Author: Jim Chase Texas Instruments Strategic Marketing department
Although the vision of the Internet of Things is expected, the implementation process will be challenging. In particular, various vertical systems are difficult to connect horizontally because of different communication layer designs. At present, the industry has actively started to formulate related technology agreements for the Internet of Things and develop corresponding chip solutions, thereby accelerating the formation of the overall environment.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is generally considered to link devices to the network and remotely monitor them. This definition is quite narrow, covering only part of the Internet of Things content, but changing the name of the existing machine-to-machine (M2M) application; in a broad sense, it must be from networked devices to data life, foreseeable challenges and network environment readiness, etc. With each aspect in hand, we can truly open the Internet of Things era.
When the Internet of Things is fully developed, it will create an intelligent and intangible network structure that can be sensed, controlled and set. Products with IoT capabilities will use embedded technology to communicate directly or indirectly with each other or the network. In the 1990s, the network began to spread in the enterprise and consumer markets. However, due to the low performance of network interconnection, the use was quite limited. After 2000, network connection became the norm for many applications. Today, many enterprises, industrial and consumer products are still available. A conduit for information. However, these devices are only devices that exist in the network. They still need to interact and monitor through applications and interfaces. In contrast, the real future of the Internet of Things is just beginning to be realized. It will operate behind the scenes with intangible technology. To enable devices to dynamically respond to human needs.
Figure 1 Internet of Things products such as mobile devices, wearable electronics and connected cars are expected to break through the 50 billion mark by 2020.
There are currently about 5 billion “smart†connected devices in the world. It is estimated that the scale will increase to 50 billion by 2020 (Figure 1). You and I can also witness the moment of breaking through one trillion. This number is indeed huge, but to achieve this goal, today's equipment deployment architecture is a major obstacle. Only by simplifying the way devices are connected and communicated can the industry realize the medium- and long-term ideals of 50 billion connected devices.
Vertical system links are not susceptible to the development of the Internet of Things environment
Figure 2 The concept of the network operation center is gradually extending to smart homes, and connected home appliances will provide services to consumers invisibly.
Many manufacturers have linked devices to the network long before the name of the Internet. Embedded products have been installed with web servers since the mid-1990s. Over the past 15 years, M2M manufacturers have gradually integrated their networked systems into high-value asset tracking (Asset Tracking), alarm systems, fleet management and more. Although some M2M systems use industry standard protocols, it is still difficult to manufacture. However, with the increasing popularity of high-performance processors for terminal nodes, it is much easier to integrate M2M systems, and the processors support high-end operating systems and programming languages. Smart architecture can be used. These systems are typically connected to the high-end commercial services layer and managed by the Network Operations Center (NOC) (Figure 2).
Various networking products such as thermostats, energy meters, lighting control systems, music streaming and control systems, remote video streaming boxes, swimming pool systems and irrigation systems have emerged in the consumer market, and the future market potential is promising. . Most systems can be linked to each other via a website, allowing users to manage through a general web browser or smart phone application to take advantage of the functions of a personal network operations center.
Although the development of the Internet of Things in the industrial and consumer sectors is expected, the overall network construction has not been simplified because of the lack of links between the systems and their vertical nature. Systems may use the same protocol and operating system foundation, but the design of the communication layer is inconsistent; even though open application programming interfaces (APIs) are used, cross-application integration cannot be simplified because of the lack of horizontal connectivity.
Taking the sprinkler control system as an example, it can realize the intelligent function of judging the sprinkling timing by sensors, network meteorological data and programmable control mechanism, but the system does not link the dynamic sensing device around the home, so the automatic sprinkling system may Wet the puppy or child.
Since the controller can't get the information from the dynamic sensing device, it has to use other dynamic control vertical integration to transfer the data to another cloud server; then find a way to connect the two cloud servers, and hope that after the two integrations Can add a little control space. However, the operation of electronic systems should not rely on “hope.†If you use Perl, Python, PHP, or other programming languages ​​to design an additional vertical application in the server, you will be able to create links and postpone watering time based on dynamic data. However, such a concept requires a high degree of professionalism to practice, so it cannot be quickly established.
Because the market has the need for vertical integration, new network services such as IFTTT.com and zAPIer.com have emerged to help users connect individual vertical systems in an imaged manner. However, users must first register to join another service project to confirm the application. Whether the programming interface meets specific vertical integration requirements. These web platforms can only provide basic service options, such as "Automatically send a text message to the phone if you receive an email from your wife" and assume that there will be no more traffic control needs in the future.
In the previous example, if the sprinkler system has a delay control application programming interface, you can set “If you sense the dynamic, then delay the wateringâ€; this mode includes three services, three logins (and must be in the third item) Managed under the service), three different smart phone applications, and there are several Points of Failure. If the user wants to integrate the above services and personal calendars, it will be more complicated to ensure that the turf will remain dry during outdoor family gatherings.
