What is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)？

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is defined as a set of devices and applications that allow large enterprises to create an end-to-end connection environment from the core to the edge. It also includes traditional physical infrastructure, such as containers and logistics trucks, to collect data, react to events and make more informed decisions with the help of smart devices.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is an extension of the Internet of Things (IoT) and has many applications in the consumer field. IoT use cases include, for example, smart home devices such as Amazon Echo, which use Alexa voice recognition function to remotely turn off the lights.

In industrial operation, this technology has been widely used in business in the environment with complex infrastructure and large equipment. In contrast, the industrial Internet of Things can remotely manage the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the whole factory. This is just an industrial Internet of Things use case that simplifies and improves enterprise operation and management.

How does the Industrial Internet of Things work?

Industrial Internet of Things is a subclass of Internet of Things, and enterprises are redefining how to connect, monitor, analyze and take action on industrial data to reduce costs and promote growth.

The idea behind the industrial Internet of Things is to use the data generated by "dumb devices" in industrial facilities for many years. Intelligent machines on the assembly line can not only capture and analyze data faster, but also exchange important information faster, which helps to make business decisions faster and more accurately.

The integration of information technology (IT) and operation technology (OT) promotes the development of industrial Internet of Things. It is a network matrix connecting devices, which collects and analyzes data through sensor technology and integrates it directly into the platform as a service. Industrial Internet of Things will herald a new era of industrial use cases, and there are many opportunities for economic expansion.

Industrial Internet of Things collects a large number of field data from factory workshops, transmits them through connecting nodes, analyzes them on the server, and transforms the information into operational opinions on the cloud platform. This encourages enterprises to make better decisions for their specific markets and target audiences. In other words, the industrial Internet of Things is a system that connects edge devices such as actuators, sensors, controllers, connection switches, gateways and industrial personal computers (IPC) to the cloud.

What is the connection between Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things?

Industry 4.0 is the product of the fourth industrial revolution. The definition of the fourth industrial revolution is the integration of traditional automated manufacturing and industrial processes driven by intelligent technology and autonomous communication equipment.

The word "Industry 4.0", abbreviated as I4.0 or I4, appeared in 2011, which is an initiative of the German government to vigorously advocate the digitalization of industrial processes in the past 20 years.

As mentioned by the Boston Consulting Group, the industrial Internet of Things is the main pillar of Industry 4.0, in addition to additive manufacturing or 3D printing, augmented reality (AR), autonomous robots, big data analysis, cloud computing, network security, horizontal and vertical system integration and simulation. This is because the autonomous communication between machines and the decentralized digital environment can automatically solve the problems that needed manual intervention before.

Industry 4.0 covers the industrial Internet of Things, digitalization and sustainable development of enterprises in a wider scope. Industrial Internet of Things is the driving force behind Industry 4.0, without which there would be no Industry 4.0. In other words, the industrial Internet of Things is limited to data detection, data transmission, data calculation, data processing and intelligent applications in specific fields.

Architecture of Industrial Internet of Things

The typical industrial Internet of Things architecture describes the arrangement of digital systems, so that they can jointly provide the network and data connection between sensors, Internet of Things devices, data storage and other layers. Therefore, the industrial Internet of Things architecture must have the following points:

1. Internet of Things devices at the edge of the network

These are groupings of network objects located at the edge of the Internet of Things ecosystem. These locations are as close as possible to the location of the data source. These are usually wireless actuators and sensors in industrial environments. A processing unit or small computing device and a set of observation endpoints. Edge IOT devices may include traditional devices, cameras, speakers, sensors and other instruments and monitors in brown land environment.

What happens at the most remote edge of the network? Sensors get data from the surrounding environment and the items they monitor, and then convert the information into indicators and figures that can be analyzed by the Internet of Things platform, and turn them into operational insights. Actuators control the processes that occur in the observed environment. They change the physical environment in which data is generated.

2. Edge data management and initial processing

Without high-quality and massive data, complex analysis and artificial intelligence cannot give full play to their potential. Even at the sensor level, data processing can be performed.

In this respect, edge computing provides the fastest answer, because the data is preprocessed at the edge of the network and in the sensor itself. Here, numerical and aggregated data can be analyzed. Once the relevant insights are collected, you can move on to the next stage instead of sending all the collected information. This extra processing reduces the amount of data sent to the data center or cloud.

3. Cloud for advanced processing

The preprocessing ability of edge devices is limited. Although it has been as close to the edge as possible to limit the consumption of local computing power, users will need to use the cloud for deeper and thorough processing.

At this time, we must choose whether to give priority to the agility and immediacy of edge devices or to the advanced insights of cloud computing. Cloud-based solutions can perform a lot of processing. Here, you can aggregate data from different sources and provide insights that are not available at the edge.

In the context of industrial Internet of Things architecture, the cloud will have:

concentratorIn addition to telemetry and equipment control, it also provides a safe link with the field system. If necessary, hubs can provide remote connections to local systems across multiple locations. It maintains all communication elements, such as connection management, secure communication channels, and device authentication and authorization.

save: Used to store information before and after processing.

analyse: It is helpful for data processing and analysis.

User interface:It provides the visualization of transmitting the analysis results to the end users, usually through the Web browser interface, but also through e-mail, SMS and telephone reminders.

