Monthly Archives: January 2016

ARM9 SBC with 7-inch Touchscreen

Now you can have complete HMI or Human Machine Interface with the Linux-ready ARM9 Single Board Computer from Premier Farnell. It comes with a 7-inch touchscreen and you can use the SBC for home automation as well.

The EDM6070AR-01 is a single board computer with an integrated Embedded Display Module or EDM, which makes it suitable for supporting a variety of embedded HMI applications. These include data acquisition and analysis, network terminals, medical products, intelligent instruments and industrial control terminals. Farnell has included a Smart Home demo application with the SBC and it features a smart-LED controller. With the home automation application, users can set light levels independently in each room. Additionally, they can also set flexible states for humidity and temperature using the smart-climate feature. Moreover, the SBC also allows management of room-specific surveillance cameras and audio streaming.

The brain behind the EDM6070AR-01 single board computer is the Mini6935 COM or Computer-On-Module, which is based on the ATMEL ARM9 processor AT91SAM9X35. Compared with the SAM9G35, the 400MHz SAM9X35 is more advanced, offering 16KB each of data and instruction cache along with additional interfaces such as UART, ISI and CAN. However, unlike the closely related SAM9X25, the SAM9X35 does not have a second Ethernet controller, but adds a second CAN interface along with an LCD interface.

Within the Mini6935 COM are 256MB of NAND flash, 128MB of DDR2 SDRAM, 4MB of data flash and 4KB EEPROM. The COM has a 10/100 Ethernet MAC, while it routes all signals via two rows of connectors on the back of the module.

The EDM6070AR-01 includes an 800×600-pixel LCD controller, two USB host ports, a USB device port and two SD card interfaces. One hundred and eight GPIOs, dual SPI and CAN interfaces form the industrial IOs. The EBM6070AR-01 SBC ships with a Linux 2.6.39 BSP supporting QT GUIs and numerous file systems.

The 108 GPIOs are each 32-bits, of which three are peripheral IOs, and the rest are programmable multiplexed. The SBC is also equipped with a 12-channel, 10-bit ADC for the touchscreen and a 4-channel, 16-bit PWM controller. With dimensions of 64x45mm and running on 3.3V, 1.25A power, the SBC has a watchdog, can operate as a soft modem, and perform safely within a temperature range of 10-70°C. Apart from this, the EDM6070AR-01 also integrates three GPIO inputs and outputs along with various LEDs, buttons and buzzers.

The 800×480-pixel, 7-inch touchscreen stacks on top of the board. The LCD module is TFT, with 800×480, 24-bit resolution and a 4-wire resistive touch panel. The SBC networks through a fast Ethernet port controlled by a DM9161CIEP chip. Other features include two power LEDs, an IO button and Reset button, RTC with battery backup and a watchdog. The SBC also provides an output DC supply of 5V.

Among the real-world ports available on the EDM6070AR-01 are a USB high-speed host port, a USB device port, Audio in-out, Debug interface, RS232 interface, RS485 interface and CAN interface.
You can drop the EDM6070AR-01 SBC into your product with negligible integration efforts. It is also possible to wrap an enclosure around it, add software applications and allow it to become your finished product.

The Raspberry Pi Zero Has It Simplified

The release of the new Raspberry Pi Zero or RBPi-Zero has taken the technical world by a storm. This tiny SBC has a 1GHz ARM11 System on Chip, 40 GPIO pins, micro-USB ports, a mini-HDMI port, a micro SD card slot and works with 512MB RAM. The 65×30 mm card has gone on sale with a price tag of a mere $5.00.

The Broadcom BCM2836, clocked to 1GHz, runs Raspbian Linux. Not only is the RBPi-Zero 40 percent faster than the original RBPi Model B, it is also 40 smaller than the B+ model of the RBPi. Although almost identical in size to the RBPi Compute Module, the RBPi-Zero has the real-world ports that the former lacks. However, like the A+ Model, the Zero lacks the Ethernet port.

