UNIT II COMPONENTS IN INTERNET OF THINGS

Functional Blocks of an IoT Ecosystem – Sensors, Actuators, and Smart Objects –

Control Units - Communication modules (Bluetooth, Zigbee,Wifi, GPS, GSM Modules)
Functional Blocks of an IoT Ecosystem

The Internet of Things (IoT) has several functional blocks. These blocks collectively contribute
to its operation. These blocks contain the device, communication, services, application,
management, & security components.

 Application
An application is an interface that facilitates users in accessing and analyzing the status
of a system. It serves as a control system allowing users to monitor and evaluate system
operations.
 Management
The management functional block encompasses a range of functions designed to
oversee an IoT system. These functions enable effective administration and
coordination of various system components.
 Services
The services functional block offers a set of capabilities, including device monitoring
and control, data publication and deletion, as well as system restoration. These services
enhance the functionality and utility of the IoT system.
 Communication
The communication block plays a crucial role. It helps with facilitating communication
between the client & the cloud−based server. It provides seamless data transmission &
reception by employing proper protocols.
 Security
The security block is instrumental in defending an IoT system through several defensive
measures implementation. These criteria encompass authorization mechanisms, data
security protocols, authentication processes, & additional security elements such as
two−step verification.
 Device
 Devices within the IoT framework are responsible for sensing and monitoring
functions, gathering data from the surrounding environment. These devices enable the
collection of relevant information required for system operations.

1. Sensor/Actuator:

Sensors are those that do collect data from the surrounding environment of the devices such as
temperature, humidity, motion, light, and other relevant things.

Depending on the thing that needs to be captured from surroundings there are different types
of sensors like temperature sensors, humidity sensors, motion sensors, light sensors, and other
categories. The data collected by these sensors are known as fundamental input for IoT
devices.

Apart from this, sensors are also called Actuators. When IoT devices take action for what they
are intended or designed Actuators are required. It helps in giving responses to collected data
or receiving commands from remote systems. There are many varieties of actuators of IoT
devices available such as motors, relays, or servos, which are responsible for carrying out the
mentioned actions.

2. Processor or Controller:

Processors or controllers are also known as the brains of IoT devices since these types of
controllers make decisions and control the whole operation of the devices. The range of the
controller or processor of the IoT devices varies from simple microcontrollers to highly
powerful processors depending on the complexity of the device.

3. Connectivity Module:

The connectivity Module enables IoT devices to communicate with other devices or systems
over the internet and perform their action by providing wireless or wired communication
ability. Hence the connectivity module does include Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth, cellular,
LoRa, Zigbee, and other communication protocols.

4. Power Supply:

Every IoT device needs a source of supply for its functioning that is known as a “Power supply”
or one of the functioning blocks of the IoT device. There can be different varieties of power
supply such as battery, power adapter, energy harvesting module, and other power source that
keeps IoT device operational.

5. Memory and Storage:

This functional block of IoT devices is used to store data such as firmware and other essential
information. IoT or the Internet of Things mostly have limited memory or storage space so you
need to optimize them concisely and carefully.

6. User Interface:

As IoT devices are smart, wireless, and automated so some of them have user interfaces such
as display, interactive buttons, touchscreens, and so on for user interaction. The user interface
allows the user to configure settings and receive information from the device.
 7. Security:

Another functioning block of IoT device is security which allow devices to protect data and
make device resistant to unauthorized access or tempering. So, the categories of IoT device
Security include encryption, authentication, secure boot processes, and so on.

8. Data Processing and Analytics:

If you are using or thinking of using an advanced IoT device only then a Data Processing and
Analytics functioning block will required. This is because Data Processing and Analytics
blocks include the analysis process of collected data, extract insight, and sending relevant
information to other devices or on cloud platforms.

An IoT device is made up of a Physical object (“thing”) + Controller (“brain”) + Sensors +

Actuators + Networks (Internet). An actuator is a machine component or system that moves
or controls the mechanism of the system. Sensors in the device sense the environment, then
control signals are generated for the actuators according to the actions needed to perform.
A servo motor is an example of an actuator. They are linear or rotatory actuators, can move
to a given specified angular or linear position. We can use servo motors for IoT applications
and make the motor rotate to 90 degrees, 180 degrees, etc., as per our need.
The following diagram shows what actuators do, the controller directs the actuator based on
the sensor data to do the work.

