Industry 4.0 is one of the most popular topics in recent years, and combining industrial control with the Internet of Things (IoTs) is the key to success of Industry 4.0. LoRa is a remote wireless transmission technology that can resolve problems between industrial control and IoT. This article introduces the new development of LoRa in industrial control and power supply application.
Easy building and deploying low power wide area network
It is clear that achieving industrial control and power supply (such as the smart meter and smart grid) with the network is a new development direction. However, what network communication technology should be used? As the compound of a plant or a power plant is often extensive, and sometimes it is necessary to link equipment across different buildings, we need a network communication technology with wider coverage and high connection capacity. The low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) specifically designed for IoTs requiring low frequency, low power consumption, long range connection, and high connection capacity will be the ideal option for industrial control and power supply applications. LoRa is a typical example and LPWAN technology with the most promising developmental potential.
In 2013, Semtech announced the Long Range (LoRa) chip, a new type of super long-range LPWAN below 1GHz, to the industry. LoRa has a surprisingly high receiving sensitivity up to -148dBm. Compared the industry-leading sub-GHz chips, the receiving sensitivity of LoRa is at least 20dB higher, thus ensuring its network connectivity.
In March 2015, the LoRa Alliance™ was established as an open, non-profit association aiming to promote LoRa protocol to the world and realize its commercial application. In each link of LoRa’s industry chain (including terminal hardware suppliers, chip suppliers, module gateway suppliers, software suppliers, system integrators, and ISPs), there is a large group of enterprises forming a complete LoRa ecosystem to enable the fast development and thriving of LoRa.
LoRa mainly operates on free bands (e.g., unlicensed bands) worldwide, including 433, 868, and 915 MHz. The LoRa network basically comprises four sections: the terminal (built-in LoRa module), gateway (or called base station), server, and cloud. The LoRa network also supports two-way transmission of application data.
A link budget up to 157dB achieves a communication range up to 15km (related to the environment). A receiving current at only 10mA and an ultralow sleep current largely extend battery life. A gateway/concentrator supporting multi-channel and multi-bit-rate parallel processing provides large system capacity. By installing a gateway at the existing mobile communication base station with a transmitting power at 20dBm (100mW), LoRa’s coverage will be about a 2km radius even in an urban environment with high building density. In rural areas with low building capacity, the coverage will increase to a 10km radius. This connection range favors industrial control and power supply applications in large compounds.
Murata’s Type ABZ LoRa module is a new-type, compact, and low-cost LPWAN wireless module that supports the LoRaWAN remote wireless protocol. With dimensions measured 12.5 x 11.6 x 1.76 mm, this new, independent module is metal shielded packaged and equipped with a Semtech SX1276 ultra-long range spread spectrum wireless transceiver and a STMicro STM32L0 Series ARM Cortex-M0+ 32-bit MCU. The integrated TCXO characterized by powerful low drift thermal provides a precise clock source for the RF transceiver.
Powered by 2.2-3.6VDC, Murata’s Type ABZ LoRa module can achieve communication with the UART, SPI, or I2C peripheral interface, and the ADC and up to 18 GPIOs make sensors, switches, and status LEDs more flexible. The industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) spectrum at 868MHz and 915MHz of Murata’s CMWX1ZZABZ module has been certified and approved by the radio regulations of most geographical regions in the world.
The normal output power of Murata’s CMWX1ZZABZ module is +14 dBm. Users can select the PA boost function to raise the transmitting power to +20dBm when the signal at the end-device side or indoor is low. The MCU is equipped with built-in 192kB flash memory and 20kB RAM, and there is sufficient memory to embed customers’ applications and co-locate other modulation stacks. In addition, it can integrate selectable STSAFE secure element in the MCU to enhance network security. In addition to industrial control and power supply applications, the module’s typical applications include smart metering, wearable, tracing, M2M, and IoT edge nodes. It also has a wide working temperature range, from -40°C to +85°C.
Murata’s Type ABZ LoRa module can accelerate the development of a LoRa network system for developers to centralize energy on the competitiveness of their core business and shorten product launch time. This makes it suitable for manufacturers developing industrial control and power supply applications.
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