The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the scalable networks of Edge devices (sensors) that connect to the Internet to collect, process and exchange data; improving interactions between physical devices across various sectors, such as manufacturing, the connected home, transportation, medical and agriculture.

Additive manufacturing with laser application


An additive manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art equipment has high requirements to its process stability. A collection of IST's sensors can be directly integrated into the device and add high value to various functionalities, such as longevity, reliability and high precision.

1) Gas Mass flow: SFS01

2) Gas supply flow & gas ratio control: SFS-DGF

3) Dew point monitoring: HYT 939P

4) Temperature control and localized heating: Pt1000, Micro-Heaters

5) Filter control and air velocity: FS7

6) Humidity: HYT939 PTFE

The Collect – Edge device

 

To streamline the performance of Edge devices in IoT, IST has developed a number of specialized temperature, humidity, conductivity and flow sensors for these networks of physical devices, vehicles, and buildings embedded with electronics, software, and connectivity enabling them to collect and exchange data. IST Sensors in IoT also provide opportunities for a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, building automation, automotive, transportation, healthcare, agriculture and more. We offer our customers a wide range of sensor elements, modules and assemblies to implement IoT solutions that result in a faster time to market.

Sensors for collect edge devices
No data without sensors

The Collect – Edge device (sensor) is the front-most device of any IoT system. It works as a sensing device to collect physical environment information. It must be connected to the outside network, either through a wired or wireless sensor node (WSN). Data integrity remains key in this block of the signal chain as many IoT systems utilize many sensors to collect data and make intelligent decisions.

The Sensor provides the intelligence to sense, measure, interpret, and connect an internet gateway to the cloud. The data can be pre-processed with some form of analytics before it is transmitted for deeper data mining intelligence.

Larger IoT applications require a large array of edge devices in order to form a network of edge devices. In such cases, each edge device (node) needs to have a unique identifier in order to recognize and communicate with them effectively.

Industrial Drying

Compressor dryer systems

Industrial drying using compressed air

In a compressor-dryer-sensors-IoT control unit for an integrated compressor-desiccant dryer and pressure vessel, an IoT module is required to realize more prompt reaction to problems or reminder of scheduled maintenance, as maintenance is one of the challenges in this market. The compressed air is partly used on foodstuffs, a minimum dryness is needed to prevent bacteria from multiplying.  (pressure dewpoint @ -26 °C).

HYT939 humitity module

Pressure-tight HYT939

IST AG’s HYT939 Humidity sensing module, customized for the application, is used to validate the dryness of the air during the measurement of the outgoing compressed air. The digital plug 'n’play IST AG HYT humidity modules are ideal for high measurement accuracy IoT applications and is also offered with a pressure tight packaging to 16 Bar. Precisely calibrated, the HYT Module combines the advantages of a precise, capacitive polymer humidity sensor with the high integration density and functionality of an ASIC. 

HYT humidity module family

Precise and customized calibration

The I²C digital software output from the module conditions and delivers the measured physical data in digital form

The HYT sensors are provided in exposed sensor element versions, as well as two filter cap versions (mechanical protection) for simple integrations into IoT Edge devices operating in extreme environments such as Agriculture (soil), Transportation, smart cities etc. Our three HYT models can be delivered with a tailored calibration.

Gas Sensing with superior design flexibility

Applications such as Indoor Air Quality, Domestic Safety, Refrigeration, Emissions, Urban Pollution and Agriculture now require IoT modules enhanced with ceramic-based MEMs Gas sensors for better design flexibility.

Our materials have been adapted to detect VOCs, CO and in future, CO2, HCHO and NO2. Upgrading from the traditional Si MEMS approach to IST AG’s with ceramic-based MEMs materials, simplifies supply chain, provides design flexibility.

Assembled in a TO-5 can or SMD, these sensors provide excellent response time, are humidity-immune, and with excellent cross-sensitivity addressed through materials properties and alternative sensor interrogation techniques (& Carbon Filter).

Energy Management within the IoT Edge Device

Miniaturized temperature sensors SMD

An increasing number of IoT wearables, and other IoT high volume applications such as consumer, industrial and medical devices, contain ASIC’s and IC’s that now require precise temperature compensation to the International IEC 60751 standard.

This forced us to develop a miniaturized temperature sensor (RTD) for automatic placement in high volume applications in ASIC, IC & DIE packages where long-term stability, good thermal transfer, at low cost are important.

Our “BondSens” Platinum RTD sensor features a very small size of 0.75mm x 0.75mm and has an operating temperature range of -50 °C to +150 °C with very low drift, and can be packaged and integrated with semiconductor devices, through ball-wedge or wedge-wedge Au-wire bonding.

Measuring Ionic content for Water purification and abatement

Conductivity measurements are carried out in industrial processes to obtain information on total ionic concentrations (i.e. dissolved compounds) in water solutions, as a simple and inexpensive way to control the ionic content in a solution.

We discovered several years ago that the electrical conductivity of our sensing materials was ideal to develop into our ceramic-based conductivity sensors. An IST Sensor monitors the conductivity at different stages of the process. Since the mobility of the dissolved ions is affected by temperature, these IoT monitoring systems are required to either control the process temperature or to compensate readings according to the sample temperature.

The conductivity sensor consists of two current electrodes and two measuring electrodes. However, this basic sensor design can be adapted to specific IoT applications and requirements.

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