Add a Bridge

Alert: Cisco has made the end-of-life (EOL) announcement for the Cisco Industrial Asset Vision (IAV).

A Bridge is a special type of generic sensor. This sensor can measure 4-20mA current, 0-10V, or digital inputs, and backhaul this over LoRaWAN into IAV. 4-20mA sensors and 0-10v sensors can be connected to the Bridge and are termed as Analog/Digital sensors in IAV. These can be added to the Bridge and can be managed similar to the regular LoRA Sensors that are supported in IAV.

IAV will make use of mapping information that is provided by you to convert the sensor telemetry data that is sent by the Analog/Digital sensor into the units that you have defined.

A bridge, being a logical entity, cannot be assigned to any asset. It can be assigned to an organization hierarchy.

You can onboard a bridge using the IAV mobile application.

To add a bridge in the web UI, it should have been added to the global inventory (when you order a sensor, it is added to the global inventory).

  1. From the left pane, click Inventory > Bridges.
  2. Click Add Bridge.
  3. Enter the DevEUI in the Enter DevEUI field. If the bridge with the entered DevEUI is present in the global inventory in the unclaimed state, then the text DevEUI Identified is shown under the Enter DevEUI field.

    Note: You can add a DevEUI only if it is in an unclaimed state, i.e. it is not already in use by any tenant. If a DevEUI is already claimed, i.e. it is already in use by a tenant you are trying to add, then the text Device Already Exists is shown under the Enter DevEUI field. If a DevEUI is already claimed in another tenant, then the text Device Already Claimed is shown under the Enter DevEUI field.

  4. If the DevEUI is identified, the Enter Bridge Name field is shown. Enter an appropriate name for the bridge and click Add.

For the Bridge, the features of viewing and sending raw Telemetry Data over the MQTT server and Azure IoT integrations are supported.

The Bridges page shows the list of bridges filtered based on the Organization Hierarchy level that is selected. Only the levels accessible to the currently logged-in user are shown in bold text. Selecting a specific level in the hierarchy will filter the data of the bridges present under that hierarchy level and all of its child levels. The filtered bridges are displayed in the right pane of the page. If you select the Global level, then, all the bridges present for the tenant will be listed and the widget values are updated accordingly. The Organization Hierarchy pane can be collapsed.

Add Analog/Digital Sensors Type

By default, IAV ships with some Global Analog units and Sensor types. You can create new Analog units and their sensor types (i.e. category) using the Analog Sensor Type feature. Use these Sensor types and Units to configure the Analog sensors and add them to the Bridge's Analog inputs.

To create an Analog Sensor Type,

  1. From the left pane, click Configuration > Analog/Digital Units. This page shows 2 tabs: Analog Units and Digital Aliases.
  2. In the Analog Units tab, click Add Sensor Type. Enter an appropriate name for the sensor type and click Add. The new sensor type is now shown in the list and is appended with (Custom). You can modify and delete the sensor type by clicking Edit and Delete respectively in the Actions column.
    Notes:
    1. You can't modify or delete the Global Sensor Type and Analog Units predefined in IAV.
    2. You can create a Sensor Type name that is the same as an existing Global Sensor Type but, you can't create duplicate user-defined Sensor Type names.
    3. You can't delete a Sensor Type if it is associated with a template or an Alert Rule.
  1. Click Add Unit to add units to the sensor type. You can add a unit in Under Existing Sensor Type or Under New Sensor Type.

    Note: In Under New Sensor Type, you can create a new sensor type and assign a unit to it.

    1. Select a sensor type from the Choose Sensor Type drop-down list for Under Existing Sensor Type and enter a name for the sensor type for Under New Sensor Type. For example, Volume, Temperature, Pressure, etc.
    2. Add an appropriate unit in the Enter Custom Unit field. For example, milliliters, gallons, and cubic meters for Volume, Kelvin, Fahrenheit, Celsius for Temperature, pounds per square inch, pascals, bars for Pressure, etc.
    3. Add an abbreviation in the Enter Unit Abbreviation field. For example, mL for milliliters, gal for gallons, m^3 for cubic meters, C for Celsius, etc.
    4. Click Add.
  2. Expand the row to see the units. You can modify and delete the unit by clicking Edit and Delete respectively in the Actions column.

    Note: You can't delete a Unit if it is associated with a template or an Alert Rule.

Add Digital Alias Type

You can create Alias Types (Digital unit category) and their Aliases (digital states) using the Digital Alias Type feature. Use these Alias types and Aliases to configure the Digital sensors and add them to the Bridge's Digital inputs.

