Month: March 2024

Automation and digitalization are driving the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Industrial revolutions have led to the mass production of goods, which has increased the need for modern warehouses. Every year, the work of warehouses becomes more and more difficult due to the increasing abundance of goods, so the usual warehouse management strategies are no longer suitable. To cope with huge commodity flows, modern innovations should be used more widely to manage these processes. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology designed to process large amounts of data with maximum efficiency in real time. The purpose of the technology is to perform administrative work, i.e. effective management of storage data. IoT can facilitate the implementation of intelligent identification, tracking, and control using radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared sensors, global positioning systems (GPS), laser scanners, and other detection tools.

The main function of the warehouse is to ensure sales and customer satisfaction. The introduction of IoT improves financial performance, labor productivity and customer satisfaction. For example, IoT can be used in warehouse management to monitor, track goods, predict demand trends, manage inventory, and other warehouse operations in real time.

Methods and methodologies

The complexity of the supply chain forces logistics companies to improve the flow of information both internally and externally. The Integrated Logistics Information System is a unique business management model that tracks the flow of materials, information, and goods from the point of origin to the point of delivery, where all management actions are interconnected. The possibilities of monitoring and tracking objects in warehouses using LPWAN technologies are being considered. The general idea is to ensure customer satisfaction by reducing the associated costs. The Integrated Logistics system provides a combined warehouse, transportation, and materials management solution, integrating various business process functions including: production function; supply and storage functions; and marketing function. 

The positive aspects of integrating IoT into warehouse management using examples

It is believed that IoT in warehouses brings companies a number of advantages. The introduction of the Internet of Things enables intelligent warehousing, brings revolutionary changes, and that is why major industries such as Alibaba, DHL, Amazon, or Bluedart have already implemented it into their inventory, logistics, and warehouse management. Below are also examples of the implementation of IoT solutions to date.

1. In Korea, a new internal positioning system (IPS) has been developed and integrated with the warehouse management system. The system uses warehouse management tags to exchange data related to product availability, time in stock, delivery time, and inventory control. This flexible system requires the installation of multiple devices such as an LED screen, receiver, transmitter, gateway, and WMS tag. By integrating it with WMS, you can easily track inventory data in warehouses.
2. Also, one of the approaches presents an innovative solution for warehouse management, which includes the integration of artificial intelligence and an algorithm for planning storage, reception and delivery of orders. This advanced solution requires pallets and shelves with a barcode, as well as the use of GPS and everything related to indoor navigation.:  BLE, UWB, Wi-Fi and so on .
3. The following approach presents an automated warehouse monitoring solution based on IoT, which includes the technology ZigBee, sensors, a situation management system and a wireless intelligent control system. This innovative system instantly controls heating, temperature and humidity in the warehouse. Computers analyze the data collected from the sensors, and in the event of an emergency, the system automatically calls the dispatcher or emergency services.
4. A study conducted in Malaysia showed that traditional SAP and WMS software packages integrated with IoT are widely used. In warehouses, radio frequency readers are used to manage material flows, plan routes, shipping operations, and dispatch. Intelligent radio frequency devices are used for operational functions in real-time radio communications.

The negative aspects of integrating IoT into warehouse management 

Previous discussions have shown that IoT-enabled warehouses are more efficient, faster, and more accurately managed. However, this technology has some drawbacks. According to previous research, this advanced technology has the disadvantages listed in the table below.

The delivery function	The impact of the Internet of Things	The IoT technology used
Operations in WMS	CCTV footage steals the privacy of customers and employees, security vulnerabilities, the complexity of interconnecting thousands of devices, and electronic waste.	Sensors, Cameras, Wi-Fi, GPS, Cloud network
Operations in WMS	Network/system, identity theft, hacking, or streams	Sensors, Cameras, Wi-Fi, GPS
Online transactions	Third-party access flows, inauthentic transactions, high maintenance costs, unemployment, hazardous electronic waste, environmental impact	Software packages for online transactions, cyber-physical system

Reception activities 

The purpose of this section is to show where and how new technologies can be integrated to improve the process and thereby provide real benefits to users of these services. The main functions of the warehouse include the following:

