hIoTron Launches Smart Cold Chain Management PaaS & Hi-Gate Tracker

The hIoTron monitoring system is designed to be middleware for smart cold chain systems, which can be found in food transport, pharmaceutical transport and even some chemical transport systems. We previously covered any product from the company in April of 2018 with the hIoTron modular and enterprise development kit that helps with prototyping of IoT devices.

Cold Chain Systems

The company has now developed a commercial product designed for one of the most sensitive platforms in supply chain management: the cold chain. A cold chain system is a distribution process that requires constant monitoring of a product’s surrounding environment while in transit or storage before or after transit. The actions and equipment in low-temperature ranges would be maintained at a constant between 2 and 8 (36 to 46 ) to maintain the integrity of the product, food, drug, or chemical, from harvest/production through to consumption. These complex systems can be monitored by hIoTron cold chain system, and if necessary adjustments in the system functions can be made onsite or in transit.

The hIoTron Platform

The platform is meant to not only connect a series of assets, seamlessly but to build a high performing IoT platform to connect things quickly, work from a wide array of data, create new ideas and insights and drive data-based actions. The hIoTron is a Platform as a Service (PaaS), delivering rapid design, development, and deployment as well as operation of consumer and enterprise IoT applications.

Hi-Gate tracker features and specifications

- Wireless MCU – Texas Instruments TI-CC3200 Arm Cortex-M4 MCU with built-in WiFi
- Networking – Ethernet port (RJ45)
- Modular Bluetooth – Work as a BLE scanner to communicate with temperature sensor equipped beacons.
- Modular Cellular & GNSS
  - Quectel EC25 for 2G, 3G & 4G network, and Global positioning system/Global Navigation Satellite System.
  - Internal GNSS antenna for GPS connectivity
  - External GPRS antenna for GSM connectivity having external SMA connector
- Optional Zigbee (804.15.2) wireless module
- RTC – Real-time clock to store data with time logs.
- EEPROM (256MB) – Memory to store 15-20 days records in case power or network failure.
- Expansion – 2x GPIO for sensor’s inputs, 2x GPIO for sensor’s output
- Li-ion battery – 2700mAh battery backup in case of power failure
- Charging/Discharging circuit – Charge & discharge internal battery through mains automatically.
- Overvoltage protection – Protect device through overvoltage from mains.

The Hi-Gate HI-8010LG is equipped with a TI- CC3200 Arm Cortex–M4 microcontroller with built-in WiFi. The location and tracking are done through the GSM & GPS Modules, while a Zigbee (804.15.2 Standard) wireless module can pick up the low power data transmission and relay it to the dashboard or mobile device running the mobile app. The dashboard and mobile application let the operator remain onsite or out in the field.

The hIoTron is meant to bring an integrated system to cold chain system management, through monitoring, data building and management connectivity in real-time. Transportation sources, such as trains, planes, ships, and trucks can be carefully monitored, and adjustments made to time to temperature and overall temperature. More details can be found on the product page.

Stephen Vicinanza

Stephen started writing about technology after publishing sci-fi short stories. His first White-Paper, written in 2008, was well received and inspired him to continue writing about technology. Today he writes in the technology space full time, covering a multitude of topics. During the time he wrote part-time he edited hundreds of titles for large publishers, in science and technology. He lives in Staten Island, with his wife and children.