LONMARK - LONWORKS

LONWORKS® Technology

Context

Introduction on the basic engineering

Davmark™ Group have a diverse client base, that they serve. Each with its unique needs and demands for background information on the systems Davmark™ can and does support. From end clients in advanced domestic housing, through different business sectors including:

  • Commercial office buildings
  • Hospitals
  • Hotels
  • Manufacturing
  • Process type industries
  • Other engineering partnerships
  • Consultancy practices

We realise that the same information will not be suitable for all needs. It is essentially an overview with some more detailed information.

Introduction

Local Operating Network (LON) technology makes possible a new generation of smart, low-cost products that communicate with one another. It is now possible to create affordable networks of intelligent devices that sense, process, communicate, and control a multitude of applications ranging from handheld instruments to large process control systems. Products can be linked together to serve applications in consumer electronics, factory automation, commercial building controls, vehicle controls, home automation and many other industries.

Industry leaders have dubbed LONWORKS technology the most significant development in semiconductors since the microprocessor. A brief review of its potential application areas reveals why. LONWORKS technology can control and link factory conveyor belts, product inventory, and distribution systems for optimum efficiency and flexibility. Performance and fault diagnosis information for computing and communications equipment can be readily available through onboard and in-box modules powered by Neuron® Chips. Smart office buildings can turn lights on and off, open and lock doors, start and stop elevators, and connect all functions to a central security system. Home owners can program a vast array of products and conveniences, from sprinkler systems to VCRs, with a touch tone phone from any remote location.

Davmark™ Group have been developing LONWORKS technology applications. Davmark™ work closely with Independent LONWORKS Systems Integrators and Developers. By working together Davmark™ learn from a the solutions applied to: products; services and problems in the real world. The result is that Davmark™ Group can make almost any LONWORKS application simply better.

The purpose of this web area is to help increase your understanding of basic LONWORKS concepts. It will not make you an expert but you will get a feel of what Davmark™ Group are able to for your business.

Local Operating Networks

A Local Operating Network consists of intelligent devices, or nodes, that are connected by one or more communications media and that communicate with one another using a common protocol.

Nodes are programmed to send messages to one another in response to changes in various conditions and to take action in response to messages they receive.

The nodes on a LON may be thought of as objects that respond to various inputs and produce desired outputs. Linking the inputs and outputs of network objects enables the network to perform applications. The function of any particular node may be quite simple. While the interaction among nodes enables a local operating network to perform complex tasks. A benefit of local operating networks is that a small number of common node types may be configured to perform a broad spectrum of different functions depending how they are linked in a network.

LONWORKS Overview

LONWORKS offers a complete solution to companies for designing, building and supporting local operating networks (LONs). Products developed using LONWORKS can be easily connected with a network management tool to form highly functional, local operating networks that are inexpensive to maintain and expand. In addition, LonTalk®, the protocol used by LONWORKS to standardize communication on the LON, defines a standard way for devices to exchange control and status information. LonTalk enables previously disparate systems and products to interoperate and thereby provide new services and benefits.

Echelon®'s implementation of LON technology is available to anyone.

Echelon has arranged for multiple sourcing of the key elements of LONWORKS, making it possible for any company to manufacture and sell LONWORKS-compatible products.

Major Elements

The major elements of LONWORKS are:

  • LonTalk protocol
  • Neuron chips
  • LONWORKS transceivers
  • Network management and applications software

Acknowledgments

We hope this has been a useful introduction to Echelon Corporation’s LONWORKS® technology, and not too technical.

Davmark Group make things work. We do the hard work, not you.

Davmark Group provides advanced solutions using LONWORKS.

Extensive portions of this article were quoted verbatim from Motorola document BR1108/D, LONWORKS Product Line Brief and EB161/D, LonTalk Protocol. Davmark Group wishes to express their grateful acknowledgment to both Echelon and Motorola Semiconductor for these reference documents.

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