As we are moving towards the Internet of Things (IoT), the number of sensors deployed around the world is growing at a rapid pace. Market research has shown a significant growth of sensor deployments over the past decade and has predicted a significant increment of the growth rate in the future. These sensors continuously generate enormous amounts of data. However, in order to add value to raw sensor data we need to understand it. Collection, modelling, reasoning, and distribution of context in relation to sensor data plays critical role in this challenge. Context-aware computing has proven to be successful in understanding sensor data. In this paper, we survey context awareness from an IoT perspective. We present the necessary background by introducing the IoT paradigm and context-aware fundamentals at the beginning. Then we provide an in-depth analysis of context life cycle. We evaluate a subset of projects (50) which represent the majority of research and commercial solutions proposed in the field of context-aware computing conducted over the last decade (2001-2011) based on our own taxonomy. Finally, based on our evaluation, we highlight the lessons to be learnt from the past and some possible directions for future research. The survey addresses a broad range of techniques, methods, models, functionalities, systems, applications, and middleware solutions related to context awareness and IoT. Our goal is not only to analyse, compare and consolidate past research work but also to appreciate their findings and discuss their applicability towards the IoT.

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Context Aware Computing for The Internet of Things: A Survey

Newness and distinctiveness is claimed in the features of ornamentation as shown inside the broken line circle in the accompanying representation.

Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface

An intelligent gateway device provided at a premise (home or business) for providing and managing application services associated with use and support of a plurality of digital endpoint devices associated with the premises. The device includes a communications and processing infrastructure integrated with a peer and presence messaging based communications protocol for enabling communications between the device and an external support network and between the device and connected digital endpoint devices. A services framework at the gateway device implements the communications and processing infrastructure for enabling service management, service configuration, and authentication of user of services at the intelligent gateway. The framework provides a storage and execution environment for supporting and executing received service logic modules relating to use, management, and support of the digital endpoint devices. Thus, the gateway device provides a network-based services point of presence for a plurality of digital endpoint devices at the premises.

Multi-services application gateway and system employing the same

The concept of energy-efficient networking has begun to spread in the past few years, gaining increasing popularity. Besides the widespread sensitivity to ecological issues, such interest also stems from economic needs, since both energy costs and electrical requirements of telcos' and Internet Service Providers' infrastructures around the world show a continuously growing trend. In this respect, a common opinion among networking researchers is that the sole introduction of low consumption silicon technologies may not be enough to effectively curb energy requirements. Thus, for disruptively boosting the network energy efficiency, these hardware enhancements must be integrated with ad-hoc mechanisms that explicitly manage energy saving, by exploiting network-specific features. This paper aims at providing a twofold contribution to green networking. At first, we explore current perspectives in power consumption for next generation networks. Secondly, we provide a detailed survey on emerging technologies, projects, and work-in-progress standards, which can be adopted in networks and related infrastructures in order to reduce their carbon footprint. The considered approaches range from energy saving techniques for networked hosts, to technologies and mechanisms for designing next-generation and energy-aware networks and networking equipment.

Energy Efficiency in the Future Internet: A Survey of Existing Approaches and Trends in Energy-Aware Fixed Network Infrastructures

Micromachining and micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technologies can be used to produce complex structures, devices and systems on the scale of micrometers. Initially micromachining techniques were borrowed directly from the integrated circuit (IC) industry, but now many unique MEMS-specific micromachining processes are being developed. In MEMS, a wide variety of transduction mechanisms can be used to convert real-world signals from one form of energy to another, thereby enabling many different microsensors, microactuators and microsystems. Despite only partial standardization and a maturing MEMS CAD technology foundation, complex and sophisticated MEMS are being produced. The integration of ICs with MEMS can improve performance, but at the price of higher development costs, greater complexity and a longer development time. A growing appreciation for the potential impact of MEMS has prompted many efforts to commercialize a wide variety of novel MEMS products. In addition, MEMS are well suited for the needs of space exploration and thus will play an increasingly large role in future missions to the space station, Mars and beyond. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0964-1726/10/6/301/pdf

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS):fabrication, design and applications

An intelligent system for identifying and communicating to a visitor using a wireless terminal and a method thereof are disclosed The system includes: a doorphone processor for processing a bell signal event, setting and releasing of a session connection, and processing voice/video data; a terminal recognizer for determining a location of a resident based on a location of a wireless terminal when a bell is activated; a information manager for storing and managing contact addresses of terminals; and a proxy server for requesting a session connection to one of the terminals, selected by the resident, based on the contact addresses, exchanging voice and image of the visitor and voice of the resident between the video doorphone device and the selected terminal through a session channel connected by the resident's allowance of the session connection request, and releasing the session by a request of the selected terminal

