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Monthly Archives: December 2019

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[Vlog] What are the Top IoT Trends that will Redefine Industry 4.0 Operations in 2020?

Category : Embedded Blog

Industrial operations have witnessed a significant shift in paradigm in the recent years. This can be attributed to the adoption of technologies powered by the Internet of Things (IoT).

Some of the trends that are expected to dominate manufacturing activities in 2020 are highlighted in this video.

Our Expertise in IoT Gateway Development Services for Industry 4.0: https://www.embitel.com/iot-gateway-device-development-services

Detailed Blog on 2020 IoT trends in Industry 4.0 –  https://www.embitel.com/blog/embedded-blog/the-2020-iot-trends-that-will-disrupt-industry-4-0

(Video)

What to Expect in this Video

The video lists the advantages of these emerging Industrial IoT trends that simply cannot be overlooked:

  • Combination of Industrial IoT (IIoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)


    Businesses that have incorporated Artificial Intelligence solutions into their value chain activities have reaped exceptional value in the past. Overall, industrial automation solutions powered by AI have been able to provide:

    • Improved efficiency in operations
    • Enhanced customer experience

    This was realised by the capabilities of AI systems that operate at the ‘edge’ (in proximity to the industrial equipment) and in cloud servers.

    This trend is expected to continue through 2020, as more organisations have come to realise the multi-faceted benefits AI offers.

  • Introduction of Collaborative Robots (Cobots)


    Human and robot collaboration on the industry work-floor has been made possible through the increased use of cobots.

    Cobots have been able to provide the following benefits in industrial operations:

    • The integrated sensors in these robots make the automation of intricate assembly tasks easy and affordable.
    • These robots are also equipped with the ability to detect and reduce their speed on approaching a human co-worker. This has enabled humans and cobots to share the same workspace without any significant safety hazards.

    In 2020 and the years beyond, cobots will make the work of humans less strenuous. Modern robotic systems can effectively support humans and improve the overall productivity of the plant.

  • Adoption of 5G Networking


    The deployment of 5G networks in industries will transform the functioning of plants through increased network coverage and faster data transfer.

    Some of the added advantages of using 5G networking in industries are as follows:

    • 5G networking provides high reliability and low latency that is crucial for critical applications.
    • High bandwidth and connection density ensure that there is no disruption in connectivity.
    • Mobile 5G technology makes it easier for factory floor layout alterations and reconfigurations.

  • Emergence of Augmented Reality (AR)


    AR technology provides the user the ability to experience an augmented world through the overlay of virtual information in the real world. A technician fitted with an AR device can, hence, receive real-time data or statistics for more efficient performance.

    Augmented reality devices can also assist in industrial learning and training.

    The overall handling and operation time in a plant are optimised through the use of AR devices.

In this video, we explain the highlights of each of the aforementioned trends. We look forward to seeing your comments on the video and the insights it offers.

Click on the subscribe button to get notified of our upcoming video releases!


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How Our IoT Team Partnered with a Europe Based Mattress Retailer to Help Measure Sleep Quality of Their Customers

 

About the Customer:

Our customer is a renowned retailer of mattresses, duvets, bed linen and bedroom furniture in the Europe market.

With a mission to provide the most suitable sleeping equipment for their varied customer base, the products they offer have been instrumental in assuring restful sleep for their customers.
 

Business Challenge:

Our customer envisioned to deliver value-added services along with their products.  In this regard, they launched a Mobile Application. The following are the details:

  • The customer developed an iOS Mobile Application, that collected data from the accelerometer sensors in the phone to monitor the sleep pattern of a user.
  • This mobile app provided a detailed graphical report at the end of the sleep session. The mobile phone is required to be mounted on to a belt that needs to be worn by the user while sleeping.
  • The app monitored the overall quality of the user’s sleep over a period of time.
  • Parameters recorded included the soundness of the sleep and interruptions (if any).

However, in their pursuit to deliver better app experience and improved sleep monitoring and analysis, our customer was confronted with technology-related challenges.

