www.ipesearch.com SENSORS & MEASUREMENT 19
FEATURE
The sensor’s
status can be
visualised in
the cloud and
process data
integrated into
monitoring
applications
dashboards, digital maintenance
services, as well as third-party
dashboards or business improvement
systems.
It’s important to remember that much
of the data generated by, and about,
sensors is of most use to those on the
front line, looking after the assets day
by day. So, we’re not talking here about
creating a sophisticated 3D CAD digital
twin that becomes a remote
development initiative for a project
team. For sensor data to be valuable, it
has to be in the hands of engineers
and operators.
Mapping the installed base
The beauty of SICK’s modular
approach is that you can start out
simply by identifying and recording
every asset. So, to begin with, use the
smartphone app to create a virtual
representation – a digital twin in the
simplest sense – of each of your
devices. Simply tag the 2D code label
on the device and begin to collect data
on your entire installed sensor
inventory. SICK’s Installed Base
Manager App automatically detects
and logs the serial number and age of
the device, assigns it to the machine
and plant, and provides an option to
add photos and the exact GPS location.
You can add non-SICK devices, too.
Authorised employees can interrogate
and update the installed base and add
new devices at any time.
Creating a ‘digital twin’ of your real
device gives you the beginnings of an
asset management system that can
then be viewed and managed in the
cloud. To expand on this, SICK created
a vendor-independent and modular
web service, called AssetHub, as the
foundation for mapping and managing
sensor assets. Here, data can be
evaluated so that maintenance
happens at the right time, software and
firmware are up to date, and
inventories are well planned and
optimised. Additional data and
documents can be easily stored and
retrieved for any asset. You can
navigate via a tree structure of your
functional locations to view a broad
range of asset-related information and
documents along the lifecycle.
Connecting to live data
Then, to bring live data from sensors to
their digital twins, we established SICK
LiveConnect, unlocking a secure,
standardised and easy-to-use live data
connection from each sensor to the
SICK AssetHub via an edge gateway.
The sensor’s status can be visualised in
the cloud and process data integrated
into monitoring applications.
It’s really easy to connect your sensor
with LiveConnect using a standard
web browser via the app; all you need
is the material and part numbers for
your SICK device. They are easy to find
on the device label, and if you have the
SICK Installed Base Manager
smartphone app, you can access
device information via the 2D barcode.
Following the same principles of
simplicity and ease of use, LiveConnect
manages the routing and forwarding of
live sensor data. Using the online
module via a standard web browser, a
digital twin can be visualised in the
cloud and process data from the
device integrated into online
monitoring applications. You can get
real-time insights into your devices,
processes can become more
transparent, and maintenance costs
can be reduced. You can use live
operating data to monitor production
efficiency in real time and improve
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
Condition-monitoring
Finally, with real-time access to sensor
parameters, you can look for any
status changes – for example, whether
pre-set limits have been exceeded.
Alarms and notifications can be set up,
and historical data and events
presented clearly in a log-book format,
so they can be used to make
application-specific predictions. We
developed the SICK Monitoring Box to
allow for this early detection of status
changes in sensors, machines and
plants. It enables visualisation of data in
a browser-based dashboard for
condition-monitoring and real-time
analysis.
In these turbulent times, organisations
must be resilient and agile, responding
quickly to fluctuating demand and
maximising uptime. Connecting right
into the heart of operations, the data
from sensors is an empowering raw
material that can be transformative
across entire business processes. The
challenge is to sculpt with that data as
seamlessly, simply and securely as
possible.
Neil Sandhu is SICK UK product
manager for imaging, measurement
and ranging
For more information:
www.sick.co.uk
Tel: 01727 831121
/www.ipesearch.com
/www.sick.co.uk