To create a Digital Alias Type,

  1. From the left pane, click Configuration > Analog/Digital Units. This page shows 2 tabs: Analog Units and Digital Aliases.
  2. In the Digital Aliases tab, click Add Alias Type. Enter an appropriate name for the alias type and click Add. The new alias type is now shown in the list and is appended with (Custom). You can modify and delete the alias type by clicking Edit and Delete respectively in the Actions column.

    Notes:
    1. You can create an Alias Type name that is the same as an existing Global Alias Type but, you can't create duplicate user-defined Alias Type names.
    2. You can't delete an Alias Type if it is associated with a template or an Alert Rule.

  3. Click Add Alias to add aliases to the alias type. You can add an alias in Under Existing Alias Type or Under New Alias Type.

    Note: In Under New Alias Type, you can create a new alias type and assign an alias to it.

    1. Select an alias type from the Choose Alias Type drop-down list for Under Existing Alias Type and enter a name for the alias type for Under New Alias Type. For example, Campus Security.
    2. Add appropriate aliases in the Enter Alias State 1 and Enter Alias State 2 fields. For example, Door Open for Alias State 1, and Door Close for Alias State 2, etc.
    3. Click Add.

      Note: You can add only one Alias state pair under Alias Type.

  4. Expand the row to see the aliases. You can modify and delete the alias by clicking Edit and Delete respectively in the Actions column.

    Note: You can't delete an Alias Type if it is associated with a template or an Alert Rule.

Manage Bridges

Configure Analog/Digital sensor to a bridge

The Bridge sensor supports analog and digital inputs. Based on the bridge model, the number of analog and digital inputs can vary. Some analog inputs support Current and some support Voltage.

For the Bridge sensor that is supported currently, there are 6 inputs that can be configured. As per factory configuration, Analog inputs 1 and 2 are configured for Current, Analog inputs 3 and 4 are configured for Voltage. The Bridge sensor also supports 2 digital inputs.

To configure a Analog/Digital sensor to a specific input of the Bridge,

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges.

  2. From the right pane, select a Bridge and click on the Inputs tab.

  3. Hover over Ellipsis in the corresponding row where you want to configure the input and click Configure Input.

  4. Complete the following fields.

    Field Description
    Enter Sensor Name Provide an appropriate name for the Analog/Digital sensor.
    Transform Data
    Input Type to Choose Output Unit (for Analog inputs 1 and 2, i. e. the Current Input type) The Input Type is set to mA (unit of current). The input min and input max are predefined as 4mA and 20mA. Select a unit from the Choose Output Unit drop-down list. Each output has a few units of measurement to choose from.
    The Input Min and Input Max values cannot be the same.
    Input Type to Choose Output Unit (for Analog inputs 3 and 4, i. e. the Voltage Input type) The input type is set to V (unit of voltage). Select a unit from the Choose Output Unit drop-down list. Each output has a few units of measurement to choose from.
    Choose Input Type (for Digital inputs 1 and 2) Select Discrete or Pulse Counting from the drop-down list.
    Discrete inputs are digital inputs. Pulse Counter inputs are the digital sensors that count the number of pulses. For example, if you have a water meter that sends 1 pulse per gallon of water flowing, then you can count the amount of water that has flowed by the number of pulses.

    If you select Discrete, go to the Choose Alias Type step.
    If you choose Pulse Counting,
    * Enter the number of pulses in the Enter Value in Pulse(s) field.
    * Enter the value for the pulses in the Enter Value field.
    * Select an appropriate unit from the Choose Output Unit drop-down list.
    Choose alias Type (for Digital inputs 1 and 2) Select an option from the drop-down list.
    Input Min (for Analog inputs 1 and 2) There is a default input min. Enter the Output Min value. Use the input and output values to transform your data.
    Input Max (for Analog inputs 1 and 2) There is a default input max. Enter the Output Max value. Use the input and output values to transform your data. For example. if 4mA is mapped to 0 Celsius and 20mA is mapped to 100 Celsius, then, if the sensor sends a value of 12mA, the actual temperature derived will be 50 Celsius.
    Input Min (for Analog inputs 3 and 4) Enter the input minimum and output minimum values.
    Input Min (for Analog inputs 3 and 4) Enter the input maximum and output maximum values.
    Input 0 (for Digital inputs 1 and 2) Select an alias from the drop-down list for either Input 0 or Input 1. The other alias value is automatically populated in the other Input field.
    Input 1 (for Digital inputs 1 and 2) Select an alias from the drop-down list for either Input 1 or Input 0. The other alias value is automatically populated in the other Input field.
    Select Sensor Assignment If you select Assign to Asset,
    1. Select an asset from the Choose an Asset drop-down list. The Organization Hierarchy of this asset will be automatically assigned to the sensor.
    2. In the Choose a Template drop down list, the default Analog/Digital sensor template (ANALOG_DIGITAL_Default) is pre-selected by default if the Choose Output Unit is not selected. If you select a unit from the Choose Output Unit drop-down list, the templates associated with that unit will be listed in the Choose a Template drop-down list along with the default Analog/Digital sensor template (ANALOG_DIGITAL_Default).

