IoT network : design and implementation

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de mestre em Engenharia Eletrónica e de TelecomunicaçõesIn recent years a new concept known in the anglo-saxonic language as IoT (Internet of Things) has gained prominence in the world of technology. IoT's main objective is to allow various types of physical objects, such as cars, houses and cities to transmit the information they obtain autonomously through sensors, to platforms that receive and use them intelligently, forming a network of interconnected objects, without any kind of human intervention. To understand this concept, a study was made of the networks that underlie this concept, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area Networks), and in more detail to LoRa technology. In order to estimate the coverage of this technology, a theoretical planning was performed using the OH model (Okumura-Hata), and based on the results obtained, an electromagnetic simulator (CloudRF), was used, which allowed to estimate in more detail the coverage in the area of study. In order to validate the results obtained theoretically and by simulation, a set of meas-urements was made in the field in some points of the city of Aveiro. From the global analysis of the obtained results, it was concluded that LoRa technology is in fact quite feasible to be used in an implementation of an IoT network in an urban environ-ment. The OH model when adapted with the appropriate coverage margins for the type of study environment allows a good approximation in terms of outdoor coverage. Despite being very sensitive to movements, it was possible to obtain distances up to 2 km in a mostly urban prop-agation environment, and more than 5 km in a more open area with a greater line of sight.Nos últimos anos um novo conceito conhecido na linguagem anglo-saxónica como IoT (In-ternet of Things) ganhou destaque no mundo da tecnologia. A IoT tem como principal objetivo permitir que diversos tipos de objetos físicos, como por exemplo carros, casas e cidades consi-gam transmitir a informação que obtêm de forma autónoma através de sensores, para platafor-mas que as recebem e as utilizam de forma inteligente, moldando assim uma rede de objetos interligados, sem existir qualquer tipo de intervenção humana. Para se perceber este conceito, foi efetuado um estudo às redes que servem de base a este conceito, as redes LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), e em mais detalhe à tecnologia LoRa. De forma a estimar a cobertura desta tecnologia, foi efetuado um planeamento teórico utilizando o modelo de OH (Okumura-Hata), e com base nos resultados obtidos, recorreu-se a um simulador electromagnético, o CloudRF, que permitiu estimar mais em detalhe a cobertura para a zona de Aveiro. De forma a validar os resultados obtidos teoricamente e por simulação, foi efetuado um conjunto de medidas em campo em alguns pontos da cidade de Aveiro. Da análise global de resultados obtidos, concluiu-se que a tecnologia LoRa é de facto bas-tante viável para ser utilizada numa implementação de uma rede IoT num ambiente urbano. O modelo de OH quando adaptado com as margens de cobertura adequadas para o tipo de ambi-ente em estudo permite obter uma boa aproximação em termos de cobertura outdoor. Apesar de ser bastante sensível a movimentações, a tecnologia LoRa através das medidas realizadas permitiu obter coberturas até 2 km num ambiente de propagação maioritariamente urbano, e superiores a 5 km numa área mais aberta e com uma maior linha de vista.N/

Low Power Circuit Design in Sustainable Self Powered Systems for IoT Applications

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) network is being vigorously pushed forward from many fronts in diverse research communities. Many problems are still there to be solved, and challenges are found among its many levels of abstraction. In this thesis we give an overview of recent developments in circuit design for ultra-low power transceivers and energy harvesting management units for the IoT. The first part of the dissertation conducts a study of energy harvesting interfaces and optimizing power extraction, followed by power management for energy storage and supply regulation. we give an overview of the recent developments in circuit design for ultra-low power management units, focusing mainly in the architectures and techniques required for energy harvesting from multiple heterogeneous sources. Three projects are presented in this area to reach a solution that provides reliable continuous operation for IoT sensor nodes in the presence of one or more natural energy sources to harvest from. The second part focuses on wireless transmission, To reduce the power consumption and boost the Tx energy efficiency, a novel delay cell exploiting current reuse is used in a ring-oscillator employed as the local oscillator generator scheme. In combination with an edge-combiner power amplifier, the Tx showed a measured energy efficiency of 0.2 nJ=bit and a normalized energy efficiency of 3.1 nJ=bit:mW when operating at output power levels up to -10 dBm and data rates of 3 Mbps

Internet of Things and Sensors Networks in 5G Wireless Communications

The Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted much attention from society, industry and academia as a promising technology that can enhance day to day activities, and the creation of new business models, products and services, and serve as a broad source of research topics and ideas. A future digital society is envisioned, composed of numerous wireless connected sensors and devices. Driven by huge demand, the massive IoT (mIoT) or massive machine type communication (mMTC) has been identified as one of the three main communication scenarios for 5G. In addition to connectivity, computing and storage and data management are also long-standing issues for low-cost devices and sensors. The book is a collection of outstanding technical research and industrial papers covering new research results, with a wide range of features within the 5G-and-beyond framework. It provides a range of discussions of the major research challenges and achievements within this topic

