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With the help of embedding technology, the BMBF-funded project PCB 4.0 – Highly Miniaturized and Energy Self-Sufficient – Wireless Sensor Nodes for the Industry of the Future achieved a previously unattainable level of miniaturization of wireless sensor technology for Industry 4.0 applications. Intelligent control and networking can take the flexibility, energy and resource efficiency of production processes to a new level.
What were the concrete benefits?
The SensorBeacon system addresses companies that want to integrate Industry 4.0 solutions into existing plants in particular and get them up and running quickly and easily. Users do not have to build up their own know-how for the integration of an IIOT solution and are supported in the development of the company towards Industry 4.0. Buzzwords in this context are RetroFit and Predictive Maintenance - both are easy to handle with the system.
This IIOT solution comprises data acquisition by means of miniaturized, battery-powered ultra-low-power wireless sensor beacons, data processing and forwarding by gateways to store the data in a sensor cloud, and further processing by means of application- and customer-specific apps in the cloud (cloud computing). It is thus possible to use the data via web services and web applications in a platform-independent manner in the browser. By using the ultra-low-power radio standard Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and an optimized measurement data acquisition and data transmission concept, battery lifetimes of five years and more can be achieved.
What has been achieved?
The wireless sensor nodes found application in the industrial sector (retro-fit, predictive maintenance). Furthermore, they can also be used as an operating hours counter via clever evaluation. In this way, it has already been possible to make existing plants in a production environment without their own network interface or with otherwise only cumbersome connection Industrie4.0-ready. Users get an overview of current utilization at a glance in the cloud. Likewise, they have already been successfully tested with industrial partners, e.g. for warehouse monitoring.
Application highlight
"We didn't want to compromise on the performance of the system, so we developed a complete, end-to-end system, including a cloud solution hosted on-site in Regensburg. This negates performance and ease of use. Whether it's fine details in the data or the observation of a longer trend – with our cloud solution, companies don't have to make a decision, but can conveniently and quickly switch between these display forms. The system is plug-and-play, of course. (Stefan Gottwald, Development Engineer, Sensorik-Bayern GmbH)
What measures were used to achieve the solution?
Seven partners pooled their expertise in the BMBF project and joined forces in this cooperative project to tackle what is currently still a major technological challenge. Details under this link.
What can others learn from it?
When it comes to Industry 4.0, we don't want to make any compromises, which is why the components in the SensorBeaconSystem are perfectly coordinated. This is the only way to achieve high performance and user-friendliness at the same time. The fact that we can offer everything from a single source has also enabled the system to make a name for itself as a platform for the development of customer-specific solutions.