Combine mobile/wearable electronic Internet of Things to outline smart life
Although the above applications are very interesting, they still cannot accelerate the popularity of the Internet of Things. There is no doubt that the new community will definitely be built without new tools from the maker community, but the Internet of Things is not just a simple vertical one-time text message or a Twitter article. That's an interesting demonstration case, but lacks scalability and vertical system integration. The Internet of Things should deliver messages, but it also requires easy access to device programs and other devices or services to create high-tech applications without the need for complex programming environments.
For example, once consumers allow Apple and Google to track their location, the booked hotel can know in advance when the subscriber arrives, and can also know the long-distance travel through the temperature and humidity sensors of their smart watches. The subscriber was hot and sweaty, and the hotel room was still dormant (no lights, curtains, optimal sleep room temperature), but when the consumer arrived at the hotel, the porter could know by the Internet of Things system. Room subscribers, and the vehicle also adjusts the seat by detecting the proximity of the doorman.
Not only that, but the system can also grasp the habits of consumers who like to carry their own luggage, so the porter does not go forward; when approaching the hotel lobby, the smart phone will automatically download the secure room key application; when entering the elevator, the room is based on The sensory data returned by the smart watch adjusts the appropriate temperature, and the lighting, music and privacy settings are in accordance with consumer requirements. When you walk to the door, the safe room key application has opened the door lock; when you are ready to go to bed at night, the room detects that the lighting is off, and the room temperature is adjusted according to personal preference.
In the above situation, each chain hotel has multiple sensors and actuators (Actuator), and each rental car is also available. Consumers also wear a variety of sensing and activation devices, such as watches. As a reminder of vibration, it is not necessary to touch the screen through the smart phone from time to time, and direct the networked device to take the mobile, but the mobile phone is indeed a gateway that is closely related to the user's activities; in the future, this will be part of the daily life of countless people, and the networked data will be ubiquitous.
However, such an Internet of Things vision will not happen overnight. To achieve the required network scale, only the creation of the lowest common denominator and the development of a global simple message delivery configuration must be developed in an organic way. Currently, IoT technology protocols and data structures are still limited by design complexity, security, and scalability. Networked devices will become more and more complex, but they must be used more and more easily. The boundaries between analog and digital will become blurred, and even though everyone in the world has no knowledge of behind-the-scenes technology, it can still dominate the personal living environment.
The next step in the Internet of Things is to pursue vertical and horizontal application balance
The network that people know today (strictly speaking, HTTP technology) is actually derived from the altruistic concept of TIm Berners-Lee, and hopes that everyone in the world can connect with each other through an open platform. In the past, there was only a private enterprise network, and the information sharing was almost zero, that is, the vertical mode before the network era. Until ARPANET laid a part of the basic and transmission protocols, the network started to develop rapidly, and the defense data network (DDN) and the National Science Foundation Network were also derived. (NFSNET) and so on. The latter evolved into the cornerstone of Internet construction under the auspices of public and private sector funding. Today's network is full of vertical applications, all based on a simple link and information delivery platform.
At present, manufacturers have various vertical application requirements, some of which may be altruistic, but most of them have interests in mind, otherwise future development is unlikely to occur; but horizontal balance needs altruism. In the future, the Internet of Things will be the largest horizontal system architecture in human history. Vertical applications still exist, but the most fundamental low-level links and information transfer functions must be ubiquitous and invisible in all applications.
In addition, in order to achieve a balanced level, the Internet of Things must also be more similar to organic systems. When the cells replicate, basic information is transmitted in the form of DNA. After the cells are combined, an automatic mechanism is formed, and the nervous system is used to construct and protect the cellular structure, that is, the horizontal integration form in the human body. There are countless cells in each person, and the toughness is extremely high. It can be operated continuously for more than 100 years without having to "restart". Therefore, when building the basic information and device architecture, you must first study the organic system.
Some people think that the Internet has organic system characteristics. However, most of the traffic on the network today converges at least a huge number of data pipelines. The initial network architecture was “flat†and closer to the Peer-to-peer nature. The bandwidth demand in the past was quite low, and the maximum traffic was only from the transmission of information. Later, due to the rich audio and video and real-time information, large lines were forced to rise.
The master-slave architecture is the mainstream today, and most of it is driven by content convergents and large-scale line companies. As the industry progresses, the future will gradually return to a flatter architecture, and large lines will not disappear, continuing to support high bandwidth and real-time demand. However, when the number of IoT networking devices is broken, multiple data flow paths will occur. The convergence bandwidth of this huge point-to-point platform will far exceed the performance of large lines.
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