KR20220122921A - OPEN-ENDED MODULAR IoT DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention discloses a module-type IoT device enabling expansion. The device comprises: a first substrate; a first processor on the first substrate; a first IoT sensor on the first substrate; and a connector provided to connect with an additional electronic component. Therefore, the present invention is capable of having an effect of minimizing a need for new product development and a certification procedure.

Description

Extensible Modular IoT Device {OPEN-ENDED MODULAR IoT DEVICE}

The present invention relates to an IoT terminal, and more particularly, to a method of expanding an IoT device.

The Internet of things (IoT) is defined as the Internet of Things or the Internet of Objects, and refers to an environment in which information created by uniquely identifiable objects is shared through the Internet. This is a concept developed from the existing USN (Ubiquitous Sensor Network) and M2M (Machine to Machine), and has been extended and recognized as IoT communication and Internet of Everything (IoE).

The Internet of Things can share information by connecting objects through a network, not only in home appliances and electronic devices, but also in various fields such as healthcare, remote meter reading, smart home, and smart cars.

As IoT technology develops, attempts to expand and utilize multiple IoT sensors are increasing in response to various requests from consumers. To this end, individual IoT-related parts should be able to be easily linked and expanded.

1A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of extending a battery in a conventional IoT terminal.

Referring to FIG. 1A , when there is a request to add a battery 2 in order to extend and apply power supply to the IoT device 100 including the processor 120 and the IoT sensor 1 130 and the battery 1 140 . , as a conventional technique, it was extended and applied in the form of adding the battery 2 150 together with the battery 1 140 inside the IoT device 105 . As described above, since it is not possible to simply add parts to the IoT device 105 to which the battery 2 150 is newly added, there is an unavoidable inconvenience of structural change of the entire device. In addition, when the existing IoT device 100 has passed various authentication tests, the new IoT device 105 that has undergone an excessive design change in the existing IoT device requires an authentication test again.

1B is a conceptual diagram for explaining a process of extending an IoT sensor to a conventional IoT terminal. The case of FIG. 1B is also similar to the case of FIG. 1A.

Referring to FIG. 1B , when there is a request to add a sensor to the IoT device 100 of the same shape as the IoT device 100 of the left drawing of FIG. 1A for device function expansion, in the prior art, the IoT device (105) It was extended and applied in the form of adding the IoT sensor 2 (160) on the first substrate (110) of the device. At this time, since the device is not formed in the form of simple coupling, it is necessary to newly develop the entire first substrate 110 , and accordingly, it is necessary to newly develop the entire IoT device 105 . Therefore, there is a burden of changing the overall structure, and as described in the example of FIG. 1A , when the existing IoT device 100 has passed various certification tests, the new IoT device that has undergone excessive design changes in the existing IoT device In (105), there is also the inconvenience of requiring a certification test again.

An object according to an aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is to provide an expandable modular IoT device capable of creating a new product by modularizing an IoT device and connecting a module of a necessary function according to a commercialization direction. .

According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, an expandable modular IoT device includes a first substrate, a first processor on the first substrate, a first IoT sensor on the first substrate, and additional electronic components; It may include a connector (connector) provided for connection.

The device may further include a first battery arranged in the IoT device.

The additional electronic component includes a second battery, and further includes a Power Management Circuit for controlling power from the second battery, wherein the power management circuit comprises: (i) connecting only the first battery supply power from the first battery to the processor, and (ii) supply power from the second battery when the second battery arranged independently of the IoT device is connected to the connector. may be supplied to the processor.

When the connector is connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) for charging, the power management circuit supplies power to the processor at a second voltage using the USB for charging, wherein the second voltage is the first battery or It may be higher than the first voltage of the second battery.

In response to the presence of the first battery while the connector is connected to the USB for charging, the power management circuit performs a mode of charging the first battery while supplying power to the processor with the second voltage. can be activated.

The additional electronic component includes a second board and a second IoT sensor on the second board, and when the second board and the second IoT sensor are arranged inside the IoT device, the connector is disposed on the first board a first internal connector arranged in a , a second internal connector is also arranged on the second board, and the first board and the second board are connected to the IoT due to the connection between the first internal connector and the second internal connector It can be modularized and communicated within the device.