The customer wanted to deliver the following functionalities through the Mobile App:

  • Position Analysis
  • Monitoring of Multiple Sleep Sessions in a Day
  • Better App Experience and Reporting

 

Embitel Solution:

SleepMyWay screenshot - Record

SleepMyWay screenshot 2

SleepMyWay screenshot 1

 

We re-designed the mobile application in order to facilitate the following functionalities:

  • Position analysis is a new feature that has been integrated into the app. The position of the user is monitored by the app throughout the sleep session. The app is configured to monitor 8 positions in total, with a percentage orientation (in each direction) for every position.
  • The app provides sleep analysis reports in text and graphical formats. A sleep analysis report can also be sent to an assigned email ID in a tabular format.
  • The sleep monitoring functionality of the app originally provided only a single report in a day, and this corresponded to the last sleep session. The re-designed app is integrated with the ability to track all the sleep sessions of a user in a day. Separate reports in text and graphical formats can be generated for each session.
  • The app also provides consolidated reports for tracking the quality of the user’s sleep on a weekly basis.
  • The application does not require any initial calibration to start monitoring the position of the user. The phone’s accelerometer is used to assess the orientation of the phone and hence, the user’s position.
  • The user can choose to delete specific sleep data/reports at any time. The analysis view on the app will then be updated with the report for the subsequent or preceding daily/weekly session, based on availability of data.

 

Tools and Technologies


swift

The app was created using SWIFT 5.0 programming language.

 
xcode

The IDE used for iOS app development was XCODE.
 
Redmine

Redmine was used for project management activities and bug reporting.

 
 
 


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Embitel is Now a Proud Member of the Elite Toradex Partner Network

Category : Press

 

December 24th, 2019, Bengaluru, India:Embitel Technologies, a Product Engineering Services company with more than a decade of expertise and mind-set of a Start-up, has announced its partnership with Tordex, a name synonymous with embedded computing.

Toradex is a pioneer in the development of System-on-Chip (SOC), System-on-Module (SOM) and other computing solutions for a wide range of industries.

toradex-logo

 

Embitel’ s association with Toradex has a long history! Embitel has been designing Automotive and Industrial IoT solutions based on SOCs from APALIS family of Toradex SoM, for global customers across India, USA, Europe and China. These customer-success stories include Android Infotainment, Instrument Cluster and IoT Gateway Development projects.

Embitel Technologies formal inclusion in the elite Partner Network of Toradex can be attributed to such long-standing and successful associations.
 

Find details of our partnership with Toradex here: https://www.toradex.com/support/partner-network/services/100013/embitel-technologies-i-pvt-ltd

 

This inclusion in the Partner network of Toradex is aimed to benefit all the stakeholders with greater learning opportunities and open doors for more deeper association on future projects.

Embitel has been at the forefront in terms of new innovations in the Electric Vehicle space and Android based Infotainment and Instrument Cluster domain. As most of these solutions require System on Chips/Modules, this partnership with Toradex promises a great value-add for the automotive customers.
 

Sagar

“We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Toradex’s global family, in order to deliver cutting-edge solutions to customers in Instrument Cluster, Android Infotainment and telematics domain. Our experience in the Electric Four-Wheelers/Two-wheelers and automation solutions for Industry 4.0 along with SOCs from Toradex will effectively reduce the time-to-market for customer projects.“


Vidya Sagar, the Head of IOT Business Unit, Embitel Technologies.

 

Sagar

“We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Toradex’s global family, in order to deliver cutting-edge solutions to customers in Instrument Cluster, Android Infotainment and telematics domain. Our experience in the Electric Four-Wheelers/Two-wheelers and automation solutions for Industry 4.0 along with SOCs from Toradex will effectively reduce the time-to-market for customer projects.“


Vidya Sagar, the Head of IOT Business Unit, Embitel Technologies.

 

About Embitel: Embitel is a leading Product Engineering Service provider delivering cutting-edge and innovative solutions in domains like Automotive, Internet of Things and Digital Commerce. A strategic partner of Volkswagen Group, Embitel has been helping our customers from around the globe develop their business ideas into scalable solutions.

To learn more about Embitel, please visit- www.embitel.com

About Tordex: Toradex identifies itself as a computing solution provider focusing majorly on the embedded industry. Their products and services are designed to enable customers to achieve the lowest cost of ownership of their solution. Toradex provides a strong integration of hardware, software and related services to reduce the time-to-market for critical projects.

To learn more about Toradex, please visit- www.toradex.com


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Integration of Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) Update with Industrial Battery Monitoring System

 

About the Customer:

Our customer is an OEM of photovoltaic inverters, variable frequency drivers and advanced automation systems for Industry 4.0. They are a trusted brand with focus on delivering innovative solutions for industrial automation systems.
 

