The German AAL Standardization Roadmap
(= Ambient Assisted Living)
Publisher
VDE ASSOCIATION FOR ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
responsible for the daily operations of the
DKE German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE
Stresemannallee 15 60596 Frankfurt Phone: +49 69 6308-0 Fax: +49 69 6308-9863 E-Mail: [email protected] Internet: www.dke.de as of January 2012
3 Contents
1 PRELIMINARY REMARKS... 6
2 ABSTRACT ... 7
3 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND... 9
3.1SOCIAL BACKGROUND...9
3.2DEFINITIONS AND SYSTEM MODEL...12
3.2.1 Definitions ...12
3.2.2 AAL system model...13
3.2.3 Conformity and interoperability...17
3.2.4 Structure of the standardization landscape ...17
3.2.5 DIN, CEN and ISO...20
3.2.6 DKE, CENELEC and IEC ...20
3.2.7 Benfit of innovative AAL technology and corresponding standardization ...21
3.3FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS...23
3.3.1 Introduction of the ICF ...23
3.3.2 Users of AAL systems ...23
3.3.3 Legal requirements ...24
3.3.4 Data protection and informational self-determination...25
3.3.5 Medical Devices Law (MPG) ...26
3.3.6 The German health system ...28
4 SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS FOR AAL... 32
4.1SENSORS/ACTUATORS AND HOUSE BUSES...32
4.1.1 Safety and electromagnetic compatibility ...32
4.1.2 Point-to-point connections and networks ...34
4.1.3 House bus systems/building automation field buses...36
4.1.4 Application protocols for sensors and actuators...37
4.2USER INTERFACES...38
4.3MIDDLEWARE/SERVICES/RUNTIME PLATFORM...40
4.3.1 Multimedia Home Platform (MHP)...40
4.3.2 Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) ...41
4.3.3 Open Service Gateway Initiative (OSGi) ...41
4.3.4 Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) ...41
4.3.5 Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and web services...42
4.3.6 Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS) ...42
4.3.7 Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)...43
4.3.8 Universal Remote Console (URC)...43
4.3.9 Machine-to-Machine (M2M)...44
4.3.10 Data exchange on the health sector...44
4.4SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS FOR OPERATOR MODELS...49
4.4.1 Quality management systems in general ...49
4.4.2 Quality management on the health sector...51
4.4.3 Standards for quality and risk management of medical devices ...52
4.4.4 Other relevant standards and certifications ...53
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4.5.1 Building Information Modelling/Industry Foundation Classes (BIM/IFC)...54
4.5.2 CityGML...55
4.6USE CASE-CENTRED INTEGRATION PROFILES...55
5 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GERMAN STANDARDIZATION ROADMAP AAL... 57
5.1INTERNATIONALITY...57
5.2USE CASE-CENTRED INTEGRATION PROFILES...58
5.2.1 Developing integration profiles for prototypical use scenarios ...58
5.2.2 Setting up a vendor-neutral organization to promote the interoperability of AAL systems ...58
5.3STANDARDS FOR THE INTEROPERABILITY OF AAL COMPONENTS...59
5.3.1 Remote maintenance of AAL systems and components...59
5.3.2 Abstract software interface for actuating building automation and control systems ...60
5.3.3 Communication between AAL systems and health-sector IT systems ...61
5.3.4 Linking AAL systems to home emergency call services...62
5.3.5 Languages for describing context information for AAL...62
5.3.6 Standard execution environment for AAL services ...63
5.3.7 AAL planning system ...64
5.3.8 Interfaces for external services...64
5.4QUALITY ASSURANCE...65
5.5OPERATING AAL SYSTEMS...65
5.6CERTIFICATION AND TEST SEALS (ALONG THE LINES OF A SEAL OF APPROVAL) ...66
5.6.1 AAL seal for products ...66
5.6.2 Quality assurance/QMS for AAL providers...66
5.6.3 AAL privacy seal for AAL providers ...67
5.6.4 AAL certification for professional staff ...67
5.7DEFINITIONS...68
6 ABBREVIATIONS ... 69
7 LITERATURE ... 73
8 ANNEX ... 77
8.1AAL PROJECTS FOR MICROSYSTEM TECHNOLOGY...77
8.2AGE-APPROPRIATE ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHY, INDEPENDENT LIVING...78
8.3TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES IN DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE...80
8.4AALJOINT PROGRAMMES (AAL169) WITH GERMAN PARTICIPATION...82
8.5SOCIAL INNOVATIONS FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS...83
8.5.1 1. SILQUA-FH funding period (2010) ...83
8.5.2 2. SILQUA-FH funding period (2010) ...85
8.6STATE PROJECTS...86
8.7EU PROJECTS WITH GERMAN PARTICIPATION...86
8.7.1 6. FP6-IST Framework Programme ...86
8.7.2 7. FP7-ICT Framework Programme ...87
8.8ASSOCIATIONS...88
8.9LIVING LABS...90
8.10STANDARDIZATION BODIES...92
8.11BENEFIT OF AAL SYSTEMS FOR VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS...96
8.11.1 Chances offered by AAL technology ...96
5 List of illustrations
Figure 1: Old-age and youth dependency ratio [67] ...10 Figure 2: Share of the patients aged 60-79 and more than 80 years with selected diagnoses in outpatient
primary medical care, Germany (1993); as a percentage [49] ...11 Figure 3: Multimorbidity in age (as per [65]) ...12 Figure 4: AAL system model ...14 Figure 5: Main elements of the standardization landscape and their interrelationships together with their
regulatory bodies...18 Figure 6: Structure of IEC/CENELEC/DKE and ISO/CEN/DIN ...19 Figure 7: Procedures for CE marking of medical devices according to the classification CE [45]...27 Figure 8: Privacy seal as necessary requirement for AAL systems and system components together with
6 1 PRELIMINARY REMARKS
It is only a few years ago since Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) emerged as a separate research and work area, but it was quickly taken up and promoted by numerous national and European players. Today it is a highly topical and highly discussed area with comprehensive activities from the national to the European level and recently also on an international scale. AAL is highly interdisciplinary in character so that many different partners are involved from various medical, technological, social and business-related areas. This also results in a large number of specifications that already exist and are applied to the individual systems today.
However, the mere existence of such specifications does not necessarily live up to the specific requirements of the AAL systems and products. There is a need on the one hand to look at the existing specifications to identify and select those that really offer system relevance. On the other hand, existing gaps have to be closed, particularly as regards integration and interoperability of the individual systems and also as in terms of qualified staff training and quality assurance. In this way, the strategic approach to standardization should be supported and promoted on the AAL sector.