People looking for the Broadcom chip on the RBPi-Zero will be disappointed at not finding it on either the top or the bottom side of the board. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has adopted the Package-on-Package or PoP manufacturing technology for RBPi-Zero. Therefore, although the Broadcom chip is present on board, the Elpida 512MB RAM chip sits piggyback on top of the Broadcom chip, hiding it from view.

The RBPi-Zero lacks the USB ports, DSI and CSI ports and the audio jack. That is because it is intended for IoT- and embedded-focused hackers. The manufacturers have kept the same 40-pin expansion header other modern RBPi boards possess. Therefore, users can attach available HATs or other expansion boards and adapters. Moreover, the Zero can run any application meant to run on the Model B+.

To use the RBPi-Zero, users will need additional cables. Although most users will have these lying around, others may need to buy them and some more. The best way to start is to go with the Adafruit kit, which is selling two versions in the US market – the Budget Pack and the more expensive Starter Kit. Other vendors offer different combos for accessories.

The Budget Pack of Adafruit comes with a RBPi-Zero board along with a 5V, 1A power supply, USB-A to USB-micro B cable, an 8GB Class 10 SD Card for the OS, a Micro-USB to USB OTG cable, 2×20 Male header strips and a Mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter.

The Starter Kit from Adafruit includes the above and adds more 2×20 male and female headers, USB Console cable and a Wi-Fi dongle. With the USB Console cable, you can put up an alternative display in place of the HDMI.

The Essential Kit from PiHut offers all the items of the Budget Pack of Adafruit (except the SD Card) and includes four rubber feet, one single row of 20-pin GPIO header, one dual row of 40-pin GPIO header, one dual row 40-pin female GPIO header and one dual row 40-pin right-angled GPIO header.

Pimroni offers similar kits to the two above, but offers useful zero-sized PiHATs. These include the Explorer pHAT, the Scroll pHAT and the pHAT DAC. The Explorer HAT is suitable for building a tiny robot as it can drive a motor over an H-bridge, has buffered digital IOs and four analog inputs for low-cost sensors. With the Scroll HAT, you can drive 11×5 LED matrix and the pHAT DAC adds a digital to analog converter to your RBPi-Zero.

Track Mobile Assets with this 4G LTE Router

Organizations with fleets of vehicles to manage do not find it an easy task. It is important for them to focus on the bottom line without sacrificing service, response time and customer experience. Tracking mobile assets is a complex issue for fleet management that organizations in numerous verticals have to grapple with every day.

Saving operating costs can help pay for an investment in fleet management solutions. A good solution provides savings with optimized vehicle utilization, operator compliance and lowers training costs, besides saving fuel and maintenance costs through Information – the key to reducing costs. Typically, a fleet manager has to know whether drivers are operating safely, choosing efficient routes while staying within authorized boundaries; whether any vehicle is being used for unauthorized purposes, is under-utilized or idling needlessly; whether a vehicle will need preventive maintenance to avoid expensive repairs; location of the vehicle closest to an urgent call that just came in; when an older vehicle should be cycled out; which vehicles do not use fuel economically, etc.

You can monitor all this and more with the 4G LTE router and associated tools from CalAmp. Their flagship router, the LMU-5000LTE has support for a broad range of wireless connection options. It comes equipped with interfaces for all types of vehicles, including light and heavy-duty vehicles and it can monitor the vehicle status, location and behavior of the driver. With the Programmable Event Generator, PEG, which is the industry-leading on-board alert engine, the fleet manager has access to real-time information. With this, he can define rules that enable the application to take action as values exceed a threshold that he has specified.

Running embedded Linux on a 400MHz ARM9 processor, the LMU-5000LTE features fleet tracking and the user-programmable PEG monitoring software. It is equipped with multiple IO, a 5-channel GPS, EVDO, HSPA, and LTE routers. LMU-5000LTE is a cellular router and gateway for AT&T networks.

