Internet of things into the toilet Germany "black technology" to play a new pattern [Full text]

In recent days, Tiantan Park in Beijing, China, has introduced face recognition technology to distribute free toilet paper. This high-tech new thing has caused heated discussions among netizens and it has also attracted the attention of many foreign media such as The New York Times. According to TheVerge, a technology media, it can be seen from this matter that advanced biometric technologies (including face recognition, iris recognition, fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, etc.) are spreading from smart phones to personal computers to public bathrooms and other new scenes. Xiao Bian wants to say that compared to face recognition technology, perhaps the Internet of Things technology is more suitable for the toilets. Recently, German scientists have used sensors and wireless transmission technology to design a smart Internet of Things system, “Washroom Information Service System,” to create a fully automated management and information-based toilet.

Internet of Things enters the toilet Germany "black technology" to play a new trick

“The cotton tissue on the 17th floor of the third floor is about to run out. The hand sanitizer on the 21st floor of the fourth floor is almost depleted. There is no toilet paper on the 26th floor.” Perhaps in many buildings nowadays The cleaners still obtain this information through verbal notifications or regular inspections. However, when the Internet of Things technology enters the restroom, the future transmission and management of these information will become more "real-time, intelligent, informatized, and systematic."

Today, we use an innovative technology solution from a German scientist as an example to explain the key technologies and the impact on toilet management. According to the Fraunhofer-German association, their technical solution fully automates the monitoring of hand soaps, cotton wipes, and toilet paper roll holders in toilets and informs cleaners to manage them.

Researchers use sensors and wireless transmission technologies to make these items a member of the "Internet of Things." When these items are lacking, the system can notify the cleaners in a timely manner. After the cleaners have mastered this information, they can plan and manage their work more efficiently.

The "CWS Toilet Information Service" system was designed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Germany and the full-service provider CWS-boco International GmbH. It has significantly improved toilets. The cleaning efficiency reduces the maintenance requirements for the restrooms.

The head of the project is Prof. Thomas Wieland, head of the Fraunhofer Application Center in Coburg. Hytes is responsible for the design of various container and dispenser systems. The key core technology of this system is: "sensor and wireless network transmission technology".

sensor

Sensors are responsible for data collection. For the Internet of Things, the role played is critical. This system is no exception, and the sensor is still one of the key players. These sensors are powered by batteries and are responsible for monitoring hand soap dispensers, cotton towel rolls, and toilet paper.

The specific sensor to use for measurement depends on different tasks. For example, for a hand sanitizer dispenser, an optical sensor can be used to monitor the current remaining amount. The sensor module collects data from the hand sanitizer dispenser. Similarly, optical sensors can also be used to monitor the amount of toilet paper.

Wireless network transmission technology

For the Internet of Things, the transmission of data often uses wireless, such as the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRa, NB-IoT, etc. introduced between us. Interested friends can refer to my previous article. However, the key feature of the wireless transmission technology used in this system is "wireless network self-configuration."

Let me first introduce the basic process of wireless transmission of this system. The data collected by the sensors will be sent through a complex wireless transmission system. First, the dispenser information is transmitted to the nearest "Washroom Control Module" (WCU) via the Bluetooth 4.0 LE (Low-Power) protocol.

The following is the realization of the key "wireless network self-configuration". Each WCU is a data collection point and a communication node. They are distributed throughout the building and with the Internet. However, the s-net wireless technology developed by Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Germany plays a key role in enabling wireless networks to configure themselves. Each WCU in the network can "autonomously" decide which device to send data to.

In this regard, Wieland, expert of the Fraunhofer Association, explained: "If a particular module fails or is otherwise inaccessible, the WCU will send its data to another module."

Therefore, this wireless network can automatically compensate for defective devices or any interference on the transmission path. Once all data is collected, the final WCU on the transmission chain sends the entire packet (again via s-net technology) to the gateway outside the building.

Then, the operating information of each restroom will be sent to Hayes's server through the cellular network and displayed on the user interface display visually. On-duty supervisors can print out information about the restroom based on the duty plan, or send information to the employee's tablet. Or, on the display at the entrance of the restroom, the current needs of the restroom are displayed.

Commercial testing

The development phase of the “CWS Toilet Information Service” system is nearing completion, and field testing for some pilot customers commenced in the first quarter of 2017. CWS-boco will launch the system to the market. The biggest advantage of this system is its flexibility.

In response, Jens Einsiedler, Head of Digital Business at Hight International commented: “We integrate new devices with their own sensor systems. Many products, from hand sanitizer dispensers to toilet paper holders and trash cans, embed sensors and Integrated into the system."

Technical advantages

This low-power s-net is self-organizing, so it is highly reliable. Not only that, its transmission frequency is 868 MHz, it has good transmission characteristics, it can easily pass through the wall, which is very useful for complex buildings.

Market application

Researchers will not only consider toilet services, but will also extend sensor-based s-net technology to more applications. Wieland explained that "the system is suitable for any situation where sensors are used to collect and transmit data."

As a part of the Internet of Things technology, this wireless sensor network technology has a broad application prospect. For rural areas, it can monitor farmland very efficiently. For cities, it can be used to monitor water quality, as well as to monitor the stability of buildings and bridges. For the health field, it can be integrated into textiles to monitor the patient's movement during physical therapy.

Therefore, it can be used in various fields such as “Smart Agriculture, Smart City, Smart Home, Medical Electronics, and Wearable”. In the same way, this technology is also expected to become an option for "Industry 4.0" in the future. Wireless sensors can be used to monitor the status of production companies, machines and workshops, and on this basis, use these data to solve the problems encountered in the production process.

At the same time, Wieland and his team are also working on a more practical and more effective project: "The monitoring of waste in trash cans on Reutlingen's pedestrian street".