A further challenge consists in bringing together the various stakeholders and overcoming the new hindrances that result from new contact points and interfaces. Hitherto there was no overlapping understanding or common approach among the various players. This Standardization Roadmap enhances the shared understanding of all stakeholders in the AAL environment and makes them more aware of other people's issues. The German AAL Standardization Roadmap aims to set the trend and act as the guideline for a more clearly structured AAL environment. Further developments of the German AAL Standardization Roadmap will be discussed and updated with the affected standards committees and other interested circles.
7 2 ABSTRACT
Introduction and background
Definitions
Ambient Assisted Living is a hybrid product referring to a basic technical infrastructure in the home and services provided by third parties with the aim of continuing to lead an independent life in one's own home.
System models
At present, AAL system models only exist for products that are relatively simple in technical and organizational terms. Only a small number of assistance and telemedicine systems and networked health platforms from various vendors are currently put to productive use. Future AAL applications will be far more complex in both technical and organizational terms.
Framework conditions
The need for AAL developments results on the one hand from demographic developments and on the other hand from increasing desires for convenience and comfort.
Legal requirements are defined above all by data protection laws and the Medical Devices Act.
User requirements
The highly heterogeneous group of people using AAL systems results in a large number of functional and non-functional user requirements that have to be taken into consideration right from the start.
Requirements for assistance systems
Assistance systems for helping with activities and participation are used in different areas. Standards and specifications
Some (non-)technical areas have relevant standards and specifications for AAL systems and components.
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Recommendations from the German AAL Standardization Roadmap
The German AAL Standardization Roadmap makes the following recommendations.
International character
To ensure that AAL systems can become established on the European Single Market and beyond, AAL standardization activities should take place on an international or at least European scale.
Application-centred integration profiles
In order to establish cross-vendor interoperability of systems and components, typical AAL systems or applications should be identified and the necessary components, interfaces and data formats etc. should be standardized.
Standards for the interoperability of AAL components
As far as AAL is concerned, there are certain gaps in the current standards collection. These standards should be closed through the creation of corresponding standards by the affected bodies.
Operating AAL systems
In many cases, AAL systems will be used on a cross-provider basis so that ordinances and regulations will be necessary for cooperation and for sharing responsibility between the stakeholders.
Certification and seals of approval (seals of quality)
Quality assurance certification is necessary for both AAL products and AAL providers. In addition, a privacy seal of approval is also conceivable for AAL providers.
Definitions
Definitions should be drawn up to promote a uniform understanding of words and phrases being used in the AAL environment. Here reference can be made to the VDE application guide VDE-AR-E 2757-1-1.
9 3 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Up to now, industry and science have not yet established a uniform model for describing AAL systems and their components. Nor is there a generally accepted definition of Ambient Assisted Living. The following section introduces a definition and an abstract model of an AAL system and its components so that uniform technology can be used for the purpose of this document. In this context, it must be borne in mind that there are many different technical possibilities for implementing specific AAL systems, so that a generally valid model can only offer a relatively abstract view and constitute a superset of the components needed for a specific AAL system.
3.1 Social background
Introduction/overview
One of the key motivations for developing AAL systems is the ageing of society. Tews [69] sees three different aspects here:
Absolute increase in the number of older people: In 1910, the German empire counted approx. 3 million people aged more than 64 years; by 2000 the number in united Germany already exceeded 13 million.
Relative increase in the number of older people: The share of the population accounted for by those aged 64 years and over increased from 5 % to 16 % between 1910 and 2000. Compared to the working population aged between 18 and 64 years, the share of older people increased from 9 % to 25 %.
Increase in longevity: Between 1910 and 2000, the share of very old people aged more than 80 years increased from 0.5 % to more than 3 % of the German population.
Demographic development in Germany
The relative increase in the number of older people is closely related to the shift in the old-age dependency ratio1 (16 % 1950 to 27 % 2010 through to 65 % in 2060) given a constant youth dependency ratio in future (decrease from 51 % in 1950 to 34 % in 1990 but then constant at 31 % until 2060) (see figure 1 [67]).
1
Youth or old age dependency ratios measure the ratio between the younger or older population and the working population (here from 20 to 65 years) [67], p.19
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Figure 1: Old-age and youth dependency ratio [67]
This greatly increases the burden on the medium age groups (aged between 18 and 64 years) in terms of gainful employment, bringing up children and caring for elderly relatives (the number of those in need of care will increase by 70 % from 2000 to 2040 with an increase in dementia cases of just about 90 % [50]). This trend will be further reinforced by more heterogeneous family forms, a greater focus on working and higher regional mobility in the working population [47].
Looking after and caring for older relatives in the home environment makes great demands of the main carer who is usually female. The average period of care is currently 5.6 years. During this time, 79 % of the main carers are working practically 24/7 to look after the person in need of care. 91 % of the main carers therefore see themselves facing a great or very great burden [18]. In 2002, 2.4 % of the total population or about 2 million people were in need of care. This refers to about 18.7 % of the 80-85 age group and about 57 % of the over-90 age group. 68 % of those in need of care are looked after in private households and 32 % in homes [61].
The aspect of support and care leads to the need for assistance in the home environment [27], together with the fact that once retired, "the living experience once again dominates the quality-of-life experience" [51]. Most elderly people (> 60 years) live in their own household or in the household of relatives (97 %). Of these, 32 % live on their own and 57 % in two-person households [23]. Generally, older people want to stay in their own homes as long as possible, because daily habits, memories and social relationships for example are closely related with the actual living environment and they are afraid that these aspects will be limited on moving to another living form or into a home.
11 Medical aspects of ageing
In medical terms too, the increase in the number of elderly people leads to a higher prevalence of age-related functional deficits. Characteristic physiological problems encountered by elderly people include among others increasingly high blood pressure, higher blood cholesterol, reduced glucose tolerance, diminution in muscle fibres and capillaries while the connective tissue increases, biochemical changes in the fibre constituents and basic substance of the connective tissue and a decrease in bone mineral levels, together with lens opacity and a loss of the ability to hear high frequencies [49] (cf. Figure 2).Furthermore, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia play a major role in typical age-related illnesses with extensive implications for independent living and for the quality of life.
Figure 2: Share of the patients aged 60-79 and more than 80 years with selected diagnoses in outpatient primary medical care, Germany (1993); as a percentage [49]
One particular aspect of longevity is the frequent occurrence of chronic and multiple morbidity. Nearly 100 % of the more than 70-year old patients were diagnosed with at least one internal, neurological or orthopaedic illness in need of treatment, while nearly one in three in this age group suffered from five or more such conditions (see Figure 3, [65]).
