Development of a Silicon Labs EFR32 Wireless Smart Industrial IoT Sensor

MVIKAS Technologies P Ltd, a Global Logistics Company That Provides Warehouse Improvements through Automation.

The global logistics company that approached us has distribution centers around the world. They wanted to gain better monitoring of their equipment so they could improve their operating efficiency in those centers.

They found that the systems they were currently using to monitor their equipment were separate from one another, had no real-time visibility into what was happening, and were unable to provide any forecasting capabilities for maintenance of the equipment.

Based on that, the client desired a totally integrated Industrial IoT solution that included all aspects of the solution (hardware, firmware, software, and cloud services), as well as enabling the wireless real-time monitoring of both the machinery and the environmental conditions in their distribution centers.

The solution also needed to integrate easily into their current system, as well as providing a modular, scalable, and reliable IoT device ecosystem.

We set out to develop a wireless industrial Internet of Things (IoT) device, using the EFR32 Wireless System on Chip (SoC) from Silicon Labs, to allow for wireless sensor monitoring in an industrial environment.

The project entailed:

• Design and develop the overall hardware including an individual PCB for multiple sensors to allow for wireless communication.
• Create and develop the firmware required to collect sensor data, communicate wirelessly and process information at the edge.
• Manufacture a rugged industrial casing to protect the device from the extreme conditions commonly found in warehouses.
• Develop cloud and back-end systems to provide real-time telemetry, data storage and analysis of the collected information.
• Develop various software applications for mobile phone, computer (desktop and/or laptop) and web-based access to the data.
• Provide API's and SDK's for integration with third party warehouse management systems (WMS) and GPS (General Purpose System) applications and/or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Complete the full end-to-end integration of the IoT solution providing over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates, secure connectivity and modular expansion to allow for further growth to the device.

The goal was to create an IoT sensor that would not only allow for accurate equipment monitoring, but also to assist with predictive maintenance when utilizing our equipment in our warehouse facility.

The device type is a smart wireless industrial sensing unit which will primarily be used as a wireless real-time monitoring device for warehouse operational machinery and environmental conditions, therefore enabling predictive maintenance to improve operational efficiencies.

Key features include:

• The ability to wirelessly monitor environmental conditions using a sensor mounted to the warehouse machinery, to read the temperature, vibration, humidity, and energy consumption.
• By applying predictive analytics using AI and ML algorithms, machine irregularities can be identified and estimated when a machine may fail mechanically.
• Mobile, web, and desktop applications that can provide information about monitoring, and alerts/notifications/reports of data collected through these devices.
• Device cloud integration supporting secure storage of the data collected and providing historical trend analysis and device management.
• The EFR32 System-on-Chip provides the wireless connectivity to the devices and those devices will support both the Zigbee and Thread protocols and Bluetooth Low Energy for delivering industrial communications reliably.
• The devices will have the ability to receive OTA (Over-The-Air) updates for continued improvement in functionality and security.
• Industrial certifications to meet rugged environment requirements including IP54 (Ingress Protection) rating, EMI/EMC certification, and operational temperature range.

Selection Criteria

Wireless Connectivity:

Suitable for Industrial Protocols such as Zigbee, Thread, BLE in large industrial environments.

Low Power Consumption:

Ultra-Low Power design to support battery operation on devices like Wireless Sensors.

Highly Integrated Device:

On-chip ADC, Timers and Digital Peripherals greatly facilitate sensor integration and edge processing for applications.

Security Features:

Provides hardware encryption (AES), Secure Boot and Device Authentication to protect data in an Industrial Environment, thus maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive industrial data.

Industrial Rated Operation:

Operating temperature range exceeds and is more stable than typical home automation or consumer product devices, and is quite robust to RF interferers that are common in industrial environments.

Comprehensive Software Development Kit:

Silicon Labs supplies Simplicity Studio - a complete suite of development tools and WLAN stacks to dramatically accelerate firmware/applications development for EFR32 applications.

