Jennic’s new Logistics Reference Design provides a platform for use in monitoring and tracking of goods in transportation. Based upon Jennic’s patented ‘sleeping beacon’ technology, the platform allows battery powered, time-synchronised sleeping wireless sensor networks to be evaluated for logistics applications. Sensors in the network periodically communicate environmental data such as temperature to a central controller, which communicates with a back-office system to provide realtime transportation data to logistics personnel and for auditing purposes.

The reference design is provided as two packages, to enable first evaluation, followed by development and customisation. The evaluation package is designed to allow the benefits of the ultra-low power wireless solution to be rapidly assessed with the use of Jennic’s standard evaluation kit and a PC for the back-office GUI. The Windows based GUI displays realtime data relating to the sensor network, including node temperature, battery voltage and RF channel. It also allows the frequency agility features of the solution to be evaluated, through the effects of RF interference and channel blacklisting.

The developer package is supplied as a drop-in application for the Jennic SDK, along with project files and application source code. Provision of source code ensures developers can access right into the heart of the solution, to perform customisations – typically the integration of a GPRS/GSM modem link to the back-office.

At the heart of the design is Jennic’s IEEE802.15.4 standards-based wireless microcontroller technology operating in the unlicensed 2,4 GHz ISM band, providing a solution for a global market. To enable rapid time to market, Jennic offers a range of pre-certified surface mounted wireless modules that have full compliance with all RF regulatory requirements.

For more information contact Andrew Dixon, Hi-Q Electronics,+27 (0)11 894 8083, adixon@hi-q.co.za, www.hi-q.co.za