“‘Made in China 2025’ and ‘Internet +’ are inseparable. To enable Chinese manufacturing to develop towards intelligence, we must rely on the internet, cloud computing, and big data, so that over 200 industrial products, which rank first in the world in output, can reach a new level.” Premier Li Keqiang said this during a meeting with entrepreneurs at the 2016 Summer Davos Forum.
Industrial Internet
By interconnecting industrial resources, sharing data, and ensuring system interoperability, we achieve flexible allocation of manufacturing materials, on-demand execution of manufacturing processes, rational optimization of manufacturing techniques, and rapid adaptation to manufacturing environments, leading to efficient resource utilization and the construction of a new service-driven industrial ecosystem.
Based on the interconnection of machines, raw materials, control systems, information systems, products, and people, we realize intelligent control, operational optimization, and transformation of production organization methods through comprehensive and deep perception of industrial data, real-time transmission and exchange, rapid computing and processing, and advanced modeling and analysis.
The earliest concept of the Industrial Internet originated in the United States, proposed by GE. We know that in traditional manufacturing, the production equipment, product manufacturing, maintenance, and tracing are mostly operated manually, heavily relying on the experience of older workers, and the inheritance cycle is very long.
The era of the Industrial Internet is about optimizing solutions through the interconnection of all things, analyzing production equipment, products, and services via cloud computing and big data, which significantly increases the efficiency of the manufacturing industry, marking the fourth industrial revolution. Therefore, the Industrial Internet shares many similarities with Industry 4.0. However, the concept of Industry 4.0 in Germany lacks the integration of cloud computing and big data, focusing more on the intelligence of manufacturing.
The Industrial Internet represents a new strategy, new technological layout, and a new vision for the future, arising from decades of strong technological accumulation in industrialized countries and their integration with the internet. Interpreting these visions and strategies solely from the internet perspective is far from sufficient. In fact, the Industrial Internet is strongly supported by technology.
Reference Architecture for Industrial Internet Platforms
So, how far has the Industrial Internet come? Unfortunately, while the Industrial Internet represents the highest stage of industry, it has only reached the stage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This indicates that there is still a long way to go. Sensing is a precursor technology for the IoT, and ensuring the stable operation of the IoT relies on numerous sensing technologies, one of the most critical being sensors.
Sensors are the foundation and core of the Industrial Internet, serving as key components of automated intelligent devices. The flourishing development of the Industrial Internet will bring tremendous opportunities to sensor companies.
Industrial Internet Brings Huge Market to Sensor Companies
Referring to the stages of Industrial 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and AI 1.0, 2.0, the Industrial Internet can be divided into three stages: Industrial Internet 1.0, which builds a network connection system based on IP technology to connect factory IT networks with OT networks, as well as network connectivity between external enterprises and upstream and downstream, smart products, and users; Industrial Internet 2.0, which utilizes industrial data collection technology to upload and aggregate detailed data on products, equipment, raw materials, and industrial chains, laying the foundation for industrial internet platforms and industrial apps; Industrial Internet 3.0, which employs AI and edge computing technology to achieve intelligent seamless connection between the physical and digital worlds.
Most industrial enterprises in China are still in the process of Industrial Internet 1.0 or transitioning towards it, with a small number of leading enterprises exploring Industrial Internet 2.0, and a few enterprises beginning to research Industrial Internet 3.0. The varying stages of Industrial Internet development impose different requirements on sensors. Sensor and sensing system enterprises must accurately position themselves, not only recognizing the blue ocean brought by the development of the Industrial Internet but also excavating effective markets to realize final output value and profits.
On one hand, the Industrial Internet presents opportunities for sensor companies; on the other hand, it also imposes new requirements on sensors, particularly in terms of sensitivity, stability, and robustness. At the same time, the proliferation of the Industrial Internet means sensors are ubiquitous, leading to increased demands for lightweight, low-power, and cost-effective sensors, along with greater requirements for networking, integration, and intelligence.
Moreover, the application of sensors in the Industrial Internet involves a broader scope, increasing the demand for sensor quantity and industrialization. Currently, the domestic sensor industry still faces issues such as small enterprise scale and insufficient innovation capability, and there remains a significant gap in fully meeting the demands of the Industrial Internet. The recent outbreak of trade friction between China and the US, particularly the embargo on core chips, has also sounded the alarm for our sensor and application industry. Sensors, like integrated circuit chips, are key components with high technological content. If domestic companies do not increase their efforts in independent innovation, they will face similar situations in the future.
Wireless Sensor Networks
With the development and integration of sensor, computer, wireless communication, and micro-electromechanical technologies, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have emerged. Wireless sensor network technology uses the same standard as today’s mainstream wireless network technology—802.15.14. It is a new type of information acquisition and processing technology that will significantly impact human society’s production and lifestyle following the internet. Wireless sensor networks integrate embedded computing technology, sensor technology, distributed information processing technology, and communication technology, enabling real-time monitoring, perception, and information collection of different monitoring objects within the networked area.
Wireless Sensor Network Systems (WSNS) typically consist of sensor nodes, aggregation nodes, and management nodes.
Communication Architecture Diagram of Wireless Sensor Networks
The emergence of wireless sensor networks has garnered widespread attention worldwide, being recognized as one of the most influential technologies of the 21st century, one of the top 10 new technologies that will change the world, and one of the four high-tech industries of the global future. Wireless sensor network technology will quickly enter the fields of industrial internet and industrial measurement and control. With the future integration of wireless transmission functions into most industrial instruments and automation products, a transition from wired to wireless will be achieved.
