What is the Industrial Internet of Things, using the eyes of technology to see the Industrial Internet of Things
First, the technical characteristics of the industrial Internet
1. Different definitions of the Internet of Things level
If you make a simple comparison, you will find that the (Industrial Internet) implementation perspective infrastructure is very similar to the (information domain) IoT network structure, but there are some differences in the hierarchy.
The edge layer, including the sensor, driver (actuator), industrial equipment and other terminal equipment, corresponds to the perception/execution layer of the Internet of Things; second, it includes two network forms: adjacent network, access network. Compared with the Internet of Things network level, the definition and scope of these two networks are slightly different.
Adjacent networks can be understood as edge network layers, including forwarding nodes for local area networking, edge computing for "near" services, and edge gateways for connecting to the cloud. The difference between the two is that the IoT terminal to edge forwarding node also belongs to the adjacent network, but it is not included in the edge network layer (information field).
The access network has a large difference between its definition and the access layer of the Internet of Things. It mainly refers to the core network (mainly refers to the backbone network in the communication field, such as 4G LTE/EPC network for mobile communication), and is the core network for access terminals and edge gateways.
Although the Industrial Internet has its own definition of "access", the overall understanding of the Internet of Things and other areas of the Internet of Things is not very different.
The platform layer and the service layer are all in the service network and can be mapped to the application part of the core network layer (excluding the core network). The platform layer corresponds to the Internet of Things service platform, and the service layer corresponds to specific industry applications.
End system concept
The Industrial Internet has a different understanding of "access" because the industry usually understands a complete set of automation systems in the factory as "ends." This concept is called "end system" in the computer field, and is like an "information" system.
The end system is a system consisting of a variety of edge devices (sensors, actuators, production equipment (terminals), instrumentation, edge network nodes, edge servers, etc.) within a region. For example, an automated production system is a production line consisting of various sensors, actuators, controllers, etc. in a factory space.
All kinds of networks, devices, and terminals in the end system have very close links. They often use private and dedicated communication protocols for data transmission. They have tightly coupled structural features to build a complete and closed (with special Web-specific features), automated production applications or services. In addition to the production pipeline, the Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and RFID applications (RFID applications including control servers, readers, and electronic tags) are also end systems. Due to the use of a dedicated, proprietary communication protocol, the end system must be used as a whole, and the functionality of a single component in the system cannot be used normally by the enterprise or user.
From the development trend of the Internet of Things, the intelligence of edge devices will gradually increase, communication access and networking protocols will also develop in a standardized and open direction, and the industrial "end system" will be gradually decomposed (system decoupling). Terminals and nodes in the edge network will gradually become independent to meet a free and flexible combination. Therefore, the implementation perspective of the understanding of the network level is expected to be integrated with the understanding of the Internet and communications.
Of course, it is not too practical to just tangled the scope of the "access" and the upper and lower levels. IoT applications are rich and polymorphic, and they only have value when they understand the architecture level according to actual needs.
2. Recursiveness of the execution perspective
From the perspective of execution itself, its architecture is significantly "recursive", that is, network capabilities and information processing capabilities can be superimposed and assembled to achieve a more complex and robust information system.
E.g:
A small adjoining network can belong to a larger adjacent network and then to the platform layer (overlay network);
The platform layer can also be divided into multiple levels to implement various information functions (layered services);
Various applications in the application layer can “call†and “query†with each other. They exchange information and support each other, play different roles in different industry applications, and perform different duties in different business processes (capability division). .
The combination of information capabilities in the architecture is the overall consideration of the designer from the aspects of business, management, industry and information technology. It can be an extremely complex large system, or it can be “weak water, three thousand, only one scoopâ€: only Achieve the most basic networking, using the most basic functions.
3. The relationship between execution perspective and functional perspective
(1) Relationship between elements (execution perspective) and combination (functional perspective)
From a functional perspective, the information processing capability in the execution perspective is an element that constitutes a functional perspective. The functional modules in the functional domain are the combination of various technologies in the execution layer.
If a "function" is to operate the device in the control domain, it needs to send an indication from the service layer (industry application), and then convert to a specific operation instruction through the platform layer, and then through the two-layer network (access network, edge network) , arrived at the drive to execute. In this specific function, a large number of (in the execution perspective) information technology and related equipment are involved. But for the end user, only need to know how to issue an "instruction" to achieve remote control of the object.
The “function†in the functional perspective is called “componentâ€. The functional component can be understood as a digital “itemâ€, which is a “thing†that is visible and accessible in the virtual world. Components have open, standardized interaction interfaces, structured attributes and states, and semantic intrinsic meanings. It can be queried, understood, analyzed and used by any other application system, just like football on the court. It can be viewed by 22 referees and tens of thousands of live fans. In the execution perspective, various types of terminal devices also have "functions" but cannot be called components. Just like a temperature sensor has a "feature" that senses temperature, but only a dedicated system can read, understand, and use its measurement data. For other device systems, they "can't see" the presence of the sensor, even if the sensor's sensed data is "captured", the string of characters cannot be understood.
The functional perspective maps real-world objects in a virtual world (such as digital twins), and can also map informational applications (such as big data analytics in a particular industry) to standard services.
By utilizing the elements (function modules) and combinations (structures formed between multiple modules) contained in the functional components, it is possible to realize flexible and complex applications on the basis of informationization and digitization. This is the meaning of the functional perspective as the top-level architecture of the industrial Internet.