If you are looking for greater flexibility in designing your solution, CalAmp has the LMU-4230. This includes an even greater set of fleet features using cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and option for satellite connectivity. A three-axis accelerometer assesses Vehicular performance such as impacts, aggressive acceleration or hard braking. An optional interface, the JPOD ECU or Engine Control Unit allows reading and transmitting heavy-duty engine conditions and performance data. This includes engine temperature and fault codes to provide the optimum real-time picture of the health of your vehicle.

With the LMU-5000LTE, organizations can set up managed cellular networks via AT&T’s mobile broadband network working on 4G LTE. The device combines gateway, routing and M2M monitoring functions. According to CalAmp, the unit supports remote monitoring and control, enterprise fleet management, industrial and energy remote asset management, point-of-sale applications and workforce automation.

The Linux-based firmware on the device and CalAmp’s PEG alert engine monitors external conditions and responds to exception-based rules defined by the user. The user gets a feedback on violation of any threshold such as time, date, motion, location, geo-zone and inputs. CalAmp also provides PULS or Programming, Update and Logistics System for management and maintenance for over-the-air devices.

The 4DPi-24-HAT for the Raspberry Pi

Once you have a Raspberry Pi or RBPi, you need a keyboard and a monitor to communicate with it. Provided the monitor has a touchscreen, you can dispense with the keyboard. Just such a touchscreen LCD is available from 4D systems and Newark Element14. Their 4DPi-24-HAT is a 2.4-inch, resistive QVGA LCD with a resistive touchscreen and designers claim this is the first device to use the full HAT design.

HATs or Hardware Added on Top boards enable the RBPi SBC to configure its GPIO signals and drivers for use with the external devices on the board. Users find this easy for installation, and the burden on developers reduces considerably. Although this is not the first touchscreen to use the HAT interface, the 4DPi-24-HAT has its own argument for being the first device to use the full HAT design.

For example, Adafruit offers PiTFT, a 2.4-inch TFT touchscreen supporting a HAT connection. This is 320×240-pixel kit, requiring soldering to attach the 2×20 GPIO header to the HAT board. Although this is fast and easy to do, the 4DPi-24-HAT does not require any soldering.

The 4DPi-24-HAT, with its 320×240-pixel resolution, is on the low end of the spectrum for available touchscreens for the RBPi. It also uses a 4-wire resistive touchscreen, rather than the more sensitive capacitive touch technology. With a typical video frame rate of 25 frames per second, the touchscreen supports full-color. According to 4D Systems, the frame rate can be increased with kernel compression.

Users can display the output of RBPi Models A+, B+ or the latest RBPi-2 Model B on the screen of the 30-gm, 65×56.5×14.4mm display. No external power is necessary, as the display sits directly on the 40-pin header and draws its required power from the RBPi.

4D Systems has optimized the 4DPi-24-HAT for operations with the Raspbian Linux. The RBPi communicates with the HAT via SPI connection at 48MHz. The display utilizes an on-board processor featuring a customized DMA enabled kernel. The processor interprets direct commands and takes care of the SPI communication.

An on-board jumper is useful for switching on or off the backlight of the display. Dimming of the backlight is also possible through PWM signals and controls. The RBPi is able to recognize the device quickly because of the EEPROM on board the HAT.

When you place the touchscreen on the RBPi, it sits on the entire bank of the GPIO connectors. It also almost covers the RBPi, excluding the Ethernet and USB ports. You can use standoffs to support the other end of the display to prevent it from hanging. The screen also fits neatly within the official RBPi case.

To power up the display from your RBPi, you have to download the 4DPi-24-HAT kernel from the 4D System’s website. By default, this kernel will replace the file config.txt at /boot. To get the display to work you now need to play around with the framebuffers on the device. This way, you can get it to display a higher resolution image and even enable other features on the screen.

For example, the file /boot/cmdline.txt will allow you to rotate the image on the screen to rotate by 0, 90, 180 or 270-degrees.

Wireless Energy Management with Linux

Home and commercial builders often need appliances for automation and energy management. Check-It Solutions has a product just for this purpose. This is the CG-300 Controller, a Linux-based monitoring and control appliance for managing energy for home and commercial establishments.

