Ventilation controller for building automation
Ventilation controller (“Economizer”) for BELIMO Automation AG
Starting situation
The company BELIMO is a market leader in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of field devices for the regulation and control of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. An easy-to-configure controller for rooftop ventilation units is to be developed for the US market.
Project objectives
The “Economizer” controller should support the main building automation interfaces, such as BACnet (communication protocol for building automation and control networks) and MPS (a communication protocol defined by BELIMO). Multiple sensors and units can be connected as hardware plug-ins, which the firmware must be able to recognize and support. The additional sensors and units should also facilitate comfort and energy saving.
Technical implementation
The “Economizer” software has been created based on the SWAP framework (Software Actuator Platform) developed by IMT. The SWAP framework includes the interfaces for BACnet and MPS. By entering a zip code, the economizer will be appropriately configured for the local climate zone. Climate data and settings are stored for all zip codes. The system architecture with bootstrapper and bootloader allows firmware updates at all times.
Results
The controller, which can be configured directly using your zip code, revolutionizes the market. Despite its simple configuration, the stored climate data enables the system to operate very efficiently. After more than 10 years of successful lifecycle support, the latest features for the “Economizer” are still available today.