Business Challenge:

  • The customer had deployed a network of industrial UPS solutions for several of their enterprise customers. Their battery management solution has been designed to monitor and report anomalies associated with battery discharge.
  • In the absence of any automation solution, field technicians were required to have expertise in examining the system, isolating the defective battery and identifying the defect in the battery.
  • The customer desired to implement an intelligent battery monitoring system that would ease the manual monitoring process and deliver benefits of Predictive Maintenance (PdM) or Proactive Maintenance.

 

Embitel Solution:

We developed the hardware and firmware for an industrial grade network of sensors for battery monitoring and data collection.

FOTA Update Integration

 

  • A Battery Monitoring Unit has been designed to collect voltage and temperature data from the installed batteries.
  • The data from multiple Battery Monitoring Units is transmitted to an IoT Gateway Device for analysis and decision making. This device constantly monitors the state and health of the batteries and alerts a technician by predicting the occurrence of a fault.
  • This solution is able to proactively identify discharged batteries in the network and inform an administrator when there was a need to take action.
  • The IoT Gateway Device is connected to two interfaces:
    • Field-deployed battery monitoring system
    • On-premise server or cloud server
  • The health and state of the batteries can be monitored through a mobile interface or web application that connects to the server and receives data from the IoT Gateway Device.

Integration of Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) Update Feature:

In the event of a change in requirements (such as an alteration in battery voltage, an updated calibration algorithm, etc.) there would be a need to update the firmware in the IoT Gateway Device and the Battery Monitoring Units.

Since the setup was connected to a live high-power circuit, the activity of the entire plant will have to be ceased for manually updating the firmware.

Hence, the Battery Monitoring Unit and IoT Gateway Devices were developed to be reprogrammable over the air (FOTA).

How it Works

  • When required, FOTA Update Image is pushed to the cloud server by the admin users.
  • The cloud server then transmits FOTA Image to the IoT Gateway Device which, in turn, sends this information to the Battery Monitoring Units.
  • The Bootloader software ported in the Battery Monitoring Units initiates the re-boot of the system, downloads and integrates the updated firmware with the system.
  • Once the updates have been deployed, the status is sent back to the IoT Gateway Device that transmits it to the cloud.

Features

  • The hardware of the IoT Gateway Device and Battery Monitoring Units were configured such that it accounts for the additional memory required for storing FOTA images.
  • The bootloader software for each of these devices was specifically designed based on memory requirements for storing and updating the software.
  • If there is any disruption in the communication between the IoT Gateway Device and Battery Monitoring Units, the gateway device reinitiates the communication through multiple retrials.
  • The IoT Gateway Device and Battery Monitoring Units are equipped with the information to check the sanity of the images. This is a crucial step to ensure that the images are being received from authentic sources.
  • The system also performs CRC check to determine whether the received packet is complete. This helps in avoiding a partial firmware update.
  • The system has been incorporated with a rollback mechanism that is triggered in the event of failures. For instance, if there was a disruption in the WiFi network at the time of an update, the system rolls back to the default image and relinquishes the new update.

 

Embitel Impact:

  • The network of Battery Monitoring Units and IoT Gateway Device mitigates the complexities involved in the examination and assessment of the battery monitoring system for faults and failures. Hence, our solution reduces the operational cost by a significant amount.
  • Our solution enables the administrator to analyse whether the target voltage and current are maintained in the circuit. This overall view was not available in the original setup.
  • The network notifies the administrator of faults before the entire system shuts down due to failure. This is, hence, a Predictive Maintenance (PdM) solution for the battery monitoring unit.
  • In case there is a change in the measurement algorithm, there will be updates to the Battery Monitoring Units and IoT Gateway Device through FOTA.

 

Tools and Technologies:

  • Texas Instrument (TI) Industrial Microcontroller was used in the gateway device and battery monitoring units.
  • Texas Instruments (TI) FreeRTOS was used for embedded software development.
  • OrCAD design tools were used for schematic development. HyperLynx was used for Signal Integrity analysis, Power Integrity check, and Thermal Analysis.
  • Texas Instruments Code Composer Studio was utilised for the development of the gateway device and battery monitoring units.
  • QT framework was used for HMI design of the PC-Application and ATS.
  • TCP/IP server was used for remote PC configuration.
  • ModBus slave stack was utilised for creating an interface with the Building Management Software.