1. Hardware & PCB Design

Custom Multi-Layer PCB:

Optimized for sensor data acquisition and wireless signal integrity

Sensor Integration:

Vibration monitoring for machinery condition, temperature and humidity monitoring, and voltage monitoring

Wireless Module:

Integrated Zigbee/Thread/BLE mesh networking with an EFR32 SoC running in Industrial installations

Power Management:

Battery management and low-power sleep mode application with power-efficient circuit technology

Enclosure:

Ruggedized enclosure with ingress protection up to IP54 to protect from moisture, dust, and vibration

Compliance:

Industrial EMI/EMC compliant to provide reliable wireless transmission

2. Embedded & Firmware Development

RTOS-based firmware:

Allow for real-time multitasking, which enables sensor data to be monitored in real time, as well as real-time wireless communication.

Edge processing:

Provides local processing/filtering capability on sensor data which reduces latency & dependency on a cloud service.

Communication protocol:

Securely connect to the cloud using Zigbee/Thread mesh networking, BLE, MQTT and HTTPS.

OTA (Over-the-air) firmware updates:

Remote updating of devices already deployed to a field location.

Low power operation:

Dynamic power management maximizes battery life.

Error Handling:

Ensures that the device will continue to function properly even if there is a problem caused by interference caused by radio frequency transmission or an anomaly in the sensor readings.

3. Industrial Design & Casing

Robust Design Features:

Shock absorbing, dust-proof, heat resistant and contained in an IP54 rated enclosure. The design allows the unit to be easily maintained, sensors to be interchanged, and hardware to be upgraded (modular design).

Visual Indicators:

LEDs are used for device status, alerts and notifications and show the operation of the device.

Installation:

It has been designed to be installed quickly and easily on warehouse machinery/equipment.

4. Cloud/Backend Architecture

Cloud Platform:

Using AWS IoT Core / Azure IoT Hub for secure device connectivity and telemetry.

Data Storage:

Storing sensor data in a time-series database and device configuration in relational databases.

Analytics Engine:

Use AI/ML models to analyze sensor data for anomaly detection and predictive maintenance.

Event Management:

Real-time alerts/notifications sent via web, mobile/desktop applications.

5. Software Development

Mobile Application:

Monitoring live while getting alerts for future events and viewing analytics about past events in real time for both iOS and Android

Web Dashboard:

Analytics with full reporting capabilities ro both device and site management, along with the ability to analyze data trends in the past

Desktop Application:

Ability to configure devices advanced level and log device use as well as monitor devices while offline

SDK & REST API:

Ability to integrate SDK into WMS and ERP systems along with third-party analytic systems

Security and Compliance:

Access based on roles, secured data while in flight, and secured data authentication.

6. Manufacturing & Quality Control

PCB Assembly - Industry-standard combinations of SMT and through hole designs are utilized to ensure the highest level of reliability in each of the sensors.

Functional Testing - Verifies sensor operation; power consumption; wireless protocol; OTA firmware update capabilities.

Environmental Testing - Simulates temperature and humidity levels and vibration simulations found within the warehousing operation.

Batch QA - Automated flashing and calibration processes provide consistency in the quality of each of the devices.

• Implementation of wireless industrial sensors based on the Silicon Labs EFR32 chipset in multiple warehouse environments.
• Ability to monitor actual machinery through real-time monitoring of environmental conditions.
• Enhanced predictive maintenance accuracy through the use of AI Analytics; reduced unplanned downtime 20%-25%.
• Multi-platform applications have been developed that allow for remote monitoring and managing via desktop/mobile/web.
• Mesh networking technologies have been implemented to provide reliable wireless communications for large industrial installations.
• Use of SDKs and REST APIs provide companies with tools to integrate the wireless industrial sensors with their existing Warehouse Management Systems, Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, or any other third-party IoT solutions.

"We are able to monitor in real-time how things are operating based on our equipment improvement."-MVIKAS Technologies P Ltd, Team