Wireless IoT Enablement of Mobile Industrial Weighing Systems
Challenge:
The customer – manufactures and distributes weighing systems that are integrated in hand pallet trucks, warehouse trucks and forklifts. Because the weighing systems are mobile, they allow companies to do two things at once — transport and weigh. By eliminating the need to drive back and forth to a fixed floor scale with every pallet or container, the company’s mobile weighing systems help customers save time, space and manpower.
The company began developing its next-generation mobile weighing systems, which would enable wireless communication to a customer’s warehouse management system (WMS). Adding wireless capability would effectively turn forklifts and warehouse trucks into platforms for gathering and communicating real-time information. With such a system, the company’s customers would have various types of information about material flows — such as how much of a certain material is available, where is it located, where is it going, where is it coming from, and more — continuously available to all relevant audiences as well as stored in a database for later analysis. Could Lantronix provide the most effective solution to add wireless networking to their customer’s next-generation mobile weighing systems?
Key Requirements:
Compact embedded 802.11 b/g wireless networking device that bridges the Ethernet-to-wireless gap | |
Ability to be fully integrated and fit directly onto the current PCB board | |
Solution must be scalable, reliable and cost-effective | |
Ease of deployment is critical to ensure minimal downtime |
The Solution:Â Lantronix MatchPort b/g Embedded Wireless Device Server
The company had worked with other suppliers in the past, but was considering different options for the new systems. Lantronix assessed the company’s desired capabilities for the new mobile weighing systems and recommended the MatchPort b/g, an extremely affordable embedded 802.11 b/g wireless networking device that bridges the Ethernet-to-wireless gap.
Unlike the competitor’s module, which required separate connections, the MatchPort b/g fit directly onto the company’s current PCB board. The MatchPort b/g’s power consumption is also better than the competitor’s product, because its dedicated co-processor module manages wireless and network activity, permitting the weighing system to function at maximum efficiency.
Lantronix MatchPort b/g Application: Mobile Weighing System
Results:
Enables wireless connectivity to the mobile weighing system which eliminated the need to drive back and forth, helping its customers save time, space and manpower | |
Effectively turned forklifts and warehouse trucks into platforms for gathering and communication real-time information | |
The modules small form factor significantly reduced development time | |
Low power consumption enabled maximum efficiency |
About the Lantronix MatchPort b/g
The ultimate in flexibility, security, performance and affordability in embedded wireless networking –MatchPort b/g enables you to build wireless networking into virtually any electronic device with a serial interface. With this full-featured, turnkey embedded device server module your products can be wirelessly accessed and controlled over the Internet!
Lantronix MatchPort b/g Key Benefits:
Extremely affordable embedded 802.11 b/g wireless networking | |
Wired Ethernet-to-wireless bridging | |
Common platform form factor for a family of wired and wireless modules | |
Bulletproof security with IEEE 802.11i-PSK,WPA-PSK, TKIP and optional 256-bit AES end-to-end encryption | |
Full TCP/IP stack,web server and Windows deployment software | |
Two serial channels; up to 921 Kbps data rate | |
FCC Class B, UL and EN EMC and safety-compliant | |
Compact: 45mm x 45mm with 40-pin 2 mm header |
For more information on the MatchPort b/g.