Internet of Things and Sensors Networks in 5G Wireless Communications

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Internet of Things and Sensors Networks in 5G Wireless Communications that was published in Sensors

Planning smart cities using wireless low energy monitoring systems

Thesis to obtain the Master Degree in Electronics and Telecommunications EngineeringModern cities and large utility companies need to implement new or expanding measurement strategies and technologies to exchange information with each client, in real time. This will allow better control over the grid network and reduce operating costs whi le maintaining the grids in a higher realm, fighting against fraudulent customers. Some of these systems are based on the IEEE 802.15.4k variant, where information is transmitted in wireless mode around of 169MHz, using very low power devices which can increase battery lifetime by several years. Telemetry systems are designed to automatically collect meter consumption data, transfer and stored them in a central database, internal or external to the management company for billing purposes or others. Implementation of such systems allow more reliable and frequent readings, eliminating the usual rough estimates of consumption, often exaggerated by allowing more efficient charging and a reduction in the number of customer complaints. The information obtained can also be used for technical purposes, such as park management accountants, network planning and design of expansion and maintenance of the network (audits excesses in consumption and control of real excesses by customers). This thesis is focused on the study of telemetry systems using low consumption equipment (operating in the frequency region of 169MHz), and network planning of such systems in different scenarios, as well as practical implementation of a typical scenario in order to verify the analysis results and benefits. Specifically, the study of these systems goes through deepening their definitions and characteristics to be able to plan possible network telemetry. After the theory part, a possible scenario will be considered for practical implementation of these systems. The solution is to installing a device in a counter and after certain times, for example each hour, send for a Gateway, where it will arrive to the regulatory authority

IoT and Sensor Networks in Industry and Society

The exponential progress of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the main elements that fueled the acceleration of the globalization pace. Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics are some of the key players of the digital transformation that is affecting every aspect of human's daily life, from environmental monitoring to healthcare systems, from production processes to social interactions. In less than 20 years, people's everyday life has been revolutionized, and concepts such as Smart Home, Smart Grid and Smart City have become familiar also to non-technical users. The integration of embedded systems, ubiquitous Internet access, and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications have paved the way for paradigms such as IoT and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) to be also introduced in high-requirement environments such as those related to industrial processes, under the forms of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT or I2oT) and Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS). As a consequence, in 2011 the German High-Tech Strategy 2020 Action Plan for Germany first envisioned the concept of Industry 4.0, which is rapidly reshaping traditional industrial processes. The term refers to the promise to be the fourth industrial revolution. Indeed, the first industrial revolution was triggered by water and steam power. Electricity and assembly lines enabled mass production in the second industrial revolution. In the third industrial revolution, the introduction of control automation and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) gave a boost to factory production. As opposed to the previous revolutions, Industry 4.0 takes advantage of Internet access, M2M communications, and deep learning not only to improve production efficiency but also to enable the so-called mass customization, i.e. the mass production of personalized products by means of modularized product design and flexible processes. Less than five years later, in January 2016, the Japanese 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan took a further step by introducing the concept of Super Smart Society or Society 5.0. According to this vision, in the upcoming future, scientific and technological innovation will guide our society into the next social revolution after the hunter-gatherer, agrarian, industrial, and information eras, which respectively represented the previous social revolutions. Society 5.0 is a human-centered society that fosters the simultaneous achievement of economic, environmental and social objectives, to ensure a high quality of life to all citizens. This information-enabled revolution aims to tackle today’s major challenges such as an ageing population, social inequalities, depopulation and constraints related to energy and the environment. Accordingly, the citizens will be experiencing impressive transformations into every aspect of their daily lives. This book offers an insight into the key technologies that are going to shape the future of industry and society. It is subdivided into five parts: the I Part presents a horizontal view of the main enabling technologies, whereas the II-V Parts offer a vertical perspective on four different environments. The I Part, dedicated to IoT and Sensor Network architectures, encompasses three Chapters. In Chapter 1, Peruzzi and Pozzebon analyse the literature on the subject of energy harvesting solutions for IoT monitoring systems and architectures based on Low-Power Wireless Area Networks (LPWAN). The Chapter does not limit the discussion to Long Range Wise Area Network (LoRaWAN), SigFox and Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) communication protocols, but it also includes other relevant solutions such as DASH7 and Long Term Evolution MAchine Type Communication (LTE-M). In Chapter 2, Hussein et al. discuss the development of an Internet of Things message protocol that supports multi-topic messaging. The Chapter further presents the implementation of a platform, which integrates the proposed communication protocol, based on Real Time Operating System. In Chapter 3, Li et al. investigate the heterogeneous task scheduling problem for data-intensive scenarios, to reduce the global task execution time, and consequently reducing data centers' energy consumption. The proposed approach aims to maximize the efficiency by comparing the cost between remote task execution and data migration. The II Part is dedicated to Industry 4.0, and includes two Chapters. In Chapter 4, Grecuccio et al. propose a solution to integrate IoT devices by leveraging a blockchain-enabled gateway based on Ethereum, so that they do not need to rely on centralized intermediaries and third-party services. As it is better explained in the paper, where the performance is evaluated in a food-chain traceability application, this solution is particularly beneficial in Industry 4.0 domains. Chapter 5, by De Fazio et al., addresses the issue of safety in workplaces by presenting a smart garment that integrates several low-power sensors to monitor environmental and biophysical parameters. This enables the detection of dangerous situations, so as to prevent or at least reduce the consequences of workers accidents. The III Part is made of two Chapters based on the topic of Smart Buildings. In Chapter 6, Petroșanu et al. review the literature about recent developments in the smart building sector, related to the use of supervised and unsupervised machine learning models of sensory data. The Chapter poses particular attention on enhanced sensing, energy efficiency, and optimal building management. In Chapter 7, Oh examines how much the education of prosumers about their energy consumption habits affects power consumption reduction and encourages energy conservation, sustainable living, and behavioral change, in residential environments. In this Chapter, energy consumption monitoring is made possible thanks to the use of smart plugs. Smart Transport is the subject of the IV Part, including three Chapters. In Chapter 8, Roveri et al. propose an approach that leverages the small world theory to control swarms of vehicles connected through Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication protocols. Indeed, considering a queue dominated by short-range car-following dynamics, the Chapter demonstrates that safety and security are increased by the introduction of a few selected random long-range communications. In Chapter 9, Nitti et al. present a real time system to observe and analyze public transport passengers' mobility by tracking them throughout their journey on public transport vehicles. The system is based on the detection of the active Wi-Fi interfaces, through the analysis of Wi-Fi probe requests. In Chapter 10, Miler et al. discuss the development of a tool for the analysis and comparison of efficiency indicated by the integrated IT systems in the operational activities undertaken by Road Transport Enterprises (RTEs). The authors of this Chapter further provide a holistic evaluation of efficiency of telematics systems in RTE operational management. The book ends with the two Chapters of the V Part on Smart Environmental Monitoring. In Chapter 11, He et al. propose a Sea Surface Temperature Prediction (SSTP) model based on time-series similarity measure, multiple pattern learning and parameter optimization. In this strategy, the optimal parameters are determined by means of an improved Particle Swarm Optimization method. In Chapter 12, Tsipis et al. present a low-cost, WSN-based IoT system that seamlessly embeds a three-layered cloud/fog computing architecture, suitable for facilitating smart agricultural applications, especially those related to wildfire monitoring. We wish to thank all the authors that contributed to this book for their efforts. We express our gratitude to all reviewers for the volunteering support and precious feedback during the review process. We hope that this book provides valuable information and spurs meaningful discussion among researchers, engineers, businesspeople, and other experts about the role of new technologies into industry and society