Running on a Marvell Armada 300 SoC, the 88F6282, at 1.2GHz, the CG-300 offers its users short-range wireless services such as Z-Wave, ZigBee, Ethernet and optional LTE. Users can access the turnkey Energy Management Starter Kit for the device with a web-portal service on their smartphone. With the kit, users can run a Dent metering service and use its Energy Star benchmarking.

If your building already has an existing automation system, CG-300 can communicate via protocols such as Modbus or BACnet for centralizing monitoring information or controlling functions. CG-300 can operate as a standalone controller also and communicate with sensors at multiple locations for retrieving data. It can report and conduct data analysis on the information it receives from the sensors. Check-It Solutions has a turnkey Energy Management Starter Kit, which the CG-300 can access via a web portal.

Spread of home automation systems has arguably slowed because of the lack of consensus for a single short-range wireless technology – the battle between ZigBee and Z-Wave supports this. By offering both the radio technologies in one product, the bipartisan approach of Check-It has made it easier and more affordable for users. For a more uniform and predictable RF coverage, CG-300 offers individual RP-SMA dipole antenna for the two. Moreover, users can upgrade the Z-Wave stack on the device from the host SoC, because the device has a built-in programming circuit for the Z-Wave ASIC.

The CG-300 operates with 1GB of SLC NAND flash and 512MB of DDR3 RAM offering dual USB ports and a single gigabit Ethernet port. The SLC NAND flash is of high write-endurance type. If you need a 4G LTE/HSPA radio, go for the CG-300c model, which uses an external SIM card slot of the MiniPCIe type. The Z-Wave on CG-300 operates at 900MHz with a 168mm RP-SMA external antenna, while the ZigBee operates at 2.4GHz with a 76mm RP-SMA external antenna.

The Operating System for the device is a 3.4 kernel customized Linux. With the main application based on Java, it offers flexible IO scheduling with event-driven script execution. For additional optimization on ARM, Check-It has gone with a licensed, proprietary Oracle JVM rather than OpenJDK.
Using Oracle JVM, the controller can utilize the cellular and Ethernet connectivity for automatic failover for Internet connectivity. However, local traffic always prefers Ethernet connectivity and the process is useful for communicating with local PLCs and BACnet devices.

The CG-300 comes as a part of the turnkey solution that Check-It offers – the Energy Management Starter Kit. The CG-300 functions to manage communications between installed devices, while forwarding information to the secure hosted web portal, the Check-It Solutions Platform.

The web portal allows users to monitor energy and water usage and benchmark the performance of buildings, while identifying potential savings in energy usage. The system allows control and automation of lighting, HVAC and electrical loads.

Raspberry Pi for the Solar Plant Monitoring System

In an effort to go green, solar energy is proving to be the forerunner. Collecting energy from the sun requires photovoltaic cells that convert the solar energy directly into the usable electrical form. Even computers are getting smaller and using less energy than before. As a result, several companies are building commercial products based on SBCs or Single Board Computers such as the hackable Raspberry Pi, or the RBPi.

For example, Storm Energy is a Germany-based firm designing the SunSniffer system that monitors photovoltaic solar power installations or all sizes. According to the company, their latest version is capable of even controlling the equipment. They have enhanced the flexibility and upgradability of their system by adding an RBPi SBC running a customized Linux OS, along with a customized expansion board.

Users can utilize the SunSniffer system and its backend software for monitoring and controlling solar equipment at the system, string and module levels. According to Storm Energy, use of the system enhances the system efficiency by more than 7 percent, as it enables monitoring temperature, cable power loss, interconnection bandwidth and many more functions that are important. An included iPhone application or SMS allows the SunSniffer system to present reports online, as well as on mobile devices.

The open Linux platform is the chief attraction for the company to select an RBPi for its proprietary SunSniffer solar plant monitoring system. According to Storm Energy, using Linux has brought it maximum upgradability for SunSniffer. The Google translation of their website indicates that the company is able to make necessary changes and adjustments most economically because of Linux.

