The Power of Testing Embedded IoT Devices Jithu Abraham RSUK Product Manager
Outline Opportunities ahead Challenges for IoT Value and need for testing Example : Testing an IoT device 2
Outline Opportunities ahead Challenges for IoT Value and need for testing Example : Testing an IoT device 3
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Anything that benefits from network connection will be connected Ericsson 8
M2M Communication, the enabler of the Internet of Things becomes vital in several industries Wearables Smart Homes Smart Cities Healthcare Automotive Smart Buildings Asset Tracking Retail Agriculture.. 9
Outline Opportunities ahead Challenges for IoT Value and need for testing Example : Testing an IoT device 10
Challenges in a very dynamic and demanding market environment Technology choices Select the most appropriate technologies considering all relevant aspects like performance, deployment model, interoperability, costs and availability Design complexity Fast prototyping by integrating several off-the-shelf modules & components The hard way from a design concept via prototype to a cost optimized mass product Myth about certification Understand the different needs for certification dependent on the chosen technology, operator and market. Prepare design, processes and budgets accordingly Highly reliable operation Ensure e2e application performance under all relevant conditions Network deployment in harsh environment Life-time operation (> 10 years) 11
Connecting billions of devices to the Internet of Things (IoT) short range WWAN other Wireless PAN/LAN Bluetooth, ZigBee, Thread, Wi-Fi Billion Things Wireless WAN (2G/3G/4G) GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE OTHER technologies Satellite, DSL, Fiber, PLC Low Power WAN Sigfox, LoRa, Weightless, NB-IoT 12
Range The majority of devices building the Internet of Things will use wireless technologies in un-licensed frequency bands Smart Cities Sigfox LoRa Weightless NB-IoT 802.11 ah Cellular (2G/3G/4G/5G) Smart Homes ANT+ ZigBee Thread Z-Wave WI-SUN Bluetooth WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wearables NFC Automotive Data Rate 13
Internet of Things Global Market Driver ı IoT solutions require electronic devices with embedded sensors, actuators and network connectivity 14
Outline Opportunities Challenges for IoT Value and need for testing Example : Testing an IoT device 15
Customer experience, business success and sometimes our life depend on the reliability and availability of a single piece The main value add of the Internet of Things comes essentially from application software that relies on real-time sensor data Archiv Huberbuam / Timeline Production Wirelessly connected devices are just the enabler, but only valuable when connected secure, reliable and 24/7 16
The value of testing: find and fix problems as early as possible; avoid re-designs, re-certification and recall/replacement actions Cost failure Failure discovery Failure creation Just imagine the cost for replacing all parking slot sensors in a city like Munich. Concept Operation 17
Things are different: customer experience We are somehow trained to search for a signal in case of coverage problems Quite hard for things like smart meters to walk around to search for a signal 18
Outline Opportunities Challenges for IoT Value and need for testing Example : Testing an IoT device 19
Enabling Key IoT Features Connectivity Wireless Connectivity Power Mgmt. Unit Efficiency Sensitivity Sensor Interfaces Processor A/D Converter Memory Capability Scalability 20
Embedded Wireless Devices Design Challenges IoT devices combine resources for sensor data collection, computing and connectivity, as well as infrastructure for power management and storage. Sensor Interfaces Wireless Connectivity І І High integration level of different technologies Low cost Power Mgmt. Unit A/D Converter І І 10 years battery life time Reliability & Security Processor Memory 21
Embedded Wireless Devices Test Challenges During the design, the debug and the evaluation phase there are several key test challenges: 1. Current consumption 2. Signal integrity 3. Wireless interface testing 4. Debugging of overall system Sensor Interfaces Power Mgmt. Unit Processor Wireless Connectivity A/D Converter Memory 22
