Sensor solutions for connected mobility and Industry 4.0 at CES 2017

“Sensor-based connected devices and solutions lie at the heart of many applications today, including connected mobility, Industry 4.0 and logistics – and we offer some of the most innovative products in these dynamic sectors”, said Markus Lang, General Manager of Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions.

Increasing car driver safety
In the event of an accident, a vehicle equipped with an eCall system will automatically contact emergency services. The Bosch Retrofit eCall plug is a smart device that uses acceleration sensors and intelligent embedded algorithms to detect an accident. Upon detection, it transmits data to a back-end IT system (via a Bluetooth smartphone app) to provide immediate assistance, e.g. it enables a call centre to call the driver, or immediately contact the emergency services if necessary.

At CES, Bosch announces that Retrofit eCall can now be extended to Usage-Based Insurance and Concierge Services. At the push of a button, the Concierge Service connects drivers to a designated personal assistant at a service centre. This personal assistant can then provide the driver with specific directions or alternative routes, and can even book hotels and restaurants.

Ensuring supply chain accountability
The Transport Data Logger (TDL) ensures transparency across the entire supply chain. The TDL is a sensor-based device that can be attached to a shipment of sensitive or high-value goods. By monitoring and recording relevant parameters such as temperature, humidity, tilt, and shocks, the TDL makes the delivery process transparent and traceable.

These measurements are subsequently documented and visualised via an app. If any parameter exceeds a user defined threshold, this is recorded, providing traceability and accountability. If no thresholds are exceeded, the TDL provides evidence of an incident-free transport chain.

Extension boards for the cross domain development kit
The ability to quickly produce a demo or proof of concept is a key time saving factor when developing IoT projects. Bosch’s Cross Domain Development Kit (XDK) is a rapid prototyping tool that enables developers to bring their IoT designs to life, accelerating and simplifying the transition from prototype to mass production.

At CES, Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions is also presenting three new extension boards expanding the feature set of the XDK. The first is the LoRaWAN connectivity extension board, which provides long-range network connectivity of up to 40km. The second is an infrared sensor extension board enabling the detection of heat signatures, for applications such as motion detection and temperature measurement. The last is an extension board for an additional temperature sensor providing an extended temperature measurement range, which is suited for industrial applications.

The XDK is a fully integrated hardware and software product with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, containing a MEMS accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope, coupled with humidity, pressure, temperature, acoustic and digital light sensors. The software development environment offers access to various API layers, together with an algorithm library and sample applications, as well as access to the online development community.