In warehousing and logistics scenarios, there are dozens or hundreds of equipment such as forklifts, AGVs, and conveyor belts. Traditional manual plug-in charging is not only inefficient, but also prone to overcharging and aging of the battery, and equipment running out of power during peak periods. The core value of Thingboot's 24-channel controller is that it allows you to remotely manage the charging on and off of each device using code - let's talk about how to integrate it into your existing system.

Warehousing and logistics equipment power management: How to integrate the intelligent 24-channel remote line management controller into your own project

Brothers, let’s talk about how to turn this thing into your "device nanny"

If you are also managing a warehouse, you must know the feeling: there are dozens of forklifts, AGVs, and stackers. At night or when changing shifts, the electrician will use a notebook to check whether the plugs are unplugged one by one, for fear of overcharging and destroying the battery. Or even worse, when you need to use your car during peak hours, you find that you forgot to recharge several of them last night, and now you are just trying to make ends meet.

In fact, it is very simple to solve this problem, which is to install a "smart switch" for each charging port and then use code to control it. Today we will take the Thingboot one"Intelligent universal controller 24 channels"Let’s talk about it and teach you step by step how to insert it into your existing system.

To put it bluntly, this is aIron box that can connect to 24 charging sockets, you send it an HTTP request, and it can help you turn on or off the power of the specified socket.

Step one: Can this thing withstand the "rough" work of a warehouse?

Before talking about the code, we have to see if the hardware can handle it. After all, the warehouse is dusty and the equipment has high power.

• Do you have a big appetite?This thing is usedDC 12V2APower supply, very energy-saving. However, the load it can control is very large, with a total rated current of MAX 20A, and the resistive load can reach4400W.

  • What does it mean?It can easily handle a general forklift charger or several rows of shelf lights. Even if you are connected to a high-power industrial fan, there will be no problem.

• Is the leather solid?The outer casing is made of fireproof V0 grade PC material, which is resistant to high temperatures. If any battery gets abnormally hot during charging, at least the controller will not catch fire easily. Safety comes first..

• How to connect to the Internet?Going isWiFi 2.4G, no need to buy additional gateway, as long as there is WiFi signal in the warehouse. What if the warehouse is too big and there is no signal? Don't worry, it also supportsPlug in the network cable(via soft gateway), or goLAN privatization, can be used even when disconnected from the external network.

Step 2: How to make it understand you? (This is the core)

You definitely don’t want to press the button on the box. What you want is to click on the big screen of your computer or even in the mobile app, or let the system automatically judge. This is its strength -Open HTTP interface.

Whether your backend is using Java, Python or PHP, or even writing a simple Shell script, you can adjust it.

1. You have to get its "ID card" and "key" firstIn the backend of Thingboot, you will get two things:AppIDandAppSecret. This is equivalent to your username and password.

2. Send a command to trySuppose you want toRoute 1To open the charging pile (to charge the forklift), you only need to send a POST request to their API address.

• Request addresshttps://api.thingboot.com/{yourAppID}/device/control/

• With the parameters

  • device: The unique ID of your 24-way controller (can be seen in the background).

  • order{"power1": 1}(1 here means open, if it is 0, it means closed, power2 is the second channel, and so on, until power24).

A little bit about the technical flow (signature):In order to prevent others from damaging your battery by sending random instructions, it has a signature mechanism. you have to putAppSecretMix it with the timestamp and encrypt it.Don’t be afraid, it’s just a few lines of code:Simply put it is:sign = md5(md5(AppSecret) + current timestamp).You just need to spell this sign after the request address, and then send the above command in JSON format..

3. Be Smart: Batch ControlIf you are about to change your shift and want to disconnect all charging ports at once, you don’t need to write 24 lines of code.Just need to putorderReplace the parameters with:{"batch": 0}, this time, all 24 sockets are powered off, which is safe and trouble-free..

Step 3: How to "really implement" it in the warehouse?

Just being able to issue instructions is not enough. You must combine it with your warehouse management system (WMS) to achieve maximum value.

The first scenario: linking with the AGV dispatching system

• Pain points: The AGV comes back to charge itself. It is still floating when it is fully charged, and the battery bulges after one year.

• plan: Your dispatching system has detected that "AGV-01 battery is 100%" and directly sends a command to the controller:{"power1": 0}.

• Effect: Automatically cut off when full,Protect the battery and save power.

The second scenario: management of battery replacement area

• Pain points: The worker plugged in the battery after get off work and ignored it. It was fully charged and kept burning in the middle of the night.

• plan: Make a simple scheduled task. For example, write a cron job on your server, automatically execute the script at 23:00 in the evening, and send power-off instructions to all devices.{"batch": 0}.

• Effect: No one messes with the battery,Both safe and prevent overcharging.

The third scenario: LAN is disconnected and available (privatized deployment)Many warehouses have unstable network environments or high data security requirements. This controller supportsSoft gateway mode.

• You only need to install a small software (soft gateway) provided by Thingboot on the local server of the warehouse.

• Then your WMS system directly requestshttp://192.168.xx (local IP address)/control .

• Even if the external network optical cable is cut, the charging management inside your warehouse will still operate normally..

Step 4: What kind of electrical diagram is required?

(Although I won’t give you the attachment, I will dictate it to you)

1. Incoming line end: Supply a stable 12V DC power to the controller (it comes with its own adapter, just plug it into the mains).

2. Outgoing terminal

   • Put the controllerThe first output terminalconnected in series to the charging pileAC input live wiresuperior.

   • BundlePublic endConnect to the neutral line of the charging pile.

   • Simple and crude understanding: This controller is like a24-way giant relay, but you use code to click it.

To summarize

Integrating this thing into your warehousing and logistics project actually only requires three steps:

1. Get online: Plug the charger plug into the controller.

2. Equipped with good network: Connect the controller to your warehouse’s WiFi.

3. adjust interface: Use HTTP request to tell it which way is open and which way is closed.

Once connected, you can sip tea in the office and watch the charging ports on the big screen automatically turn on and off according to the battery level.The essence of this thing is to change your charging management from "manual recording" to "automatic management", which not only extends the life of expensive batteries, but also avoids the risk of charging fire.

If your warehouse has a lot of equipment, you can also consider using 8-channel or 16-channel versions in combination. The interface logic is exactly the same..