    If you select Assign an Org Hierarchy,
    1. Click Click to assign. The Assign Org Hierarchy pane opens on the right side of the screen.
    2. Select a level from the hierarchy and click Assign.
    3. In the Choose a Template drop down list, the default Analog/Digital sensor template (ANALOG_DIGITAL_Default) is pre-selected by default if the Choose Output Unit is not selected. If you select a unit from the Choose Output Unit drop-down list, the templates associated with that unit will be listed in the Choose a Template drop-down list along with the default Analog/Digital sensor template (ANALOG_DIGITAL_Default).

  5. Click Add.

Edit an Analog/Digital sensor configuration

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges.
  2. From the right pane, select a Bridge and click on the Inputs tab.
  3. Hover over Ellipsis in the corresponding row where you want to configure the input and click Configure Input.
  4. You can modify the following fields:
  5. For Analog inputs 1 and 2 - Sensor name, Output Unit, Output Min, Output Max and Sensor Assignment (to asset or org hierarchy).
  6. For Analog inputs 3 and 4 - Sensor name, Output Unit, Input Min, Output Min, Input Max, Output Max and Sensor Assignment (to asset or org hierarchy).
  7. For Digital inputs 1 and 2 (for non-pulse counter sensors) - Sensor name, Choose Alias for either Input 0 or Input 1 and Sensor Assignment (to asset or org hierarchy). For pulse counter sensors - Sensor name, Enter Value in Pulse(s), Enter Value, Choose Output Unit and Sensor Assignment (to asset or org hierarchy).
  8. Click Update.

Delete a Analog/Digital sensor configuration

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges.
  2. From the right pane, select a Bridge and click on the Inputs tab.
  3. Hover over Ellipsis in the corresponding row where you want to configure the input and click Delete Sensor and then click Yes when prompted.

OR

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Sensors -> select a bridge to delete.
  2. Hover over Actions, select Delete and then click Yes when prompted.

View a Bridge

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges.
  2. From the right pane, select a Bridge to view its status and details.
    1. The Summary tab shows the bridge details. You can modify the details by clicking Edit and updating the required fields.
    2. The Inputs tab shows the mapped Analog/Digital sensors for individual input points of bridge.
    3. The Health tab shows the bridge health and status. For example, status, last heard, connectivity, etc.
    4. The Troubleshooting tab shows the Device Connection Status between IoT OD, the network device, and the bridge and also lets you troubleshoot the bridge.
    5. The Message Inspector tab shows detailed information on the data that is sent by the bridge.

Edit a Bridge

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges > select a bridge to edit.
  2. In the Bridge Summary page, click Edit to modify the required fields and click Update.

Notes:

  1. If the bridge is in inventory and not onboarded, then you can edit only the Name and the Description fields.
  2. If the bridge is onboarded, then you can edit the Name, the Description, and the Organization Hierarchy fields.

Delete a Bridge

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges > select a bridge to delete.
  2. Hover over the Actions drop-down list and click Delete. OR
  3. In the Bridge Summary page, click Delete and then click Yes when prompted.

    Note: When you delete a bridge, all the associated Analog/Digital sensors will also be deleted.

Move Org Hierarchy

  1. From the left pane click Inventory > Bridges > select one or more bridges to move to a different level in the Organization Hierarchy.
  2. Click Actions > Move Org Hierarchy.
  3. Select a level from the Assign Org Hierarchy list. Click Expand to expand the hierarchy and Collapse to collapse the hierarchy. You can also search for the level in the Find Hierarchy search field above the hierarchy. Start typing to narrow down the search. Click Assign.

    Note: You can't move the Bridges in the Unused level of the Organization Hierarchy.