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Figure 3: Multimorbidity in age (as per [65])
Even if the figures shown here describe the ageing of society in Germany, it must be said that the demographic change being discussed here is not a national phenomenon but affects all industrialized countries throughout the world. This results in the potential development of AAL systems for an international market. Accordingly, standards in this area have to be coordinated on an international scale right from the start to prevent the emergence of any new national market access barriers (see Section 5.1).
3.2 Definitions and system model
3.2.1 Definitions
Ambient Assisted Living covers a hybrid product: (1) a basic technical infrastructure in the home environment (sensors, actuators, communication devices) and (2) services provided by a third party with the aim of independent living at home with assistance in the following areas (as per ICF, [24], cf. 3.3.1):
Communication (d3)2, Mobility (d4), Self-sufficiency (d5) and Life at home (d6). 2
The brackets refer to the alphanumerical code of the corresponding ICF classification. (d1) and (d2) are not relevant for this document.
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As far as possible, it should be possible to use the assistance functions unobtrusively, on demand, without stigmatizing and without prior know-how.
One special form consists of the assistance systems geared to functional limitations, which register medically relevant parameters in the home environment and communicate them to medical service providers (telemonitoring) while also permitting remote interaction between resident and service provider (telediagnosis/therapy/ rehabilitation. According to ICF, functional limitations can be classified as bodily functions (b) and structures (s), including for example:
Mental functions (b1), Sensory functions (b2),
Cardiovascular, haematological, immune and respiratory system (b4),
Structures of the nervous system (s1).
3.2.2 AAL system model
In general, the technical components of an AAL system (which can also encompass other additional services along the lines of a hybrid product) can be described as a remote hardware/software system. The components can be distributed at four points:
the user's home with ambient sensors and actuators,
mobile components carried by the user (sensors on/near the body, mobile terminal devices) offering assistance in the home and when out and about,
the service provider's computing centre that performs external computing jobs and
offers services such as remote maintenance, remote configuration, back-up or also an App-StoreSM3 with rechargeable software modules for an AAL system, and
third parties, i.e. those offering electronic services or services used by the AAL system without actually being part of the AAL system. Examples here include IT systems from service providers on the healthcare sector that are integrated in an AAL system, or also electronic services for checking the weather forecast or for ordering goods and services online.
3
The App-StoreSM is a software by Apple Inc. which lets users load and install software on an Apple device. Apple Inc. holds the rights to the phrase as a Service Mark, a preliminary stage to the Registered Trademark.
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Together with pure electronic data transfer, AAL systems can also include communication between user and operator by phone (or also videophone): One example here consists in a call centre run by the operator of the system itself (service provider) or a third party (e.g. home emergency call service). Figure 4 shows an example for the possible structure of an AAL system model.
Figure 4: AAL system model
The components of an AAL system shown in figure 4 are described in greater detail below: User interface: This describes components for interaction between the user and the
AAL system, including the classical graphic user interface of a computer (monitor, keyboard, mouse), use of the television with remote control, touch panels, voice input/output or multimodal user interfaces.
Sensors: Sensors are either installed permanently in the building, i.e. the user's home (ambient) or are carried as mobile sensors by the user. They encompass ambient parameters (e.g. temperature, brightness, presence, movement, fire), the use of devices and objects (e.g. light barrier, door contacts) or information about the user (vital signs such as pulse, blood oxygen saturation, ECG, position, movement).
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Sensors transfer the registered data by cable or cordless connection to a gateway where the data are collated and evaluated.
Actuators: This refers to all components that permit the AAL system to carry out actions in the user's ambient setting. Examples here include controlling the light and heating in the home as well as the possibility of opening and closing windows or doors. There is a fuzzy demarcation between user interface and actuators/sensors: a standard light switch for example can also be used to control the AAL system.
House bus: Sensors and actuators installed in the building are often connected by cable or cordless connection to a bus system (e.g. house bus, a field bus in the building automation system).
Gateway: The gateway is the IT system that acts as execution environment for the software components, interprets the sensor data, interacts with the user, sends messages to the service provider or third parties or controls actuators and thus performs the actual assistance function. A gateway can be a central IT system or also a remote system. Examples include set-top boxes, routers or compact PCs.
Applications: These are the software modules performing the actual assistance function(s) of an AAL system. As a rule, applications perform their function by reverting to a software infrastructure, i.e. basic services or external services.
Basic services: These are software modules that provide the infrastructure services used by applications. Examples include persistent data storage, access to sensors and actuators linked in by various communication protocols or by calling up web services. Basic services can be executed locally in the gateway or run on servers in the service provider's computing centre, actuated by a wide area network.
Data storage: Some AAL systems require provisional or persistent storage of sensor data or vital signs so that these can be evaluated over a longer period of time. This makes it possible to ascertain the user's preferences and behaviour patterns or longer-term trends. Basically, data storage can take place locally in the user's gateway, in the service provider's central facility or in a distributed cloud service, for example. The latter case makes particular demands of data protection where the transfer and processing of personal data are concerned.
Context: For the AAL system to interpret the sensor data correctly, additional information is usually necessary; this is referred to as context. It includes for example the system configuration, a layout drawing of the home showing the position of every sensor, information about the user's preferences, individual threshold values for the normal range of the vital parameters being monitored, contact details or an escalation chain for sending messages in an emergency. Data processing in an AAL system is therefore said to be context-sensitive.
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Mobile gateway: A mobile gateway is an IT system that performs gateway tasks for the user when out and about, i.e. it receives and processes sensor data, interacts with the user or sends messages. Examples include smart phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs). The internal structure of a mobile gateway corresponds to that of a (stationary) gateway as illustrated in Figure 4. If an AAL system has both a mobile and a stationary gateway, they can sometimes be synchronized by specific interfaces.
Mobility aids: These can be an electric wheelchair, zimmer frames or also the actuators in the building that can be triggered by the mobile gateway to guide the user or support his/her mobility (e.g. to prevent falls at steep points).
Wide area network: Network for communication between (mobile or stationary) gateway, service provider and possible third parties. All network types can be used here (by cable or radio, point-to-point or public network) as long as the network bandwidth and availability are sufficient to cope with the system requirements and the necessary IT security is warranted (confidentiality, integrity, authentication). Examples include DSL internet links, television cables or UMTS and dialling connections by phone, ISDN or GSM.
Operator services: These are services provided by the service provider's computing centre. Examples include the already mentioned services such as remote maintenance, remote configuration (see Section 5.3.1) and an App-Store with rechargeable software modules for an AAL system.
