
STM32 wireless module enables predictive maintenance
A smart STM32 wireless module from STMicroelectronics is enabling a predictive maintenance system in Industry 4.0.
Lead customer, I-care Group in Belgium, uses the STM32WB5MMGH6 wireless module for its Wi-care intelligent industrial predictive maintenance application
The module provides a complete subsystem for wireless communication using popular standards such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, and Thread and comes with free-to-use protocol stacks, although developers can use other proprietary protocols, if preferred.
The module integrates several essential components including the antenna and its matching circuitry, all the passives, and timing crystals. Pre-certifications for EMC, Bluetooth LE 5.3, Zigbee 3.0, and OpenThread simplify the mandatory testing and product-level approval processes for users, which saves development costs and accelerates time to market.
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The I-care Group develops machine health systems with continuous monitoring of industrial equipment to ensure optimum performance and avoid unexpected failures and downtime. The Wi-care sensors are a true plug-and-play wireless and continuous asset monitoring system. When combined with I-see, I-care’s cloud-based and AI-driven analytical platform, it provides a complete maintenance 4.0 solution, allowing users to visualize equipment status and plan maintenance schedules.
This avoids more than 99% of industrial breakdowns, reducing machine downtime by 10-20%, and maintenance costs by 35-45%.
The STM32WB55 MCU powering the STM32WB5MMGH6 has an ARM Cortex-M4 core for application-level processing and a Cortex-M0+ core dedicated to managing the integrated radio, which safeguards real-time performance in both domains.
The MCU contains sufficient on-chip RAM to run the Thread protocol while the radio’s multi-protocol technology provides flexibility and allows convenient device administration and fleet management.
Designers working with the STM32WB5MMGH6 module can use the free STM32 tools like the STM32CubeMX configurator and software like the STM32CubeWB MCU package.
This package provides essential embedded-development resources, including production-ready MISRA C and ISO/TS 16949 compliant Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and low-layer APIs, FatFS file system, FreeRTOS, communication-protocol stacks, and code examples.
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“I-care has the ambition to become the world leader in prescriptive and predictive maintenance. The swift and successful production and rollout of our market leading Wi-care sensors plays a crucial role in our growth plans. ST’s STM32WB5MMGH6 wireless module provides an indispensable part of Wi-care,” said Fabrice Brion, CEO of I-care.
“Choosing a wireless module instead of engineering a chip-down solution is the fastest way for developers to complete their projects,” said Hakim Jaafar, General Manager – BLE/802.15.4 MCU, STMicroelectronics. “The STM32WB5MMGH6 module, based on our own STM32WB55 wireless MCU and fully supported by ST, now makes this approach faster, easier, and more affordable than ever.”
The STM32WB5MMGH6TR is in production now and available for new designs, priced from $6 for orders of 10,000 pieces. It is supported by ST’s 10-year product longevity commitment, which ensures long-term availability of parts for industrial applications.
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