Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Adding sense to the Internet of Things

An architecture framework for Smart Object systems

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is being widely presented as the next revolution toward massively distributed information, where any real-world object can automatically participate in the Internet and thus be globally discovered and queried. Despite the consensus on the great potential of the concept and the significant progress in a number of enabling technologies, there is a general lack of an integrated vision on how to realize it. This paper examines the technologies that will be fundamental for realizing the IoT and proposes an architecture that integrates them into a single platform. The architecture introduces the use of the Smart Object framework to encapsulate radio-frequency identification (RFID), sensor technologies, embedded object logic, object ad-hoc networking, and Internet-based information infrastructure. We evaluate the architecture against a number of energy-based performance measures, and also show that it outperforms existing industry standards in metrics such as network throughput, delivery ratio, or routing distance. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility and flexibility of the architecture by detailing an implementation using Wireless Sensor Networks and Web Services, and describe a prototype for the real-time monitoring of goods flowing through a supply chain.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Uckelmann D, Harrison M, Michahelles F (2011) Architecting the Internet of Things. Springer, Berlin

  2. Weisser M (1999) The computer for the 21st century. ACM SIGMOBILE Mobile Comput Commun Rev 3(3):3–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. EPCglobal Inc (2009) The EPCglobal architecture framework, v 1.3, standard specification, March 2009

  4. ISO/IEC 18000-6 REV1 (2009) Information technology radio frequency identification for item management Part 6: parameters for air interface communications at 860 MHz to 960 MHz, August 2009

  5. Song EY, Lee K (2008) Understanding IEEE 1451 networked smarttransducer interface standard. IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine, April 2008

  6. Open Geospatial Consortium Inc (2007) OGC sensor web enablement: overview and high level architecture. OGC White Paper, OGC 07-165, v3

  7. Kiritsis D et al (2008) Product lifecycle management and information tracking using smart embedded systems, final report, PROMISE FP6-507100, EU, June 2008

  8. Carrez F et al. (2009) Deliverable D3.2, reference architecture. SENSEI FP7 215923, EU, January 2009

  9. Ranasinghe DC, Leong KS, Ng ML, Engels DW, Cole PH (2005) A distributed architecture for a ubiquitous RFID sensing network. In: Proceedings of the ISSNIP’05, Dec 5–8

  10. Finkenzeller K (2003) RFID handbook: fundamentals and applications in contactless smart cards and identification. Wiley, London

    Google Scholar 

  11. Beigl M, Krohn A, Zimmer T, Decker C (2004) Typical sensors needed in ubiquitous and pervasive computing. In: Proceesdings of INSS

  12. Akyildiz IF, Su W, Sankarasubramaniam Y, Cayirci E (2001) Wireless sensor networks: a survey. Computer networks. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  13. Sample AP, Yeager DJ, Powledge PS, Smith JS (2007) Design of a passively-powered, programmable sensing platform for UHF RFID systems. In: Proceedings of IEEE international conference on RFID

  14. Mitsugi M (2006) Multipurpose sensor RFID tag. In: Proceedings of the APMC 2006 workshop on emerging technologies and applications of RFID, Yokohama, Japan, 12–15 December, IEICE, Japan, pp 143–148

  15. EU FP6 BRIDGE Project BRIDGE: building radio frequency identification solutions for the global environment, 2006–2009. http://www.bridge-project.eu

  16. Sung J, Sanchez Lopez T, Kim D (2007) The EPC sensor network for RFID and WSN integration infrastructure. PerComW 2007, IEEE Computer Society, pp 618–621

  17. ISO/IEC CD 24753.2 standard draft (2009) Information technology Radio frequency identification (RFID) for item management application protocol: encoding and processing rules for sensors and batteries, March 2009

  18. IEEE P1451.7/D.07 (2009) Draft standard for smart transducer interface for sensors and actuators—transducers to radio frequency identification (RFID) systems communication protocols and transducer electronic data sheet formats. January 2009

  19. Aberer K, Hauswirth M, Salehi A (2006) Global sensor networks. Technical report LSIR-REPORT-2006-001

  20. The CoBIs Consortium (2007) Deliverable D104, final project report. CoBIs FP6-004270, EU, March 2007

  21. Cho J, Shim Y, Kwon T, Choi Y (2007) SARIF: a novel framework for integrating wireless sensors and RFID networks. IEEE Wire Commun 14:50–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Wong CY, McFarlane D, Zaharudin AA, Agarwal V (2002) The intelligent product driven supply chain.In: Proceedings of the IEEE international conference on systems, man and cybernetics, vol 4, p 6