Back-up: Restoring the system status of a gateway after a defect is only possible with great workload if at all, given the need to keep complex context information and the need at least occasionally to store sensor data. As a rule, it should be possible to do a back-up of the system status, as an encrypted back-up for example, which is stored on the service provider's servers.
External services: This refers to third-party services that do not play a direct role in operating the AAL system as user or service provider but that can still be relevant to AAL systems. Services of this kind can be used either by direct access from the user's gateway or indirectly through basic services run by the service provider. Examples include services for checking the weather forecast, ordering products or services on-line, sending an electronic alarm to a home emergency call service or also electronic communication with relatives or healthcare service providers. There is still considerable need to act in standardizing such external services for use in various AAL systems – see Section 5.3.8.
The system model does not describe the tools needed for planning, configuring and setting up an AAL system. Section 5.3.7 shows useful tools that are needed for planning complex or individually user-adapted AAL systems.
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3.2.3 Conformity and interoperability
Conformity refers to the compliance of a system with the requirements set out in a specification. Conformity of the interfaces of a system with corresponding interface specifications is prerequisite for two or more systems to be connected via these interfaces so that they can then communicate.
Interoperability on the other hand refers to the ability of two or more systems to work together to perform a task by communicating via their interfaces. The concept of interoperability can be broken down into several levels, as described for example in ETSI ETR 130:1994:
Protocol interoperability is the ability of a remote system to exchange data packages via the basic communication system.
Service interoperability (or syntax interoperability) is the ability of a remote system to offer a sub-set of a remote service according to a functional specification.
Application interoperability (or semantic interoperability) is the ability of a remote system to warrant consistent implementation of syntax and semantics of the exchanged data.
Interoperability for the user applies when the user can exchange information using the remote system.
These levels build consecutively on each other. Interoperability for the user presumes that the participating systems can exchange data and interpret the data correctly. This demands the ability to exchange messages or commands, which in turn requires a functioning interface to exchange bits and bytes. In the end, the objective of all measures involved in conformity review (i.e. checking that system interfaces comply with the interface specifications) and interoperability review (i.e. checking that two or several systems "match") consists of safeguarding interoperability as seen by the user.
3.2.4 Structure of the standardization landscape
Standards and specifications are developed on various levels (national, European, international) in different organizations. So-called interested circles (businesses, commerce, universities, consumers, trade, testing institutes, authorities, etc.) delegate their experts to working groups of a standardization organization. This is where the standardization work is organized and carried out.
For a better understanding of the following sections, first of all an overview takes a look at the standardization organizations and their interrelation.
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The major international standardization organizations involved in full consensus-based standardization are ISO (International Organization for Standardization), IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union). The corresponding standardization organizations on a European and national level are CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and DIN (German Institute for Standardization) together with CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization), ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and the DKE (German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE) (see Figure 5). The respective national standardization organizations are members in ISO, IEC, CEN and CENELEC.
Figure 5: Main elements of the standardization landscape and their interrelationships together with their regulatory bodies
Together with the standardization organizations shown in Figure 5, further organizations also exist, frequently only on a national or regional level. Examples here include for instance "Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise" (IHE). The IHE is an international organization made up of the various national organizations.
IHE stipulates requirements arising from practical use cases in order to identify relevant specifications and develop technical guidelines. IHE does not develop any new specifications but gives a detailed description of how existing specifications are to be applied on the healthcare sector.
National (Germany) International Regional Telecommuni-cation General Electrical technology National legislation Standardization Regulation International European
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Figure 6 shows the internal structures of IEC and ISO and the respective European and national organizations. Various bodies have been set up to identify the work and to coordinate the activities in the AAL environment:
Strategic Group AAL (SG AAL) on an international level for strategic alignment of IEC and coordination of the TCs,
Expansion of the tasks of IEC/TC 62 "Electrical equipment in medical practice" by adding AAL on an international level.
The DKE AAL steering group on the national level which also includes joint bodies with DIN.
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3.2.5 DIN, CEN and ISO
DIN, the German Institute for Standardization, offers stakeholders a platform for the development of standards and specifications as a service to industry, the state and society as a whole. DIN is a private organization with the legal status of a non-profit association. Its members include businesses, associations, authorities and other institutions from industry, commerce, trade and science.
DIN's primary task is to work closely with its stakeholders to develop consensus-based standards that meet market requirements and the particular timeframe. By agreement with the German Federal Government, DIN is the acknowledged national standards body that represents German interests in the European and international standardization organizations.
Almost 90 % of the standards work carries out by DIN is European and/or international in nature. The members of staff at DIN organize the whole process of non-electrotechnical standardization on the national level, with the corresponding national bodies safeguarding German participation on the European and international level. DIN represents Germany's standardization interests as a member of CEN and as a member of ISO.
3.2.6 DKE, CENELEC and IEC
The DKE represents the interests of the electrical/electronic engineering and information technology sectors in international and regional electrotechnical standardization with VDE being responsible for the DKE’s daily operations. The DKE is responsible for the standardization work that is dealt with in the corresponding international and regional organizations (IEC, CENELEC and ETSI). It represents German interests both in CENELEC and in the IEC. The DKE is a modern, non-profit service organization promoting the safe and rational generation, distribution and use of electricity serving the interests of the general public.
The DKE’s task is to develop and publish standards in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and information technology. The results of DKE work are published as DIN standards and thus form an integral part of the German standards collection. Where they contain safety provisions, they are also published as VDE specifications and are included
in the VDE Specifications Code of safety standards.
DKE working bodies are German "mirror committees" of the relevant IEC (or CENELEC) Technical Committees so that only one single German body is responsible for all national, European and international work and/or cooperation in the respective specialist area.
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In October 2011, the IEC/SMB meeting decided to set up SG 5 "Ambient Assisted Living". The aim of this group is to lead current developments in the AAL environment and coordinate standardization activities in the Technical Committees of IEC (and possibly on the European level) in the interests of corresponding interoperability of AAL systems and system components.
3.2.7 Benfit of innovative AAL technology and corresponding standardization
The AAL environment will be a central innovation area over the next few years. On the one hand, the (technical) support of those in need of help is a challenge with relevance for the financial future of the health system. On the other hand, the innovative development of systems and system components is an economic challenge, as the technology has to be both profitable and also applicable for the final consumer.
Various interest groups profit in different ways from AAL systems and from standardization in this sector. The following section describes general advantages of standardization for introducing the AAL system components. Annex 8.11 then takes a closer look at the benefit of AAL systems and corresponding standardization for the various interest groups.
