The Internet of Things (IoT) is on the rise. Smart devices are unlocking the benefits of technology to help people create added value and increase industry productivity. However, the IoT also presents many challenges, such as the complexity of new technologies and the need to acquire and process data to make informed decisions. In other words, translating product features into system solutions is a challenge. Infineon addresses these challenges by offering an immediately deployable solution based on the XENSIV connected sensor kit. The kit is a prototyping platform to simplify and accelerate the development of new applications and innovative use cases.
While there are many ways to define the Internet of Things (IoT), the IoT is often referred to as a network of “things” connected to the Internet. A “thing” is a physical object equipped with sensors, actuators, processing power and connectivity. Devices in the IoT world are often defined as “smart devices”. The smart part is mainly to collect and interpret the results of sensor data that can be used to trigger actions. This requires a connection to the Internet or a dedicated cloud so that devices can interact with each other, exchange data within the network, and be controlled remotely. In this way, IoT technologies can help people solve social challenges, bring benefits to people, and increase industry productivity.
Figure 1a. Number of global IoT connected devices (in billions), 2019-2030
Figure 1b. All product types included in the smart home analysis are poised for significant growth in the near future
Unleashing the Power of the Internet of Things
At the heart of every IoT solution are microelectronics: sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, communication modules and security components. These components enable the system to measure, process relevant environmental data, and connect to the Internet. However, to build a successful IoT device, it is not enough to be able to access the physical modules. These modules must also be able to integrate quickly and efficiently into the network, must process large amounts of data in an intelligent manner, and must establish stable and secure cloud connections
Figure 2. Infineon XENSIV Connected Sensor Kit (CSK) with XENSIV BGT60TR13C Radar and XENSIV PAS CO2 Sensor
To overcome these fundamental challenges and further accelerate development, Infineon offers a dedicated development platform that enables engineers to implement their IoT ideas quickly, easily and securely. the XENSIV Connected Sensor Kit (CSK) is Infineon’s first IoT sensor platform (Figure 2) and supports rapid prototyping based on Infineon radar, environmental sensors and other sensors and development. Customers looking to rapidly design and deploy IoT solutions can access Infineon’s integrated development ecosystem, which includes a comprehensive sensor library and application code examples for sensor and connectivity use cases. All these features enable customers to significantly reduce the time from proof of concept to fully developed IoT designs for smart home or smart building applications.
Figure 3. Components in the Infineon XENSIV connectivity sensor kit
Infineon’s IoT platform building blocks
The XENSIV Connection Sensor Kit (CSK) includes four basic building blocks (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Examples of innovative use cases supported by the XENSIV Connected Sensor Suite
Sensing:
Sensors empower the human senses of IoT devices and establish situational awareness. Among Infineon’s extensive sensor portfolio, the XENSIV DPS368 barometric pressure, the XENSIV BGT60TR13C radar and the XENSIV PAS CO2 sensor have been integrated into the CSK. Additional sensor implementations will be added later. The sensing elements in the reference design are very distinctive and also include all necessary components such as voltage regulators, voltage converters and oscillators. This saves a lot of time and resources in the design and test phase, reducing technical risks and BOM costs.
Computing:
Microcontrollers (MCUs) process acquired data, make decisions, and coordinate communication with devices. The requirements for microcontrollers in the IoT space are as diverse as the IoT applications themselves, and CSK uses the PSoC 62, a low-power, high-performance 32-bit Arm MCU designed for the IoT. application code examples are provided through the ModusToolbox software environment to make evaluation and development on the PSoC-based processing platform easier. The code examples include three layers: 1. the BSP (Board Support Package), which includes configuration instructions for clocks, peripherals, and reference evaluation board pins; 2. the sensor driver, which includes functions to interface with the XENSIV sensors; and 3. the algorithm layer, which includes the entire signal processing chain from the raw sensor data to the processed application output.
Connectivity:
In order for the devices to communicate with each other and with the cloud, the module needs to be connected to the IoT. For small form factor IoT designs, Infineon’s CSK offers the AIROC connectivity combo module, which integrates dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.0 in a single chip solution. MQTT is a very popular open source publish/subscribe communication protocol in IoT because it can be used cross-platform while consuming minimal bandwidth. The publisher (end) and the subscriber (end) are spatially decoupled (independent of each other). The client connects to a configured MQTT proxy: the client sends messages (publisher) to communicate sensor events and receives messages from the proxy (subscriber). The user does not need to generate certificates and keys for client identification; this piece is taken care of by Infineon for you.
