Integration of smart cards into automation networks

Individual user profiles can have strong influence on basic setup and maintenance of intelligent environments. Independently from architecture and technology, end-users' preferences need to be preserved, retrieved upon access and adapted over the life cycle of the profiles. The presented model proposes an integration of smart cards into a control network structure that can be used to setup, store and reconfigure a well-defined cluster of the network that depends on the environment in which the smart card is used. As a result, users can share and transfer profiles in different environments without any need to access a centralized repository. The architecture developed integrates a smart card as an additional device into the network and thus it allows access to efficiently transfer data between the card and the network.