3.2.7.1 Standardization and specification prepare markets
For AAL to become accepted on a broad basis, due consideration has to be given to both individual requirements and to flexibility. This refers in particular to making use of accustomed devices and to expanding the AAL system with economically profitable technology. As well as being inexpensive and flexible, the AAL systems must also be very safe.
Standardization work is significant in particular for the following aspects:
The costs of system components are a major factor in acceptance among vendors and final customers alike and therefore in market capability. These costs can be reduced not just by innovations but also to a great extent by the economies of scale.
The wide range of requirements made by users demand high interoperability and compatibility of the individual components in any AAL system. The required interoperability of components necessitates detailed analysis of loopholes in the regulations with explicit standardization work.
Safety for the user must be warranted by generally accepted rules and test methods with objective corresponding verification.
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New job profiles have to be developed to safeguard top quality consulting in the AAL environment together with professional handling of AAL systems and system components.
3.2.7.2 Standards and specifications support innovation
The planning and development of AAL system components demands a high level of commitment by the stakeholders. This entails not only declaring simple, clearly structured AAL conditions but also defining links with other legislation (Medical Devices Law or Data Protection Law). These framework conditions can be described in the form of standards and specifications and make a major contribution to the development of the AAL environment.
The respective degree of detail for every particular standard and specification has to be stipulated as appropriate in each case. This entails finding the optimum solution between general stipulations and specific requirements. Every standard or specification should be described as extensively as possible to leave minimum scope for interpretation. The intention here is to achieve the greatest possible cross-vendor conformity of the individual system components. Innovative development of AAL system components can be facilitated in this way: on the one hand it allows vendors to adapt their products to the AAL systems, while on the other hand the final users can put their requirements in more precise terms. The intention is to achieve the greatest possible future certainty: future improvements and component interoperability cannot be safeguarded by imprecise specifications.
To take account of this aspect, there are a number of different kinds of standards to create the required framework conditions. These include:
Operational behaviour standards
Test standards
Interface standards/compatibility standards Terminology standards and
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3.2.7.3 Standardization accelerates development
Standards and specifications contributing to the crucial progress of the AAL environment must be developed and made available at great speed. This necessitates standardization that accompanies the development process. Specifications as precursors of standards can be elaborated at short notice. Technical solutions that become sustainably established on the market should rapidly be transposed into standards and specifications.
Swift launching of new and on-going developments of AAL system components is necessary for AAL systems to find the fastest possible access to the market. Development work has to take due account of keeping pace with state-of-the-art engineering while also considering other influential sectors (e.g. medical technology, building automation systems, telecommunications systems, etc.). Swift response times by the standardization organizations must be warranted. Without standardization, it will otherwise be difficult to achieve technically successful and commercially sustainable solutions.
3.3 Framework conditions
3.3.1 Introduction of the ICF
The "International Classification of Functioning, Disabilities and Health" (ICF) [24] was published by the WHO (World Health Organization) for the first time in May 2001 as a classification for standard descriptions of health and health-related conditions. It has been published in an abridged and a full version which differ in the degree of detail of the classification system. The abridged version has just two levels while the full version has up to four. A translated version for German speaking countries entitled "Internationale Klassifikation der Funktionsfähigkeit, Behinderung und Gesundheit" has been available since February 2002. In Germany, essential aspects of the ICF have been incorporated in the 9th Social Code (SGB IX). In addition, the ICF was acknowledged in Resolution 48/96 as one of the social classifications of the United Nations [70].
3.3.2 Users of AAL systems
Potential users of AAL systems are those who gain a direct improvement in their quality of life by using AAL systems (final users) or who can make more rational use of their own resources when deploying AAL systems with people in their care (support network and service providers). According to [6] and [62], the following are potential users of AAL systems:
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End users who gain a direct improvement in their quality of life by using AAL systems include the following:
People without an acute need for assistance but with
o a great need for comfort and assurance,
o a great interest in wellness and sport,
o risk factors and a need for prevention.
People with a need for assistance including in particular those who
o suffer from functional deficits on account of their age,
o have reached a high age and suffer from dementia,
o have restricted mobility,
o suffer from chronic or acute illnesses,
o are undergoing rehabilitation after an acute incident,
o are facing increased risks e.g. because of malfunctions that cause blood clotting disorders,
o suffer from a disability.
The following list indicates those from support networks and service providers who can make more rational use of their own resources such as time, labour and funds when deploying AAL systems with people in their care, so that reduced workload burdens also lead to gains in their quality of life:
People looking after those in need of assistance or care, in particular:
o People providing assistance and care on a private basis,
o People living together with those in need of assistance or care,
o Residential and home nursing services,
o Doctors and hospitals,
o Employers of both elderly employees and those facing the added burden of providing assistance and care on a private basis.
3.3.3 Legal requirements
Legal requirements exist for example with regard to data protection and informational self-determination, as well as the Medical Devices Law.
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3.3.4 Data protection and informational self-determination
AAL technologies and the related services handle large quantities of sensitive data. For example, these include details of the patient's vital signs, data about social contacts, domestic activities and sickness data. Some of these areas are already covered by legislation, e.g. patient-related data processing. In this respect, EU directives must be consulted (Directive 95/46/EC, [63]) together with national implementation on the federal scale (Federal Data Protection Law, [17]) and on the level of the individual states (State Data Protection Laws4). Other relevant legislation is contained in the German Criminal Code and in the Social Code [52]. Under certain circumstances compliance with other laws is necessary for data going over and beyond health data, including for example the telecommunications law [68].
Further legislation is also being discussed for AAL applications as defined e.g. by Dix [28]: The needy and elderly must not be deprived of their rights or told what to do (today:
those under legal supervision, formerly: those under guardianship), Principle of data prevention and data economy,
Local storage, e.g. data stored by the user, medically relevant data stored by the attending physician,
Privacy by design,
Data flows should be transparent and controllable where possible System functions should be transparent,
Self-determination must be upheld, i.e. if people decide not to use the technology, this decision must be accepted and they must not suffer any drawbacks as a result.
As far as data protection is concerned, special requirements are being discussed for IT infrastructures (such as a possible AAL infrastructure for example). Corresponding test questions are discussed for example by Hansen/Thomsen [37], defining the following among others for life-long data protection infrastructures:
Viable planning and assurance of human and financial resources, Operating models and procedures for operational transfer
Warranting data protection and data security for future developments and also past periods,
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Verifiability of data protection and data security measures including defining the anticipated results,
Regular review of the data protection and data security measures, Use of current certification measures and/or development of new ones, Establishing a process for on-going risk analysis.