Test Challenges #1 Current Consumption Challenge Battery life time of IoT systems is supposed to be measured in years Optimize system functionality and power consumption Requirements for Test Equipment Capable to measure fast transitions from µa to several 100 ma Time correlation to other T&M equipment 23
Test Challenges #2 Signal Integrity Challenge Disturbance of digital and analog systems by other system cores Spike / Glitch Overshoot Requirements for Test Equipment Capable to measure with high signal fidelity Time correlation of signal faults to other device activities Runt high Runt low 24
Test Challenges #3 Wireless Interfaces Challenge Evaluate functionality of wireless interface Debug interferences Requirements for Test Equipment Capable to capture and analyze wireless signals Time correlation to other T&M equipment 25
Test Challenges #4 Debugging overall system functionality Challenge Embedded wireless systems combine multiple functional cores at very dense space Risk of interferences Analog Protocol A. Spectrum Analog Requirements for Test Equipment Tools to analyze various signals types: DC, analog, current, logic, protocol or spectrum Time correlation to other T&M equipment Analog Logic A. 26
Powerful IoT debug solution Time correlated multi-domain measurements with a scope Protocol analysis UART, I2C, SPI, GPIO, etc. Protocol analysis Spectrum analysis Analog signal Logic analyzer MCU, ARM, FPGA, etc. emmc, SD, LP DRAM, etc. 27
Setup with Gemalto IoT Device LTE Cat 1 Cinterion IoT module from Gemalto LTE / GSM RF Tranceiver and processor USB 2.0 / GPIO / I 2 C interfaces; Serial modem interface LPDDR2 memory interface Power management unit MSO Logical ch. PC Modem i/f R&S RTO2000 Ch1 Voltage DUT Ch2 Current Ch3 RF signal RF signaling R&S CMW290 Test Equipment RTO oscilloscope (current, voltage, RF, MSO: UART T&D) Communication tester (R&S CMW290) Power supply HMP4040 PC (PuTTY) Ch2 Ch3 Ch1 MSO 28
Example 1a: Minimum Current Consumption at Sleep Mode ı Device activity: Sleep mode and reacting on paging sequences ı R&S RTO2000 Trigger on CTS pulse Measures Mean and Max current in sleep interval Current 29
Example 1b: Correlation of Current Consumption with Device Activities ı Device activity: GPRS connection in different timeslots ı R&S RTO2000 Triggers on start of GSM bursts GSM bursts correlate with voltage drops (yellow) and current peaks (green) Display spectrum on gated GSM slot GSM Burst Current Peak Voltage Drop GSM Burst 30
Example 1a: Correlation of Current Consumption with Device Activities ı Device activity: React on TPC transmitter power control steps LTE Burst ı R&S RTO2000 Triggers on current peak LTE signal power correlates with current consumption (green) Display LTE signal power differences in the spectrum with gated FFTs LTE Current LTE 31
Example 2: Time-correlated Debugging of System Functionality (II) PC ı Writes message (PuTTY) ı Sends message (UART) R&S RTO Oscilloscope ı Triggers on SMS message sent on UART ı Observe the delay of the GSM burst ı Correlate GSM burst with current ı Observe GSM burst in spectrum R&S CMW ı Receives message, ı Reads message 32
Example 2: Time-correlated Debugging of System Functionality ı Device activity: Sent SMS message (GSM) ı R&S RTO Triggers on sending the SMS message at the UART Observe the delay of the GSM burst Correlate GSM burst with current Observe GSM burst in spectrum Current Tx -UART GSM Burst Voltage GSM Burst 33
Example 3: Analysis of the Wireless Output Signal ı Device activity: Uplink communication of the GSM module ı R&S RTO2000 Use VSE Analysis SW for GSM signal analysis Synchronization packets, output power, bandwidth, EVM measurements, etc. 34
Just a glimpse on the product portfolio for the IoT test market Research & Development Design & Validation Pre-Compliance & Compliance Manufacturing Deployment & Operation Service & Repair R&S CMW290/270 R&S CMW500 R&S VSE R&S SGT R&S SGT & R&S FPS R&S DST200 R&S CMW100 R&S RTH R&S TSME R&S CMW290 R&S FPS R&S RTO R&S FPH R&S HMC8015 R&S TS8997 R&S ZND R&S NRP R&S SGT & R&S FPS R&S HMO3000 R&S FPH R&S FPH 35
Your Partner in testing the Internet of Things Thank you 36