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Cellular IoT and Bluetooth LE smart locker device offers secure parcel drop-off and pick-up solution
28
Oct
2024
2024
Oslo, Norway
The Jetbeep Parcel Locker Controller F01xx series employs Nordic’s nRF5340 SoC and nRF9160 SiP to transform expensive cable-based parcel machines into autonomous ones
Autonomous parcel locker technology provider Jetbeep has launched a cellular IoT- and Bluetooth® LE-powered device and supporting software that can be retrofitted to existing parcel lockers to transform them into autonomous, smart, wirelessly-connected ones. With this technology, parcel lockers can operate on a single battery from 6 months to 4 years.
Dual Bluetooth LE and cellular IoT connectivity
The ‘Jetbeep Parcel Locker Controller F01xx series’ integrates Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF5340 SoC to provide Bluetooth LE connectivity—enabling locker access for delivery and pick up—as well as the nRF9160 SiP to provide cellular IoT connectivity to the Cloud, enabling postal providers, retailers, and logistics companies to be notified when parcels have been received.
“Jetbeep’s technology alongside the wireless connectivity provided by the Nordic solutions enables us to make any parcel locker autonomous and cost-effective,” says Valeriy Chekalkyn, Co-Founder and CEO at Jetbeep. "For consumers, this solves the challenges of inconvenient or unpredictable delivery times and the risk of parcel theft. For service providers, it reduces the high capital and operational costs of last-mile logistics and enables network expansion through autonomous parcel lockers without altering business processes or the courier and customer experience."
The delivery process begins when the service provider logs the parcel into the platform’s admin panel and assigns it to a delivery driver. The driver then receives a notification through the app or via SMS with the parcel number, locker number, and address. The driver can unlock the locker in several ways; via Bluetooth LE through the app, by entering a code on the keypad, or by scanning the barcode on the parcel. Once the locker is opened, the driver places the parcel inside and closes it.
As soon as the locker is closed, the customer receives a notification that their parcel is ready for pickup, along with all the necessary pickup details. The customer has the option to access the locker via the app, by inputting a PIN code on the keypad, or by scanning a QR code. Once the compartment is closed, the service provider is notified that the parcel has been successfully received. Up to 240 compartments can be supervised by a single Jetbeep controller.
We appreciated the ability to customize the modem's firmware using the Zephyr RTOS. Our software is built entirely on the nRF Connect SDK and the integration of the Zephyr RTOS enabled us to write cross-platform code seamlessly. When required, we received prompt support from Nordic’s technical engineers and the DevZone community forum.
Oleh Hordiichuk, Jetbeep Co-Founder and CPO
The nRF5340 SoC serves as the primary processor for the Jetbeep Parcel Locker Controller F01xx series, supporting all the necessary peripherals such as the keypad, barcode/QR code scanner, TFT and OLED screens, POS terminal, camera, label printer, battery controller, and electronic locks. The SoC features dual Arm® Cortex®-M33 processors including a high performance application processor capable of DSP and Floating Point (FP), and a fully programmable, ultra-low power network processor. The cellular connectivity is enabled by the nRF9160 SiP’s multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT modem.
Battery life up to four years
Parcel lockers equipped with Jetbeep’s parcel locker controller can operate on a single LiFePO4 battery for between six months and four years, depending on functionality, without the need for recharge or replacement. This battery life is thanks in part to the ultra-low power characteristics of the Nordic solutions. The nRF5340 SoC has been engineered to minimize power consumption with a fully-automatic power management system, while the nRF9160 SiP supports both PSM and eDRX power saving modes. For both LTE-M and NB-IoT the PSM floor current of the nRF9160 is as low as 2.7 µA, and with an eDRX interval of 655 s the average current is 6 µA for LTE-M and 9 µA for NB-IoT.
“Power consumption is our top priority and the nRF9160 SiP is highly optimized in this area, both in terms of CPU usage and data transfer with the nRF5340 SoC’s host processor,” says Oleh Hordiichuk, Jetbeep Co-Founder and CPO. “After conducting our own tests on various modem models available on the market, we found that the nRF9160 SiP delivered the best power efficiency.
“Additionally, we appreciated the ability to customize the modem's firmware using the Zephyr RTOS. Our software is built entirely on the nRF Connect SDK and the integration of the Zephyr RTOS enabled us to write cross-platform code seamlessly. When required, we received prompt support from Nordic’s technical engineers and the DevZone community forum.”
