Connected filter monitoring for industrial installations

For a leading international manufacturer, E.D.&A. developed an innovative battery-powered filter indicator that provides both local and remote visibility into the condition of industrial filters. This solution enables users to replace filter elements at the optimal time, allowing maintenance activities to be planned more efficiently and reducing unplanned downtime. The customer was looking for a solution that could provide immediate local insight into filter status while also integrating seamlessly into a broader remote monitoring environment.

For this robust IoT solution, E.D.&A. combined ultra-low-power electronics, wireless connectivity, and an innovative semi-flex PCB architecture to create an extremely compact and cost-effective solution.

Real-time filter performance monitoring

In close cooperation with the customer, E.D.&A. developed an intelligent filter indicator that is mounted directly onto the filter element and continuously monitors filter condition. The indicator features an energy-efficient display, comparable to e-paper technology, that permanently shows the most recent status information, even without active power to the display. For connectivity, the device communicates with the customer's infrastructure via a Sub-GHz wireless network. Through a gateway and cloud platform, developed and managed within the customer's ecosystem, installations can be centrally monitored and managed worldwide.

Designed for long service life: Ultra-Low-Power Electronics

One of the key design objectives was exceptionally low power consumption. Through careful component selection, an optimized firmware architecture, and the use of ultra-efficient display technology, an operational lifetime of approximately ten years on a single battery was targeted. This minimizes maintenance requirements for the device itself, which is essential for large-scale installations distributed across the globe.

E.D.&A. was responsible for the complete development of the device's electronics and embedded software, including hardware design, BSP (Board Support Package), embedded application software, system integration, verification, and validation.

Semi-Flex PCB as the key to a compact design

Due to challenging mechanical constraints and limited installation space, a semi-flex PCB architecture was selected. This approach enabled optimal integration of the electronics into the compact enclosure while simplifying assembly and keeping production costs under control.

The mechanical housing was developed by the customer. In addition, E.D.&A. supports the product's industrialization in collaboration with a specialized plastics partner, focusing on quality, scalability, and an efficient production setup. The product was developed for global deployment and is being prepared for the necessary international certifications.

This case demonstrates how E.D.&A. supports customers throughout the entire development cycle of innovative embedded and IoT products, from concept and engineering to validation, industrialization, and market introduction.