The connector is a first external connector for connection with a second IoT device arranged independently of the IoT device, and the second IoT device also includes a second processor, a second IoT sensor, and a second external connector, The first external connector is connected to the second external connector so that the first processor and the second processor can communicate.

The communication method through the connector may include at least one of Universal Asynchronous Receive/Transmit (UART), Integrated Circuit (I2C), and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI).

A communication method between the first processor and the first IoT sensor uses a first communication method, and a communication method between the first board and the second board in the IoT device through an internal connector uses a second communication method, , and a communication method through an external connector with the second IoT device may transmit/receive data using a third communication method.

According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, an expandable modular IoT device includes a first substrate, a processor on the first substrate, a first IoT sensor on the first substrate, and an antenna interworking with the processor. Including, but may be configured to be capable of mounting derivative electronic components other than the first substrate, the processor, and the first IoT sensor inside the IoT device.

When a component arrangement prohibition area having an area greater than or equal to a reference value is set in a certain area of the side of the antenna in a horizontal direction from the bottom surface of the IoT device, and the derived electronic component is extended and interlocked, the component arrangement It may be configured so that radio frequency (RF) performance of the processor and the antenna is not affected as any components are not arranged in the forbidden area.

In a vertical direction from the bottom surface, the antenna is arranged on the top of the processor, and in the horizontal direction, the antenna is arranged at the periphery of the first substrate, and the length of the antenna is the length of the first substrate The component arrangement prohibition region may be formed to be shorter than the reference length to secure the predetermined region at a margin between the length of the first substrate and the length of the antenna.

A fixed area is formed including the antenna, the processor, the first IoT sensor, and the first substrate, and the derivative part is formed in the extended area and interlocked with a single IoT device, wherein the extended area is in the horizontal direction, It may be formed on a side surface of the fixed region.

The extension area may have a limited space so as not to extend beyond a reference value in terms of height.

The derivative component may include at least one of a second substrate, a second IoT sensor, and a battery.

According to the expandable modular IoT device of the present invention, there is an effect of minimizing the need for new product development and authentication procedures through modularization.

In addition, it can quickly respond to the needs of various IoT markets.

In addition, it has the effect of providing efficient product scalability because it can be used in connection with a previously developed ^3rd party sensor terminal/board. That is, by connecting the communication module to a third-party sensor terminal, it is possible to easily build an IoT integrated solution without new development of communication module/antenna/server/web/app.

1A is a conceptual diagram for explaining a process of extending a battery (battery) in a conventional IoT terminal;
1B is a conceptual diagram for explaining a process of extending an IoT sensor to a conventional IoT terminal;
2 is a block diagram illustrating an expandable modular IoT device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure for extending a battery to the expandable modular IoT device of FIG. 2;
4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method of controlling a power path according to a power source in the battery expansion structure of FIG. 3;
5 is a block diagram for explaining a structure of extending an IoT sensor to the expandable modular IoT device of FIG. 2;
6 is a block diagram showing a structure in which the IoT sensor of FIG. 5 is expanded inside the device;
7 is a block diagram showing a structure for coupling an external IoT device to the IoT device of FIG. 6;
8 is a block diagram for explaining the need for further development of a modular IoT device based on an external connector structure;
9A and 9B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view of an expandable modular IoT device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
10A to 10B are exemplary views illustrating a structure in which additional IoT-related parts are extended and linked to the IoT device of FIGS. 9A and 9B .

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail.

However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component. and/or includes a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it is understood that other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It is to be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, in order to facilitate the overall understanding, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions of the same components are omitted.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an expandable modular IoT device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the expandable modular IoT device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a substrate 210 , a processor 220 , an IoT sensor 230 , and a battery 240 . have.

Referring to the drawing on the side of FIG. 2 , in the IoT device 200 , the processor 220 and the IoT sensor 230 are electrically connected and arranged on the substrate 210 , and the battery 240 is electrically connected to the substrate 210 . is connected to and has a structure to supply power.

Here, the substrate 210 may be implemented as a bread board, an Arduino board, a PCB board, or the like.

