M2M wireless terminal technology platform and Application

Abstract:

M2M is short for machine-to-machine/man. It is a networked application and service centered on intelligent interaction of machine terminals. It embeds a wireless communication module in the machine and uses wireless communication as the access means to provide customers with comprehensive information solutions, to meet the customer's information needs in monitoring, command scheduling, data collection and measurement. M2M can be divided into three categories based on its application service objects: individuals, families, and industries.

M2M is a machine-to-machine solution for group customers based on specific industry terminals and using SMS, ussd, GPRS, and other access methods, it meets the information requirements of the customer in terms of production process monitoring, command scheduling, remote data collection and measurement, and remote diagnosis.

And mobile phones, but other devices with communication performance. Devices or appliances that can access the Internet will be much wider than today, from televisions to MP3 players, to electronic newspapers, smart buildings, and even refrigerators, they work like computers on the Internet, forming a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication mode. With the extensive use of radio frequency identification (RFID) and sensors and the application of grid computing, machine-to-machine applications that are currently in the early stages will gradually become mature. In the future, the traffic generated by machines will exceed the traffic generated by man-machine applications and man-person applications, and may even occupy the vast majority of the traffic (currently, the percentage is very small ).

Machine-to-machine applications mean transmitting remote signals between traditionally unconnected devices or appliances (such as air conditioners, security systems, and elevators. M2M is not just a parallel processing, but a distributed computing enable. It enables a family to become a supercomputer, with embedded processors installed in all household appliances.

In enterprises, M2M has two initial applications: monitoring and control. Monitoring applications include asset tracking, inventory management, and supply chain automation. A manufacturer can use RFID tags to track the movement of product components in the factory or locate the boxes in the warehouse. Data transmission in such applications is strictly one-way, and no response signal is required. The control application is complex. You need to make a decision based on the input of multiple sources before sending the decision back. For example, a Distributed Temperature sensor network can control a heating system, saving money. Motion sensors can detect people moving towards the elevator and call the elevator to save time. This automation of wireless buildings will become more cost-effective.

To promote the development of machine-to-machine applications, it is necessary to assign wireless communication functions to all mobile objects and wireless communication functions to all places that are difficult to install fixed lines, assign wireless communication to all appliances that execute command, verification, and control functions, including user accessories. This article mainly introduces the M2M wireless terminal technology platform and application directions.

English:

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Body:

On June 18, Premier Wen Jiabao visited and delivered an important speech at the Wuxi micro/nano sensor network engineering technology R & D center. "In the development of sensor networks, we must plan the future and break down core technologies earlier "; "accelerate the development of sensor networks in major national science and technology projects"; "establish China's sensing information center as soon as possible, or" sensing China "center ". Then, "Sensor Networks" and "Iot" become buzzwords overnight. Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile's President, further elaborated on the IOT during the ITU Geneva TELECOM exhibition. Li Yizhong, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, also published an article) it has risen to the level of strategic emerging industries and will focus on supporting them.

In this wave of "Iot", various operators have dominated M2M applications and have quickly become a new direction for communications enterprise R & D, you can focus on the two keywords "huge" and "network" in the definition of "Iot". M2M is a point or line. Only when M2M is scaled and popularized, and smart convergence and communication between each other through the network can form the "Internet of Things ". Therefore, the isolated M2M is not the Internet of Things, but the ultimate goal of M2M is the Internet of Things. At this year's communication exhibition, many M2M applications and demonstrations, such as China Mobile's elevator monitoring business and China Telecom's "Ping An ejia" business, all belong to M2M applications, in a broad sense, it belongs to the concept of the Internet of Things, but it is never the Internet of Things. To realize the real IOT, massive addresses, massive bandwidth, and massive storage are required. In addition, extremely high communication intelligence and management intelligence are required, and well-developed regulatory regulations are required to ensure commercial feasibility, these are not achieved by the current technical capabilities and level, so the real implementation of Iot can only be carried out in the future.

