Modern sensors help with maintenance and servicing
Modern sensors and technologies for Networking via the IoT give companies the opportunity to incorporate data into production control and planning that have not yet been used.
An example: A food producer who produces convenience products has to store some ingredients under very specific conditions because they are sensitive to moisture or temperature, for example. Modern sensors simplify this, because they can be used to control data on humidity or temperature in the storage containers. Are these sensors integrated into an ERP system, reorders or maintenance processes can be initiated automatically in the event of faults. Together with production control systems, it is possible to optimize production. Modern sensor technology also helps to optimize processes in other industries.
Another example: In a paper mill, hundreds of sensors are attached to the housing of a paper machine about 100 meters long. They measure the temperature and vibration of the machine. The values ​​determined in this way are early indicators for recognizing faults. They help to avoid overloads and failures. This data, together with other data from production control, can help an ERP to automatically start maintenance processes if the situation becomes critical.
Subsequent networking
In normal production systems, the measured values ​​are only used internally at the control level. There is neither storage nor forwarding to the outside. The data is not available for an existing ERP system. Newer systems process data relevant to production, but they are seldom integrated into ERP applications. Technologies for the IIoT offer solutions here. Industrial controls can be retrofitted with the help of small IoT modules. You record measured values, digitize and encrypt them. The measured values ​​are then sent wirelessly to a gateway that is connected to a central platform in the cloud via the Internet. Short-range radio in the 868 megahertz band is usually used here so that all radio links can work alongside one another without collisions.
Well-proven machines can also be integrated
In practice, companies not only integrate very modern machines into the digital processes, but also machines that have been tried and tested for a long time. That makes the subject of retrofitting, also known as retrofit, very important. With retrofit, individual IoT functions can be integrated into existing systems. Any sensors that are subsequently attached are then connected to the corresponding IoT modules. These so-called sensor boxes collect a wide variety of data, such as acceleration, movement, humidity, brightness, volume, temperature and vibration. It is also possible to actively control relays and contacts, even if they do not have the appropriate interfaces from the start.
The way from the sensors to the gateway
The control electronics either transmit data that are of interest to production directly or additional sensors determine them. In most cases, these IoT modules and the sensor boxes are directly networked with the IoT platform. The connection is established via the gateway. These sit between the sensors and the devices on the one hand and the IoT platform. The task of the gateways is to bundle the sensor data streams so that the central platform can process them. A direct connection to individual sensor boxes is only used in individual cases, for example if remote measuring points need to be connected individually.
Gateway as a security gate
The gateway represents the only connection with the central platform. This means that the production plant is protected against external access. All connections between the sensor, gateway and central platform are also encrypted. The sensor values ​​are unchanged and reliable. In the opposite direction, they also only send control commands via reliable connections. Special IT security measures are required here. Especially when storing the necessary keys. The gateways have more than just a transmission function. More and more computing capacity is being located there, at the edge of the network, so to speak. In technical jargon, this is also known as edge computing.
It is often not very useful for all measured values ​​to reach the central platform. If, for example, temperature sensors determine data every second, very large amounts of data are available in a short time. But such a large database is usually not necessary if only a change in temperature is of interest. In these cases, measured values ​​are only to be transferred if they differ from the previous value. In these situations, direct alarms or the triggering of processes for predictive maintenance make sense. Gateways that have their own computing capacity are good for this. They can also compress the data for the ERP application so that only aggregated data is stored there. All common technologies are suitable for data transmission, such as existing WLAN or Internet connections via cellular networks, copper cables or fiber optics.
5G technology for high data transmission rates
The 5G technology is better adapted to the IIoT due to the high data transfer rates of ten gigabits / second or faster. In companies with small amounts of data and uncritical transmission speeds for sensor data, there are various LPWAN technologies (Low Power Wide Area Network). They are the alternative to the otherwise common mobile communications. The two technologies will run in parallel in the future as they each have different advantages. The NB-IoT (NarrowBand-IoT) communication method in the LPWAN creates stable connections within thick masonry. Other radio technologies have problems there.
At the end there is an IoT platform
First, the data has to be converted into a suitable file format before it can get into the ERP system. The IoT platform is a kind of data hub and acts as an intermediary between processing systems and the IoT hardware. There is also a programmable interface that can be integrated into existing systems, such as ERP applications or other business software.
08/27/2020