The processor 220 may be implemented as a microprocessor and/or a micro controller unit (MCU). The processor 220 may include a communication module. The MCU and the communication module may be implemented as one processor or as independent processors. In this case, the communication module supports a radio frequency (RF) method of various techniques. For example, it can support short-distance communication such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi, as well as broadband communication such as LTE and 5G. More preferably, communication methods such as LoRa and NB-IoT, which are communication methods for IoT, may be supported. The processor 220 may operate by source code including IoT operation information. The processor 220 may be connected to other computing devices and perform various control functions by a user inputting a source code related to IoT operation information through an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse.

The IoT sensor 230 represents a sensing device that detects or measures a physical quantity such as temperature, pressure, light, or sound or a change thereof and converts it into an electrical signal. These include light sensor, proximity sensor, moisture sensor, ultrasonic sensor, water quality sensor, water level sensor, motion sensor, gyroscope sensor, image sensor, heat/smoke sensor, infrared sensor, chemical sensor, vibration sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor , gas sensors, acoustic sensors, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), electrostatic probes (Langmuir probes), magnetic probes, spectroscopy or ionic mass spectrometers, etc. However, it is not necessarily limited thereto. In some cases, digital input/output peripherals such as LEDs and switches and/or PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) input/output peripherals such as DC motors and servo motors may also be included.

Referring to the right drawing of FIG. 2 , components such as a battery and/or an IoT sensor may be added to the IoT device 200 to change hardware specifications. In this case, the added electrical components may include various electronic components (memory, etc.) as well as a battery and IoT sensor.

First, in order to expand the power function, the device 2 202 including the battery 250 may be connected. In this case, power may be supplied to the IoT device 200 at a voltage of V _BAT without excessive design change by using a connector. To this end, the IoT device 200 (device 1) is also formed in a modular form including a connector (not shown) to receive other power or output power. In addition, it is preferred that device 2 202 also includes a connector to be modularized. Accordingly, the connector of the IoT device 200 and the connector of the device 2 202 may be coupled to each other to transmit/receive power in V _BAT .

In another example, the IoT device 200 may be connected to the device 3 204 including the IoT sensor 2 265 to expand the sensing function. For this, a separate connector of a different form or a different communication method from the connector for power may be arranged. The device 3 204 is formed in a form in which the IoT sensor 2 265 is electrically connected on the second substrate 260 , and may have a modular form including an external connector. Through this, the IoT sensor 265 may be coupled through the separate connector of the device 1 200 and the connector of the device 3 204 . The connection between the connectors may be connected using at least one of Universal Asynchronous Receive/Transmit (UART), Inter Integrated Circuit (I2C), and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). UART is asynchronous communication, and it is a communication method that uses a method that replaces the synchronization signal (Clock) in order to transmit and receive data smoothly. UARTs do not have a shared clock, so it is desirable to configure and match the same timing (baud rate) to correctly decode the data. I2C communication is a method of transmitting and receiving data through one line (SDA) for sending and receiving data and one clock line (SCL) for synchronizing transmission/reception timing. It consists of one master and one or more slaves, and up to 127 slaves can be connected. The SPI method is a synchronous communication method supporting 1:N communication. There must be one master and one or more slave devices. Since there is a separate line for transmitting and receiving data, transmission and reception can be performed at the same time, which is faster than I2C communication consisting of one line for transmitting and receiving data. Therefore, it is preferable to use it where speed is important, such as Ethernet communication.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the battery and the IoT sensor, other IoT-related parts may be modularized and formed in a form that can be coupled through a connector. For example, electronic components such as a memory, another processor, an encoder/decoder, and a converter/inverter may also be modularized and coupled through a connector. At this time, if device 1 has a female connector, device 2 preferably has a corresponding male connector. For example, if one device has a protruding pin, the other device preferably has a connector shaped to receive the protruding pin. Modularization means configuring not only one part but also a plurality of parts in a form that can be combined with other devices or other parts without special processing including internal or external connectors.

