Smart buildings may result in considerable energy savings, save the environment, improve the health and safety of their inhabitants, and increase the quality of life thanks to contemporary control and automation methods and technology Of Power Management ICs.

Larger buildings can be remotely managed by building operators using automation technologies and the cloud. Their software solutions include portfolio energy management, visualization, fault detection, and diagnostics, real-time performance monitoring, data analytics, and data analytics. To decide the best course of action, analytics may be done in real-time utilizing developments in artificial intelligence (AI) by networking the equipment data to the cloud. HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), lighting, monitoring, access control, fire detection, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance systems are the most often used automation in buildings.

The architecture of a building automation system involves many levels of administration, control, and the field. The management layer oversees and manages the smart building from a central place, and when appropriate, captures and optimizes data. Since issues are found in real-time, immediate action may be made. Network protocols like BACnet and Modbus are used at this tier.

The control layer, represented by the building automation block in Figure 2, focuses on the hardware-level control of the building's equipment and uses decentralized protocols like KNX and LonWorks. Intelligent sensors and actuators gather data and carry out activities at the field layer. The system may detect the lighting level and automatically adapt it to meet the time of day, or it can provide shade to ensure that natural light is used as effectively as possible without glare.

Power efficiency and smaller sizes are Key
All of this intelligence, networking, and control is made feasible by developments in hardware and software. Controllers, sensors, I/Os, and actuators are present at the field level. A controller may be a distributed control system (DCS) using cutting-edge processors and microcontrollers, a motor/motion controller, or a programmable logic controller (PLC). Temperature, humidity, ventilation, and occupancy are all measured via sensors, which may be either digital or analog. Locks, window alarms, security camera positions, solar panels, blinds, and other moving systems may all employ actuators. In a contemporary structure, sensors and actuators may connect to the control center through wired or wireless gateways. Batteries or connected DC voltages, often in the 5V to 24V+ range, are used to power them.

Field sensors provide inputs to the controller, which then analyses them and activates the appropriate actuators. Modern sensors and actuators include integrated processors that enable them to resolve simple issues locally rather than referring them to the controller, which boosts throughput.

Every controller, sensor, and actuator in the field will need additional processors and communication interfaces as intelligent, internet-connected equipment proliferates in smart buildings. As a result, new demands are placed on system hardware, including smaller component sizes to accommodate more electronics in the same chassis, increased energy efficiency to operate within the same or lower thermal budget, and increased electrical/mechanical safety and reliability to minimize downtime.

Thermal dissipation problems are brought on by miniaturization and electronic component distributor, which fuels the desire for lower PCB sizes. As a result, the power-supply system has to be very efficient to offer more power while taking up less space. Applications for sensors and actuators often include a 24V nominal DC voltage bus. But for non-critical equipment, such as controllers, actuators, and safety modules, the maximum working voltage for industrial applications is anticipated to be 36V to 40V. (IEC 60664-1 insulation and 61508 SIL standards). With currents ranging from 10mA in tiny sensors to tens of amps in motion control, CNC, and PLC applications, the two most common output voltages are 3.3V and 5V. As a result, step-down (buck) voltage regulators are a no-brainer for industrial and building control applications (Figure 3).

As sensors are used more frequently, it is crucial to address the issue of how to efficiently and safely deliver low-voltage power to tiny sensors while minimizing the size of the solution. No matter the setting, sensors must be dependable and long-lasting since they diagnose and detect a wide range of factors and make choices. A voltage regulator supplies the ASIC, microcontroller, FPGA, analog front-end (AFE), and sensing element in the sensor "box" with the proper voltage.

A 24V DC power supply is commonly used to power the sensor. However, installing sensors in a building can be very difficult because they need lengthy cable connections to the power source, which causes high-voltage transients. As a result, voltage transients of 42V or 60V, which are substantially greater than the sensor working voltage, must be tolerated by the step-down converter within the sensor. As previously mentioned, it is best to rely on components that have an operating maximum of 42V for 24V rails.

The Value of Circuits for Isolation and Protection
Although SELV/FELV regulations state that input voltages below 60V are inherently safe to touch, isolation is still frequently required in this operating range for functional safety and reliability reasons. The power-supply electronic load, which is typically a very expensive and delicate microcontroller, needs protection in this voltage range. This electrical load could self-destruct if accidentally exposed to excessive voltage. The avoidance of ground loops, which could result in behaviors that reduce equipment dependability, is another advantage of isolation.

The unsung heroes of today's electronics are protection circuits. They can aid in protecting against stressors like inrush and reverse currents, overvoltages, and under voltages that can harm electronic loads.

In conclusion, building automation technologies make homes and offices cozier and more energy-efficient. However, these technologies are also creating difficulties for system dependability, miniaturization, and energy efficiency. These problems can be solved with the aid of power management ICs. Read the design guide for Power Management for the Smart Building for more information on this subject. This blog was previously published on Electronic Design earlier in the year.