KNX Evolves

KNX is an open standard for building automation and management systems in residential, commercial and industrial
buildings. As an independent standard, with mandatory certification, it guarantees interoperability between devices
from various manufacturers. A large part of the attractiveness of the KNX ecosystem is its independence from any
one single vendor or system integrator. The vast network of manufacturers and installers worldwide secures
availability of interoperable solutions for future maintenance, renovation and expansion of buildings.

On the technical plus sides are the robust communication and flexibility of medium, ensuring scalable
implementations with easy manageability from private residences to large campuses. To which KNX Secure adds a
layer of protection against malfeasance in more recent equipment.

Today these benefits mean KNX is the most adopted and widely spread building automation standard, steadily
gaining more and more traction worldwide.

Worldwide Standard

KNX is a worldwide standard, at the following organizations:

• International standard (ISO/IEC 14543-3)
• European standard (CENELEC EN 50090 and CEN EN 13321-1)
• US standard (ANSI/ASHRAE 135)
• Chinese National Standard (GB/T 20965)

KNX Benefits
Reliability:
The most significant benefit of KNX is undoubtedly the reliability of the network. Robust communication is the
keystone for any automation network.

Security:
The twisted pair wired connection is much less sensitive to interference than other technologies. Twisted pair
connections are less prone to interference and even jamming, certainly compared to RF technology, and are
inherently more tamper proof. They offer a measure of physical safety by nature, while offering another layer of
security with KNX Secure AES encryption.

Interoperability & longevity:

As an open platform, KNX offers longevity of the standard, independent of a single manufacturer, retaining
interoperability between different devices.

Flexibility:
The KNX network configuration is very flexible, and can be scaled from a residential home to multiple public or
professional building campuses.
KNX Network Architecture
The KNX network can be built up around several physical media, where from a practical point of view mainly
twisted pair, ethernet or RF are used today.

• TP1:
Traditional twisted pair wiring is the most used method of communication. It can be configured in a tree, line or
star topology.

• IP: Ethernet based IP links (also referred to as KNXnet/IP), is often used to provide the backbone between large
KNX network segments, and bridge the KNX network to IP-based management and control systems.

• Radio:
KNX-RF is in practice limited to situations where retrofitting twisted pair wiring is impossible or cost prohibitive.
Mainly when refurbishing, repurposing or renovating a single room or limited part of the building, KNX-RF is
considered, when rewiring is not a very practical solution.

A KNX network can link up to 57,375 devices using 16-bit addresses

KNX Secure
The latest addition to the standard is KNX Secure, lifting the platform to new levels of
automation security. KNX Secure is implemented into two layers.

KNX Data Security prevents data manipulation, by encrypting all the data that is sent
around the network. Up to 256bit AES encryption can be used to ensure a high level of
protection. KNX Data Security uses a frame format that is unchanged, so secure messages
can be routed by existing couplers and devices will not be hampered by this new secure
communication. Meaning new secure nodes can be dropped into existing networks without
interoperability issues.

As a second layer, KNX IP Secure protects the setup from unauthorized access. In other words no-one without
proper access can manipulate the settings of the devices and the network. This can only be used on IP links and is
therefor only used on the backbone IP links of the network.

KNX Device Architecture

Fairly independent of which communication front-end is used, the typical layout of the architecture for a KNX device
will have the following blocks in one form or another.

First off, the physical interface to handle the various electrical signals is an analog front end or in this case the KNX
Front End, very often integrated into one component, together with the KNX Media Access Layer (KNX MAC).
Combined these are called the KNX Transceiver, as seen from the network level, forming the Bus Coupling Unit
(BCU).
The Application Module can be a separate PCB for design flexibility, and communicates with the BCU, usually over
a serial bus. This serial bus is mostly UART-based, or in rarer cases SPI can be used. The heart of the system, and of
the application module, is the microcontroller (MCU). The MCU runs the KNX communication stack and the
application software. The application software in turn controls any additional hardware, dependent on the end-
application of the device, like buttons, touch pads, IO’s or sensors.

A newer approach is to have the MCU integrated with the KNX Transceiver (Analog Front-End + MAC), reducing
the size, complexity and cost of the design. This approach also allows pre-certification of the communication
hardware and the software, creating easier access to the KNX ecosystem, and faster time-to-market.

KNX System-in-Package
Unique in the market, introducing a completely integrated solution for
KNX switching applications, the NCN5140S drastically reduces the Bill of
Materials for KNX equipment connected through Twisted Pair.

Two maximum configurations have been pre-certified, using eight inputs

and outputs on generic buttons or capacitive touch pads, thereby
minimizing the cost, time and effort for KNX registration, testing and
certification.

The fully functional reference design delivers a 4-touch wall switch

application with RGB LED backlights, on a single side assembled PCB, at
less than 4mm total height (PCB included).
onsemi KNX Portfolio
Established onsemi high power efficiency allows a wider degree of freedom in formfactor design by reducing the
thermal footprint of your application. By managing a higher current draw from the KNX bus, our solution also allows
the implementation of more complex systems, employing more powerful microcontrollers and additional sensors.
onsemi key benefits
High degree of integration, Low BOM cost, compact design size
Integrating two DC to DC converters in all the KNX devices, the complete system power needs can be derived from the
KNX transceiver. DCDC1 is a fixed voltage converter (3.3V @ 100mA), where DCDC2 is adjustable (1.2 – 21V @
100mA). A third stabilized DC source derived from the bus is a 20V Low Drop-Out regulator, which can be useful to
power an LCD screen, for example. On the other hand, the flagship transceiver (NCN5130) can draw a maximum high
current from the bus of up to 40mA, allowing more complex system design.

The clock frequency needed by the KNX transceiver to ensure correct bus communication is also brought out as a clock
out frequency (8 or 16MHz), which can be used to clock the microcontroller.

High system reliability and robust communication

Additional diagnostic features on the MCU  MAC communication lift the system design up to higher levels of
reliability, certainly when combined with the extensive system & bus signal monitoring options (Vbus, Vfilt, DC2,
DC1, V20V, Ibus, Temp). Of major significance, this monitoring systemo allows for better facts-based preventive
maintenance.

For equipment residing in closed cabinets, where normal operating temperatures can reach considerable levels of heat,
the onsemi KNX transceivers have a guaranteed extended operating temperature range from -40° to +125°C, providing
the next level of durability and longevity.

Industry leading efficiency

The onsemi components ensure high system efficiency, by featuring low own bus current draw, a low bus voltage drop
and most of all high efficiency of the onboard DCDC convertors.