According to an additional embodiment of the present invention, when the IoT device 200 is viewed from the ground in a vertical direction, power-related connectors are arranged in the left, right, and both lateral directions to connect a power-related modular device such as a battery. It is possible to configure modularized electronic components to be connectable by arranging data transmission/reception function connectors (UART, I2C, SPI-based connectors) including sensors in two directions, upper and lower. It is free to be the other way around In this case, a plurality of connectors may be arranged on one surface. In addition to the battery-related devices 202 coupled to the IoT device 200 , the electronic component-related devices 204 also arrange one or more connectors on the left and/or top and bottom sides to be coupled to the IoT device 200 . At the same time, it may be configured to be connectable to other devices. Through this, various IoT devices can be linked and implemented in an infinitely expandable, modular form. Accordingly, a plurality of battery modules and/or a plurality of IoT sensor modules may be combined on one surface.

Additionally, the connector may be arranged not only on the upper side but also on the lower side in a direction perpendicular to the ground. Accordingly, connectors are arranged on both sides, so that a more free connection may be possible.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure for extending a battery in the expandable modular IoT device of FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , an IoT sensor 330 is arranged in a processor 320 (including a MCU and a communication module) on a first substrate 310 , and an IoT device additionally including a battery 1 340 ( 300), when new product development is required according to the expansion of the battery function, the modular device 2 302 including the battery 350 can be connected simply without changing the overall structure of the device. In this case, power may be supplied to the IoT device 300 as a VBAT voltage without excessive design change by using a power connector. In this case, one of the power connectors of the two devices 300 and 302 may be formed of a plurality of protruding pins, and the other may be formed in a form to accommodate the protruding pins. Moreover, in order to improve the degree of freedom of assembly and connection of such hardware, connectors may be provided on different surfaces. For example, if a connector is provided on the upper surface of the device 1 ( 300 ), a connector is provided on the lower surface of the device 2 ( 302 ) so that they can be easily attached and detached from each other. As above, as both devices 300 and 302 are configured to be modular and easily expandable to each other, it is not necessary to develop an additional communication module, and various authentications can be omitted despite the hardware specification change due to battery expansion. . That is, only the part that is changed through the device 2 (302) can be additionally developed, modularized, and then mounted.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method of controlling a power path according to a power source in the battery expansion structure of FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , when various power sources are extended and connected to the IoT device 400 , appropriate power control may be required. First, the IoT device 400, as described above, is provided with a processor 420 on a substrate, where the V _SYS voltage flows into the processor 420 so that the power management circuit 422 controls the power path. control The voltage management circuit 422 is connected to the internal battery 440 and/or the connector 424 to receive power from the outside, and according to the connection relationship, the power (V _SYS ) is supplied to the processor ( V SYS ) according to an appropriate scenario. 420) to provide the function.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the power management circuit 422 controls the power path according to the connected power source to form a structure in which the battery 440 can be expanded as well as the charging of the internal battery 440 with one connector 424 . .

First, when only the internal battery 440 is connected, the power V _SYS supplied to the processor 420 becomes the power from the internal battery 440 . At this time, the voltage (V _SYS ) may be a voltage (V _BAT ) of the built-in small battery of 3.7V.

Next, when only the external battery 450 is connected through the connector 424 , the power V _SYS supplied to the processor 420 becomes the power from the external battery 450 . At this time, the voltage (V _SYS ) may be 3.7V, which is the voltage (V _BAT ) of the external auxiliary battery.

In addition, when only the USB 470 for charging is connected through the connector 424 to draw power through the USB 470 for charging, the power (V _SYS ) supplied to the processor 420 is power through the USB for charging. becomes this In this case, although the voltage of the USB for charging is 5.0V, the power management circuit 422 may supply the voltage (V _SYS ) to the processor 420 as 4.2V for stable power supply.

Additionally, when the internal battery 440 and the external battery 450 are connected together through the connector 424 , the power V _SYS supplied to the processor 420 is the power from the external battery 450 . . At this time, when the internal battery 440 is charged, a load is applied to the external auxiliary battery 450 , so that the charging mode is controlled to maintain an inactive state.

