Archiwa tagu: AI GATEWAY

Most modern approach to AI era – modular cluster device with the data security and power management

New features of multiple Compute Modules 4 brought to new ClusBerry series

Accompanying the release of ModBerry 500-CM4 and AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, we present to you a cluster version of the device, called ClusBerry 9500-CM4. Main difference between standard Gateway and ClusBerry is the possibility to include multiple Compute Module 4 in one device, as well as the intended suitable amount of wired and wireless interfaces, suited for the project.

Fully configurable devices are something desirable in the IoT market, where high performance and low cost is a key factor to success of implementation. TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem gives the opportunity to adjust ordered devices with certain resources and cut unnecessary I/Os, lowering the total cost of the device. 

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Reason for use of CM4 cluster in ClusBerry 9500-CM4

Various implementations must have guaranteed high hardware performance to react fast enough in real time. For this purpose, the arrays of processor blocks are constructed to be assigned to individual tasks. For several years now, attempts have been made to use various types of SBC for this purpose, including, of course, Raspberry Pi.. However, the practical effectiveness of such solutions so far has not been of interest for several reasons. First of all, these solutions were most often associated with many mechanical limitations and the structure of the matrix itself required excessive wiring, preventing failure-free operation and the cost of the entire maintenance of the structure.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

This is where Raspberry Pi Compute Module can shine, but due to the hardware speed limitations of the buses in this module, it was not completely effective and was rather a development platform. Altho the introduction of new Compute Module 4 has opened the possibility to construct and maintain effective hardware matrix solutions with the use of both PCI-Express buses and 1GBps Ethernet. Therefore, the ClusBerry 9500-CM4 opens up completely new capabilities of utilizing cluster solutions for Industrial Automation and server applications.

Wide range of ClusBerry modules

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 supports up to 8 cluster modules and comes with a variety of interchangeable modules to choose from, including:

  • Standard 9500-CM4 cluster module with Compute Module 4 and chosen configuration:
    • I/O Controller with range of DI, DO, AI, 1-Wire, RS-232/485 and CAN interfaces
    • Communication Gateway with wired (1/2x Ethernet, Serial Ports) and wireless interfaces (LTE-cat.M1, 4G, 5G, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus)
    • AI Gateway with 1x Coral Edge TPU via PCIe M.2, introduced in December 2020: https://iiot-shop.com/product/ai-gateway/ or up to 4x Coral Edge TPU via USB3.0
  • NAS File Server with 2x SSD SATA III and RAID support, managed with Nextcloud or ownCloud software
  • USB3.0 Hub for 5G communication, Modems, AI Cluster and peripherals
  • Gigabit LAN/WAN Router with additional 2.5GbE network card as an independent switch/router shielded from the mainboard cluster network
  • SuperCap / Power management module for backup power supply (supercapacitors / Li-Ion battery) and sleep mode management aided with ESP32-module
  • Additional expansion cards, with resources suited for the installation (DIO, AIO, Serial Ports and dedicated sensor cards, detailed below)
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 with available expansion cards 

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 can be equipped with multiple expansion cards, e.g. serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer and many more features like TPM Security Chip & eSIM. The device can also be equipped with additional SuperCap backup power source for continuous work and safe boot/shutdown in case of emergency.

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Software cluster management with Docker and K3s Lightweight Kubernetes

With use of Docker-based and Kubernetes solutions, installation and management of ClusBerry 9500-CM4 is easy and backed with a large community for further support and development. Kubernetes is a portable, extensible open-source software platform for managing containerized tasks and sites that enables declarative configuration and automation. The Kubernetes ecosystem is large and dynamically developing. Kubernetes services, support and tools are widely available.

Kubernetes provides:

  • Detection of new services and traffic. Kubernetes can balance the load and redirect the network traffic to ensure the stability of the entire installation.
  • Kubernetes data storage management enables you to automatically mount any type of storage system – on-premises, from cloud providers and others.
  • Automatic deployment and rollback. You can describe the expected state of your installation with Kubernetes, which will take care of bringing the actual state to the expected state in a controlled manner. For example, with Kubernetes, you can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module
  • Automatic management of available resources. ClusBerry 9500-CM4 provides a cluster of modules that Kubernetes can use to run tasks in containers. You determine the CPU power and RAM requirements for each container. Kubernetes arranges containers on machines in such a way as to make the best use of provided resources.
  • Self-healing Kubernetes reboots containers that have stopped working, replaces them with new ones, forces disabling containers that are not responding to certain status queries, and does not announce their availability until they are ready to run.
  • Managing confidential information and Kubernetes configuration with TPM Security Chip allows you to store and manage confidential information such as passwords, OAuth tokens and SSH keys. Secured data and configuration information can be provided and changed without having to rebuild the container image and without exposing sensitive data in the overall software configuration.
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 availability

First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of ClusBerry will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here.

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World-first industrial AI Gateway with CM4 and Coral TPU for Machine Learning

New features of Edge TPU brought to ModBerry series

In October 2020, with the release of the latest Compute Module 4 from Rasbperry Pi Foundation, TECHBASE announced an upgraded device from ModBerry 500 series, called ModBerry 500 CM4. Thanks to the high-performance PCI-Express bus introduced in Compute Module 4 and Raspberry Pi community, the device itself presents support for a wide range of new applications, such as use of Google’s Artificial Intelligence modules at ease.

Therefore, TECHBASE designed a new device, called ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, utilizing the vertical format of ModBerry 9500, latest Compute Module 4 and Google’s Coral TPU. Installation-ready AI GATEWAY allows direct application in industrial fields.

TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU

AI GATEWAY with Coral TPU enhancement 

Neuron network capabilities enhance CM4-based devices, not only collecting and sending data, but also allows local data change predictions and allows direct management on-site. This feature gives the possibility for various applications, such as data analysing and establishing trends predictions, smart alarms and smart monitoring, local notification control, etc.

Used Edge TPU coprocessor via PCI-Express bus is capable of performing 4 trillion operations per second (TOPS), using 0.5 watts for each TOPS (2 TOPS per watt). Google Coral easily integrates with Raspberry Pi Compute Module in Linux and optionally in Windows with full support of TensorFlow Lite framework and AutoML Vision Edge solution.

TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU
TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU

AI GATEWAY with available expansion cards 

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 can be equipped with serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer, OLED screen and many more features like TPM Security Chip, eSIM and SuperCap backup power support. 

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem, interchangeable with Coral TPU)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 availabilityFirst prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of AI GATEWAY will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here.

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