System monitors soap, cotton towel andtoilet paper dispensers in washrooms1 March 2017, by Angela Raguse-Fößel M.a.

Checking dispensers with a tablet computer in anetworked washroom. Credit: CWS-boco InternationalGmbH

Washrooms are among the highest-maintenancerooms in companies. A new Fraunhofer technologynow monitors soap, cotton towel and toilet paperdispensers fully automatically, and notifies thecleaning staff when levels are running low. At thecore of the "CWS Washroom Information Service"are sensors and some ingenious wirelesstechnology.

"The cotton towels are running out in washroom 17on the third floor, in washroom 21 on the fourthfloor the soap is almost empty, and in 26 there isalmost no toilet paper left."Armed with this kind ofinformation in advance, cleaning staff will be able toplan their rounds far more effectively in the future.No small thing, given that washrooms are amongthe highest-maintenance rooms in buildings. Aswell as having to be cleaned, their soap, hand-towels and toilet paper have to be replenishedregularly. The Fraunhofer Institute for IntegratedCircuits IIS has now designed a highly efficientsolution to this problem. Together with the full-service provider CWS-boco International GmbH,Fraunhofer IIS has created the "CWS WashroomInformation Service" system, which significantlyreduces washroom maintenance requirements. Incharge of the project is Prof. Thomas Wieland,head of the Fraunhofer Application Center forWireless Sensor Systems in Coburg. In addition tothe sensor technology, the Fraunhofer scientistsalso contribute a wireless system for transmittingthe data. CWS-boco is responsible for the design ofthe various container and dispenser systems.

The basis of the "CWS Washroom InformationService" (WIS) are the sensors. They are batterypowered and monitor the fill levels of soapdispensers, cotton towel rolls and toilet paper. Themeasurement method employed depends on thetask. For instance, in the case of the soapdispenser, an optical sensor keeps an eye on thefill level, and the sensor module gathers the datafrom the meter in the soap dispenser that recordsevery portion dispensed. Optical systems are alsoused for toilet paper, while a portion meter monitorsthe usage of the cotton towel dispenser.

The wireless network configures itself

The data collected by these means is then sentthrough a complex wireless transmission system.First, the dispenser information is transmitted to thenearest "Washroom Control Unit" (WCU) via

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energy-saving Bluetooth 4.0 LE (Low Energy). EachWCU is a collection point and communication node.They are distributed around the entire building andnetworked with each other. This is where the s-netwireless technology developed by Fraunhofer IIScomes into play, by enabling the wireless networkto configure itself. Each WCU in the networkdecides autonomously what device it sends thedata to. "If a given module is out of order or cannotbe reached for other reasons, the WCU sends itsdata to another module," Fraunhofer expertWieland explains. This means the wireless networkcompensates automatically for a defective deviceor any disturbances in the transmission path. Onceall the data has been collected, the final WCU inthe transmission chain sends the entire datapackage – again via s-net – to a gateway, which isgenerally attached to the outside of the building.

Hand-towel, soap and toilet paper dispensers transmittheir fill levels. Credit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

From there, the information is then forwarded viathe cellular network to CWS-boco's server. A visualuser interface displays the information for eachindividual washroom operator. The shift supervisorcan then print out the washroom information as ashift plan or send it to the cleaning staff's tablets.Another option would be to have a display at theentrance to the washrooms that shows what thewashroom requires.

Field trial starting 2017

With the development phase of the "CWSWashroom Information Service" now more or less

completed, a progressive field trial with a pilotcustomer is beginning in the first quarter of 2017.CWS-boco will market the system, one of thebiggest benefits of which is its flexibility. "We canintegrate new devices with their own sensorsystems. Pretty much any product can be fitted withsensors and integrated into the system, from soapdispensers to toilet paper holders and waste bins,"says Jens Einsiedler, Head of BusinessDigitalisation at CWS-boco International GmbH.

And the Fraunhofer researchers aren't only thinkingabout washroom services. Sensor-based s-nettechnology makes many applications possible. "Thesystem is ideal for any situation where sensor datahas to be gathered and transmitted," Wielandexplains. Thanks to its ability to organize itself, theenergy-saving s-net is extremely reliable. But notonly that, its transmission frequency of 868 MHzhas excellent propagation characteristics, so it canpenetrate walls with ease. That is particularly usefulin complex buildings.

Wireless sensor networks featuring this or othertransmission technologies are a particularlyeffective way for the agricultural sector to monitorcrop land. In cities, sensor networks can keep trackof the water quality in rivers. Sensors can keep tabson the stability of bridges and other constructions,and even in the field of health care this technologyopens up new opportunities. For instance, thesensors could be integrated into textiles to monitora patient's movements during physiotherapy.

Further applications are also an option in the fieldof Industrie 4.0. Wireless sensors are ideal forsupervising production plants and monitoring thestatus of machines or workpieces. On this basis,the system delivers all the data required to managethe process in question. Meanwhile, Wieland andhis team are also currently working on a more down-to-earth but no less useful project: monitoring the filllevels of the waste bins in the pedestrian zone inthe city of Reutlingen.

Provided by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

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APA citation: System monitors soap, cotton towel and toilet paper dispensers in washrooms (2017,March 1) retrieved 13 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2017-03-soap-cotton-towel-toilet-paper.html

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