In another example, when the internal battery 440 and the USB 470 for charging are connected together through the connector 424 , the power V _SYS supplied to the processor 420 is from the USB 470 for charging. make it power Accordingly, the voltage V _SYS may be 4.2V and supplied to the processor 420 . At this time, since the USB 470 for charging can receive power stably, it is preferable to charge the internal battery 440 as well. Accordingly, while stably supplying the voltage V _SYS to 4.2V, the charging mode of the internal battery 440 is activated so that the internal battery 440 can be charged together.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of extending an IoT sensor to the expandable modular IoT device of FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the modularized IoT device 500 having the same configuration as that of the IoT device of FIG. 2 may be used with extended functions by combining the devices 504 . In this case, the IoT device 500 may be connected through a connector (not shown). The device 504 is modularized based on a connector (not shown) having a shape corresponding to the connector of the IoT device 500 and is connected to the IoT device 500 . The device 504 includes an IoT sensor 2 565 on a second substrate 560 . In addition, the connection between the two connectors may be at least one of UART, I2C, and SPI.

According to the form of the two modular devices 500 and 504 as described above, even when product development is required for new functions, only the parts that change without excessive design change need only be developed and connected to the module, so the efficiency of product development The higher the cost, the higher the development cost.

6 is a block diagram illustrating a structure in which the IoT sensor of FIG. 5 is expanded inside a device.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the expansion of a device does not mean only connecting an electronic component to the outside of the device. Internal connections are also possible. That is, the modular IoT device 600 may be designed with a built-in sensor.

More specifically, the IoT device 600 arranges a processor 620 (which may include a MCU and a communication module) and an IoT sensor 630 on a first substrate 610, and the first substrate 610 is and an internal connector 626 . In this case, the processor 720 and the IoT sensor 630 in the IoT sensor device 700 may be connected to each other through at least one of UART, I2C, and SPI to transmit and receive data.

In addition, the IoT device 600 includes an IoT sensor 665 and an internal connector 628 on the second board 660 . The two substrates 610 and 660 may be connected to each other by at least one of UART, I2C, and SPI to transmit and receive data. The communication method may be selected by the processor 620 based on whether the communication method is supported by the IoT sensor 665 . The internal connectors 626 and 628 are connectors for transmitting and receiving data and may have shapes corresponding to each other.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of coupling an external IoT device to the IoT device of FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIG. 7 , the IoT device 700 on the left side of FIG. 7 has the same configuration as the IoT internally expandable IoT device 600 of FIG. 6 . Here, the already developed third-party IoT sensor device 702 may be connected. The IoT sensor device 702 includes a processor 772 and an IoT sensor 3 774 on a third substrate 770 . The processor 772 and the IoT sensor 3 774 in the IoT sensor device 702 may also be connected to each other through at least one of UART, I2C, and SPI to transmit and receive data.

Meanwhile, a connection between the two devices 700 and 702 may be made through external connectors 724 and 722 . By connecting the IoT device 702 to the device through the external connector 724, it is connected to the IoT device 700 without the development of a separate communication module, antenna, server, web and application to build an IoT integrated solution. can do. In this case, the internal connectors 726 and 728 and the external connectors 724 and 722 may be connectors of different shapes or different communication methods. As the communication method, at least one of UART, I2C, and SPI may be selected in the IoT device 700 according to whether the MCU of the processor 772 of the IoT device 702 is supported.

8 is a block diagram illustrating the need for further development of a modular IoT device based on an external connector structure.

Referring to FIG. 8 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, the IoT device 800 having a plurality of external connectors 824 and 826 is an IoT device 802 and The IoT device 804 may be connected using an external connector 822 and an external connector 828 .

In particular, referring to the right drawing of FIG. 8 , a modular IoT device having an external connector connection structure produces devices 802 and 804 in a format corresponding to the IoT device 800 . At this time, the IoT device 802 ) case, the second board 860 , the battery 865 , the case of the IoT device 804 , the third board 870 , and the IoT sensor 2 875 all have a burden to develop.

In particular, reliability problems such as waterproofing, dustproofing, and durability may occur in the junction part 1 of the IoT device 800 and the IoT device 802 and the junction part 2 of the IoT device 800 and the IoT device 804 . In addition, it is inevitable to increase the product size by reinforcing the joint part. Additionally, the performance of the antenna may cause a difference in performance due to a different radiation pattern depending on the type of internal parts and mechanism. have.