    Google Scholar 

  23. Wycisk C, McKelvey BH (2008) ülsmann, M smart parts supply networks as complex adaptive systems: analysis and implications. Int J Phys Distrib Logist Manage 38(2):108-125

    Google Scholar 

  24. Montenegro G et al (2007) IPv6 over low-power wireless personal area networks (6LoWPANs): overview, assumptions, problem statement, and goals. Network working group, IETF, August 2007

  25. The IPSO Alliance. http://www.ipso-alliance.org. Accessed 25 October 2010

  26. IETF ROLL Working Group. http://tools.ietf.org/wg/roll. Accessed 25 October 2010

  27. Shelby Z, Bormann C (2009) 6LowPAN: the wireless embedded Internet. Wiley, London

    Google Scholar 

  28. EPCglobal Inc (2010) EPC TM Tag data standards version, v 1.5, standard specification, August 2010.

  29. Trifa V, Guinard D (2009) Towards the web of things, Whitepaper v 1.0

  30. Fielding RT (2000) Architectural styles and the design of network-based software architectures. Ph.D disseration, University of California, Irvine

  31. Shelby Z et al. (2009) CoAP feature analysis. 6lowpan Internet draft, IETF

  32. O’Connor MC (2006) Cold-chain project reveals temperature inconsistencies. RFID J. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/2860/. Accessed 25 October 2010

  33. Estrada-Flores S, Tanner D (2005) Temperature variability and food spoilage during delivery of online retail products. Acta Hortic (ISHS) 674:6369

    Google Scholar 

  34. Blake D (2009) Effects of cargo loading and active containers on aircraft cargo compartment smoke detection times. Technical report DOT/FAA/AR-09/52, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration

  35. Sánchez López T, Ranasinghe DC, Patkai B, McFarlane D (2009) Taxonomy, technology and applications of smart objects. J Inform Syst Front 1–20. doi:10.1007/s10796-009-9218-4

  36. Sanchez Lopez T, Huerta Canepa G (2009) Distributed and dynamic addressing mechanism for wireless sensor networks. Taylor & Francis (accepted to the Int J Distrib Sensor Netw)

  37. ZigBee Specification (2008) Document number 053474r17, ZigBee Alliance, January 17 2008

  38. Heinzelman WR, Chandrakasan A, Balakrishnan H (2000) Energy-efficient communication protocol for wireless microsensor networks. HICSS’00;January 47; Maui, USA. USA: IEEE Computer Society; 2000. p 10

  39. Sanchez Lopez T, Kim D, Huerta Canepa G, Koumadi K (2008) Integrating wireless sensors and RFID tags into energy-efficient and dynamic context networks. Comput J. doi:10.1093/comjnl/bxn036

  40. Kim D, Sanchez Lopez T, Yoo S, Sung J (2005) ANTS: an evolvable network of tiny sensors, embedded and ubiquitous computing, LNCS. Springer, 3824/2005, pp 142–151

  41. Trienekens JH, Beulens AJM (2001) The implications of EU food safety legislation and consumer demands on supply chain information systems. In: 11th Annual world food and agribusiness forum, Sydney.

  42. Deasy DJ (2002) Food safety and assurance: the role of information technology. Int J Dairy Technol 55(1):35–67

    Google Scholar 

  43. The Chill-On project (2005) EU DG Research OOD-CT-2005-016333. http://www.chill-on.com/

  44. European Commission (2004) European CO 2 capture and storage projects, project synopses, sixth framework programme, European communities

  45. EPCglobal Inc (2007) EPC TM Information services, v 1.0.1, standard specification, September 2007

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Auto-ID Lab, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, 17 Chales Babbage Road, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK

    Tomás Sánchez López, Mark Harrison & Duncan McFarlane

  2. Innovation Works, EADS UK, Quadrant House, Celtic Springs, Coedkernew, Newport, NP10 8FZ, SW, UK

    Tomás Sánchez López

  3. Auto-ID Lab, The Schoold of Computer Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Damith C. Ranasinghe

Authors
  1. Tomás Sánchez López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Damith C. Ranasinghe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark Harrison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Duncan McFarlane
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tomás Sánchez López.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sánchez López, T., Ranasinghe, D.C., Harrison, M. et al. Adding sense to the Internet of Things. Pers Ubiquit Comput 16, 291–308 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-011-0399-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-011-0399-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation