Machines and Equipment need to be monitored for function, performance, operations, and results. Many suppliers provide industrial monitoring solutions for their equipment as part of complex industrial control systems. In some cases, these are ‘industry’ standard that support multiple vendors but often, especially for older equipment it is difficult to find a solution that really works. Triotos Industrial IoT (IIoT)-based monitoring solution addresses this challenge. (Needless to say, information has to available from the machine/equipment in some electrical signal or voltage form, if not or solution can only though external sensors detect vibration, temperature or movement.)

Understanding the Challenge

Modern Industrial machines/equipment often come with built-in monitoring solutions. Sometimes they support more widely used industrial interfaces such as MODBUS that allow them to be connected to supplier or third-party monitoring solutions. While these capabilities can be used to develop sophisticated monitoring solutions they are often complicated to use, and expensive to integrate, with different suppliers supporting different capabilities. In addition, some desired information may not be available at all from these vendor systems or systems that claim to integrate different products.  So, additional instrumentation and sensors/data collection capabilities and additional expensive integration have to be added to the equation.

Implementing a monitoring solution for machines/equipment from different manufacturers poses further challenges as existing communication and connectivity may not support the needed range of bandwidth. And, implementing and operating such a system can be very costly.

Overlay Machine/Equipment Monitoring — an Evolved Answer

What if there were a better way? Triotos has examined this challenge and developed an answer that can address many situations where data is available, the Industrial IoT overlay Machine/Equipment Monitoring Solution. As the name implies this solution can be applied with or “overlaid” on existing machines and equipment without massive investment and integration costs.

An overlay solution addresses some of the most difficult challenges in delivering the most critical functions required for a successful IoT implementation.

First and foremost, it helps ensure delivery of IoT applications that actually meet the needs of users, whether operational managers, field technicians, support engineers, business analysts, administrators, or executives.  In other words, the applications are made available in the right format, on the right device, and with the right timely relevant actionable information that each user wants.

Additionally, the Industrial IoT overlay Machine/Equipment Monitoring Solution delivers:

  • An IoT data model and associated data gathering capabilities designed together with each customer and customized for that customer’s specific needs.
  • Industrial IoT gateways or sensors designed to integrate with the customer’s machines/equipment (where possible). These gateways or sensors connect with to customer machines/equipment over communication or electrical interfaces or are attached physically.
  • Establish – connectivity using new wireless or wired connectivity, avoiding integration and security issues associated with existing internal networks.
  • An IoT platform that handles all the data gathering, processing, and storage of the IoT data. A processing architecture that then processes and converts raw data to meaningful data, events, alarms, and information that can be used for applications, machine learning and analytics. And, of course, a processing architecture that uses edge processing available in IoT gateways/devices to optimize data flows and efficiency.
  • A secure scalable application that will meet the customer’s needs today and for the foreseeable future.

In summary – an existing IoT solution that can be overlaid on the customer’s current machines/equipment without massive investment and integration costs offers compelling advantages in terms of cost, ease of implementation, and reliability.

Triotos Solution – Built on our Reference Architecture

Our Industrial IoT Reference Architecture is built around Amazon’s AWS IoT Core platform and associated applications/software for data management, time series storage & analytics, machine learning, and tools for information presentation as well as services for messaging and email.

On top of this we have created a complete set of applications for data/event monitoring, analytics, administration, and management of the IoT solution as well as user, device, and application provisioning. In addition to the extensive AWS IoT security architecture, we are integrated with AT&T’s extensive mobile offering for secure high speed and low speed data connectivity.

By starting with an already existing reference architecture augmented with tools for rapid development and integration we will bring up a complete IoT implementation for you in months instead of the typical year an internal effort would take. Working closely with your IoT team and using an agile approach we will start delivering your IoT applications, designed for your specific needs, in weeks rather than months. As we are already starting with a fully deployed reference architecture, we can do this at a very competitive price point and offer it as a solution owned by you or hosted on our AWS multi-tenant platform.

So, whether you are a supplier of machines/equipment or want to Monitor them, Triotos can bring you the complete IIoT solution you need for your business.

Triotos IIoT Solutions Brochure

Download our Industrial IoT brochure to learn more on the 6 verticals Triotos help their customers achieve complete automation.