As a result, the external connector mounting type is not effective in terms of product miniaturization and antenna radiation efficiency. More specifically, very important considerations when designing IoT devices are miniaturization, water and dust resistance, and RF performance. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize development cost and time by minimizing development and review of the above considerations when derivation of a product. If an external connector is applied, space of 20 to 30% or more of the size of a small product is wasted, so the application of an integrated mechanism may be appropriate. That is, it may be desirable to perform modularization within the instrument.

9A and 9B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view of an expandable modular IoT device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9A , when viewed in cross-sectional view, the IoT device 900 includes a battery 940 , a first substrate 910 , a processor 920 , an IoT sensor 930 , and an antenna 905 . At this time, the battery 940 is arranged at the bottom, the first substrate 910 is arranged thereon, the processor 920 is arranged on one side of the first substrate 910, and the IoT sensor ( 915) may be electrically connected and arranged. The processor 920 and the IoT sensor 915 may be arranged side by side on the first substrate 910 . The antennas 905 may be spaced apart on the processor 920 . Here, the processor 920 may be a communication module, and may transmit/receive a wireless signal in connection with the antenna 905 . In this arrangement, it is preferable to set the component arrangement prohibition area 915 in the side area of the antenna 905 in the IoT device 900 so that the arrangement of any electronic components is prohibited. That is, it is preferable to configure so that the RF performance of the processor 920 and the antenna 905 is not affected by preventing the arrangement of any electronic components.

Referring to FIG. 9B , when viewed from a plan view, the processor 920 may be arranged on the left side and the IoT sensor 930 may be arranged on the right side on the first substrate 910 . Also, the antenna 905 may surround the first substrate 910 and may be arranged around the first substrate 910 . The antenna 905 may be arranged on the upper and lower portions of the first substrate 910 , and may also be arranged on one side of the left or right side. Since the antenna 905 operates in conjunction with the processor 920 , it is arranged on a side corresponding to the processor 920 . Accordingly, when the antenna 905 is arranged to be biased toward the left side of the first substrate 910 , the component arrangement prohibition region 915 may be located on the right side of the antenna 905 . In particular, when the length of the first substrate 910 and the length of the antenna 905 are compared, the component arrangement prohibition region 915 may be arranged at a margin thereof. In this case, it is preferable to have a predetermined area greater than or equal to the reference value of the component arrangement prohibition area 915 . In order to secure the reference width, the length of the antenna 905 is preferably shorter than the length of the first substrate 910 by at least the reference length. It is preferable that the component arrangement prevention area 915 is composed of an area of at least 4 cm ² or more.

10A to 10B are exemplary views illustrating a structure in which additional IoT-related parts are extended and linked to the IoT device of FIGS. 9A and 9B .

Referring to FIG. 10A , an antenna 1005, a first substrate 1010, a processor 1020, IoT It includes a sensor 1030 and a battery 1 1040 . In addition, it is configured such that no parts are arranged in the area by further including a component arrangement prohibition area. In addition, by dividing the extended area in the horizontal direction of the fixed area, the derived electronic components according to the new hardware specification can be arranged only in the extended area. That is, it enables the derivation of unlimited devices in a free form within the extended area. In the embodiment of FIG. 10A , the IoT device including the IoT sensor 2 1052 and the battery 2 1054 on the second board 1050 is internally modularized and expanded into one device without applying an external connector.

Also, referring to FIG. 10B , the battery 3 1040 of the fixed area is extended to the extended area, and the width thereof is formed in a longer form. In addition to the extended area, the IoT sensor 3 is placed on the third substrate 1060 . The IoT device including the 1062 and the battery 4 1066 is internally modularized and configured in an expanded form.

Additionally, referring to FIG. 10C , the battery 5 ( 1076 ) is internally modularized in an extended area and configured in an expanded form in one IoT device.

By arranging derivative parts in the extended area other than the area where parts are prohibited, there is no need to review issues related to miniaturization, waterproofing, and dustproofing, and there is no need to review issues related to communication module (processor) and antenna performance. has an advantage.

