Whether smart smart homes, cars or factories, all the core of the intelligent technology is network interconnection between equipment, and this is our familiar Internet of things (IoT).

Communicate with each other, or to communicate via the Internet. In the face of such rapid popularization and development, we are also facing some new challenges: how can we make IoT is easy to use, and has high cost performance and efficiency?

With Texas instruments (TI) numerous in-depth exchange of IoT experts, they are given the key to solve these challenges, and highlights for IoT applications in the field of consumer, industrial, and automotive.

1. Low power consumption is a top priority

IoT (niche) from a niche market development has become a nearly all aspects of our lives together is the vast network, in the face of such a broad range of applications, power consumption is essential. In the field of the IoT, many networking devices are equipped with data gathering node microcontroller (MCU), sensors, wireless devices and brake. Normally, these nodes will be run by battery power, or there is no battery, but through energy harvesting for electricity. Especially in the industrial plant, these nodes are often been placed in difficult or inaccessible areas. This means that they must be able to in the case of a single button batteries for several years of operation and data transmission.

"Battery installation, maintenance and repair not only difficulty is very high, at the same time also can bring high overhead, and in some workshops or workshop, these operations or even potentially dangerous," focus on wireless charging and low-power Harsha said. "Our goal is to make users don't need to replace the battery within the service life of the device."

Harsha and his team are studying ways of as much as possible to extend the time of micro batteries:

Solar - whether for indoor or outdoor light, even if it is only very little energy from the light source, its influence is also huge.

Temperature - by a factory object temperature difference between inside and outside environment, also can realize the collection of energy, such as the temperature is higher than the outside air of high temperature liquid pipeline.

Vibration - in industrial equipment, workshop machines produced by the vibration can also be used for energy acquisition.

Radio frequency (RF) -- for example, by compound from wi-fi ® radio waves, to support IoT nodes generate a small charge the battery.

"The aim is to extend the service life of the battery of 10% or 20%. Although the upgrading of consumer electronic device seems to be more and more fast, but the IoT technology in the industrial applications can continue for a long time. By using energy harvesting to prolong the service life of the battery, a battery can power for 20 to 30 years, until all the nodes need to be replaced. In some cases, due to the use of energy harvesting, these nodes can even run without battery," said Harsha.

2. The sensor is necessary

If there is no sensor, the IoT will cease to exist. Sensors, micro devices and node is constitute the cornerstone of the whole IoT system, they can measure all the data sent to the other node, or the clouds at the same time. Whether sensor residential door is closed or whether you need car engine oil replacement, or a device on a production line will not fail, sensors are key information were collected.

"Sensor in need to make a decision will play its role, this process doesn't need human intervention," said Jason in the field of electrical measuring flu. "If the conveyor belt transmission is an object, the sensor can help determine what the object is, weight, geometry and the conveyor belt is overheating, etc., for example, the analysis of the motor current can let people understand the health status of the motor, what does failure. These are in need to understand the content of factory control, and sensors makes it all possible. When providing real-time data, the combination of these important data will affect every aspect."

Because the sensors to collect such a large amount of data, especially in the industrial iot (IIoT), Jason realized that sensor software innovation and the innovation of the sensor hardware are equally important.

"When received so much information, how to determine the information is too much, or master data is useless? Which is a necessary part of algorithm. Once you have these algorithms, to make full use of and within the plant, they will change the manufacturing. The layout of the manufacturing industry, the production of space occupied, will narrow. The factory will become smaller and smaller, and the efficiency is higher and higher." Jason said.

3. The connectivity options: by numerous reduction is very important

Once the sensor data is low power node collection, the data must be transmitted to a certain place. In most cases, it will be sent to a gateway, this is the Internet and cloud IoT system or the midpoint between other nodes.

At present, according to the different requirements of usage and unique, can choose a variety of wired or wireless way to connected devices. 14 different connectivity of standards and technology (each item has its special value and utility, but the wi-fi, Bluetooth ®, Sub - 1 GHz and the all these standards are integrated in the Ethernet is a huge project.

"Due to the diversity of products, as well as the need to add the connectivity to the many different and most of the previous products do not have Internet connectivity, which requires the complex technology, and make it easier. This is also a large part of our current work," IoT strategy, marketing director Gil said.

4. Manage the cloud connectivity is the key

Once the data through a gateway, it will, in most cases, direct access to the cloud; Here, the data is analysis and inspection, and then put them into practice. The value of the IoT derived from data to run on the cloud services. As connectivity, also has a lot of the choice of cloud services, it is also a IoT complex point within the territory of another.

"There are many types of cloud providers, number also is not the same, and not for the cloud connection and equipment management mode," said Gil. "In order to meet the demand of users who use multiple cloud services, we have developed the biggest IoT cloud ecosystem, the system has more than 20 the cloud service provider, to provide integrated TI technical solutions."

Gil believe that because of the cloud technology has achieved a good cost-effective, IoT are rapid development at breakneck pace. However, in order to realize the further increase in IoT, there's a lot of work to do in terms of complexity simplification.

5. Safety is the key to the widely used

Gil argues that the security of the whole system is the biggest barrier to IoT have been widely used. As more and more devices become "intelligent", there will be more potential vulnerabilities. Our team are studying ways of building the most advanced hardware security mechanism, at the same time, we're going to the size of these security mechanisms, cost and power consumption in a low level. More importantly, we in the integrated security protocol and security software has invested a lot of manpower material resources, to make the security implementation is as simple as possible for the users.

"We are trying to reduce the advanced security features were added to the IoT products encountered obstacles," said Gil.

6. For inexperienced developers easier IoT solutions

First of all, the IoT technology was mainly used by technology companies. But even in the next period of time, IoT limit in a certain technical background of the industry.

For example, with a leading manufacturer in China, for example. Until now, because there is no any demand, an electrical engineer may have never worked in leading manufacturing company. However, if the company intends to produce showers of access to the Internet, so the company investment in manpower and time will be enormous. IoT technology, therefore, must be able to easily add to existing and future users of the product, with no need for network and security engineers involved.

"These companies don't need to be like an Internet technology company, in the aspect of technological learning to input, the reason is that they can now get readily available from the company, such as TI technology," said Gil.

Because we live in a more and more things are being set up and the network interconnection, and with the augmentation of IoT, there will be a lot of work to complete. For TI employees like Gil, hard work is what you pay for the best return time and energy.

"It's all aspects in our future the great prospect of high quality life. This includes our homes, cars and efficient plant user convenience and way of life, and all this will eventually make our world a better place," he said.