An IoT system to monitor storage of materials in bins. A web interface is used to display the information of quantity over time, and other data, of the stock:
The system is containerized in Docker images to deploy the server and a webcam using balena: https://www.balena.io/
A storage unit consists of a bin, a microcontroller with WiFi capabilities, a load cell, and a load cell amplifier. The hardware setup can be seen in the following picture:
The system was developed with the following elements:
- ESP32 Microcontroler
- Load cell: Load Cell - 5kg, Straight Bar (TAL220B) https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14729
- Load cell amplifier: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15242
- AkroBins: https://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-08212Blue-Stacking-AkroBins-Hardware/dp/B01AADDCF6/ref=sr_1_49?dchild=1&keywords=bins&qid=1588719027&sr=8-49&pldnSite=1
- Custom parts, laser cut and 3D printed
Uploading the code in storage_scale to the microcontroller a new entry in the server should be automatically added.
The final setup of the prototype looks like this:
