IoT Gateway Edge Processing for Weak Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT systems face challenges in providing reliable services in areas with weak or intermittent internet connectivity, leading to performance degradation and high costs due to the need to send large data files over slow connections, especially in remote or developing regions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a local IoT gateway that processes and compresses data, such as video from UAVs, into orthomosaics, allowing for efficient data management and task allocation between local and cloud networks based on bandwidth and latency requirements, enabling critical services even without continuous internet connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large data files are sent over slow internet connections in weakly connected settings, then cloud-based services can be provided, but service quality degrades and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway performs data processing, compression, and prioritization actions before data transmission to the cloud. Video data is pre-processed into orthomosaics and sensor data is aggregated locally, reducing the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over the weak internet connection while maintaining service quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary device between local sensors/cameras and the cloud network. It buffers, processes, and manages data locally before transmission, decoupling the data collection from cloud processing and enabling reliable service in weakly connected settings.
2Reliability
If data is processed and stored locally at the gateway, then services remain available without continuous internet connectivity, but local device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is designed as a multi-functional device that performs data collection from multiple sensors, video processing into orthomosaics, data compression, prioritization queuing, and local service provision. This consolidation of multiple functions into a single gateway reduces overall system complexity while maintaining service availability.
3Device complexity
If all data is transmitted to the cloud, then centralized processing is simplified, but bandwidth requirements and transmission time increase in weakly connected settings
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway extracts and processes only the essential features from raw video and sensor data before transmission. Video data is converted to orthomosaic representations and sensor data is aggregated, extracting key information while removing redundant data, thus reducing transmission time and bandwidth requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A gateway that may be implemented in a local network and that communicates with a cloud network to provide efficient services in a weakly connected setting is disclosed. The gateway may be configured to enable services that efficiently utilize resources in both of the gateway and the cloud network, and provide a desired quality of service while operating in a weakly connected setting. The gateway may provide data collection and processing, local network services, and enable cloud services that utilize data collected and processed by the gateway. The local network may include one or more sensors and/or video cameras that provide data to the gateway. In a further implementation, the gateway may determine an allocation of one or more tasks of a service between the gateway and a cloud network by determining the allocation of the one or more service tasks based on desired service latency.