Working of IoT devices and use of Actuators

The control system acts upon an environment through the actuator. It requires a source of
energy and a control signal. When it receives a control signal, it converts the source of energy
to a mechanical operation. On this basis, on which form of energy it uses, it has different
types given below.
Types of Actuators :
1. Hydraulic Actuators –
A hydraulic actuator uses hydraulic power to perform a mechanical operation. They are
actuated by a cylinder or fluid motor. The mechanical motion is converted to rotary, linear,
or oscillatory motion, according to the need of the IoT device. Ex- construction equipment
uses hydraulic actuators because hydraulic actuators can generate a large amount of force.
Advantages :
 Hydraulic actuators can produce a large magnitude of force and high speed.
 Used in welding, clamping, etc.
 Used for lowering or raising the vehicles in car transport carriers.
Disadvantages :
 Hydraulic fluid leaks can cause efficiency loss and issues of cleaning.
 It is expensive.
 It requires noise reduction equipment, heat exchangers, and high maintenance systems.
2. Pneumatic Actuators –
A pneumatic actuator uses energy formed by vacuum or compressed air at high pressure to
convert into either linear or rotary motion. Example- Used in robotics, use sensors that work
like human fingers by using compressed air.
Advantages :
 They are a low-cost option and are used at extreme temperatures where using air is a safer
option than chemicals.
 They need low maintenance, are durable, and have a long operational life.
 It is very quick in starting and stopping the motion.
Disadvantages :
 Loss of pressure can make it less efficient.
 The air compressor should be running continuously.
 Air can be polluted, and it needs maintenance.
3. Electrical Actuators –
An electric actuator uses electrical energy, is usually actuated by a motor that converts
electrical energy into mechanical torque. An example of an electric actuator is a solenoid
based electric bell.
Advantages :
 It has many applications in various industries as it can automate industrial valves.
 It produces less noise and is safe to use since there are no fluid leakages.
 It can be re-programmed and it provides the highest control precision positioning.
Disadvantages :
 It is expensive.
 It depends a lot on environmental conditions.
Other actuators are –
 Thermal/Magnetic Actuators –
These are actuated by thermal or mechanical energy. Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) or
Magnetic Shape‐Memory Alloys (MSMAs) are used by these actuators. An example of
a thermal/magnetic actuator can be a piezo motor using SMA.
 Mechanical Actuators –
A mechanical actuator executes movement by converting rotary motion into linear
motion. It involves pulleys, chains, gears, rails, and other devices to operate. Example –
A crankshaft.
 Soft Actuators
 Shape Memory Polymers
 Light Activated Polymers
 With the expanding world of IoT, sensors and actuators will find more usage in
commercial and domestic applications along with the pre-existing use in industry.