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ASIL B Compliant Base Software (BSW) & Secure Bootloader Development for Automotive Lighting System

 

About the Customer

Our customer is a leading electronics engineering service provider in the automotive domain. The company caters to several OEMs across the globe.
 

Business Challenge

The customer required expert guidance and support in the development of Base Software (BSW) and Flash Bootloader Modules for a project on Automotive Lighting Systems.

Since our customer’s in-house team was focussed on core hardware design and development activities, the need for an experienced Product Engineering Services partner was felt. As the system was intended to be ASIL B compliant, the customer was looking for a partner proficient in implementation of ISO 26262 compliant practices of software development.

After an end-to-end audit of our embedded software development and ISO 26262 capabilities, the customer found that:

  • We have the expertise in development of ISO 26262 compliant low-level device drivers and Base Software for various microcontroller platforms that are deployed in different automotive applications.
  • We could deliver a UDS based secure Bootloader which conforms to ASIL B.
  • Our production-grade UDS Protocol Stack (ISO 14229 compliant) and proprietary reprogramming tool would expedite their product development process and reduce time-to-market.

This paved the way for our successful and long-term partnership with this customer.
 

Embitel Solution

We developed all the software components required by the LED driver to control the headlamps, as per the customer’s requirement.

The solution included:

  • Low-level device drivers, BSW and UDS Protocol Stack (ISO 14229 compliant).
  • A UDS based secure flash bootloader equipped with Digital Signature powered with SHA algorithm and AES encryption.
  • A PC tool for UDS-based reprogramming . This tool has been developed in-house, as part of our R&D and Innovation strategy.

 

Our UDS Protocol based reprogramming tool is compatible with various third-party simulation tools such as Vector CAN Analyser, PCAN & others, and helps in debugging, validation and testing of the communication between the software modules and the in-vehicle network (in a simulated environment). The use of this reprogramming tool reduced the project delivery timeline by a significant amount.

 

 Key Features of UDS Stack Reprogramming Tool:

  • This is an in-house product that can be used to flash an image into the microcontroller.
  • The tool supports different formats of image files, such as Intel Hex, Motorolla, etc.
  • Through this tool, it is possible to connect to different third-party tools like Vector CAN Analyser, PCAN or Interpret.
  • The tool can generate the log file for the complete programming sequence. So, in case of any failure, one can debug it using the log file.
  • Currently, we support Windows platform and the tool is developed using QT & C Code.

 
To ensure our Base Software was working as intended, we also developed a Test Application that proved the BSW.

As the customer had already performed HARA, they provided us with the Technical Safety Requirement (TSR). Our ISO 26262 team worked closely with Base Software Development team to ensure that all guidelines for ASIL B compliance is followed.

Here is a snapshot of the solution development roadmap for this project:

  • We developed the software module following the steps highlighted below:
    • Design of the software module
    • Unit testing of the module – This includes boundary testing (positive and negative testing) using TESSY tool
    • Review processes based on CMM Level 3 guidelines
    • Static analysis through MISRA C guidelines
  • After the module development was completed, all BSW modules were integrated and tested.
  • We delivered all the documentation associated with this product development for a lighting control system to the customer.
  • Integration and Functional Testing was performed as per the ISO 26262 guidelines for ASIL B compliance.

 

Embitel Impact

  • We developed a robust solution based on all the requirements provided by the customer.
  • It usually takes 6-8 months to develop and implement specific UDS Protocol (ISO 14229 compliant) services. With the help of our production-grade UDS Protocol Stack and reprogramming tool, we were able to reduce the development time by 50%.

 

Tools and Technologies

  • 32 Bit Microcontroller Unit from ATMEL
  • ATMEL Studio: It is an IDE and compiler to write the C code
  • PolySpace: It was used for MISRA C compliance
  • Tessy Tool: We used Tessy Tool for Unit Testing of the software
  • ATMEL ICE: It was used to debug the MCU
  • Vector CANoe: For Functional Testing of the Project

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Development of Telematics Control Unit for Automotive Tier-I Supplier

 

About the Customer

Our customer is a leading Tier-I Supplier of Infotainment Systems, Head-up Display (HUD) Solutions, Digital Instrument Clusters and Battery Management Systems (BMS) for Electric Vehicles.
 