Intelligent system for identifying visitor and providing communication service using mobile terminal and method thereof

This paper proposes remote-controllable and energy-saving room architecture to reduce standby power consumption and to make the room easily controllable with an IR remote control of a home appliance. To realize the proposed room architecture, we proposed and designed the automatic standby power cut-off outlet and a ZigBee controller with IR code learning functionality. The proposed power outlet monitors the power consumption for the predetermined time and completely cuts off the power supply when the monitored power is below the threshold. This power outlet has a function of changing the threshold power, which enables any kinds of home appliances to be applied to the power outlet. To efficiently manage the power outlets and the lights, we proposed the ZigBee controller with IR code learning functionality. The ZigBee controller has several onboard buttons to wake up the power outlets and control the dimming light. By using IR code learning functionality, the ZigBee controller can assign a certain IR code of a remote control of a home appliance to the power outlet or the dimming light. A user can control the power outlets and the dimming light with an IR remote control of any home appliance. Our proposed room architecture provides the remote-controllable and energy-saving room.

Remote-controllable and energy-saving room architecture based on ZigBee communication

A new method for dry etching of silicon dioxide for surface micromachining is presented to obtain very compliant polysilicon microstructures with negligible stiction problem and to greatly simplify the overall releasing procedure as well. By etching the sacrificial silicon dioxide with hydrofluoric acid (HF) vapor instead of conventional aqueous HF solution, the need for subsequent rinsing and an elaborate drying procedure is eliminated. Condensation of water on the etch surface is first identified as the cause that prevented the success of HF vapor release in the past. Use of an anhydrous HF/CH/sub 3/OH mixture under low pressure solves the problem of water condensation and enables us to take advantage of vapor-phase etching (VPE) for surface micromachining. The mechanism of oxide etching with the HF/CH/sub 3/OH mixture is explained, and the developed VPE system is described and characterized. Polysilicon cantilevers up to 1200 /spl mu/m in length are successfully released with this HF VPE technique. The beams tested are 2 /spl mu/m thick with a 2-/spl mu/m gap from the substrate, and no antistiction dimples are used. The fabricated structures are observed using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an optical profilometer. The reported VPE technique provides a robust releasing method for polysilicon microstructures and is compatible with integrated circuit (IC) fabrication, even including cluster processors.

Dry release for surface micromachining with HF vapor-phase etching

The paper proposes a methodology to provide services for accessing and sharing various media contents securely, those are distributed over consumer electronics (CEs) in the home network. To do so, we propose the DLNA proxy system (DPS) architecture which helps to gather various media information available from the distributed AV devices in the home and to share the media contents across the public IP network via established secure channels. The proxy system is implemented on the home server which acts as media server and the hardware accelerated IP security (IPSec) virtual private network (VPN) is configured on the home gateway which establishes and maintains secure connections between the home and public networks.

Implementation of the DLNA Proxy System for Sharing Home Media Contents

A universal remote control (URC) unit is an integrated device for controlling many different CE (consumer electronics) home appliances (with a single one). To control these various CE devices based on IR(infra-red) control signal, the URC unit has to have many preprogrammed control codes for controlling them because they are controlled with many different types of IR profile stated with lead code, control code, carrier frequency, duty cycle, duration and so forth. In this paper, we propose a dynamic control scheme for multiple legacy IR controllable digital CE appliances, which is based on IEEE 802.15.4, especially ZigBee protocol. The proposed scheme uses two main components. One is a URC unit using ZigBee based wireless network technology, WPAN (wireless personal area network). Another is a Z2IR (ZigBee to IR) conversion module which converts a control message transferred through the ZigBee network into an IR typed control signal. In this scheme, the list of CE devices to be controlled by the proposed URC, called as Z-URC (ZigBee based user remote control), is dynamically reconfigured. It is based on his location as a consumer with the proposed Z-URC goes from a room to any other place in his house. And, we apply a novel mechanism to minimize power consumption of the Z2IR module, which is based on ZigBee devices' on/off control mechanism using multiple timers. Furthermore, a user may configure its product and vendor identifiers (IDs) of the home appliance to be controlled by the IR control signal from the module. Based on this feature, the module informs Z-URC target appliance's information.

Kwang-Roh Park

Papers

Intelligent system for identifying visitor and providing communication service using mobile terminal and method thereof

Remote-controllable and energy-saving room architecture based on ZigBee communication

Dry release for surface micromachining with HF vapor-phase etching

Implementation of the DLNA Proxy System for Sharing Home Media Contents

ZigBee based Dynamic Control Scheme for Multiple Legacy IR Controllable Digital Consumer Devices