Intelligent Technology Platform Collaboration


Mage Control Systems Ltd, have been working closely with solutions provider, Autonomous iOt, based in North Lanarkshire, on the development of their ‘Intelligent Technology Platform’. Autonomous design and manufacture an intelligent platform of products powered by renewable energy offering lighting, communications, monitoring, and analytics with value-added services that are Meta City ready. Developed and designed to be a plug-and-play solution whereby the hardware and functionality can be added or removed depending on customer requirements.

Both Electronics and Software Design Engineering teams at Mage Control Systems have contributed to this project, providing key experience and expertise from a range of technical backgrounds. Mage Controls’ work to date in the renewables sector has included projects covering condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and motion control solutions.

Mage Control Systems Software Engineer
Mage Control Systems Software Engineer working on the Autonomous iOt test rig.

We were delighted to get to work with the team at Autonomous iOt, providing crucial R&D as they plan to take their new product offerings to markets at home and abroad.

To date, the team at Mage Control have designed and developed a suite of bespoke embedded electronics and intelligent software for Autonomous iOt’s Intelligent Technology Platform. Developing, from the ground up; novel sensing and communication systems, intelligent device performance systems, and the capability for complete remote access to the on-board data. Specific to the customers’ requirements the team at Mage Control have produced:

  • Wind Power Converter;

Featuring smart charging electronics design, the Mage Control designed Wind Power Converter will take power from the wind to charge and store energy on a battery via the Power Controller. It is capable of converting wind to power efficiently with a max rating of 150W.

An integrated electrical brake serves to protect the wind turbine from rotating too quickly in stormy weather, protecting critical mechanical components from sudden failure. Additionally, a built-in sensor array provides real-time monitoring of the converter’s performance and health.

  • Solar Power Converter

Similar to the Wind Power Converter, this device is capable of taking power from the wind to charge and store energy on a battery via the Power Controller. It is capable of converting wind to power up to 180W efficiently with a max rating of 280W. As with the Wind Power Converter, this Solar Power Converter features built-in sensing technology for real-time monitoring of the converters of performance and health.

 

  • Power Controller

This device acts essentially as the brains of the operation and intelligently combines outputs of both the Solar Power and Wind Power Converters to efficiently charge the battery. The Power Controller can autonomously switch between charging primary battery storage, should this load become too discharged, to charging a backup battery for continuous performance.

As with both Solar Power and Wind Power Converters, this design features built-in sensing technology for real-time monitoring of performance and health.

Via an onboard embedded processor, this Power Controller can;

  • Encapsulate battery monitoring + sensing technology
  • Control the power conversion in both controllers through live analysis of all sensed data. It controls the battery charging and real-time telematics over 4G to the Cloud.
  • Perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) where applicable to extract as much energy as possible from the solar and wind power available
  • Wirelessly communicate all sensed data to lighting/camera controllers
  • Shut down power to lighting/camera controllers in lowest power state so to conserve energy efficiently
  • Lighting and Camera Controllers

The Lighting Controller contains a driver for up to 20x 3W LED modules either in parallel or series, allowing for bright lighting at energy-efficient levels. This device can also control LED brightness controlled by an operator accessing the entire platform through a back-office dashboard.

The Camera Controller is capable of streaming live camera feeds via 4G for surveillance or storage in the Cloud. If needed it can also broadcast Wi-Fi networks for local troubleshooting and can be controlled remotely by communicating with a remote dashboard over 4G. The controller autonomously regulates battery voltage to power the onboard cameras.

These smart connected controllers feature integrated Wi-Fi and 4G capabilities for local and remote control/communication, allowing operators real-time access to critical system performance data

Autonomous iOt Intelligent Technology Platform in-situ in Scottish Highlands