Gas cylinder on a red base with a weighing sensor in the basement of an office building, a full cylinder being delivered in the background

Prototyping

FILL LEVEL OVER THE AIR

A scale with a Narrowband IoT module detects the fill level of CO2 cartridges and reports it automatically to facility management.

IOX developed a smart scale for Vodafone. It detects the fill level of CO2 cartridges for the drinking water supply in the building and reports it automatically to facility management.

The Situation

In Vodafone’s building complex, employees get their drinking water from water carbonators, which require constantly filled CO2 cartridges. Until then, facility management had to keep an eye on the fill level without automatic detection, continuously optimise processes and schedule replacements themselves.

The Key Question

How can the fill level of CO2 cartridges be captured automatically, so that they are replaced on time and as needed – not on a fixed schedule?

What We Built

IOX handled rapid prototyping as well as software and hardware development for the scale.

PRODUCT: A base into which the CO2 bottle is simply placed. Load cells in the bottom measure the weight and therefore the fill level. Nothing needs to be changed on the bottle or the system. The first prototype came out of the 3D printer and went straight into field testing.

SYSTEM: When the fill level drops, the scale reports itself: by email to facility management, with the exact location, for example “Room 302, 3rd floor left”. At the same time, the alarm appears on a dashboard. The connection runs via Narrowband IoT, i.e. over the cellular network and independently of the company network.

TEAM: Everything from a single source: IOX developed the scale, built the devices, programmed each one for its location and tested them in operation.

The Result

The scale was in use in Vodafone’s building complex. Empty bottles are noticed before anyone is standing in front of an empty carbonator.

Bottles are now replaced as needed. The fixed schedule is no longer necessary, and waiting times during replacement are reduced.

The solution can grow. It can be transferred to other buildings and sites and extended with further components.

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