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marzo 09, 2016 - Bosch

Bosch - Connectivity helps drivers find parking, optimizes servicing work, and improves asparagus yields

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Press release available only in original language. 

Berlin and Stuttgart – #bosch has launched its own cloud for its services on the internet of things (IoT) at a computing center of its own in Germany. These IoT applications are created using the #bosch IoT Suite. The suite offers all the functions necessary to connect devices, users, and companies. More than five million devices and machines are currently connected via the IoT Suite. Here are some examples of new #bosch solutions and products for the connected world:

1. Solutions for connected mobility

Sensors detect available park-and-ride spaces
Where is the nearest free parking space? A new #bosch system offers an answer to this usually urgent question. Sensors fitted in 15 park-and-ride facilities along Stuttgart’s S2 and S3 commuter train lines can detect whether parking spaces are available or occupied. This data is sent over the web to the #bosch IoT Cloud and fed into an up-to-the-minute map of available parking spaces. This information will be made available through an app and the website of the VVS, Stuttgart’s transportation authority. The system’s main benefit is that it saves people time. If drivers know they can find a free park-and-ride space, they will be more willing to use public transportation, which in turn will reduce traffic jams. The smallest parking area in this pilot project offers 49 spaces, the largest over 520 spaces. Installation of the sensors will begin in 2016 and the project will run through June 2018. Details: http://bit.ly/1RDx6Ql

Parking spaces for tired truckers
Rest areas for truckers along freeways are often hopelessly overfilled. This is especially true at night, which is also when the risk of theft increases. #bosch offers logistics companies, fleet operators, and independent truckers a book-and-park service. This provides secure parking spaces that truck drivers can book in advance. Whenever they are looking to park, their truck sends its location data and a parking request to the system. The system then finds a nearby parking space and sends the details directly to the truck’s navigation system. Booking and billing are automatic and cashless. This system will be running in the #bosch IoT Cloud starting in summer 2016.

Rebates for careful drivers
A large German insurer is giving drivers who are careful and responsible a rebate on their insurance premium. Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division offers the technology to enable this, in the form of its connectivity control unit (CCU). Once installed in the vehicle, the CCU connects to the car’s OBD interface to gather data on acceleration, maximum speed, and cornering speeds. The CCU encrypts this information and sends it to a computer system via the cellular network using its built-in SIM card. The insurer can generate driver profiles based on this information and offer particularly careful drivers a rebate.

2. Solutions for connected industry

How to monitor transport crates
While product quality can be almost seamlessly monitored during manufacturing, what happens at later stages of the supply chain is often shrouded in mystery. “TraQ” (tracking and quality) is Bosch’s Industry 4.0 solution designed to address this. It allows product quality to be tracked along the entire supply chain – all the way to the customer. Sensors installed in the transport packaging or even in the product itself record information relevant for quality, including temperature, vibration, light, and humidity levels, and send these to the cloud. Software in the cloud compares the readings with permitted levels. If one of these levels is exceeded, an alert is sent in real time to customers, suppliers, and service providers. The sensors also transmit information on position, which allows expected arrival times to be calculated and thus transport management to be optimized. There are considerable benefits for participating companies: real-time notification means that in case of damage to goods, action can be taken quickly, thus minimizing things like production stoppages and their ensuing costs. Sensors integrated into the product itself help to identify the causes of damage – both during transport and while in use by the end customer. TraQ is a key component in a range of solutions that #bosch is currently working on to enable the intelligent and cost-effective management of the digital supply chain. The sensor solution is expected to have its market launch in 2017.

Wireless sensors for high-quality asparagus
Bosch is improving commercial asparagus yields with connected radio sensors. Asparagus grows especially well between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. One way farmers maintain this temperature is by covering the mounds with strips of two-sided foil: one side is black, the other white. To heat the soil with the help of sunlight, the foil is laid with the black side facing up. To cool the soil when it gets too warm, the foil is laid with the white side facing up. To assist them in maintaining the correct temperature, the #bosch start-up Deepfield Robotics has developed a solution that consists of several sensors embedded at various depths in the ground to measure the temperature. Cables send the temperature readings to a small box, which transmits the data via radio to the #bosch IoT Cloud. From there the data is routed to an app on the farmer’s smartphone. Farmers can use this data to track the temperature changes of their asparagus crop in detail, which means they can act quickly to optimize the growing conditions for the asparagus. Details: http://bit.ly/1UGSLq4

3. Solutions for the connected home

Safety and comfort in smart homes
The #bosch Smart Home System lets users connect their home’s heating, lighting, smoke alarms, and appliances via a single platform and then operate them simply using a smartphone or tablet. At the heart of the system is the controller. This central control unit for the house connects the components mentioned above with each other and with the internet. Other elements of the system include a smart radiator thermostat and a sensor-based window contact. All data generated by the smart home are stored in the smart home controller, meaning customers retain control over their own data. Only when users who are on the road call up the temperature at home on their smartphone are any data sent via the internet. These data are encrypted before transmission over the IoT Cloud. In future versions of the product, the system will also send a message to the smartphone whenever a window or door is opened. The benefit is increased comfort and security with no need for a separate alarm system.
Details: http://bit.ly/1ORATbJ

The heating technician only rings once: HomeCom Pro
The #bosch HomeCom Pro online portal connects service technicians directly with their customers’ heating systems. The portal shows technicians the status of the heating system at a glance – together with any servicing work that has already been carried out. In the event of a breakdown, the system allows technicians to troubleshoot problems and suggests repairs. To this end, it sends all the key heating system information to the service company’s PC, laptop, or tablet. That way, the heating experts know which steps to take, which means they can generally bring along the right replacement parts on their first visit. This solution runs in the #bosch IoT Cloud.

TrackMyTools: Where did I leave my drill?
Workers need never again search for their cordless screwdriver – thanks to Bosch’s TrackMyTools, they know where their tools are at all times. The result is a smoother workflow, time saved, and increased productivity. TrackMyTools works by affixing a small Bluetooth module to the tools. Every eight seconds, this module transmits a signal that can be picked up within a radius of 30 meters by smartphones or tablets running the TrackMyTools app. The mobile device then transmits this information to the cloud, together with details of the time, the user, and the most recent location data for the equipment in question. Another benefit is that owners of drills or cordless screwdrivers can access the data over the web at any time to know where their tools are and how they are being used. They can also flexibly assign individual tools and equipment to workers. Launched in 2015, the system will be migrated to the #bosch IoT Cloud in 2016.