Of course in each project not all the blocks are used and can be used also, in special conditions, others that do not appear in this diagram.
On the Sensor Node Mouser page, clicking on each of the indicated blocks, the reader may have additional information.
http://www.mouser.com/applications/internet-of-things-block-diagram/
For each block we have specific products that fit the projects to be carried out. Let's analyze some of them.
802.15.4 Wireless
While other communication protocols can be used, some in development, as we have already discussed in another article, this is the one which offers good possibilities for application into the IoT nodes. The standards of this protocol includes ZigBee, Thread, WirelessHART and 6LoWPAN.
Several modules can be found at Mouser page:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=110048142&N=1323043
A/D converters
Many of the signals to be processed by an application that contains Internet access features are analog and therefore must be converted to the digital form. The A/D converters or ADCs are the resources used for this conversion.
On the page below, the reader can access many of them offered by Mouser as components or breakout boards.
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=110960183&N=1323043
Analog Front End (AFE)
The Analog Front Ends (AFE) are used when you want to convert a very complex waveform to be handled by a single ADC, passing it to the digital form. In these devices we don’t only have an ADC as well as several operational amplifiers. Texas Instruments is one of the suppliers of these circuits and can be accessed at Mouser page with the link below.
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=177388733&N=1323043
Battery Management
In systems that use batteries, especially the rechargeable type, is very important that the application rely on management features of operation of this battery by monitoring the load, voltage, etc. Mouser has a good amount of components and boards for this function, which can be accessed at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=116838585&N=1323043
Bluetooth
For wireless communication between the IoT nodes we can use Bluetooth connectivity (802.15.1) which doesn’t need an IP address. For data communication of medium speed rate and short range this feature is interesting in many applications. See the products available from Mouser on:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=181896399&N=1323043
Cloud Storage
Yes, there are special features for storing data in the cloud (Cloud), applied to the Internet of things. Mouser offers development kits and modules whose features and prices can be accessed at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=105164151&N=1323043
Wireless Connectivity
Several features that enable you to implement wireless connectivity in IoT products can be found at Mouser by accessing:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=132393597&N=1323043
Many of these products involve security and other important resources in certain applications.
DC/DC Converters
In IoT applications it is almost always necessary to change the available battery voltage to power specific stages. For this it is necessary to count on step-down DC/DC converters which reduce the voltage or step-up to increase the tension.
There are several components, plates and shields which can be purchased from Mouser for this purpose. See more at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=197621275&N=1323043
Environment sensors
These are sensors that interface the IoT application with the outside world. These sensors can sense the temperature, pressure, position, acceleration, direction and more.
The types range from simple temperature sensors with NTC or diodes to the most complex including MEMS devices.
See the link below the types provided by Mouser.
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=141411018&N=1323043
Flash memory
In many applications IoT the memory is available in the microcontroller may be insufficient, which requires the use of additional external memories, usually the flash type. Mouser has a wide range of these memories that can be accessed at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=140092574&N=1323043
LDO regulators
The low-drop output regulators or LDO are voltage regulators with low voltage drop which is very important in terms of loss and also the fact that the used batteries already provide a very low voltage. An additional drop would not be allowed in the application.
A multitude of LDO products with the most diverse currents and operating voltage ranges can be accessed on the page:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=161494881&N=1323043
By the time this article was written there were more than 6,200 different types of LDO regulators.
Memory Modules
Some IoT nodes may require the use of removable memory for expansion, security, or storage. Memory cards, integrated circuits and connectors are components necessary the implementation of the projects. See more at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=129877524&N=1323043
Microcontrollers
The heart of an IoT application is a microcontroller. The choice of the designer depends on the complexity of the project and it can range from the types of 8-bit to the most advanced 32-bit. Many of the available types have interfaces to sensors, voltage regulators, radios on-chip, ideal for applications in IoT nodes.
On the Mouser page below the reader can find thousands of different types of microcontrollers, many with development boards or evaluation boards for specific applications.
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=152339528&N=1323043
RAM memory
Another type of building block IOT designs is formed by RAMs. They apply where the microcontroller does not have sufficient memory for the application, thus requiring additional memory.
This may be necessary because the RAMs are faster than the flash memory. See the memories available on Mouser: http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=121907160&N=1323043
RFID and NFC
RFID tags and NFC are important when you want to identify items at a certain distance, as with products in shops and markets. There are several products that can be added to objects and they can use RFID and NFC. See more at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=111368638&N=1323043
Optical Sensors
In addition to the infrared sensors for the development of IoT designs, they also require in some cases that light intensity, which is an analog quantity, is converted to the digital form in order to be worked by the microcontroller.
For this purpose there are several types of devices and circuits which can be used and can be found on Mouser:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=123035900&N=1323043
Energy Management
A good portion of IoT applications, such as those used in nodes with high-performance microcontrollers, require that the energy consumed is controlled rationally. This is important when the system is powered by battery. See Mouser products for this purpose at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=164705439&N=1323043
Intelligent Sensors
Smart sensors are important because they already contain resources so that the sensed signal passes through a preprocessing. The Gyroscopic sensors, accelerometers are examples of such sensors used in IoT applications.
See more at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=198771682&N=1323043
Video
Many IoT applications include the processing of video signals which can come from a surveillance camera or with another application. In this case, in addition to the processing circuits we have the sensors themselves. See what Mouser can offer you on:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=132350022&N=1323043
WiFi
We could not miss in this list of available devices for the development of IoT applications those which make the WiFi communication. They are the transceivers and contain the radio circuits ready to operate. ZigBee and Bluetooth device are part of this relation and Mouser has a good amount of them as can be seen on the link below:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=172388526&N=1323043
Wired
Of course, not all applications containing internet necessarily need to have access via radio signals or other type, like light and infrared. The use of cables can even be interesting or necessary in some cases.
For this purpose there are specific components that do not require an IP address. See some of these applications like connectors, integrated circuits, interfacing ICs supplied by Mouser at:
http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=145492119&N=1323043
Conclusion
The things projects that have access to the internet from kitchen appliances and home automation, to medical and research devices require knowledge of what there is in the market and how everything works.
The building blocks that show and can be purchased at Mouser in the form of components, development boards, evaluation boards and expansion (breakout boards) are just a few examples of what the readers will need for their project.