Storm Energy uses a Radio Ripple Control Receiver to turn on/off their solar inverters. This is an addition to simply monitoring their data. That gives them support for real-time reduction of their system’s performance for compensation just as the market premium models do. Apart from the system supporting meter readings, which are useful for solar-powered apartment buildings, the system also has SSL encryption to support future requirements complying with BSI Smart Meter Gateway.

Users can opt for additional integrated anti-theft protection on the SunSniffer. It includes features such as an emergency shutdown system and nighttime surveillance. According to the company, using the RBPi enables integration of cameras for optically monitoring the PV system with up to 1920×1080 pixels at 30 frames per second.

Just like any other conventional power station, constant monitoring of solar installations is necessary, since a solar plant is as prone to errors as with any other technical system. That includes pollution from soot, accumulation of dust and flower pollen. Usually, these form a thin layer on the surface of the modules, preventing sunlight from reaching the solar cells.

In addition, there can be damage such as glass breakage because of extreme temperature fluctuations, high snow loads, hail, swarms of birds soiling the modules and martens biting through cables. Moreover, there can be manufacturing defects such as joints becoming brittle leading to hot sports. Installation errors can include incorrect sorting of modules and forgotten plug connections leading to losses, and perilous electric arcs, etc. SunSniffer detects such errors and malfunctions quickly, enabling an increase in system efficiency.

Papirus E-HAT Supports Multiple Display Sizes on Raspberry Pi

You can transform regular paper into almost anything – write on it, make origami or even change it into paper-mache. Similarly, e-paper is also proving to be a platform for realizing incredible and versatile projects. E-paper has amazing properties such as excellent visibility, paper like readability and very low energy consumption. That makes e-paper a perfect platform for making phones, accessories and digital signs.

Pi Supply is now offering Papirus, a display HAT supporting e-paper displays up to 2.7-inches on the Raspberry Pi or RBPi Single Board Computer. Although another e-paper HAT is also available from Percheron Electronics, Papirus is priced lower than the Percheron e-paper HAT.

According to Pi Supply, Papirus is optimized for the RBPi Models A+, B+ and the RBPi 2 Model B. However, Papirus works well with any SBC running on 3.3 or 5V logic and power, provided the SBC includes I2C and SPI interfaces. Therefore, apart from the RBPi, you can use Papirus with Arduino, BeagleBone and possibly, the RBPi-Zero.

Similar to the Percheron e-paper HAT, Papirus also offers the three options of Pervasive Display. These options include displays of 1.44-in. 128×96 pixels, 2-in. 200X96 pixels and 2.7-in. 264X176 pixels. Papirus has optional slim-line switches.

The display on Papirus is supported by on-board 32Mbit flash memory. As the display is in the form of Hardware on Top or HAT, it has the necessary EEPROM to make it plug and play with the RBPi. A battery-backed RTC allows keeping real time. The on-board digital temperature sensor and thermal watchdog provide a safeguard against unnatural temperature excursions.

Papirus interfaces with the RBPi through its GPIO connector. Pi Supply offers users an optional GPIO breakout board and an optional reset pin header for a wake on alarm with RTC. Other optional offers are a pogo pin and four slim-line switches, which the user can solder on top of the board.

Currently, one can use Papirus with rePaper, the free software offering from Pervasive. Pi Supply is planning to add enhancements above the free offering. According to Pi Supply, this could be in the form of an Easy Installer and include example scripts, which will help to push the Raspbian desktop to the e-paper screen. Another possibility is the addition of a web application for remote screen management.

Functionally, E-paper is similar to ordinary paper. When jotting down something on ordinary paper, your pen leaves well-defined lines or text. Electronic paper displays give the same crispness and high-readability of their contents. However, the method of displaying contents on an e-paper display is different from that used by Liquid Crystal Displays.