Sensors, Actuators, Smart Objects and Control Units

This section defines sensors, actuators, and smart objects and describes how they are the
fundamental building blocks of IoT networks.
Sensor Networks: This section covers the design, drivers for adoption, and deployment
challenges of sensor networks.
Sensors:
A sensor does exactly as its name indicates: It senses. More specifically, a sensor measures
some physical quantity and converts that measurement reading into a digital representation.
That digital representation is typically passed to another device for transformation into useful
data that can be consumed by intelligent devices or humans.
Active or passive: Sensors can be categorized based on whether they produce an energy output
and typically require an external power supply (active) or whether they simply receive energy
and typically require no external power supply (passive). Invasive or non-invasive: Sensors can
be categorized based on whether a sensor is part of the environment it is measuring (invasive)
or external to it (non-invasive). Contact or no-contact: Sensors can be categorized based on
whether they require physical contact with what they are measuring (contact) or not (no-
contact).
Absolute or relative: Sensors can be categorized based on whether they measure on an absolute
scale (absolute) or based on a difference with a fixed or variable reference value (relative).
Area of application: Sensors can be categorized based on the specific industry or vertical where
they are being used.
How sensors measure: Sensors can be categorized based on the physical mechanism used to
measure sensory input (for example, thermoelectric, electrochemical, piezoresistive, optic,
electric, fluid mechanic, photoelastic).
What sensors measure: Sensors can be categorized based on their applications or what physical
variables they measure.
Actuators:
Actuators are natural complements to sensors. Figure 3-4 demonstrates the symmetry and
complementary nature of these two types of devices. As discussed in the previous section,
sensors are designed to sense and measure practically any measurable variable in the physical
world. They convert their measurements (typically analog) into electric signals or digital
representations that can be consumed by an intelligent agent (a device or a human). Actuators,
on the others hand, receive some type of control signal (commonly an electric signal or digital
command) that triggers a physical effect, usually some type of motion, force, and so on.
Some common ways that they can be classified include the following:
Type of motion: Actuators can be classified based on the type of motion they produce (for
example, linear, rotary, one/two/three-axes).
Power: Actuators can be classified based on their power output (for example, high power, low
power, micro power)
Binary or continuous: Actuators can be classified based on the number of stable-state outputs.
Area of application: Actuators can be classified based on the specific industry or vertical where
they are used.
Type of energy: Actuators can be classified based on their energy type.
Smart Objects
Smart objects are, quite simply, the building blocks of IoT. They are what transform everyday
objects into a network of intelligent objects that are able to learn from and interact with their
environment in a meaningful way. It can’t be stressed enough that the real power of smart
objects in IoT comes from being networked together rather than being isolated as standalone
objects. This ability to communicate over a network has a multiplicative effect and allows for
very sophisticated correlation and interaction between disparate smart objects. For instance,
recall the smart farming sensors described previously. If a sensor is a standalone device that
simply measures the humidity of the soil, it is interesting and useful, but it isn’t revolutionary.
If that same sensor is connected as part of an intelligent network that is able to coordinate
intelligently with actuators to trigger irrigation systems as needed based on those sensor
readings, we have something far more powerful.
A smart object, is a device that has, at a minimum, the following four defining characteristics
Processing unit: A smart object has some type of processing unit for acquiring data, processing
and analyzing sensing information received by the sensor(s), coordinating control signals to
any actuators, and controlling a variety of functions on the smart object, including the
communication and power systems. The specific type of processing unit that is used can vary
greatly, depending on the specific processing needs of different applications. The most
common is a microcontroller because of its small form factor, flexibility, programming
simplicity, ubiquity, low power consumption, and low cost.
Sensor(s) and/or actuator(s): A smart object is capable of interacting with the physical world
through sensors and actuators. As described in the previous sections, a sensor learns and
measures its environment, whereas an actuator is able to produce some change in the physical
world. A smart object does not need to contain both sensors and actuators. In fact, a smart
object can contain one or multiple sensors and/or actuators, depending upon the application.
Communication device: The communication unit is responsible for connecting a smart object
with other smart objects and the outside world (via the network). Communication devices for
smart objects can be either wired or wireless. Overwhelmingly, in IoT networks smart objects
are wirelessly interconnected for a number of reasons, including cost, limited infrastructure
availability, and ease of deployment. There are myriad different communication protocols for
smart objects.
Power source: Smart objects have components that need to be powered. Interestingly, the most
significant power consumption usually comes from the communication unit of a smart object.
As with the other three smart object building blocks, the power requirements also vary greatly
from application to application. Typically, smart objects are limited in power, are deployed for
a very long time, and are not easily accessible. This combination, especially when the smart
object relies on battery power, implies that power efficiency, judicious power management,
sleep modes, ultra-low power consumption hardware, and so on are critical design elements.
Trends in Smart Objects
Size is decreasing: As discussed earlier, in reference to MEMS, there is a clear trend of ever-
decreasing size. Some smart objects are so small they are not even visible to the naked eye.
This reduced size makes smart objects easier to embed in everyday objects.
Power consumption is decreasing: The different hardware components of a smart object
continually consume less power. This is especially true for sensors, many of which are
completely passive. Some battery-powered sensors last 10 or more years without battery
replacement.
Processing power is increasing: Processors are continually getting more powerful and smaller.
This is a key advancement for smart objects, as they become increasingly complex and
connected.
Communication capabilities are improving: It’s no big surprise that wireless speeds are
continually increasing, but they are also increasing in range. IoT is driving the development of
more and more specialized communication protocols covering a greater diversity of use cases
and environments.
Communication is being increasingly standardized: There is a strong push in the industry to
develop open standards for IoT communication protocols. In addition, there are more and more
open source efforts to advance IoT
The following are some of the most significant limitations of the smart objects in WSNs:
Limited processing power
Limited memory Lossy communication
Limited transmission speeds Limited power
Control Units:
It is a unit of small computer on a single integrated circuit containing microprocessor or
processing core, memory and programmable input/output devices/peripherals. It is responsible
for major processing work of IoT devices and all logical operations are carried out here.