Ercogener’s intelligent systems and communicating modems

Intelligence linked to IoT functionality and your industry specific know-how

Our range of products have simple communications interfaces. The hardware and software resources of the systems means that data processing and computation can be matched to any type of need :

• Data encryption.
• Digital filtering.
• Combining results for local decision support.
• Mathematical processing of data readings.
• Interconnectivity between different protocols.

This intelligence can be linked to problems intrinsic to IoT technologies such as optimisation of position calculations for a tracker, control of hysteresis for sending threshold alarms or securing certain outputs in a remote-control application.

Right from when we were established, Ercogener has made the industry-specific problems of our customers our own key focus by enabling them to incorporate their own know-how into our solutions. This is made possible by the openness of our solutions, particularly the software. After 2 days training, our partners can integrate into our products algorithms, analyses or functionality specific to their operational constraints.

Specialisation in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence [AI] is nowadays one of our key specialities and we continually adapt to the constant developments in AI algorithms. This has been reinforced within the group by integration of the company hl2 who have been renamed hl2gener.

For several years, Ercogener has progressively sought to incorporate intelligence as closely as possible into objects and to coordinate it with the supervisory platform. Several R&D projects have been launched with universities and partners to move integration of these approaches forward, in environments that are constrained in terms of energy consumption and computational power.

Use of artificial intelligence means that data processing and analysis is automated for optimum and easy use by our customers.

Uses of our solutions 

Incorporation of intelligence into our products concerns all of our solutions from individual sensors (e.g. temperature sensors) to multiple connectivity trackers to gateways that integrate complete Decision Support tools.

A temperature sensor incorporating artificial intelligence can improve traceability of thermal events. Readings are taken using intelligent strategies:

• Over-sampling when a threshold is exceeded.
• Transmission of statistics.
• Pre-alert thresholds based on trends.
• Alert thresholds based on the scatter of measurements etc.

After a 24 hour learning phase, thresholds are determined automatically and warnings sent in the event of an anomaly. Detection is performed predictively before an incident.

This approach can also be used with ground moisture sensors which can be complicated to programme. Typically, the ground moisture of interest to a farmer is in the root zone in a layer from 10 cm to 2 m below the surface of the ground.
Depending on the ground, the moisture content changes in different ways. Embedded intelligence will in time learn to recognise changes in moisture content and match alarm thresholds to it along with the associated wilting point.

We have also launched a collaborative research project called ORTIKAT in partnership with ESEO of Angers (Higher School of General Engineers in intelligent systems and objects) and HKTC Technologies (JV between Hydrokit and Carré).
The first aim of this project is to design and develop an “agricultural box”: an innovative technological eco-system for AI applications in agriculture as close as possible to the field. The project also aims to work with industry experts and end users to improve models and approaches with their real world expertise.
To validate the concept, the project aims to use this ecosystem on a real application: to substantially modify and improve the ANATIS hoeing robot by adding intelligence related to embedded or external sensors, making it a multi-purpose robot.

Finally, as part of our global geolocation product range, we are working on the problems of multiple connectivity and switching between networks to optimise radio coverage and energy consumption. Ercogener has also filed a patent in the area of multiple connectivity combining cellular networks and LPWAN networks.