E-paper uses e-ink technology for displaying its contents. Electronic paper display is actually made up of millions of capsules within a thin film. Each capsule contains a clear fluid in which there are several tiny particles of black and white colors and with different electric charges. On each capsule are two transparent electrodes on its top and bottom sides. Applying a positive or a negative electric field to an individual electrode makes particles with the corresponding charge move to either the top or the bottom of the capsule. The surface of the e-paper display on the capsule now appears to be either black or white.

How do Sensors Measure Gear Tooth Speed and Direction?

Measuring speed of gears is an important factor in various industries, especially in pharmaceutical, tobacco, printing, woodworking, paper, textile, food and others where rotational machinery predominates. Gear speed measurements also necessary in pumps, blowers, mixers, exhaust and ventilation fans, wheel-slip measurement on autos and locomotives, flow measurement on turbine meters and many more.

The most common gear tooth sensors detect a change in the magnetic field for determining the speed and direction. Usually, these are of three types – the Hall Effect, magneto-resistive and the Variable Reluctance. There are optical types of sensors as well, detecting a change in light levels as the gear rotates past the sensor.

Sensors using magnetic properties are good for measuring speed and direction of gears made of ferrous metals. All these sensors are non-contact type and sensitive to detect the presence of gear teeth passing in front of the sensor. As a gear tooth comes close to the magnetic sensor, its output flips and the electrical level at its output changes state. The output remains steady as long as the gear tooth is within the detectors sensing zone. As the tooth passes out of this zone, the output flips back. Therefore, a magnetic sensor placed in front of a rotating gear, the output from the sensor will be a series of electrical pulses.

There are several advantages when using magnetic sensors. Apart from the sensors being non-contact type, they are robust, hermetically sealed and can withstand unregulated power supply. Most manufacturers make then RoHS and IP67 compliant. That means no lead or other toxic materials are used for manufacturing these sensors and dust or liquid will not enter their enclosure. That makes such sensors suitable for use in food processing industries.

For measuring the speed of gears made of non-magnetic material, engineers often use optical sensors. The most common sensor of this type is the optical interrupters. Gear teeth interrupt a light beam from an LED source and the detector produces a corresponding electrical output. A continuously rotating gear in front of the sensor therefore, creates a similar series of electrical pulses as the output from magnetic sensors do.

The functioning of optical speed or proximity sensors is dependent of the dust and dirt level of the environment where they are used. Therefore, their range of applications is somewhat restricted as compared to magnetic sensors.

Measurement of direction involves a reference point, which means two sensors need to be used, with one of them being the reference sensor. An electronic circuit measures the time gap between the responses from each sensor. As the gear tooth passes in front of both sensors, one of them will change output before the other. If sensor A happens to trigger before sensor B does, the electronic circuit determines the gear is moving from A towards B. In case the output of sensor B switches before sensor A does, then the gear is moving from B towards A.

Usually, the sensors provide separate digital outputs for speed and direction. Their measuring capability may extend from detecting near zero speed up y 15 kHz.

How do Sensors Measure Angle?

An angle is the degree of rotation of an object from a reference position about a central axis. In the engineering world, there are two types of angles requiring measurement. One is the physical or mechanical characteristic, such as the rotation of a shaft with respect to its bearing or housing. The other is a mathematical term such as the angle between two phases of alternating voltage system. Usually, sensors measure angles in a format that a computer or a machine can understand, interpret and utilize.

It is also a common practice to convert a physical characteristic into a rotational mechanical movement to measure linear displacement. For example, the distance traveled by a shaft can be translated into rotational movement by a rack and pinion arrangement. The angular position sensor attached to the arrangement then interprets the angular movement in proportion to the linear movement of the shaft.

In the market, you will find different sizes and forms of angle positioning sensors using various technologies. Generally speaking, these sensors are versatile and one can use them in all kinds of applications, such as in agriculture, commercial equipment, off-road vehicles and in automotive industries. Most of the applications above require a product suitable for operating in harsh environments, including moisture, dirt, dust, extreme temperatures and more.

