diagnostic and maintenance tasks.
[6] Hans Berger, “Automating with STEP 7 in LAD and FBD: SIMATIC
S7-300/400 Programmable Controllers”, 4th edition, Siemens
IV. HARDWARE TESTING PLATFORM Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin and Munich, 2008, 1-32.
[7] ***SIMATIC Ladder Logic (LAD) for S7-300 and S7-400
For implementation of the redundant SCADA system two Programming, Reference Manual, 03/2006, A5E00706949-01,
SIMATIC Rack PC 847B are used as servers and for the clients SIEMENS AG, 1-228.
two SIMATIC Rack PC 647B. For testing platform two [8] ***SIMATIC System software for S7-300/400 System and Standard
SIEMENS SIMATIC S7-300 PLC’s are used, one S7-313 and Functions, Reference Manual, 01/2004, A5E00261410-01, SIEMENS
one S7-314. PLC’s take sequential pairs of the Building AG, 1-658.
Automation System functions: Lighting Control, Window [9] ***SIMATIC NET Commissioning PC Stations, Manual / Quick Start
Blinds Control, HVAC, Energy Consumption Management for SIMATIC NCM PC / STEP 7, 11/2002, C79000-G8976-C156-03,
SIEMENS AG, 14-111.
System, Safety Alarm System, Security and Access Control,
[10] ***SIMATIC Configuring Hardware and Communication Connections
Intercom Control, Public Address Audio System Control, De- STEP 7, Manual, 03/2006, A5E00706939-01, SIEMENS AG, 15-33.
icing System, Water Supply and Irrigation System, Elevators
[11] ***SIMATIC NET PROFIBUS Networks, Manual, 05/2000, 6GK1970-
Control and Gates Control. The system contains a SIMATIC 5CA20-0AA1, Release 2, SIEMENS AG, 41-67.
PG laptop. [12] ***SIMATIC Open TCP/IP Communication via Industrial Ethernet,
Manual, 12/2005, A5E00711636-01, SIEMENS AG, 5-43.
The PLC’s are configured and programmed in STEP 7
version 5.5. STEP 7 is a standard SIEMENS software package, [13] ***SIMATIC NET NCM for Industrial Ethernet, Manual for NCM S7,
12/2001, C79000-G8976-C129, Release 05, SIEMENS AG, 13-127.
part of the SIMATIC industry software. The Building
[14] ***SIMATIC NET Industrial Communication with PG/PC, Manual,
Automation System Ethernet Network is implemented using 05/2003, C79000-G8976-C172, Edition 02, SIEMENS AG, 29-149.
four SCALANCE switches: X204-2 where the servers are

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