4. Internet Gateway

Here, sensor data are collected and converted into digital channels for further processing at the Internet gateway. After obtaining the aggregated and digitized data, the gateway transmits it through the Internet so that it can be further processed before uploading it to the cloud. The gateway is still a part of the edge data collection system. It is adjacent to actuators and sensors, and performs preliminary data processing at the edge.

Gateways can be deployed as hardware or software:

hardware: The hardware gateway is an autonomous device. It provides wired (analog and digital) and wireless interfaces for downstream sensor connection. Internet connection is also provided, whether locally or through a standard link to a router.

software: On a PC, you can install a software gateway instead of connecting a hardware gateway. The software runs in the background or foreground, and provides upstream and downstream communication links as hardware entry points, and the PC provides physical interfaces. The software-based gateway can access the visual sensor settings and sensor data presentation through the user interface.

5. Connection agreement

Transmission of data across industrial Internet of Things systems requires protocols. These protocols should be in line with industry standards, well-defined and secure. The protocol specification can include the physical characteristics of the connection and wiring, the procedure for establishing the communication channel and the data format sent through the channel.

Some common protocols used in industrial Internet of Things architecture include:

Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP):This is a connection-guided, two-way, multiplexed and compact data coding message transmission protocol. Unlike HTTP, AMQP is built for cloud connection for IIoT.

MQ Telemetry Transmission (MQTT):This is a compact client-server message transmission protocol. MQTT is beneficial to IIoT devices because of its short message frame size and minimum code space.

Restricted application protocol (CoAP):This is a data reporting protocol that can be deployed through the transport layer, including User Datagram Protocol (UDP). CoAP is a compressed version of HTTP developed for IIoT requirements.

6. Industrial Internet of Things platform

The industrial Internet of Things system can now coordinate, monitor and control the operation of the whole value chain. These platforms control the device data, and manage the analysis, data visualization and artificial intelligence (AI) tasks of edge devices. In some cases, they can also transmit sensors directly to the cloud and back.

Industrial Internet Reference Architecture (IIRA) can be used as a reference for developing complex systems in the field of industrial Internet of Things. Generally speaking, IIRA’s framework advocates enterprises to use systematic methods to design frameworks, including feedback and iteration. In addition, the report suggests customizing the industrial Internet of Things design for specific business sectors, such as energy, health care, transportation and government use.

Advantages of Industrial Internet of Things

1. Improve efficiency

The biggest advantage of industrial Internet of Things is that it can help enterprises realize automation, thus maximizing operational efficiency. In addition, physical devices can be connected to software solutions through sensors to continuously monitor performance. This enables enterprises to better understand the operational efficiency of specific equipment and the entire fleet. In addition, the industrial Internet of Things realizes data-driven decision-making and remote monitoring of all production processes.

2. Increase production

By increasing the equipment utilization rate, organizations with IOT manufacturing processes may improve their productivity. As mentioned earlier, network devices provide continuous data flow, which can provide in-depth understanding of the operation of the devices. This can improve the overall efficiency of the equipment and maximize the performance of the machine during the running time. In addition, the use of industrial Internet of Things equipment also improves the utilization rate of human capital. Smart devices can be used to perform trivial, repetitive and dangerous activities, thus freeing employees to engage in other more strategic production-related work.

3. Reduce mistakes

The use of industrial internet of things forces enterprises to automate production operations. Eliminating human factors from industrial operation can eliminate the inefficiency that leads to defective products exiting the assembly line. With the reduction of quality defects, the profitability of enterprises will be improved due to the improvement of customer satisfaction and brand awareness.

4. Forecast maintenance requirements

Predictive maintenance is a strategy to avoid asset failure by analyzing production data to find patterns and predict upcoming problems.

The sensor of industrial Internet of Things can be integrated into industrial equipment, which can send out state-based management notice. These sensors record the temperature, humidity and other environmental variables in the work area, as well as the influence of material composition and transportation factors on transportation. All these data are useful for predictive maintenance. Therefore, asset failures can be avoided, expenses can be reduced, and machine downtime can be minimized.

5, to ensure the safety of workers

Intelligent manufacturing can achieve higher security, and all industrial IOT sensors cooperate to monitor the safety of employees and workplaces. Comprehensive safety system can protect workplace, production line and personnel. Once an accident happens, the whole facility can be notified, activities can be stopped, and senior management can mediate to solve the problem. This incident may also produce useful information, which can be used to avoid similar incidents in the future.

6, save energy costs

Industrial operation is the main source of global power supply, which is not conducive to sustainable development and the overall bottom line. Using sensors and small devices to continuously monitor the system may find inefficiencies that lead to waste. This includes not only monitoring equipment, but also comprehensive services, such as adjusting the temperature, water use, humidity and lighting of equipment. In addition, with the development of Internet of Things technology, sensors consume less energy, which is undoubtedly a boon.

7. Improve on-site service and customer experience.

Industrial Internet of Things can help improve the provision of on-site services. It is determined by time, context and technical personnel’s participation in specific service operations. The industrial Internet of Things also allows real-time data visibility. This means that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), end consumers and any other interested parties will understand the risks and difficulties that arise, so as to gain a positive experience.

Nowadays, the industrial Internet of Things is the main product of large enterprises, and it is also one of the key products provided by major cloud providers such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Industrial Internet of Things extends the capabilities of advanced data analysis and cloud to industrial applications, such as equipment maintenance, factory operation, supply chain management and personnel safety. Data from the industrial Internet of Things platform can even help to simulate and test products in a digital environment, perfectly integrate digital systems with physical systems, and improve industrial achievements exponentially.