Typical Industrial Wireless Sensor Network
The schematic diagram of industrial wireless sensor networks shows that the core components are low-power sensor nodes (which can be powered long-term by batteries, solar cells, or generated by wind energy and mechanical vibrations), network routers (with mesh network routing functions), and wireless gateways (which transmit information to industrial Ethernet and control centers or connect through the internet).
Established players in the industrial automation field, such as GE and Honeywell, have launched various industrial wireless sensor network products and systems, and many research institutions and large companies in China are also conducting related research.
Applications of Sensor Networks in the Industrial Internet
Today, the Industrial Internet is generally understood as industrial environment automation using sensor networks and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.
Market analysis company Nano Markets published a report in November 2014 titled “Sensor Market for the Industrial Internet,” categorizing applications such as factory automation, building automation, smart grids, and public transportation as part of the Industrial Internet. It predicts that by 2019, the annual consumption of sensors in this field will exceed $20 billion. In the future, technicians and maintenance personnel will increasingly use powerful tablets to collect and process information from sensors integrated into industrial machinery.
1. Industrial Environmental Monitoring The scope of industrial environmental monitoring has covered all aspects of the ecological environment, including daily environmental monitoring, such as air, water, electromagnetic radiation, and radioactive monitoring; as well as some special area monitoring, such as deserts, high mountains, and areas with radiation sources. These environments place high demands on the flexibility, reliability, and safety of sensor products. Wireless sensor network products can break through traditional monitoring methods, reducing costs while satisfying flexibility, reliability, and safety, and significantly simplifying traditional monitoring processes, facilitating random data acquisition. As public concern for industrial environments increases, the demand for environmental data collection will gradually expand, leading to a growing demand for wireless sensor network products. 2. Smart Grid Currently, global issues such as energy, environment, and climate change are becoming increasingly prominent, prompting countries worldwide to prioritize the development and utilization of clean energy. The smart grid has now become one of the key applications of IoT technology and an inevitable trend in power grid development. The smart grid ensures the safety, reliability, and economy of power supply through advanced sensing measurement technology, communication technology, advanced control methods, and decision support systems.
To ensure the continuous operation of the smart grid, equipment safety assurance has become a critical issue. Since power grid equipment operates under high voltage and current for long periods and faces threats from extreme natural environments such as thunderstorms, implementing intelligent monitoring of equipment is particularly important. Wireless sensor network products can remotely monitor power grid equipment, understand the operating status of the equipment, and transmit data to control centers for unified management, while real-time monitoring also improves maintenance efficiency. As the smart grid plan progresses, the demand for intelligent monitoring of power grid equipment is forming a huge market for wireless sensor network products. 3. Digital Oilfields The rapid increase in oil well numbers due to economic development and social demand is accelerating the overall expansion of oil field development. Therefore, the intelligentization of oil field production, management, and operations has become a trend, giving rise to digital oilfields. In the digitalization process of oil fields, wireless sensor network products can achieve real-time monitoring of oil well environments and wellhead equipment, transmitting important information such as equipment status and environmental parameters to control centers, issuing alarms and arranging dispatch when necessary. With the in-depth promotion and widespread demonstration of wireless sensor network products in oil fields, the number of digital oilfields will gradually increase, and the market demand for wireless sensor network products will show rapid growth. 4. Smart Industry China’s manufacturing industry is facing a new opportunity for an industrial revolution, with a pressing need for manufacturing enterprises to upgrade using IoT technology. Information technology companies are also actively leveraging IoT technology to penetrate the industrial sector. The proposal of Industry 4.0, centered around intelligence, aligns with the trend of IoT technology integration into the industrial field, indicating significant market development potential in the future. One of the cores of smart manufacturing is intelligent monitoring of industrial processes. Applying wireless sensor network technology to intelligent monitoring will help optimize industrial production processes, while enhancing the capabilities and levels of process detection, real-time parameter collection, production equipment monitoring, and material consumption monitoring, continuously improving the levels of intelligent monitoring, control, diagnosis, decision-making, and maintenance in production processes. With the rapid development of IoT and further advancement of Industry 4.0, industrial process control centered on intelligence will see rapid development, driving market demand for industrial process monitoring system solutions based on wireless sensor network technology. The rapid growth of industrial wireless sensor network products is primarily due to the maturation of the entire IoT ecosystem, with the industrial IoT slowly developing from government leadership. The number of industrial sensing terminals in China has been growing rapidly, with around 700 million industrial sensing terminals in China in 2014. It is expected that with the implementation of Made in China 2025, the number of industrial sensing terminals in China will exceed 2 billion by 2020. At the same time, developments in wireless communication, power consumption, extreme miniaturization (one of the driving forces is MEMS sensors), and embedded computing have also contributed to the rise of wireless sensor networks tailored for demanding industrial environments. Industrial wireless sensor network products will continue to grow rapidly due to the enterprise production line transformations and IT equipment upgrades driven by the proposal of “Made in China 2025” and will maintain an upward trend through 2019.
In the future, sensors in the field of the Industrial Internet will not only be hardware but also creators of data and services.
Source: Sensor Technology
Editor: Song Bingjia
