Smart displays for IoT

Internet of Things (IoT) – a buzzword that was once unknown, is now frequently appearing in the public space. The increasingly widespread use of electronics and Internet connectivity in everyday objects is successively increasing the demand for hardware solutions to meet this booming trend.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things can be defined depending on the perspective adopted, but the most commonly used and broadest definition is the one using a technological perspective, according to which:

IoT is a network connecting wired or wireless devices characterized by autonomous operation to acquire, share, process data or interact with the environment under the influence of such data.

Development

Over the past few years, it can be seen that two key branches have emerged in the development of the Internet of Things:

• Consumer applications, such as the smart home, in which we have an array of interconnected appliances that we control via a mobile app.
• IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), or industrial solutions for product management and manufacturing process optimization.

According to the report “IoT in the Polish economy“ prepared by the Ministry of Digitization, the next 2 years are crucial to prepare for the changes brought by the spread of the Internet of Things. The changes are not only social and legal, but also commercial. The projected increase in demand for products and services of the electronics industry or industrial automation solutions is a huge opportunity for companies operating in these sectors. In the coming years, approx. 13% growth (year-on-year) in the IoT technology and solutions market.

Response to changes

In light of forecasts that there will be more than 22 billion Internet-connected devices worldwide by 2025, Unisystem has already expanded its portfolio this spring with solutions designed specifically for IoT applications. Three versions of the Riverdi-developed module are available: it’s a 5-inch TFT LCD display with capacitive(RiTFT-50-IOT-CAP PN: RVT50AQEFWC00) or resistive(RiTFT-50-IOT-RES PN: RVT50AQEFWR00) touch panel and a version equipped with uxTouch (in white – RiTFT-50-IOT-UXW PN: RVT50UQENWC04 and black – RiTFT-50-IOT-UXB PN: RVT50UQENWC01)*.

*The above models are no longer available from Unisystem – contact us for alternatives.

Through a technology partnership with Zerynthem, Riverdi has created a module that can be easily programmed using Python. It’s a readable, clear and easy-to-learn language that is ideally suited for rapidly implemented IoT projects. Zerynth offers a wealth of useful libraries and examples tailored to both beginner and more advanced users. Each module comes with a Zerynth Studio license so you can start evaluation right out of the box.

Equipped with an ESP32 controller, the module provides wireless communication via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is worth noting that the ESP32 was designed specifically for IoT and small consumer electronics applications, so it can operate as a standalone system while reducing the communication load on the processor.

Even more possibilities

Its 800×480 pixel resolution and 510 cd/m2 brightness make it ideal for smart home or Industry 4.0 applications. The display also features the BT815 controller, part of a family of advanced graphics controllers designed for embedded applications and friendly HMI. The creation of a graphical user interface using EVE3 (Embedded Video Engine) technology is based on easy-to-use and customizable graphical objects, so it successfully combines the ability to process images, sound and touch panel information, and the process of implementing the modules is significantly shorter.

One of the most important advantages of EVE3 over older versions is support for the Adaptive Scalable Texture Compression (ASTC) algorithm. This means that image quality can be dramatically improved without allocating more bandwidth, since the compression algorithm allows for smaller compressed files, saving a lot of space in memory needed for larger fonts or images with a lot of data.

The ability to directly attach external flash memory to the BT81x controller via a dedicated QSPI port increases the convenience of creating more elaborate and graphically rich user interfaces. The RiTFT-50-IOT modules also have two built-in MicroBUS slots, so they can be easily expanded with MicroElektronika Click Boards. Each such board has some functionality that can be added to the display, such as a temperature and humidity sensor, UV sensor, text-to-speech converter, etc. By adding the Click Board of your choice to the Riverdi display, you can easily customize it to your needs.

Industry forecasts

It is estimated that more than 50% of G20 companies will modernize and open up their industrial production control systems to IoT by 2021, and by 2024 the same percentage of manufacturing companies will combine the respective digital twins (digital twins) of their products and assets into an end-to-end digital ecosystem, giving them full visibility into system processes and being able to reduce quality maintenance costs by up to 5%. These predictions confirm the extremely rapid growth of the Internet of Things and the digital transformation that is happening before our eyes. As a distributor, integrator and designer of information visualization solutions, Unisystem can help you prepare for the coming changes.

If you need more information – contact us.