Partnership Sends Sensor Data into the Cloud

BinMaster and Device Solutions have put together an end-to-end remote monitoring system for sensor-based networks that is designed to automate data collection, dissemination, and reporting. Called BinCom, the system was created to help users monitor and manage data from all types of sensors, including level, temperature, moisture, humidity, and flow. Users can be alerted when pre-determined thresholds are met. Other system features include the ability to track assets and automatically optimize routes for delivery vehicles.

While each company was providing a portion of the IIoT picture, the combination of the sensors and software allowed the companies to create a complete package. “We were looking for a system that could get data from our sensors into a cloud. But we’re not a software company, so we sought a partner,” Scott Hudson, VP of marketing at BinMaster, told Design News. “This system brings it all together and let’s us get all the data in to our customers in the way they need it.”

The backbone of the system is a wireless communication device based upon the Cellio IIoT platform developed by Device Solutions. Transceivers and gateways send data from sensors to cloud-based application software. The system will offer a variety of models compatible with Cellular CDMA, Cellular GSM, WiFi, or Ethernet communication platforms. Remote data monitoring can be done via a PC, tablet, or Smart Phone and it can be set up to send automated alerts via email or SMS text.

Since the companies serve markets where users are often out in the field, BinCom was designed to be accessed on the run when necessary. “The data is available on any mobile device, iPhone or Android. It’s a native application that is not just accessed on a website,” Bob Witter, CEO of Device Solutions, told us. The system was also designed with an eye to efficiency. “We concentrate on long battery life on the sensor life and very low data to keep the costs low, both for the initial cost and for the ongoing costs".

The standard BinCom interfaces include both Analog and Digital and support 0-5V DC, 4-20 mA, dry contacts, Modbus, and RS-485 outputs. The BinCom data monitoring and asset tracking system is a complete system that includes sensors, BinCom transceivers, gateways and asset trackers, cloud-based services, and other options such as local monitoring consoles.

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The goal of the partnership was to create an affordable, scalable, and reliable system with end-to-end data collection and analytics that would work for a wide range of applications. “The analytics can range from change in level or range that creates an alert –- an indication on a dashboard to more sophisticated analytics like truck routing,” said Witter. “One of the first applications was using this in a large mill where they were trying to determine the level of grain in a bin.”

BinCom was designed for customers who are not interested in cobbling together a system for a variety of vendors. “A lot of our clients were looking for a whole system, not just the parts of a system. So we created a one-stop package that offers everything they need to collect the data and use it on the backend,” said Witter. “This is an off-the-shelf product that provides the entire eco system in one stop.”

[images via BinCom]

Rob Spiegel has covered automation and control for 15 years, 12 of them for Design News. Other topics he has covered include supply chain technology, alternative energy, and cyber security. For 10 years he was owner and publisher of the food magazine Chile Pepper.