After several rounds of attempts, we finally decided on a principle to choose a protocol. We must use the standard protocol, and the priority is as follows: 1) External devices, using WiFi2) If you need mobile phone interaction, use BLE；; 3) ZigBee is used for sensors.
According to this principle, mi band uses BLE, the sensor of Green Rice uses ZigBee, and the camera and purifier use WiFi. There will also be overlap. For example, a beautiful air conditioner that is plugged in and interacts with a mobile phone uses WiFi+BLE. Several products were established earlier, but they did not follow this principle. For example, the bedside lamp now uses BLE, in fact, it should use WiFi or WiFi+BLE；; ZigBee is used for light bulbs now, but WiFi should be used. It will be corrected in the future.
Why do plug-in users use WiFi? Because it is the most convenient for users, it can also go directly to the cloud for manufacturers. At present, there are not many smart devices in users' homes, and our products may be users' first smart devices. The biggest disadvantage of WiFi over Bluetooth is that it is more troublesome to set up, but it is much easier to use once it is set up. The advantage of Bluetooth is that it is very convenient to communicate with mobile phones, but WiFi is more convenient. As long as mobile phones can access the Internet, they can communicate with each other. Even if the LAN protocol is adopted, the router has a wider coverage and can be connected without being in the same room. WiFi can connect people and devices, clouds and devices, or devices and devices anytime and anywhere, and even the docking between different platforms is very convenient, so it is the most common.
WiFi also has disadvantages, as follows:
First, the power consumption is large, it is difficult for unplugged devices to use WiFi for a long time, and it is necessary to charge or replace batteries frequently, which brings troubles to users. BLE and ZigBee can do it for months, a year or even years without replacing the battery. So now wearable devices all use ble protocol. The reason why the sensor uses ZigBee protocol is that at present, only the ZigBee alliance has a standard protocol for sensors, but the Bluetooth alliance does not. After the Bluetooth Alliance has a two-year sensor standard protocol, it's hard to say. However, many people don't follow the standard agreement. With the standard agreement, it is also a natural egg. In short, the low-power end is still chaotic, and it is difficult for equipment from different manufacturers to communicate with each other.
Second, the cost is high. We have been pushing the price reduction of WiFi chips, and soon the cost will be below 10 yuan, and the problem of cost will not be obvious then. If you give up WiFi just because of the cost, it is actually not worth the loss.
Third, with more WiFi devices, the router will be heavily loaded and the star architecture will be inefficient. If the smart home develops smoothly, there may be dozens of lights and hundreds of sensors in the home in a few years. At this time, the current WiFi protocol will not hold up. Many people suggest using ZigBee or BLE Mesh to replace WiFi in many similar devices. This trend is not obvious at present, and WiFi will have its own Mesh protocol, which will not necessarily be replaced.
Fourth, there is no standard application layer protocol, which is easy to cause monopoly by big manufacturers. Whether the equipment of different manufacturers can communicate with each other depends on the game between manufacturers.
All this talk is current thinking. We insist on WiFi not because we are also routers, but because we believe that WiFi is more suitable for the current market. Maybe in the future, the country will enforce the standard of wireless fidelity. Every standard device has a standard wireless interface, just like the current socket standard. No matter what brand of plug, you can plug it into any brand of socket. On that day, there is no need to consider what protocol to choose.
Not long ago, Lenovo and Intel released a new generation of wearable smart devices-smart sports shoes. In addition to basic functions such as recording steps, consumers can also enjoy services tailored to their own foot characteristics through 3D scanners, and provide exclusive health and fashion suggestions according to users' wearing data.
Intel Curie module is the core of this smart sneaker. The module is a micro-hardware product with design flexibility, which can provide functions such as calculation, motion sensor, low-power Bluetooth, battery charging, and pattern matching function that can optimize sensor data analysis, so as to quickly and easily identify behaviors and actions.
At the China International Intelligent Hardware Exhibition, which opened on August 4th, many similar "explosive" intelligent hardware products can be seen everywhere. However, compared with the intelligent hardware products that only talked about concepts in the past, this year's intelligent hardware manufacturers have been much more rational, and improving product quality and practicality through hardware innovation has become the main direction.
Intelligent hardware creates new requirements.
Intelligent hardware is an important entrance and carrier for the Internet of Things and big data. It can also be understood as a complex, huge and virtual intelligent system. With the integration of bus, wireless and other communication technologies, products integrating artificial intelligence and monitoring can be interconnected with the help of the system platform, bringing users a convenient intelligent lifestyle.
Nowadays, intelligent hardware is rapidly applied to various fields of economy and society, releasing and giving birth to new demands in various fields such as industry and commerce, agriculture, energy conservation and environmental protection, and urban management. Web page link
In order to further implement the supply-side structural reform and innovation-driven development strategy and improve the supply capacity of intelligent hardware technology and high-end products in China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly formulated the "Special Action for Innovation and Development of Intelligent Hardware Industry (20 16-20 18)" according to the implementation plan of the "internet plus" for artificial intelligence. Is issued to you, please seriously implement the actual.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Development and Reform Commission
20 16 September 19
Special Action for Innovation and Development of Intelligent Hardware Industry (20 16-20 18)
According to the "Three-year Action Plan for Artificial Intelligence in internet plus", this special action is formulated to improve the intelligence level of terminal products and accelerate the popularization of intelligent hardware applications.
