Editor's note: Gu Ge, formerly known as Gu Rongxiang, is currently the chairman and general manager of Xi’an ChinaStar He continued to serialize a series of essays on his personal WeChat public account, recording his own cognition and perception of the sensor and Internet of Things industry, and China Exportsemi authorized to reprint his article, so that readers can look at the past, current situation and development of this industry from the perspective of a senior industry person. For ease of reading, the article has been reprinted and you can find the original text at the end of the article if you want.
In this article, Gu Ge still shares his thoughts and insights on sensor technology during his business trip. At the beginning of the article, Gu Ge mentioned his recent experience of frequent business travel, and took the opportunity to discuss the challenges and solutions of sensors in practical applications with friends. In recent years, with the rapid development of autonomous vehicles, drones, and service robots, TOF (time-of-flight) sensors have received a lot of attention. However, Gu Ge pointed out that although TOF technology is new, in practical applications, the most advanced technology is not always the best choice, and cost performance and reliability are often more important.
By sharing an outdoor work scene on the power grid, Gu Ge delved into how to use sensor technology to ensure the safety of outdoor workers. He mentions that sensors can be used to detect that safety devices are properly connected when working outdoors, ensuring the safety of workers. Gu Ge introduced in detail the application of magnetic sensors combined with permeable materials, as well as the characteristics of different sensors such as Hall elements, magnetoresistive sensors and reed switches, reminding readers to choose the right sensor type in different environments. Although TOF sensors may face more challenges in complex environments, the flexibility of their structure and algorithm is also worth paying attention to.
In addition, Gu Ge also mentioned that his company's "elderly intelligent connection" product has been used by United Kingdom customers for safety monitoring of power grid workers, not only to grasp their location in real time, but also to detect abnormal situations in time, such as falls. Gu Ge has a positive attitude towards the promotion of this technology in China, and hopes that through more attention and support, the safety of outdoor workers can be better guaranteed.
Overall, this article discusses the practical effects and challenges of sensor technology in a variety of application scenarios in a light-hearted and humorous way, combined with practical cases, and shows Gu Ge's deep understanding and thinking in the field of sensors. The following is the original text shared by Gu Ge:
United Kingdom business trip back almost a month, I thought there would be no business trip this month, but things are not up to people, things push people, people force things, work is like this. I made a special trip to Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province today and will return tomorrow evening.
In recent years, due to the development of self-driving cars and drones and many service robots, TOF sensors have developed very rapidly, and many friends who have just entered the sensor industry have a better understanding of new technologies, and at the same time, they are more dependent. At the same time, many applications want to be solved with TOF, but in fact, many solutions will be solved with different sensors, and some may be more reasonable and scientific, although the technology is not the latest. The solution is not that the more advanced the technology, the better, but that the cost is as economical as possible, and the more reliable the technology, the better.
Figure: A protective device that outdoor workers on the power grid will wear when they work
As shown in the figure above, ask netizens, the actual application is the outdoor staff of the power grid, whenever they climb the pole to work, they will have to bring a protective device, and there will be a buckle on the protective device, which must ensure that the buckle and the hook are correctly combined. It's like a seat belt that's a bit similar to our car, but maybe the structure and seat belt are different.
In fact, such a sensor detection structure! It can be sensed by the interaction between magnetic sensors and related metals, mainly magnetically conductive metals (steel), and with the perception signal, of course, it can be transmitted by wired or wireless, and it can also form an N-point IoT solution.
Of course, the magnetic sensor can choose the Hall element, and the magnetoresistive sensor needs to be powered by power. In order to save power, it is also possible to use a reed switch, but in this application environment, the reed may not be suitable, and the problem of fragility is very easy to occur.
If you choose the TOF solution! The structure and algorithm may be more complex, and the harsh environment will also have an impact on the TOF.
Writing this, I suddenly remembered that our company's old man smart connection, the previous name was the old man fall alarm. Our United Kingdom customer uses it on the outdoor workers of the power grid, hanging the equipment on their bodies, not only to know the location of outdoor workers at any time, but also to grasp in time if there is an abnormal working condition such as a fall. Of course, this technology has not yet been applied in China's outdoor workplaces, and I don't know if we are not promoting it well, it still poor promotion! I hope that netizens will understand this product and use it in more places, and they are all willing to act as an agent.
Figure: ChinaStar TT&C's elderly intelligent escort aircraft
The safety and well-being of outdoor workers is really important, and there are a variety of sensing solutions that can work together to protect outdoor workers, especially when working outdoors at heights, coupled with harsh climates such as high temperatures or extreme cold, their safety is a real concern.
Original: When traveling on a business trip Gu Ge talks about sensors (123)
