Before introducing you with this topic, I would love to share- why the world is so interested in IoT (Internet of Things)
Why is it important?
- Fourth Industrial Revolution
- IoT will touch everything
- Everything will have IoT
IoT refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to Internet, all collecting and sharing data.
What this “things” refer to?
“Things” – that are embedded with sensors, software and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and system over Internet.
Source: Tsai, 2014 International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), Keynote Talk
How an ideal IoT looks like?
- Ubiquitous
- Smart
- Agile
- On demand
- Blend into background
- Secure
- Low maintenance
- Fast
- Upgradeable
- Growing
- Adaptable
Ok, you know what is IoT, let us discover – what does IoT composed of?
- Cool applications
- Sensors
- Internet
- Circuits
- Security
- Locomotive for innovation and economic growth
- Big data
Let us closely observe few of these components of IoT:
COOL APPLICATIONS:
Smart waste management system
This setup is at Dublin Airport
It has been able to successfully increases waste collection efficiency by 90%.
Smart street lights
It detects the vehicle and as per the distance of the vehicle from a particular street light, the intensity automatically gets adjusted
CONNECTED VEHICLES
Source: http://government-2020.dupress.com/trend/connected-vehicles/
Precision agriculture
Source: https://www.accenture.com/cn-en/insight-accenture-digital-agriculture-solutions
Wow, so cool applications!!!
But how these are becoming possible?
The answer is – SENSORS (Sensors convert physical to electrical signals)
Lets us dive into the ocean of sensors:
- Sensors can be modelled as simple mechanical harmonic oscillator
- Most IoT sensors measure change in electrical properties: resistance, inductance, capacitance
THINK:
- Capacitors are great at measuring short distance with very good absolute accuracy.
- Measurements of large displacements are better done by inductors
MEMS SENSORS: SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
a = (k/m) ∆z = (2∏f)2∆z, where, f = (1/2∏) (k/m)1/2
Looking at the first part of the equation, we might think that we should use a low k and large m
- => low f
- Given a constant f, only the ratio k/m~f2 is important
- A miniaturized accelerometer must have a small proof mass and a weak spring, but it is the ratio of the two that is important!
- To measure small accelerations up to a given f, we therefore have to measure Dz very accurately
- For application specific minimum detectable acceleration and bandwidth, there is a minimum detectable displacement that our position sensor must be able to measure
Small structures have position sensitivity and can be designed to have any resonance frequency
ELECTRIC COMPONENTS USED IN MINIATURIZED SENSORS :
HOW YOU THINK IS THE FUTURE?
I THINK IT TO BE AS:
- Massive number of devices, only few active at a time
- Busty traffic, few bits to transmit
- Complexity and energy constrained
- Node identity may not be relevant
Think on all these four points from all dimensions.
Happy learning!