(2) The location of the functional domain at the network level (execution perspective)
On the whole, the functional domains in the functional perspective have the characteristics of centralized deployment in the network structure of the execution perspective, that is, certain specific functional domains (functional perspectives) are mainly concentrated in specific (execution perspective) networks. In the hierarchy. In other words, "layer (network level of execution perspective)" and "domain (functional domain)" have a certain mapping relationship, but this mapping relationship is not inevitable.
The control domains are almost all deployed in the edge layer; most of the information domain and operational domain capabilities fall into the platform layer; and the enterprise layer mainly corresponds to the application domain and the service domain.
Although there is a corresponding relationship as a whole, the actual situation is often determined by a specific industry system, and will change with the development of technology.
When the device terminal directly connects to the service platform through the access network, the platform layer must have certain control domain capabilities.
If the capabilities of edge computing continue to increase, the functionality of more information domains (data preprocessing capabilities, etc.) will naturally migrate to the edge layer, and the asset management capabilities included in the operational domain can also be deployed to the edge layer.
Overall, as the ubiquitous deployment of computing progresses, the capabilities of the upper functional domains (application domain, business domain information processing capabilities) will be more widely deployed to each level. In addition, in practical industrial applications, functional domains in different levels need to be mutually serviced and invoked: the control domain needs to provide image processing capability in the intelligent recognition of images; it also needs to be used when locating services. The app domain provides services like Google Maps. Therefore, the "layer" of the execution and the "domain" of the function do not have a strict mapping relationship.
Second, the two core "themes" of the Industrial Internet
The original intention of the Industrial Internet is to realize two core “themes†through the combination of automated control systems and information systems: increasing the collaborative autonomy of the edge; and improving the system optimization through global business integration.
1. Increase the collaborative autonomy of the edge
Autonomy is the "intelligence" built on automation. In the field of industrial production, high-tech sensing monitoring technology is widely deployed to achieve high-quality data acquisition; embedded computing is used to complete real-time complex logic operations and advanced data analysis; network interconnection realizes seamless information interaction between systems. Make mutual cooperation and collaborative production possible. The “smart†landing (edge ​​computing) gives growth to the system, which can continuously optimize its business logic by building self-learning (machine learning, etc.) from data analysis models and information processing tools.
2. System optimization for global business
Through massive (sensing) data aggregation and “smart†analysis across systems, enterprise decision systems can anticipate future business trends and gain insight into new business opportunities. The system will “digest†future “insights†and form new business strategies autonomously and integrate them into business components (such as adjusting suppliers, increasing inventory, modifying product design, etc.). The intelligent information feedback mechanism will pass "smart" vertically down to the "behavior": the business component optimizes the application (component) according to the strategy, improves the function (component), and finally implements to the execution level (component). "Perception-intelligence (strategy)-execution" forms a continuous and infinite information loop. Each independent system in the loop can adjust its working status and working mode according to the information flow it acquires. Adapt to (predictively based) a changing business environment.
Third, GE's Predix
Predix is ​​GE's IoT platform, targeting PAAS (platforms and services) in the industrial sector. The architecture of the Industrial Internet can be seen from Predix, and the most critical requirements for the development of the IoT platform can be seen.
1. Looking back at GE's Predix from a functional perspective
In the functional perspective, the platform includes three types of functional domains: an operational domain, an information domain, and an application domain. As the main enterprise promoting the industrial Internet platform, GE's Predix (Internet of Things platform) is built according to these three types of functional domains.
There are five core services in Predix's PaaS layer platform: Assets, AnalyTIcs, Data, Security, OperaTIons.
Predix's "services" have the capabilities of a "domain":
Asset Service - "Information Field: Industrial Data Establishes "Asset Model", Graphical Database
Analysis Services - "Operational Domain: Operational Analysis and Predictive Analysis (Application Computing in the Industrial Field)
Data Services - "Information Domain: Introducing Layer (IngesTIon) and Data Pool (Data Lake) Functions
Security Services - "All five functional domains: information security and safe production
Operational Services - "Operational Domain, Application Domain: "DevOps" and "BizOps" (Software Area)
2. The road to thorns of GE Predix
Compared with Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet has a clear information infrastructure. From the architecture of GE Predix, we can see the direction of industrial Internet companies.
For Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet, CPS is the cornerstone of their construction of the Industrial Internet of Things, and the key to building CPS is a unified, standardized digital standard and capability architecture. But unfortunately, with Jeffrey Immelt leaving GE's CEO position (the second half of 2017), Predix's development was slammed on the brakes.
Due to the acquisition and merger of a large number of software companies in previous years, Predix itself has always had a large number of heterogeneity problems, and the data interface, system architecture, communication protocol, and data model are very different. Due to the inability to effectively integrate these software systems, GE's "moon landing project" came to an abrupt end.
In the industrial Internet of Things, whether it is the introduction of CPS systems or the construction of IoT platform services, the core goal is to eliminate the heterogeneity of information systems in various fields. However, if the CPS under the application and the platform itself have a large number of heterogeneous problems, then this will have catastrophic consequences for the "industrial revolution" of the enterprise. Obviously, GE's strong technical strength can not solve the strategic judgment mistakes. Without a relatively unified and clear internal system, it is impossible to integrate the chaotic external system and form a new industrial ecology.
Therefore, GE's Predix is ​​afraid that it needs to be reinvented, so that Nirvana can be born again!
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