• Reception : This process includes receiving the goods. For proper operation, it is necessary to check whether the right amount of goods has been received at the right time. To this end, RFID tags are highly accurate and reduce the likelihood of human error. They document the arrival of the goods. The RFID integrated with the automatic scanner can record the weight and dimensions of the parcel, indicating the correct place to store it. This improves the reception process, allows you to quickly unload the dock and free up space for other shipments.
• Discharge . This is the process of moving goods from the receiving dock to the most optimal storage location. Mobile and wearable devices deliver incoming goods to the right location for consistent inventory accounting. The Internet of Things enables the use of intelligent forklifts, which can reduce accidents during this process, thereby reducing the time required to complete tasks and optimizing storage.
• Keeping. Storage in a warehouse means placing goods in the most suitable location. Storage facilities require large investments, and optimizing the space can reduce these costs. IoT enables HCL solutions to optimize warehouse space by offering real-time optimization for a specific location and reducing space turnover. RFID tags also store product location data.
• Assembly and shipment. This includes customer order processing and shipping. This process requires high efficiency, as mistakes reduce customer satisfaction. Wireless wearable devices can make this process optimal by allowing real-time scanning of the entire warehouse. Smart forklifts with sensors and scanners transmit data related to product handling precautions, as well as outgoing and incoming shipments. GPS allows the trailer tracking system to indicate the location of the cargo in real time. The PoD solution can be used for real-time delivery reports.

Summing up the results

Warehouses have a significant function in modern society, playing an important role in logistics and the entire supply chain. In order for any organization to stay in the market, it is necessary to ensure the smooth movement and operation of the entire chain. Inefficient organizational processes can lead to a loss of time and money. This may also be due to inefficient use of human resources or insufficient automation of business processes. It should be noted that global trends indicate that the complexity of the warehouse process will increase in the future. This means that the need for an efficient system and a customer-oriented approach will prevail in the future.

You can learn more about indoor navigation technologies on the website Indoors Navigation.
 

Over the past few years, the ability to implement advanced communication applications and services supported by location information has contributed to the development of systems for locating people and objects indoors, including in museums. In parallel, the evolution of these systems was constantly supported by technological advances in the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically designed for low-cost short-range radio transmission, such as Bluetooth, as well as radio frequency identification technologies (RFID).

The problem of standardization of indoor navigation

Designing navigation systems based on short-range radio communication technologies is not a trivial task. In fact, the propagation of the radio signal inside buildings is influenced by several factors, such as building materials, facilities in the area, the presence of people, etc. All these factors can affect the quality of the received signal, which makes indoor localization very difficult and expensive when it is directly based on measurements of the physical parameters of the received signals from an object. Unlike outdoor navigation, which is mainly based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technologies (for example, Global Positioning System, GPS), to date, indoor positioning systems have not yet been defined and standardized. The lack of standardization is mainly due to the very different characteristics of the areas served by the indoor localization system. As a result, this localization system is often developed specifically for a given area. At the same time, heterogeneous and often individual methods and processes for calculating location are used.

Proposed solutions

In this article, we will focus on the localization problem for a typical museum environment. The accessibility of information about the location of visitors in the museum can be used by the museum coordinator to promote communication services aimed at improving the overall “cultural experience.” In particular, location information can be useful to the museum operator for designing art exhibitions, determining individual routes according to the preferences of visitors, permanent or temporary installations, as well as for the care of collections. All these activities can be based on an analysis of visitor flows, for example, by observing the number of visitors stopping in front of a given work of art, or the amount of time spent in some museum rooms. In addition, assessments of the position of visitors can be used to improve their interaction with museum works of art in real time, for example, using augmented reality, which provides information about the works of art. In the latter case, each visitor is equipped with an intelligent device (for example, their own smartphone or tablet), which includes a device for communicating with the indoor localization system and is able to interact with the museum's indoor applications. At the same time, the device provides, for example, additional information about the observed or liked masterpiece, a work of art . The localization system can be deployed not only in the museum, but also in other rooms.

Technologies used

The system uses technology Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to collect data transmitted by a device belonging to each visitor. The main advantages of BLE are the availability of a large set of chips on the market and on modern smartphones or tablets, ease of programming and low power consumption. The resulting BLE-based localization system is inexpensive compared to other indoor location detection methods such as those based on (non-standard) RFID devices. In the localization system under consideration, the BLE signals emitted by the visitor's transmitters are received by BLE devices installed on the museum grounds. These devices can measure the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each received signal, as well as extract the BLE transmitter identifier by extracting the corresponding message. The measured RSSI and SNR and the corresponding BLE message are then transmitted to a central server in the museum. The locator object on the server processes the received data and messages to determine the visitor's location on the object. The localization algorithm for each visitor is based on minimizing the objective function, which includes path loss measurements obtained from the corresponding RSSI and SNR. The optimal solution to the minimization problem corresponding to the expected position of the visitor was obtained by applying the nonlinear least squares algorithm (NLS).