There is a need to clarify the distinction between data protection and data security. Prior to data protection, clear data security concepts have to be stipulated already in the development phase. Furthermore, data protection has to be integrated in all processes implemented by the vendors and service providers.
More work in this field is currently being carried out among others by the ULD (Independent State Centre for Data Protection) in Schleswig-Holstein (ULD). The ULD produced the pilot study "Legal issues relating to age-appropriate assistance systems" as part of parallel AAL research5. Abstract models are used to identify the existing legal relationships between stakeholders, analysing the data flows and handling processes and deriving resulting legal issues. Furthermore, international data protection specifications are currently being compiled by ISO working groups. More information is contained in Section 4.4.4.1.
High security requirements are vital for a successful AAL environment. It is important for security-related issues to be defined in the very early phases of development and to set up a security architecture in the AAL environment.
3.3.5 Medical Devices Law (MPG)
All assistance systems are governed by standards for general safety as explained in greater detail in Section 4.1.1 and 4.4.3. However, special provisions apply to all products used for the "… recognition, prevention, monitoring, treatment and alleviation of illnesses, …. or injuries or disabilities, ….or the examination, replacement or changing of the anatomical structure or a physiological process …", (Section 3 (1) Medical Devices Law). Assistance systems with such properties are considered to be medical devices and are governed by the scope of the MPG. They are directly related to the diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation of functional restrictions (pursuant to ICF, b1…bx or s1…sx) or illnesses. Specific methods and workflows have to be applied to these systems to achieve currently feasible safety, efficiency and reliability. The following apply in this case:
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National legislation (e.g. Medical Devices Law) European directives (e.g. 93/42/EEC),
National legislation (e.g. Medical Devices Law)
National ordinances (e.g. Medical Devices Safety Plan Ordinance (MPSV), Ordinance on Clinical Trials of Medical Devices (MPKPV),
International and national standards (EN, DIN, VDE, etc.), Quality assurance (DIN EN ISO 13485).
Due consideration also has to be given to other regulations with a broader scope (see Section 2 (4) MPB, e.g. Radiation Protection Ordinance). The vendor of such systems is responsible for proceeding with the conformity assessment procedure for a medical product, usually by consulting a private-sector test body (so-called Notified Body) so that the product is subsequently awarded the CE mark. Among others, this also includes classification of the medical device (pursuant to Annex IV of Directive 93/42/EEC) and verification of compliance with the essential requirements made of medical devices (Annex I of 93/42/EEC). This can be verified by applying harmonized European standards (EN) (see Section 8 (1) MPB). The vendor of medical devices in higher risk classes must ensure that a quality assurance system (DIN EN ISO 13485) was implemented for the design, production and final control of the respective products. Figure 7 shows the procedures for CE marking of medical devices according to the classification.
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The Medical Device Operator Ordinance (MPBetreibV) describes the framework conditions for setting up, operating, using and maintaining medical products and for corresponding documentation. Section 4 (1) of the MPBetreibV stipulates that "… the servicing (maintenance, inspection, repair and preparation) of medical devices may only be entrusted by the operator to those who have the know-how, prerequisites and necessary means to carry out this task correctly." Typical entities addressed by the MPBetreibV are:
Operators, e.g. hospitals,
Users, i.e. all medical care professionals using a medical device,
People authorized by the user, e.g. to provide instructions for using new medical devices with a high level of potential risk.
The obligations of users and operators include
Keeping a stock list of all active non-implantable medical devices, Keeping medical device logbooks,
Regular controls of the devices,
Providing users with instructions in how to use the medical devices correctly,
Reporting malfunctions and failures of medical devices that have been, could have
been or could be the direct or indirect cause of the death or major deterioration in the health of a patient, user or other person, (see MPSW) and
Preparing medical devices that are used in sterile or virtually sterile state for their intended purpose, i.e. assuring the "Hygiene requirements in the preparation of medical devices" (so-called RKI recommendations) [71].
3.3.6 The German health system
The German health system basically consists of all persons and facilities whose professional activity deals with preserving the health of the population and treating illnesses.
Macro level: The top level consists of the state players who regulate the conduct of the remaining players by adopting laws and ordinances and monitoring compliance with such regulations. These state bodies can be distinguished according to the federal, state and municipal level in accordance with the federal structure. This is also the level where political policy making takes place with the political parties and their parliamentary parties. A special role in this context is played by the Federal Ministry for Health (BMG) with its responsibility for elaborating draft legislation, ordinances and
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administrative regulations together with its executive competence on the government level. Draft legislation is debated and adopted by the German Parliament (Bundestag). The state ministries of the individual federal states are responsible one the one hand for warranting an efficient hospital infrastructure in line with demand and on the other hand for health prevention, health welfare and health reporting. The latter provides facts and figures about the health situation of the population and about structures and services performed in the healthcare sector.
Meso level: The meso level consists of the players in the system. The state has delegated the administrative control and direct interpretation of the stipulated legislation to member-based, self-governing non-profit public law bodies and associations. The players on the meso level include the associations, the service providers and the member-funded budget holders (health insurance funds). There are different types of health insurance fund (general/company/guild health insurance funds) that are organized in state associations for the respective federal states. On the federal level, the individual state associations of a health insurance fund type form the so-called central organizations of the health insurance funds. The task of the associations consists in the one hand in providing their member funds with a wide range of support, while on the other hand performing the tasks allocated to them by law. The central associations have the task of reaching agreement among themselves in all matters that by law are to be stipulated in a joint, uniform fashion for the whole statutory health insurance sector. The (panel) doctors are represented on the state level by the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) and by the respective National Association (KBV) on the federal level. Their task consists on the one hand of ensuring an adequate provision of out-patient medical care while on the other hand representing the interests of the individual doctors. Together with the (panel) doctors and the health insurance funds, the hospitals are the third major player in the German health system. The hospitals are not self-governed public law bodies but are funded by public, charity and private organizations. Hospitals join forces on a voluntary basis in the state hospital associations in the respective federal states. The hospital associations represent the interests of the hospitals with regard to the cost units (nursing fees), the state (hospital planning) and the general public. The German Hospital Association encompasses the 16 state hospital associations and the 12 Central Associations of the Hospital Owners on the federal level. The joint federal committee (G-BA) of doctors and health insurance fund consists of representatives of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, the Central Associations of the Health Insurance Funds and the German Hospital Association. The task of the G-BA consists in drawing up written contracts to stipulate which "services provided in hospitals and on an out-patient basis are adequate, appropriate and economical in the framework of statutory health insurance …" (Section 12 Social Code
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V). Here due consideration should be given to the generally acknowledged status of medical expertise. Altogether the G-BA thus has the powers to stipulate and update the quality criteria for the scope of services provided by the statutory health insurance. It is therefore the most relevant decision-making body in terms of allocation in the health system.
