Patents can provide insights regarding the IoT
(Internet of Things) connectivity technologies. M2M (Machine to Machine) communication
or MTC (Machine Type Communication) technologies are the key enablers for
emerging IoT connectivity. Recently
several telecom operators are deploying LTE based M2M (LTE-M) services as a new
profit center. Furthermore, several
global standardization bodies including ETSI, 3GPP, oneM2M, Thread are actively
working on the technical standard specifications of M2M communications.
The number of patent applications is a good measure
of innovation activities. Thus, to evaluate the M2M technology innovation
activities, more than 4000 issued patents and published applications in the
USPTO as of 2Q 2015 obtained from keyword search are reviewed. Patent disclosures in claims and detail
description for each patent are analyzed as to whether the contents are within
the scope of key technologies for the M2M communications. More than 850 issued patents
and published applications are identified as the key patents for M2M technologies
for the IoT connectivity. Among more than 60 IPR holders, LG Electronics is the
leader followed by Ericsson, InterDigital, Samsung Electronics, ETRI, and
Qualcomm.
Following patents illustrate the current
status of the M2M technology development for the IoT connectivity:
architecture, security, device connection & management and data management.
Architecture
US8984113 (Internet of Things Service
Architecture and Method for Realizing Internet of Things Service; ZTE)
illustrates the IoT service architecture based on M2M connectivity. The IoT architecture
includes multiple levels of M2M IoT service platforms, M2M IoT terminal, M2M IoT
terminal gateway, subordinate M2M IoT service platform, special service
platform and service gateway. The M2M service platform provides registration to
the M2M terminal and M2M terminal gateway. The special service platform provides
video service, audio service, streaming media service, large data volume
service, high real time service and industry application. The service gateway
is configured to converge data. The subordinate IoT service platform provides management
functions such as registration, login, logout and data synchronization.
US20110213871 (Machine-to-machine gateway
architecture and functionality; InterDigital) illustrates the M2M gateway
architecture. The M2M gateway supports requests from M2M applications or other
capabilities within the M2M gateway, and from a network and application. The
M2M gateway includes the M2M device and M2M gateway management capability that
receives management requests for an M2M device and functions as a network
proxy.
Security
US 20150106616 (Systems and Methods for "Machine-to-Machine"
(M2M) Communications Between Modules, Servers, and an Application using Public
Key Infrastructure (PKI)) illustrates the system that can provided the efficient
and secure M2M communications using a module, a server, and an application. A
module can communicate with the server by accessing the Internet, and the
module can include a sensor and/or an actuator. The module, server, and
application can utilize public key infrastructure (PKI) such as public keys and
private keys. The module can internally derive pairs of private/public keys
using cryptographic algorithms and a first set of parameters. A server can
authenticate the submission of derived public keys and an associated module
identity. The server can use the first server private key and the second set of
parameters to (i) send module data to the application and (ii) receive module
instructions from the application. The server can use the second server private
key and the first set of parameters to communicate with the module.
Device Connection & Management
6LoWPAN is an acronym of "Internet
Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area
Networks" that defines a technology standardized in IEEE 802.15.4 where
IPv6 packets may be sent and received in a network involving low-power radio
devices. 6LoWPAN is adopted by Thread as the IoT connectivity standard for home
automation. US20150245332 (SYSTEMS, METHODS, APPARATUSES, DEVICES AND
ASSOCIATED COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIA FOR PROVIDING 6LOWPAN DATA ACCESS; Ericsson)
illustrates s scheme for providing access to 6LoWPAN data in a wireless access
network.
An M2M device has different characteristics
from common terminals, and thus services optimized for MTC may be different
from services optimized for human to human communication. M2M may be
characterized in different market scenarios, data communication, small costs
and efforts, a very large number of potential communication terminals, a wide
service area, and low traffic per terminal, as compared with the present mobile
network communication service. It is expected that the number of M2M devices
supported by one base station will be much greater than the number of
terminals. There is a high probability that communications will be performed
for a plurality of MTC devices at the same time according to common Machine to
Machine (M2M) service characteristics. US8811961 (Method and apparatus for MTC
in a wireless communication system: LG) illustrates the LTE-based M2M
communication system.
US20140242983 (HETEROGENEOUS DEVICE
MANAGEMENT IN MACHINE TO MACHINE AREA NETWORK; KT) illustrates the method to
manage heterogeneous M2M devices in the M2M area network. Various M2M devices
to which new M2M area network technologies such as WiFi, Zigbee and/or
Bluetooth are applied (i.e., M2M devices having various network interfaces)
have been developed. Typically, when an existing M2M gateway cannot support new
interfaces of the various M2M devices, it may be necessary to install and
operate separate M2M gateways. However, in this case, additional cost may be
involved in association with the installation of separate M2M gateways.
Furthermore, it may be required to additionally implement interfaces for
interworking among a plurality of M2M gateways.
Heterogeneous M2M devices not being supported
in an M2M gateway can be efficiently supported by employing network interfaces
of other M2M devices in an M2M area network. The method for performing the new
M2M device attachment in an M2M area network includes searching for a
connectable different M2M device, when a new M2M device is not connectable to
an M2M gateway, transmitting an attachment request to a searched connectable
different M2M device, performing a connection of the new M2M device and the
searched connectable different M2M device, and performing a communication
between the new M2M device and the M2M gateway, through the connected different
M2M device
Data Management
IoT systems include IoT devices, such as
sensors, and gateways to other networks. IoT systems typically perform: 1) data
collection from the IoT devices to the back-end (e.g., gateways or networks);
2) data storage at the back-end (e.g., networks or gateways); 3) data
processing at the back-end (e.g., networks or gateways); and 4) data querying
from users or applications. The overall performance of an IoT system may be
impacted by how data, such as sensory data for example, is handled during data
collection, data storage, data processing, and data querying. Data aggregation
in an IoT system refers generally to collecting data such that the data can be
processed in a useful manner. US20140359035 (Data aggregation; Convida
Wireless) illustrates the data aggregation at an application-protocol layer in
the IoT systems.
US20120059903 (Method and apparatus for
processing sensory information in wireless sensor network; Samsung) illustrates
the method for processing sensory data. The method includes determining M2M
gateways as a serving gateway to manage a target region in response to a
sensory data request from a server, collecting the sensory data by means of IoT
devices connected to the serving gateway, and transmitting the collected
sensory data to the server.
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