For example, Forklift Position sensors measure the angle of the forks on a forklift truck. According to OSHA, one of the primary causes for tip-over accidents on forklifts is excessive speed when the machine is turning or rounding a corner. The angle position sensor on the truck helps it to remain within a safe speed and prevents overturning. This particular application also prevents accidents from unbalanced loads and limits the operation of the machine when the load is improperly positioned or balanced.

The simplest form of measuring angle is by using the gear tooth sensor. By sensing the teeth to count the rotation of a gear or wheel, engineers monitor and limit speed. Another common form of angular position measurement utilizes potentiometers. Other more sensitive and rugged types of angle sensors use optical or magnetic technology.

Traditional rotary encoders use an LED transmitter, a coded disc and a photo sensor to detect angular movement. The disc is coded with opaque and transparent sections, which transmit light in a specific manner to the photo sensors depending on the position of the disc. The photo sensor converts the light falling on to it into an electrical code. This allows the encoder to detect rotation, position, angle, etc.

Sensors that are more rugged use the Hall-Effect technology for measuring angle. This technology uses magnetic field sensing and does not require the critical positioning necessary for the components using optical methods. In both methods, accuracy of an angle sensor depends largely on its resolution. The higher the resolution, the more precise is the detection of angular movement. Sensors measuring angles using Hall-Effect technology can perform without physical contact, thereby remaining unaffected by vibration and abrupt movements. These sensors also have the added benefits of virtually unlimited lifespan.

A Bike Computer that Deters Theft

Cars already have theft alarms that create a racket when someone tries to tinker with or steal them. So far, there have not been many bike alarms, but now Wi-MM offers one that can notify users if anyone tries to pinch their bicycle. The Bike+ BPU-100 from Wi-MM is a bicycle computer that runs embedded Linux.

As bicycles are easy targets for thieves, people with top-of-the-line bikes think twice when riding in areas that have high theft rates. However, the Bike+ BPU-100 will notify users if their bike is stolen by sounding an alarm and helping track it down via GPS. The device links to cloud services via its onboard 3G cellular modem. Additional capabilities include real-time location and mapping, route tracking, synchronizing to a smartphone via Bluetooth, apart from fleet management features.

To determine whether a bike has been moved and stolen, the Bike+ uses the combination of a cloud-based service, a 3G cellular modem and an accelerometer. Depending on the GPS and 3G signals, the user receives continuous updates about the present position of his or her bike. When moved or stolen, an alarm goes off and the owner receives a text message. The owner can then track the movement of the bike over a smartphone. The user can affix Bike+ securely to the frame of the bike to prevent it from removal.

Although the protection device does not have a screen, it can link to a nearby iOS or Android smartphone via Bluetooth. On this, the bike computer offers real-time location and mapping features. Apart from ride tracking functionality, the user can make use of several performance analytics including distance traveled, time and speed over the web interface.

The accelerometer on the Bike+ also helps in detecting the occurrence of a crash. If the bike crashes, Bike+ can send automatic alerts to selected contacts. For tracking multiple riders, messenger operators can make use of the Fleet Management Dashboard. This helps in bike sharing.

Among the various features including the anti-theft alarm and buzzer, the Bike+ boasts of a high-performance GPS receiver and a 3G cellular modem. This links to a smartphone via Bluetooth, providing in-ride experience such as real-time ride information, accessible on the web browser. Bike sharing operators can use the fleet management dashboard of the device. In case of a crash, the Bike+ can detect and send alert notifications.

The method of working of the Bike+ is very simple. The user can get on his/her bike without concern. The device immediately detects motion and starts to collect ride statistics, while the rider focuses on the journey. In case of an emergency such as a crash, the device will notify the riders loved ones.

Bike+ uploads all ride information to the cloud automatically. Therefore, the rider has a chance to monitor his/her progress and keep track of their goals at any time. On parking the bicycle, the user can rest assured that the Bike+ will watch over the bike to detect if it is being stolen. It then generated an alarm, while the user can locate the present position of the bicycle on the web.