The results show that the BLE transmitter can be localized with an accuracy of less than 1 m (i.e., the Euclidean distance between the true and estimated location is less than 1 m) when the BLE receiver is correctly positioned in the area. After training the neural network, the BLE receiver can better estimate distances based on RSSI and SNR measurements collected as the visitor moves around the artwork.

You can also find out more about the solutions used on the website Indoors Navigation.

Car parking navigation solutions work for both indoor and outdoor parking systems and can be created to achieve optimal performance. Thus, using a parking navigation solution means that the driver of the car spends less time searching for free parking spaces. The introduction of an intelligent parking system makes life easier for the driver and can even help increase the loyalty of your organization's employees.

Smart Car Parking System – Features

The smart parking system works on a simple principle: detecting obstacles by sending signals and receiving the same reflected signals. It may even be visual feedback. The system consists of sensors and signal interception devices that scan the area and help the driver park the car safely.

However, such smart parking systems can be designed to perform many other additional functions and thus take any business to a whole new level of productivity.

Car navigation in parking lots

Such navigation is facilitated by mobile applications that combine positioning technologies. This helps the car driver to easily navigate large parking lots, especially multi-level ones. The application is designed in such a way as to plot routes to free parking spaces and display them visually to help the driver easily find a place. The functions provided by the parking navigation app include:

• Quickly find free parking spaces;
• Simplify the search by directing vehicles according to the current occupancy of parking spaces.;
• Register the details of all vehicles entering and exiting the slots;
• Optimize traffic flow and use bandwidth in an optimal way;
• Track the occupancy of parking spaces at different levels in multi-level parking lots.

Tracking the occupancy of a parking space at different levels

When entering a multi-level parking lot, most drivers face difficulties finding free parking spaces. The driver cannot properly search for an empty space, as this takes a long time and may prevent other vehicles from entering the parking space.

Using an internal navigation application specifically designed for this purpose can solve this problem quickly and effectively. The app works to provide car owners with the latest information about available parking spaces. Drivers of vehicles can use this application to reduce fuel consumption and find an empty parking space for their cars in the shortest possible time.

The application works as follows. As soon as the device detects an empty parking space, it sends information to the cloud gateway, where this information is processed and sent to a network server. As the driver approaches the parking entrance, a notification is sent to the driver's phone with information about the nearest available space. The application can also generate a visual map and show the route leading to a closed vacant spot at a certain parking level.

Booking parking spaces

A mobile car parking application can be designed in such a way that vehicle owners can book available spaces in advance, as well as pay for them. The user interface in such an application provides an easy and convenient view of parking spaces available at different levels in a multi-level parking lot. This allows vehicle owners to easily scan parking spaces in search of vacant spaces and book the most profitable ones. The application may include a payment gateway so that users can pay for the facility in advance. Thus, the entire booking process becomes well organized, simple and fast.

The parking management app offers many advantages to parking space owners as well, namely:

• The ability to provide reports and analytics;
• The owners can change the booking rules or rates at any time.;
• Service quality improvement;
• Customer loyalty is likely to improve;
• It's easy to find any car in the parking lot.;
• Optimize the use of parking space in real time.

As is often the case with vast and huge multi-level parking lots, drivers often forget where they parked their cars. Finding a car becomes a problem, and a lot of time is wasted in the process. The use of an intelligent parking system helps such drivers to find their cars quickly. When a driver enters a parking space, an alert is sent to his mobile phone indicating the location of the car with the parking space number and displaying the shortest route. In addition, these applications can be designed for turn-by-turn navigation of the driver to the vehicle, providing the most convenient access.

Technologies used for intelligent parking systems

Smart parking systems using navigation methods use different technologies to implement software applications. Some of them are listed below.

iBeacon

It is a small network device that acts as a transmitter. It helps to detect and track smartphones. The device uses signals BLE. Drivers who have installed the mobile app on their phones receive signals from beacons. They can turn on navigation, which will gradually lead them to a parking spot. This technology, when used, ensures high accuracy and low implementation costs.

Ultra-Broadband (UWB)

UWB — это система, которая обеспечивает точное позиционирование и работает, регистрируя короткие импульсы на небольших расстояниях. Функция навигации использует маломощные метки, которые потребляют меньше энергии. Сверхширокополосные приемники, расположенные на парковочных местах или в районе этих мест, перехватывают радиочастотную модуляцию, посылаемую транспондерами.

Wi-Fi

Technology such as Wi-Fi, can be operated using the existing parking infrastructure. The system works by using tags that send signals to several access points in a parking space at once. The location is determined using the RSSI and MAC address values. There is no need for any additional equipment or infrastructure.

You can learn more about the technologies on the website Indoors Navigation.