M2M communication: Facebook for smart devices in the Internet age

Imagine a scenario where the bike sends its location to your smartphone while it is moving; the camera talks to the GPS module and recommends attractions when you are hiking; the fridge sends you a reminder message when the milk is low; the smart meter can The washing machine is activated during peak hours; the treadmill transmits heart rate and other vital signs to the health care provider; remote industrial equipment can send reminders to its manufacturer when maintenance or repair is required. In a world where interconnected devices interact with each other intelligently, there are infinite possibilities and attractive business opportunities. In the past two decades, various advances in the wireless industry have brought people around the world together. In the next decade, we will witness a revolution: devices in different fields will be able to communicate with each other, providing unprecedented services to humans while saving costs, increasing efficiency and minimizing manpower. The underlying technology that drives this is called machine-to-machine communication (M2M).

What is machine-to-machine communication?

In short, it is a technology that enables devices to interact with each other over a wired or wireless communication network without manual intervention. M2M technology typically uses sensors, actuators, MCUs, and/or RF transceivers to collect data from end devices or events, and then send the data to the application over a communications network (Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM/General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, Powerline, or Satellite). Program software, which then processes the received data into meaningful information. The three basic phases of M2M technology are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Three basic stages of M2M technology

*Data CollecTIon data acquisition, Data Transmission data transmission, Data analysis data analysis, Satellite communicaTIon satellite communication, M2M Gateway M2M gateway, Cellular communicaTIon cellular communication, M2M ApplicaTIons Server M2M application server, Contains Middleware which hosts business intelligence app Middleware for intelligent applications, Power line communication

Industrial applications are seamlessly integrating M2M technology with powerful sensors, advanced embedded microcontrollers, and ubiquitous wireless networks. Some of these applications are described in the following sections.

Industrial equipment remote monitoring system

The remote monitoring system uses multiple sensors to detect vibration, liquid leakage, mechanical wear, temperature, and mechanical noise to assess the health of the equipment. Each sensor is represented by a yellow dot called a node in Figure 2(a) and is connected in a star topology to the network coordinator represented by the blue dot to form a personal area network (PAN). The PAN network coordinator is an M2M gateway between the PAN network and the GPRS network, and is responsible for transmitting data to the remote monitoring station. Any time any parameter exceeds the normal operating threshold, the remote monitoring station will set an alarm to initiate preventive maintenance.

Implementation of Sensor Nodes and PAN Network Coordinator - High Throughput Microcontrollers Will Simplify Design

Figure 2(b) and Figure 2(c) show the implementation of the sensor node and PAN network coordinator.

Figure 2. Implementation of a remote monitoring system

* Sensor Node sensor node, PAN Network Coordinator PAN network coordinator, Personal Area Network (MiwiTM/IEEE 802.15.4) personal area network (MiwiTM/IEEE 802.15.4), GSM/GPRS Network GSM/GPRS network, Remote Monitoring Station remote monitoring Station, Remote Monitoring System Architecture remote monitoring system architecture, V/I Conversion Circuit V/I conversion circuit, Block Diagram of PAN Network Sensor Node PAN network sensor node block diagram, Block Diagram of PAN Network Coordinator PAN network coordinator block diagram