October 2015
6
C
over
S
tory
IoT: classic and also quite different
By Thomas Staudinger,
EBV Elektronik
This article shows
that the Internet of Things
is not a totally new technology –
it is based on already existing
technologies which are now
combined to create the ubiquitous
connectivity of anything.
Strictly speaking, the Internet of Things
(IoT) is not a new venture for EBV Elek-
tronik. EBV has, for many years, been work-
ing on topics which are now specific to IoT or
directly associated with it, but which were not
classified as IoT before the term was coined.
The disciplines of sensor technology, data
preparation and data processing, data output,
actuator engineering, connectivity and secu-
rity come together in the Internet of Things
– and EBV has been continuously active in all
these areas for over a decade. The terms IoT
and the very closely related Industry 4.0 are
now widely recognised and a starting point
for further discussions.
One of the main strengths of EBV for many
years has been its ability to combine these
individual areas and from this combination
develop new potential for its clients. For some
years, this has found expression in the seg-
ments on which EBV has focused: on the one
hand, the classic market segments including
the automotive, consumer, healthcare, high-
rel and renewable energies segments and, on
the other hand, the technology-driven FPGA,
identification, LightSpeed and RF and wire-
less segments. Two examples from the health-
care market segment clearly show the extent
to which technology is used in it: A diabetes
management system essentially consists of a
blood glucose meter, an app on a smartphone
and a patient database in the Cloud. At inter-
vals throughout the day measurements of the
blood sugar level are recorded and transmitted
to the smartphone by Bluetooth Low Energy
(BLE).The patient can use the associated app
to document other things such as food intake.
They also receive advice and recommenda-
tions via the app about correct diet and fluid
intake. The data are bundled together from
the app and transmitted in encrypted form to
a patient database. Professional medical per-
sonnel can then access these data and provide
the patient with appropriate advice and notifi-
cations, such as about the insulin dosage to be
given. This system can also be supplemented
by an automatic or semi-automatic insulin
pump, attached to the patient body.
Another example from the area of personal
health and fitness is the activity tracker or
activity monitor. Numerous versions of these
are now commercially available, from sim-
ple step counters to complex sports watches,
which measure the blood oxygen saturation
and heartbeat of the user. There are differ-
ences in the features and the precision. Most
devices have one thing in common, namely a
BLE connection to a smartphone, an associ-
ated app and/or an interface to the most pop-
ular fitness and running apps. The data are
usually sent by the smartphone to the Cloud
in unencrypted form. By private arrange-
ment these data can then be seen by friends.
In these applications, unlike in the medical
application, no great value is placed on data
security, since it is up to the users to decide
whether or not to share their data publicly.
The industrial area is also supported with
applications such as M2M and Industry 4.0.
One important area is NFC – dual interface
programming of motors (motor control unit)
by mobile NFC. Applications of this type are
to be found in the Industry 4.0 area, where
displays and touchpads on machines are being
replaced by tablets. Also of interest is the net-
working of electrical energy storage devices
and the newly planned business models of
the energy suppliers. For example, one of
these business models enables energy storage
devices to be filled from various renewable
energy sources (solar, wind, bio, hydro…)
several times a day (up to 3 times) and for the
energy to be accessed at peak times each day.
The smart meter gateway and the smart meter
are absolute necessities for this. Such a model
is particularly appropriate in Germany for the
owners of solar power systems which have
come to the end of their feed-in compensation
period, as they will now achieve a faster return
on their investment in their energy storage
devices with this model. In Germany there are
already 60,000 compensation schemes for pri-
vate homeowners which are due to expire in