In this way, wireless communication terminal enterprises can find their own bases on the M2M technology platform in this wave of Iot. This article shares some information on the M2M wireless terminal technology platform.

Ultra-low-cost Platform)

System Architecture

Platform performance characteristics and applications

Based on the original wireless GPRS/GSM module, this technical solution has been customized and developed to internally integrate M2M (standardized wmmp protocol stack, developed by China Mobile) with built-in TCP/IP protocol lines, supports Java or intermediate Virtual Layer interfaces to encapsulate interfaces such as registration, login, and data reporting into AT commands. The end user calls the encapsulated application interface through the UART interface to accelerate and facilitate the customer's development process. The terminal manufacturer can quickly develop a low-cost M2M terminal using this technical platform.

The value chain of this technology platform is: in the form of cooperation alliances, China Mobile will take the lead in customizing the wmmp protocol to unify relatively loose terminal manufacturers and module manufacturers in the M2M industry, to unify technologies and services and solve the basic problems faced by the M2M market. China Mobile is at the core of the value chain.

Wireless terminal manufacturers develop M2M terminals based on industry needs and are application providers in the value chain.

Wireless module manufacturers are valuable hardware equipment providers.

In the next few years, it is expected that the wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) communication module market will grow strongly. This module is a wireless unit used to provide wireless connection for a series of devices that can communicate with each other without human intervention. Such technical platform terminal products will be the mainstream in the market.

Low-cost Platform)

System Architecture

Platform performance characteristics and applications

Compared with the ultra-low-cost platform, this technology platform adds an application processor (for example, stm32 MCU ). cortex-M3: arm is a kernel specifically designed for embedded applications requiring high performance (1.25 dhrystone MIPS/MHz), low cost, and low power consumption. Cortex-M3 kernel mainly memory and processor size on the product cost of a great variety of application market, is to address these market low cost demand, specially developed and designed microprocessor kernel. The Cortex-M3 kernel enhances the various functions integrated on the chip, this includes embedding vector interrupt controllers that reduce the latency between interruptions to six CPU cycles, allowing independent bit operations, branch instruction prediction, single-cycle multiplication, and hardware division to be modified in each write operation. and efficient thumb 2 instruction set, these improved technologies give the Cortex-M3 kernel excellent performance, code density, real-time and low power consumption.

This technology platform features low cost and low power consumption. The application processor chip is integrated with Ram units and storage units. And a wide range of external interfaces: I/O interfaces, multiple UART interfaces, USB interfaces, and CAN bus. It facilitates connection with external demand control and monitoring sensing units.

Application

High-level platform)

System Architecture

Platform performance characteristics and applications

Compared with the low-cost platform, this technology platform mainly consists of application processors (such as arm10, arm10, and other high-performance embedded processors) and wireless communication modules. This technical solution has independent memory units (SDRAM) and storage units (nandflash). Application Processors may integrate complex multimedia processing functions such as image processing units and audio processing units as needed. The real-time operating system,RTOS), With an independent TCP/IP protocol stack, supports Modbus (master) units to control the collection of multiple industrial sensing units.

Due to its high scalability, this technical solution can easily integrate ZigBee short-distance wireless modules and camera units to meet customers' needs for video monitoring, data collection, data processing, and other complex applications. Of course, the cost of this technology platform is high.

Conclusion:

However, it is undeniable that M2M and Iot will be the focus and direction of the future development of the industry. It will completely change the work and lifestyle of the whole society and bring us higher production capabilities, A more efficient, easier, more convenient, and more harmonious life is also the main reason why President Wang Jianzhou loves it. Iot is not a dream. It will come one day, maybe in Ericsson's predicted 2020 s, and the Earth at that time will truly become the "smart Earth" depicted by IBM ". With such bright prospects, wireless communication terminal enterprises should gain a firm foothold on the M2M technology platform and grow.