In particular, in addition to the component arrangement prohibited area, it is also desirable to limit the height of the extended area to a reference value so that the RF performance of the communication module and the antenna is not affected.

Although described above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, it does not mean that the scope of protection of the present invention is limited by the drawings or embodiments, and those skilled in the art can appreciate the spirit of the present invention described in the claims below. And it will be understood that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (15)

In an expandable modular IoT device,
a first substrate;
a first processor on the first substrate;
a first IoT sensor on the first substrate; and
A modular, expandable IoT device comprising a connector provided for connection with additional electronic components. The method of claim 1,
A scalable modular IoT device, further comprising a first battery arranged in the IoT device. 3. The method of claim 2,
the additional electronic component comprises a second battery;
A power management circuit for controlling power from the second battery, the power management circuit comprising:
(i) supplying power from the first battery to the processor when only the first battery is connected;
(ii) when the second battery, arranged independently of the IoT device, is connected to the connector, supplying power from the second battery to the processor. 4. The method of claim 3,
When the connector is connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) for charging, the power management circuit supplies power to the processor with a second voltage using the USB for charging,
wherein the second voltage is higher than a first voltage of the first battery or the second battery. 5. The method of claim 4,
In response to the presence of the first battery while the connector is connected to the USB for charging, the power management circuit performs a mode of charging the first battery while supplying power to the processor with the second voltage. An enabling, scalable and modular IoT device. The method of claim 1,
The additional electronic component includes a second substrate and a second IoT sensor on the second substrate,
When the second substrate and the second IoT sensor are arranged inside the IoT device,
the connector is a first internal connector arranged on the first board;
A second internal connector is also arranged on the second board,
An expandable modular IoT device, wherein the first board and the second board are modularized and communicate in the IoT device due to the connection of the first internal connector and the second internal connector. The method of claim 1,
The connector is a first external connector for connection with a second IoT device arranged independently of the IoT device,
The second IoT device also includes a second processor, a second IoT sensor, and a second external connector,
The first external connector is connected to the second external connector so that the first processor and the second processor communicate with each other. 8. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 7,
A communication method through the connector includes at least one of Universal Asynchronous Receive/Transmit (UART), Inter Integrated Circuit (I2C), and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), an expandable modular IoT device. The method of claim 1,
A communication method between the first processor and the first IoT sensor uses a first communication method,
A communication method through an internal connector between the first board and the second board in the IoT device uses a second communication method,
And the communication method through the external connector with the second IoT device is an expandable modular IoT device that transmits and receives data using the third communication method. In an expandable modular IoT device,
a first substrate;
a processor on the first substrate;
a first IoT sensor on the first substrate; and
Including an antenna interworking with the processor,
An expandable modular IoT device configured to be capable of mounting derivative electronic components other than the first substrate, the processor, and the first IoT sensor inside the IoT device. 11. The method of claim 10,
When a component arrangement prohibition area having an area greater than or equal to a reference value is set in a certain area of the side of the antenna in a horizontal direction from the bottom surface of the IoT device, and the derived electronic component is extended and interlocked, the component arrangement A scalable modular IoT device, configured so that the RF (Radio Frequency) performance of the processor and the antenna is not affected by preventing any components from being arranged in the forbidden area. 12. The method of claim 11,
with respect to the vertical direction from the bottom surface, the antenna is arranged on top of the processor,
with respect to the horizontal direction, the antenna is arranged on the periphery of the first substrate,
The length of the antenna is formed to be shorter than the reference length by more than a reference length, so that the component arrangement prohibition area is formed to secure the predetermined area at a margin between the length of the first board and the length of the antenna , a modular, scalable IoT device. 13. The method of claim 12,
forming a fixed area including the antenna, the processor, the first IoT sensor, and the first substrate;
The derivative part is formed in the extended area and interlocked with a single IoT device,
The extended area is formed on a side surface of the fixed area in the horizontal direction, an expandable modular IoT device. 14. The method of claim 13,
An expandable modular IoT device having a limited space so that the extension area does not extend beyond a reference value in terms of height. 14. The method of claim 13,
wherein the derivative component includes at least one of a second substrate, a second IoT sensor, and a battery.

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