I. Action background
Intelligent hardware refers to an emerging Internet terminal product that has the ability of information collection, processing and connection, and can realize the functions of intelligent perception, interaction and big data service. It is an important carrier of artificial intelligence in internet plus. Following the intelligentization of mobile phones, televisions and other terminal products, the new generation of information technology is accelerating the integration with personal wear, transportation, medical health, manufacturing and other fields, which has spawned the vigorous development of intelligent hardware industry and promoted model innovation and efficiency improvement.
At present, opportunities and challenges coexist in China's intelligent hardware industry. On the one hand, China is a big producer of electronic information products, with the largest Internet users in the world, and the market space for intelligent hardware is vast. On the other hand, problems and risks such as insufficient supply of key technologies and high-end products, imperfect innovation support system, poor interaction between production and use, and ecological fragmentation cannot be ignored. This special action focuses on promoting the innovation and development of the intelligent hardware industry, improving the effective supply of high-end technologies and products, meeting the diversified needs of social production and life for intelligent hardware, and cultivating new kinetic energy for the growth of the information technology industry.
Second, the general idea
In-depth implementation of supply-side structural reform and innovation-driven development strategy, efforts to promote the intelligence of terminal products and application systems, efforts to strengthen technical research, breakthroughs in basic software and hardware, core algorithms and analysis and prediction models, advanced industrial design and key applications, and improve the innovation ability of intelligent hardware. Efforts will be made to optimize the development environment, accelerate the popularization of intelligent hardware applications, strengthen the construction of industry public service platforms, and lay a solid foundation for the development of intelligent hardware. Efforts will be made to prosper the industrial ecology, establish linkage mechanisms such as standards, intellectual property rights, entrepreneurial innovation platforms and application demonstrations, and cultivate new models and new formats.
Driven by innovation. Guide and encourage enterprises to strengthen R&D investment, optimize resource allocation on a global scale, attract high-end talents, master advanced technologies, break through key technology bottlenecks, enhance high-end effective supply, and improve industrial core competitiveness.
Integration and coordination. Industrial chain upgrading and ecological chain construction should be carried out simultaneously. Focusing on major market demand, we will strengthen the organization and coordination of upstream and downstream resources in the industrial chain, promote the combination of production and use, and improve the ecological environment for industrial development.
Adjust measures to local conditions. Give full play to local enthusiasm and initiative, support local governments to introduce policies and measures suitable for the region in light of the actual industrial development, improve public services, explore differentiated and characteristic development paths, promote inter-regional coordination, and guide high-end industrial agglomeration.
Three. Action target
By 20 18, the global market share of intelligent hardware in China will exceed 30%, and the industrial scale will exceed 500 billion yuan. Major breakthroughs have been made in key technologies such as low-power lightweight system design, low-power wide-area intelligent IOT, virtual reality, intelligent human-computer interaction, high-performance motion and attitude control, and a number of industry-leading listed companies have been cultivated. Participation, contribution and influence in the international mainstream ecology have been significantly improved, and overseas patents account for more than 10%. Three supporting platforms, namely, standard setting, product and application testing and industrial supply capacity monitoring, have been built, and the intelligent hardware standardization and public service capacity have reached the international advanced level. A number of high-level innovation platforms with advanced technology, outstanding characteristics and complementary advantages have been laid out, and the supporting capacity of entrepreneurial innovation has been significantly improved. Industrial-grade intelligent hardware products such as intelligent industrial sensors, intelligent PLC and intelligent unmanned systems have formed scale demonstrations, driving the production efficiency to increase by more than 20%. A number of replicable and scalable industrial application solutions have been formed, and the benefits of facilitating the people and benefiting the people have emerged.
Fourth, key tasks
(1) Improve the effective supply of high-end intelligent hardware products.
Improve the quality and brand added value of intelligent hardware products oriented to high-end links in the value chain, strengthen product functionality, ease of use and value-added design capabilities, develop diversified, personalized and customized supply models, strengthen application services and business model innovation, and enhance the supply capacity of high-end smart wear, smart cars, smart medical health, intelligent service robots and industrial-grade intelligent hardware products.
1. Smart wearable device. Support enterprises to meet the sports, entertainment and social needs of consumers, speed up the research and development and industrialization of wearable devices such as smart watches, smart bracelets, smart clothes and virtual reality, improve the function, performance and industrial design level of products, and promote the development of products in the direction of cutting-edge technology, rich functions, accurate data, reliable performance, convenient operation, energy saving and environmental protection. Strengthen cross-platform application development and support, strengthen data exchange and interactive control between different products, and improve the ability of big data collection, analysis, processing and service.