Micro level: The third level of the health system consists of the individual players, i.e. the service providers, insured persons, patients and companies on the healthcare sector. The individual players act primarily according to microeconomic principles. They offer or enquire about health products/services in necessary compliance with the statutory provisions.
In addition to medical care, nursing care services are becoming increasingly significant in the German health system.
Care insurance is defined in the care insurance law. It describes persons as being in need of care when they need considerable or extensive help in performing the normal, recurring tasks of daily life on a permanent basis lasting probably for at least six months on account of physical or mental illness or disability. Accordingly, help is to be provided for such persons with considerably restricted everyday faculties, whereby the care insurance law defines the following principles:
The services provided under care insurance should help the person in need of care to life an independent, self-determined life in human dignity despite their need of help. "Care should also aim to activate the person in need of care in order to preserve
existing capabilities and, where possible, to recover lost capabilities. In providing the service, consideration should also be given to the communication needs of the person in need of care in order to counteract the risk of loneliness." (Section 28 (4) Social Code XI)
"Care insurance and the services it provides should primarily support care in the home and the willingness of relatives and neighbours to provide assistance so that those in need of care can stay in their home environment for as long as possible. Services provided for partly residential care and respite care take priority over services for full residential care." (Section 3 Social Code XI)
"The care insurance funds check in each individual case which medical rehabilitation services and which supplementary services are suitable and reasonable for overcoming or reducing the need for care or preventing corresponding deterioration. On granting services pursuant to this Social Code, check-ups are necessary to review the question of suitable and reasonable services for medical rehabilitation." (Section 31 (1) Social Code XI)
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In addition, the care insurance funds shall encourage other service providing entities to ensure that suitable preventive, medical and rehabilitative measures are taken at an early point in time to prevent the need for care from arising.
In parallel to the provisions of Social Code V, they must be … "effective and economical… " and "… must not exceed the extent of what is necessary …" (Section 29 (1) Social Code XI).
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4 SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS FOR AAL
The following section provides an overview of all standards and specifications referring to AAL systems and their components. Loopholes in the existing standards collection are analysed and detected and can be closed using the Standardization Roadmap. Furthermore, recommendations are given for further standardization activities. The standards listed in this Standardization Roadmap act as a guideline for the sectors involved in the AAL environment.
4.1 Sensors/actuators and house buses
4.1.1 Safety and electromagnetic compatibility
There are very many sensors and actuators that can be used in AAL systems. Most of these components (at least at present) have not been developed specifically for AAL.
The following list is to be seen as an example. The full list of relevant harmonized standards for general product safety is to be found in [15] and the list of relevant harmonized standards for the safety of electrical devices is to be found in [16]. Unless explicit reference is made to individual parts of a standard, the whole standards series is meant in each case.
DIN EN 957: Stationary training equipment
DIN EN 41003 (VDE 0804-100): Particular safety requirements for equipment to be connected to telecommunication networks and/or a cable distribution system
DIN EN 50106 (VDE 0700-500): Safety of household and similar electrical appliances - Particular rules for routine tests referring to appliances under the scope of EN 60335-1 DIN EN 50194 (VDE 0400-30): Electrical apparatus for the detection of combustible
gases in domestic premises
DIN EN 50364 (VDE 0848-364): Limitation of human exposure to electromagnetic fields from devices operating in the frequency range 0 Hz to 10 GHz, used in Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and similar applications;
DIN EN 50491 (VDE 0849): General requirements for Home and Building Electronic Systems (HBES) and Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS)
DIN EN 60065 (VDE 0860): Audio, video and similar electronic apparatus - Safety requirements
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DIN EN 60335 (VDE 0700): Safety of electrical appliances and machines for household environment and similar purposes
DIN EN 60598 (VDE 0711): Luminaires
DIN EN 60730 (VDE 0631): Automatic electrical controls for household and similar use
DIN EN 60947 (VDE 0660): Low-voltage switchgear
DIN EN 60950 (VDE 0805): Information technology equipment - Safety
Furthermore, consideration must be given to standards for safety and hazard warning systems, including the following standards for example:
DIN VDE 0833 (VDE 0833): Alarm systems for fire, intrusion and hold-up - Part 4: Requirements for voice alarm systems in case of fire
DIN VDE 0834 (VDE 0834): Call systems in hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions
DIN VDE 0826 (VDE 0826): Surveillance systems
In addition, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards must be heeded; here a series of specific product and test standards applies in addition to the generic standards as per DIN EN 61000-6. A complete list of the standardized standards is to be found in [32]:
DIN EN 50130-4: Alarm systems - Part 4: Electromagnetic compatibility - Product family standard: Immunity requirements for components of fire, intruder and social alarm systems
DIN EN 55013 and DIN EN 55020: Sound and television broadcast receivers and associated equipment
DIN EN 55014: Electromagnetic compatibility - Requirements for household appliances, electric tools and similar apparatus
DIN EN 55015: Limits and methods of measurement of radio disturbance
characteristics of electrical lighting and similar equipment
DIN EN 61547: Equipment for general lighting purposes - EMC immunity requirements (IEC 61547:2009)
DIN EN 55022: Information technology equipment - Radio disturbance characteristics - Limits and methods of measurement
DIN EN 55024: Information technology equipment - Immunity characteristics - Limits and methods of measurement
DIN EN 60601-1-2: Medical electrical equipment - Part 1-2: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance - Collateral standard: Electromagnetic compatibility - Requirements and tests (IEC 60601-1-2:2007, modified)
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DIN EN 60601-1-11: Medical electrical equipment - Part 1-11: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance - Collateral standard: Requirements for medical electrical equipment and medical electrical systems used in the home healthcare environment (IEC 60601-1-11:2010)
DIN EN 60669-2: Switches for household and similar fixed electrical installations DIN EN 60730: Automatic electrical controls for household and similar use
DIN EN 60870-2-1: Telecontrol equipment and systems - Part 2: Operating conditions; section 1: Power supply and electromagnetic compatibility (IEC 60870-2-1:1995)
DIN EN 60947-3: Low-voltage switchgear and control gear - Part 3: Switches, disconnectors, switch-disconnectors and fuse-combination units (IEC 60947-3:2008) DIN EN 61800-3: Adjustable speed electrical power drive systems - Part 3: EMC
requirements and specific test methods (IEC 61800-3:2004)
Moreover, EMC product and test standards apply to the various house bus systems with cable and cordless connection (see Section 4.1.3), point-to-point connections and networks for networking the components of an AAL system.
