Huntington Beach, Ca. – Echelon Corp. is moving beyond its pioneering Lonworks industrial/building network devices with its new Pyxos platform that it believes will allow control networks to be embedded economically inside office equipment, building automation devices, vending machines, small appliances, and industrial machines. 

The Pyxos platform is designed to support wired and wireless media as required by the application or installation.  

M. Kenneth Oshman, chairman and CEO of Echelon, said the Pyxos platform is the first "self-organizing" embedded control network in which devices automatically configure themselves into functioning networks.

 “This makes the technology particularly well suited for applications that are geared toward the non-technical user,” he said. “For example, the platform is ideal for consumer-installed products; for configurable products like appliances, air handlers, and automobiles in which there are many different assembly options; and for products like smart military fatigues that are laden with sensors that change during each mission.” 

Moreover, said Oshman, the Pyxos platform is fully compatible with LonWorks networks,allowing Pyxos based machines or networks to be integrated into still larger control networks. Other key features of Echelon's Pyxos platform include: low cost, ultra-miniature size, media independence (wired or wireless), extensible architecture, and universal applicability across different industries. 

“Consider what can be done when a control network and sensors are embedded within carpeting,” said Oshman. “Smart carpeting would allow traffic patterns to be tracked, directing cleaning crews only to those areas that were

trafficked. Occupied areas could be identified to emergency response teams, right down to individual office cubicles, in the event of a fire. An alarm could be raised automatically if a guard on tour is overcome by an intruder. 

Pyxos “pilots” and “points” 

Two key elements in the Pyxos network platform are what the company calls “points and pilots” Pyxos points are "self-organizing" in that they can dynamically and autonomously assemble themselves into fully functioning networks without any human intervention.  

Oshman said self-organizing software developed by Echelon make it possible to mix and match different assemblies or components without changing wiring harnesses or using special configuration tools or software.  

“By dispensing with a software tool for installation, manufacturers of configurable machines such as automobiles and refrigerators, can use one flexible assembly line where Pyxos enabled components are snapped into place and configured on the fly,” he said.

To provide compatibility between a Pyxos network and current wired and wireless control networks, the platform also incorporates the Pyxos Pilot which acts as a bridge between the the Pyxos Points inside a machine and host processors, LonWorks control networks and the Internet. 

“Pyxos Pilots bridge the two networks,” he said. “A Pyxos machine with a LonWorks interface can be integrated with a control application in the same manner as LonWorks devices that do not use a Pyxos embedded network.” 

Pyxos networks are intended to be embedded inside machines and connect the sensors/actuators that lay at the heart of those machines and will be designed to operate over networks at very high speeds over short distances. 

“Embedding a Pyxos network into the machines on a LonWorks network creates a synergistic application,” said Oshman. “Unlocking the rich set of data inside machines that can be used to further enhance the value and capabilities of control applications such as energy management and remote monitoring and maintenance; and improve the quality and profitability of such programs as service level agreements and facility management. 

According to Harbor Research, Inc., the 2005 market for "device" networks includes 375 million "static devices," 500 million "controllers," 750 million "smart" sensors, and 35 billion microprocessors and microcontrollers. Static devices include HVAC equipment, industrial machinery, pipelines, home appliances, and others; controllers include industrial controllers and appliance controllers; and smart sensors include accelerometers, pressure gauges, flow, position, speed, temperature, and biosensors, among others. 

To learn more, go to www.echelon.com.

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