This is the third article of the series: IoT-Based Asset Tracking.
On the previous article, we touched on the potential challenges engineers might face when designing for IoT-based asset tracking. Now, we will go into detail on how these considerations can be kept in the back of our heads along with the possible ways to be prepared and tackle them.
Dive in with our experts’ insight, and explore their perspectives, questions, and answers in this resourceful series.
Go to:
- From a wireless perspective, with insight from Rick Cartier, Wireless Specialist at Future Electronics.
- From a sensor’s perspective, with insight from John Stih, Sensor Specialist at Future Electronics
- From a power perspective, with insight from Paul Schmokel, Analog/Power Specialist at Future Electronics
From a wireless perspective:
Special thanks to Rick Cartier for his valuable collaboration
Once we’ve identified the possible challenges, we’ll face on our IoT design journey, it’s time to come up with solutions and plan accordingly. These are some of the considerations for seamless operations highlighted by Rick Cartier during our discussion:
Redundancy: The Backbone of Reliability
The word redundancy gets thrown around so frequently in the field that it feels redundant in itself. However, there are few or no scenarios where having that safety net is not the wisest alternative. In this case, counting with alternative solutions to rescue your systems when connectivity falters involve more than just backups, you need to have a full understanding of the causes and consequences of losing connectivity.
Mapping Every Scenario
Proper planning is key for successful projects. In the IoT-based asset tracking realm this means anticipating every possible scenario, every possible place, corners and edges if the world your cargo might venture to. For example, if you plan out GPS tracking for a project where the assets might go through a warehouse where there’s poor or no GPS reception, you might lose very important knowledge. This is why it’s important to understand where your project will go and what circumstances that might involve.
Mandatory Connectivity in Critical Applications
What happens then when constant connectivity isn’t just a nice-to-have, but a non-negotiable requirement? Think of crucial applications such as organ transportation, where maintaining connection all-around is paramount. For these cases, planning may also involve establishing mandates and limiting operations to areas where cellular network is robust and ready. But even when we’ve planned out every possible scenario… what happens when connectivity is still unavoidably lost, even just temporarily?
Preparing for Data Loss and System Response
Even when everything is planned for, there might still be some unavoidable mishaps that fall out of our control. For this reason, a crucial aspect of planning is getting ready for failure… or in this case for data loss and how your system could respond if such setbacks happened. What contingency plans can you have in store to manage an unexpected disruption?
Every project starts with a need and an idea followed by endless planning. IoT-based asset tracking is not the exception. Planning for this type of application is not just a phase, it’s an ongoing strategy where the ability to adapt and respond to unforeseen scenarios while keeping the integrity of the operations is the key to success.
From a Sensors perspective:
Special thanks to John Stih for his valuable collaboration
When it comes to sensors, the same remains true… the key to success lies in meticulous planning. The added layer in this case comes with the need to address the hurdles that might be posed by power and connectivity.
Power: The First Gate
As we’ve seen, all pieces of the IoT puzzle will eventually entangle. Such is the case of sensors and power, where energy efficiency is paramount. Asset tracking can involve long journeys, and you may have the perfect sensor, but if it’s a power-hungry beast, it will not suffice. Battery powered sensors depend on efficient power consumption to ensure longevity.
Assessing Access and Communication
To achieve effective asset-tracking, engineers must select the right sensors for the job. And to select the right sensors, engineers must consider more than just the sensor itself. The right selection starts by considering not only what you need, but also what third-party resources you can count on, such as access to communication networks and power sources, for example.
Defining Your Measurement Goals
But now, how do you know what you need? The first step is to define what it is that you want to measure, and then how you plan to get those measurements. It’s a simple step, but it’s the foundation of sensor selection that aligns to your tracking objectives, later guiding the process around power and communication requirements.
Placement and Integration
Now that you have chosen your sensors and defined the third party devices you’re working with, it’s time to place them. This part of the process is no straightforward task. In fact, sensor placement is more of a nuance art. Where you position sensors can significantly influence data accuracy and effectiveness. In addition, interfacing with existing third-party products is often necessary to transmit data to the endpoint. Engineers must strategize to tackle these integration challenges accordingly.
From a Power perspective:
Special thanks to Paul Schmokel for his valuable collaboration
IoT-based asset tracking success from the power perspective comes from understanding power states, efficiency and having a proactive approach to battery life management.
Understanding Power States
Understanding power states is fundamental when designing for IoT-based asset tracking. IoT devices are typically battery-powered and often cycle through two to three power states:
High Power State: This is when the sensor is active, collecting data, making calculations, and transmitting information. In this state, devices demand a high amount of power. Ensuring your power design can handle this state is paramount. A good consideration is to incorporate enough output capacitance to manage unforeseen power surges without brownouts.
Low Power State: This is where most IoT devices spend the majority of their time. In a low power state, devices are either on sleep or idle mode and only “wake up” periodically based on events or time intervals to take measurements and transmit data. Designing for maximum efficiency and minimal current consumption (IQ or QS) is crucial during this phase. Power supplies with light load efficiency modes can optimize performance by reducing power consumption.
The Long Journey to Deployment
But here’s a bit of a catch… IoT devices will often go from one place to the other, travelling the world during assembly before actually being deployed. The devices’ journey from assembly to deployment is often overlooked, and only considering power management for the devices’ working life could be tragic if the assembly process takes a big chunk of that. Think of the times you’ve bought, for example, a battery powered remote control or lamp, but before you can use it, you have to remove a small plastic strip so that the batteries make contact and start working. Now that’s a simple solution to a big problem. However, it never ends there…
In scenarios where batteries are sealed with no access, the power supply remains active from the moment of assembly. This can lead to significant battery drain during the period between assembly, shelf storage, distribution, retail sale, and deployment.
To tackle this, suppliers offer a feature known as “ship mode.” In this mode, the device remains dormant, with only the power supply monitoring for an input signal to initiate system activation. This smart approach prevents unnecessary power drain during the device’s journey.
The IoT-based asset tracking puzzle is not without its challenges, but with the proper planning and considerations, the road to success is at your feet. To summarize this section of our discussion, we could say that success lies on:
- Planning, planning, planning… mapping every possible scenario, consider as much redundancy as possible, and then prepare for what happens when everything goes sideways.
- Understanding power states, efficiency and battery life, and ensuring that systems can handle peaks as well as prolonged periods of inactivity.
- Finding the balance between what you want and what you need. Powering up and down sensors requires careful consideration of the sampling frequency. Do you need data every minute, or is every five minutes, every hour, or something in between sufficient?
Before we move on to our fourth article in the series: Key components to enable and enhance IoT-based asset tracking, do you have any IoT or Asset tracking projects you’d like to take to the next level?
Send us an email and contact our experts at Future Electronics to get personalized engineering support for all your applications.