Circuits and Systems for Energy Harvesting and Internet of Things Applications

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues its growing trend, while new “smart” objects are con-stantly being developed and commercialized in the market. Under this paradigm, every common object will be soon connected to the Internet: mobile and wearable devices, electric appliances, home electronics and even cars will have Internet connectivity. Not only that, but a variety of wireless sensors are being proposed for different consumer and industrial applications. With the possibility of having hundreds of billions of IoT objects deployed all around us in the coming years, the social implications and the economic impact of IoT technology needs to be seriously considered. There are still many challenges, however, awaiting a solution in order to realize this future vision of a connected world. A very important bottleneck is the limited lifetime of battery powered wireless devices. Fully depleted batteries need to be replaced, which in perspective would generate costly maintenance requirements and environmental pollution. However, a very plausible solution to this dilemma can be found in harvesting energy from the ambient. This dissertation focuses in the design of circuits and system for energy harvesting and Internet of Things applications. The first part of this dissertation introduces the research motivation and fundamentals of energy harvesting and power management units (PMUs). The architecture of IoT sensor nodes and PMUs is examined to observe the limitations of modern energy harvesting systems. Moreover, several architectures for multisource harvesting are reviewed, providing a background for the research presented here. Then, a new fully integrated system architecture for multisource energy harvesting is presented. The design methodology, implementation, trade-offs and measurement results of the proposed system are described. The second part of this dissertation focus on the design and implementation of low-power wireless sensor nodes for precision agriculture. First, a sensor node incorporating solar energy harvesting and a dynamic power management strategy is presented. The operation of a wireless sensor network for soil parameter estimation, consisting of four nodes is demonstrated. After that, a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) prototype for powering a wireless sensor node is proposed. The implemented solar thermoelectric generator demonstrates to be an alternative way to harvest ambient energy, opening the possibility for its use in agricultural and environmental applications. The open problems in energy harvesting for IoT devices are discussed at the end, to delineate the possible future work to improve the performance of EH systems. For all the presented works, proof-of-concept prototypes were fabricated and tested. The measured results are used to verify their correct operation and performance