Making Sense of Sensors

Many of us are already experiencing what sensors can do in our everyday lives. So expectations are high for what they can do for industry. But it’s important to realise they’re not the universal answer to every equipment monitoring problem. As with any tool, it’s not the tool itself but how it’s used that’s important. 

Even though sensors are less costly than they were, you still need to know: 

• What you want monitoring to tell you
• What you need to monitor
• What to do with the data you collect and 
• How to interpret the data?

Otherwise you can still spend – and waste – an awful lot of money.

Connected thinking

Sensors’ basic design has not changed significantly for many years. However there has been a revolution in their signal processing and data transmission capabilities.  And it’s their capability for wire-free connectivity which is really creating new possibilities for industry.

Now that it’s possible to connect things which couldn’t previously be connected, OEMs are seeing the advantages of open networking. Whereas once, for example, DeviceNet wouldn’t talk to PROFINET, there are now protocol converters available to ensure it will. 

The benefits for customers of an holistic view of their assets on a single dashboard are obvious. Yet more sensors and more connectivity does bring a new challenge.

What to do with data? 

The number of sensors and the amount of data they produce are both increasing exponentially. In fact the upper limit of IPV4 addresses has almost been reached, prompting an imminent move to IPV6 simply to accommodate all the things being connected. A change in the way the data they produce is dealt with is also required.

Industry generally sends data to the cloud for storage and analysis. This means vast amounts of digital information being transferred off-site, and vast amounts  of processing power being required to sift out what’s relevant from what isn’t. 

One solution being adopted is to support cloud computing with local “fog computing”.

IoT-connected sensors on assets send all the data they collect to on-site fog nodes. These nodes then process the data locally, and periodically send only relevant information to the cloud for analysis. Once the data has been analysed, the cloud can rewrite application rules accordingly and send these back to the fog nodes, from where they can be uploaded to the assets to update  they way they operate.

The result is equipment which is always operating at optimum efficiency, with improved running costs and productivity, and a reduced total cost of ownership.

Beyond the basics

Even with fog computing, the use of sensors within industry is still at a fairly basic level. They mainly facilitate condition monitoring, which in turn enables preventative maintenance. However, combining sensors with the IoT offers the potential to do much more. 

For example, it should be possible to identify a change in a monitored parameter against the benchmark, to interrogate the asset to discover the cause of the fault, and to automatically call the engineer. Thanks to the information provided in advance, the engineer will arrive with the correct part or parts, for a quicker and more effective repair or replacement. 

It doesn’t happen yet, but it will do. And if the skills shortage in industry continues, it could even go a step further.

The Augmented Reality engineer

When a sensor flags up an issue in the future, it won’t necessarily bring an engineer rushing to the site. Instead, an operator might just put on his glasses. But these won’t be just any glasses. 

Point-of-view telepresence glasses are fitted with an HD video camera and connected to the internet, so that a remote engineer can see what the person on-site sees. They also have a stills camera, so a picture of the failed component’s part number can be sent to the engineer. He or she can then send back a schematic of the part to a heads-up display, and talk the person on the ground through the repair or replacement process. 

Using this type of Augmented Reality (AR) device, an experienced engineer could potentially analyse and direct the repair of several faults in different locations all in one day. It’s more efficient and more productive, reduces asset downtime, and enables less-skilled staff to carry out skilled engineering tasks, whilst learning on the job.

Open to the future

ERIKS UK is already working with ERIKS Netherlands to develop AR smart eyewear. And while OEMs are just getting to grips with the new world of openness and connectivity, ERIKS has always been open to working with all manufacturers, across a vast range of products.  

What counts for ERIKS is resolving the customer’s issue, optimising equipment efficiency, and minimising the total cost of ownership. 

As sensor technology develops beyond traditional vibration and temperature monitoring, it will soon be possible to gather and analyse data on almost any aspect of any asset’s condition, and to adjust its operation accordingly, in real time. And the only human intervention required will be to talk to ERIKS first.