Implementing intelligent technical systems into smart homes by using model based systems engineering and multi-agent systems

Abstract

This paper shows a methodologically interdisciplinary approach to develop smart homes by using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and a Multi-Agent-System (MAS) approach. Using the methods and techniques of MBSE/MAS leads to an efficient development of a smart home and intelligent consumption of energy of the involved appliances. At the beginning there is a specification technique used to specify an appliance. This contains analysing the requirements, evaluating the functionality of the system and choosing solution-elements. Each single system shows an intelligent, self-optimizing behaviour, which has to be up scaled to a so called global optimum. This is reached by implementing connections between the appliances and a negotiation for available energy. Physical simulation models deliver the required energy for different processes and enable to predict the need of energy in prospective time segments. These physical models again need to be controlled by the controller models, which are also developed exemplarily in this paper. Therefore a structure of the controller is explained, which among others contains the functionality of negotiation and optimization. This functionality is furthermore used to circumvent a defined energy-supply-bottleneck-situation.