Security:
Security is the foundation of the IoT, because only if there is sufficient security and privacy in the embedded system is it possible to establish the necessary trust to enhance and fully explore the possibilities of the IoT. This is where Infineon OPTIGA Trust M comes in, providing the ideal solution for embedded security solutions and secure mobile connectivity when using CSK. When running the OPTIGA Trust M setup, you benefit from a host library, a dedicated API for the host library to interact with the secure chip, as well as sample applications such as mutual authentication, secure communication, data storage protection and secure OTA software updates.
CSK-enabled use cases
The ability to acquire, process, and interpret data, as well as communicate and interconnect with other devices, is becoming a powerful tool for reducing power consumption, improving safety in many environments, and even making our daily lives more comfortable.
For example, one demanding smart device feature is presence detection, designed to notify if there is a human target nearby. Lighting, sound, heating, cooling, ventilation and access control systems can all benefit from this information and can be activated in time to improve user comfort and save energy at the same time. Infineon’s highly sensitive radar-based presence detection solutions are capable of detecting not only macro-motion but also micro-motion. User-device interaction becomes more natural, as users no longer need to wave their hands in front of the sensing element to ensure the device reacts. Sensor integration and algorithm development are major challenges, but Infineon’s CSK can help in this area by providing reference designs and immediately deployable use cases for presence detection.
Another use case is in healthcare and health: Infineon’s XENSIV BGT60TR13C radar sensor detects subtle movements of the human chest caused by cardiorespiratory activity. Infineon’s radar solution ensures continuous monitoring of breathing and heartbeat without direct contact with the user or recording privacy-sensitive information. Continuous vital sign tracking can be used to improve our health awareness and also help healthcare professionals to study the relationship between vital sign signals and age, gender and lifestyle habits. The solution provides timely information about the health and well-being of a diverse population: older adults can be monitored continuously at home, thereby reducing visits to hospitals and doctors’ offices, or infants can be monitored at night, providing parents with added convenience and peace of mind by eliminating the need to check the nursery so often.
The CSK is used in conjunction with the XENSIV PAS CO2 sensor to enable continuous air quality monitoring. Poor ventilation can lead to reduced oxygen levels and a build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2). Even moderate concentrations of CO2 can have a negative impact on health and productivity: at concentrations of up to 1000 ppm, people start to feel sleepy and have difficulty concentrating. It would of course be nice if CO2 sensors could warn immediately when the air quality in a room deteriorates. However, in order to take advantage of the possibilities of a connected world, CO2 sensors are expected to send such warnings to an automated system first and then react accordingly by adjusting the ventilation system or automatically opening windows. Smart homes equipped with real-time CO2 monitoring systems can benefit from improved air quality and a more comfortable environment thanks to on-demand controlled ventilation systems, air purifiers and thermostats.
One aspect to consider is the huge potential for energy savings, as connected devices can only be activated if the user is in range. About 50% of energy consumption in the EU comes from heating and cooling systems in buildings and industry. For example, ventilation systems equipped with Infineon CO2 sensors can save up to 55% of energy consumption. The energy savings are even greater when buildings are additionally equipped with smart thermostats and building automation systems.
Figure 5. XENSIV Connected Sensor Suite software stack in ModusToolbox
Some of these use cases (Figure 5) are already implemented in CSK as deployable IoT solutions. However, Infineon’s IoT development platform is ready for new use case implementations: engineers can simply use existing code examples to explore a myriad of future applications that bring more comfort and convenience to users, while also being more environmentally friendly.
Conclusion
Developing reliable smart solutions requires multiple components working together – a real challenge for engineers, especially given the large selection of manufacturers available and the depth of knowledge required to master each component. The interplay of wireless and embedded systems cannot be ignored, nor can security, cloud integration and energy management. In addition, environmental data must be collected, combined and processed to control how connected devices behave and react. Addressing all of these challenges is time-consuming and requires significant expertise. The development of IoT devices can be accelerated with Infineon’s XENSIV connected sensor suite: not only does the suite collect accurate and diverse data, it also makes good use of situational awareness.