Business Challenge

  • The customer desired to integrate Telematics features in their Digital Instrument Cluster product.
  • This Instrument Cluster solution has been designed for passenger vehicles (four-wheelers, two-wheelers, auto rickshaws and electric vehicles).
  • In order to launch this product along with the integrated Telematics Features, the support of Subject Matter Experts (SME) was required in areas of Cloud, Firmware, Device Drivers, and end-to end IoT Technology Stack.
  • The customer decided that their in-house teams should focus on the core product development activities and the telematics feature integration activity should be outsourced.
  • This made the role of the Product Engineering Services partner very critical.

 

Embitel Solution

Our more than a decade long expertise in the Automotive domain along with proven production grade Cloud-Telematics reference designs encouraged the customer to partner with us for this project.

We leveraged our expertise in IoT Sensor Network design and Cloud Interface development, in order to enable the collection of data like speed, GPS location and more.

This was facilitated with the help of MQTT protocol based communication interface.

Our expertise in the automotive domain ensured that we achieve compliance with all the necessary standards while selecting components for hardware design. Additionally, we have leveraged our expertise in firmware, SPI, I2C and CAN protocols.

Telematics solution

 

  • We designed and developed a telematics control unit (TCU) within the vehicle, that collects and transmits data through cloud connectivity (GSM) and Bluetooth communication.
  • We developed an interface between the telematics control unit and a mobile application.
    • Data can be transmitted through Bluetooth when the app is in close proximity to the vehicle. This includes activities such as locking the vehicle or configuring a speed limit to be monitored.
    • Cloud connectivity (GSM) is used for data transfer from the automotive telematics control unit when the app is at a remote location. This includes data regarding the vehicle’s speed, location, incidence of an accident, etc.
  • In addition to providing information about the vehicle and the engine status in a digital readout format, our solution also included maps and navigation capabilities.

Features

  • The automotive telematics control unit captures the following data:
    • GPS location of the vehicle
    • GSM signal strength at a location
    • Inclination of the device
    • Details on temperature and weather
  • Some of the alerts triggered by the product include:
    • Accident alert / SOS alert – In the event of an accident an alert is sent to the cloud, and subsequently routed to a predetermined destination (mobile application).
    • Location tracking – The location of the vehicle can be monitored from the mobile app.
    • Geofencing capabilities – An alert can be sent to the mobile app when the vehicle enters/exits a specific territory.
    • Speed limit alert – It is possible to create profiles for which specific speed limits are assigned. When the vehicle crosses the speed limit, an alert is triggered and sent to the cloud. This alert is then routed to the mobile application for the attention of the user.
  • The instrument cluster has been integrated with Maps to facilitate navigation capability.

 

Embitel Impact

We were able to successfully deliver a robust telematics solution within the desired timeframe.

  • The customer was able to deliver the proof of concept (PoC) within 6 months.
  • This helped them initiate demos with the OEMs and Suppliers earlier than expected.

 

Tools and Technologies

  • The Renesas microcontroller unit (MCU) that is part of the hardware was developed using e² studio.
  • CAN Analyser Tool was also used for development.
  • Mosquitto MQTT server was used for the transmission and reception of messages through the cloud.
  • AT Commands were used for GSM connectivity.
  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.0 was used for establishing Bluetooth connectivity.

Check out this video to learn how a vehicle telematics solution works. It clearly explains how the telematics control unit communicates with the cloud server where the data is stored. This information is then available through telematics applications to the end users.


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AUTOSAR ComStack – Understanding the Communication Services Modules in AUTOSAR Architecture

Category : Embedded Blog

AUTOSAR architecture provides standardization for automotive ECU software component development.  The data request from the upper layers of AUTOSAR architecture passes through various modules to reach the physical medium and in turn to other control units.

This flow of data is managed by a set of modules known as the AUTOSAR ComStack. It holds much importance because the standardization is achieved only when different control units communicate without any incompatibility.

As evident from the introduction, our topic for the latest video on AUTOSAR series is the Communication Stack.

Key Takeaways from the AUTOSAR ComStack Video

  • Need for AUTOSAR ComStack: Why is it important?
  • Overview of a Generic AUTOSAR ComStack
  • Migration from Generic to CAN Communication Stack
  • Data Exchange in CAN ComStack

This video on AUTOSAR Communication Stack would be of interest to viewers associated with the industry of automotive software solutions.

AUTOSAR is not a new concept, but its adoption has been relatively more widespread in recent times. This video will help you develop a good understanding of the concept and give you clarity on how to approach projects involving AUTOSAR communication stack.

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