4.1.2 Point-to-point connections and networks
The components of an AAL system are networked by point-to-point connections (usually bit serial) or by cable or cordless networks. The main standards for data and communications cables are stipulated in the standards series DIN EN 50288 Multi-element
metallic cables used in analogue and digital communication, DIN IEC 61156 Multicore and
symmetrical pair/quad cables for digital communications and DIN EN 50173 Information
technology - Generic cabling systems .
At the moment, the following standards and industry standards have practical relevance for point-to-point connections:
Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.0 specification (USB) [59], the update of the Universal Serial Bus Revision 2.0 [58]
IEEE Std. 1394-2008: IEEE Standard for a High-Performance Serial Bus (FireWire) IEEE Std. 802.11p: IEEE Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments
(WAVE)
ANSI/EIA/TIA-232-F-1997: Interface Between Data Terminal Equipment and Data Circuit – Terminating Equipment Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange (RS 232)
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The following standards for cable-connected networks are significant for AAL systems: IEEE Std. 802.3-2005: Information technology – Telecommunications and information
exchange between systems – Specific requirements. Part 3: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications (“Ethernet”)
DIN EN 50065: Signalling on low-voltage electrical installations in the frequency range 3 kHz to 148.5 kHz
DIN EN 50412: Power line communication apparatus and systems used in low-voltage installations in the frequency range 1.6 MHz to 30 MHz and
ISO/IEC 14543-3-5: Information technology – Home electronic system (HES) architecture – Part 3-5: Media and media dependent layers – Powerline for network based control of HES Class 1 (Powerline Communication)
DIN EN 60794: Optical fibre cable
VDE-AR-E 2800-901:2009-12: Information technology – Broadband communication – Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB) and Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH)
CLC/TR 50510:2007: Fibre optic access to end-user – A guideline to building of FTTX fibre optic
The following standards and industrial standards for cordless networks are relevant for networking AAL components in the local area.
IEEE Std. 802.11-2007: Information technology – Telecommunications and information exchange between systems – Local and metropolitan area networks-Specific requirements – Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications (WLAN).
IEEE Std. 802.15.4-2006: Information Technology – Telecommunications and Information Exchange Between Systems – Local and Metropolitan Area Networks Specific Requirements – Part 15.4: Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks (LR-WPANs) and e.g. the subsequent ZigBee Specification [35], [36] (“ZigBee”) or ANT+ [2].
IEEE Std. 802.15.1-2005: Information Technology – Telecommunications and Information Exchange Between Systems – Local and Metropolitan Area Networks – Specific Requirements – Part 15.1: Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) (Bluetooth).
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ETSI EN 300 175-1: Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT). EnOcean Equipment Profiles [31] (“EnOcean”).
Z-Wave [54], a wireless communication protocol developed by the Z-Wave Alliance for home automation and in direct competition with ZigBee.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a contact-free interface technology standardized pursuant to ISO/IEC 18092 and 21481.
GSM [5] is a specification for fully digital mobile radio networks used mainly for telephony but also for line- and packet-switched data transfer and SMS texting. Standardization began with CEPT, was continued by ETSI and subsequently handed over to 3GPP. Here GSM is undergoing further standardization under the name GERAN (GSM EDGE Radio Access Network). 3GPP is therefore responsible for UMTS and GERAN.
LTE [11] is a new mobile radio specification and the future UMTS successor. LTE is a further development of UMTS and HSPA. LTE is increasingly developing mobile radio into an alternative for bridging the last mile, thus constituting an alternative to cable modem technology and DSL.
UMTS [12] is a mobile radio technology for providing multimedia services and is intended to supersede BSM. The technology is based on packet-switched transfer and the internet protocol. It is intended to facilitate effective broadband use to create the prerequisite for new mobile communication services. UMTS was initiated by the European (ETSI) and Japanese (ARIB) standardization organization.
Reference is made to [5] for more details about the specifications and standards featured in this section, which takes a more detailed look at all networks and point-to-point connections with relevance for AAL systems.
4.1.3 House bus systems/building automation field buses
The German market has three essentially competing “families“ of house bus systems (for building automation field buses) which can all be used to connect building automation sensors and actuators to AAL systems. Reference is made to [5] for further details, which takes a more extensive look at all three house bus systems (KNX, BacNet and LON): DIN EN ISO 16484: Building automation and control systems (BACS)
DIN EN 50090: Home and building electronic systems (HBES)
DIN EN 14908: Open data communication in building automation, controls and building management - building network protocol
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All three house bus systems support several alternative physical bus media (e.g. twisted pair, powerline, wireless networks). The bus systems also define profiles for different device types that can be uniformly actuated via the house bus.
The wireless networks ZigBee, EnOcean and Z-Wave named in the preceding section also address the house bus system market and can therefore be viewed as competitors to the house buses named here.
The use of building automation and control systems for implementing AAL systems is discussed in the VDI guideline VDI 3812 sheet 1 Building automation technologies – Requirements for electrical installations and building automation and control systems. The large number of house bus systems competing on the market which are often not suitable or not cost-effective for installation or replacement of an AAL system in an existing home leads to the recommendation to forge ahead with the development of a standardized abstract interface for connecting the AAL systems to various house bus systems (see Section 5.3.2).
4.1.4 Application protocols for sensors and actuators
Together with the house bus systems named above, which each define a communication protocol through to the application level for the supported device categories (layer 7 of the OSI reference model pursuant to ISO/IEC 7894-1), separate standards apply to the sensors and actuators of other branches of industry, which are listed below. Reference is again made to [5] for details.
ISO/IEEE 11073: Health informatics – Personal health device communication. This standards family defines an application protocol for networking vital sign sensor devices using USB and Bluetooth among others. But in practice, up to now the individual device vendors use their own proprietary interfaces. Some parts of this standards series are also available as DIN EN ISO 11073.
DIN EN 50523 Household appliances interworking. This is a standard for networking electrical household appliances (“white goods) and was initially developed as an industrial standard “CECED Home Appliances Interoperating Network (CHAIN) Application Interworking Specification”. Powerline communication pursuant to DIN EN 50065-1 (“European Home Systems”, part of the KNX specification) or ANSI/EIA/CEA 709.2-A (LON)) is used as communications medium.
Furthermore, there are several standardized TCP/IP based protocols that can be used to control networked devices in the AAL context: the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)