How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:48:18 GMT

Hi,

[quote user="Meh"]There are data types for each parameter, and when I started digging into the example[/quote]

Which function calls and/or parameters are you referring to? Is it the SENSOR_DATA_TYPE in model_handler.c in the sensor_server sample (l.21 for nRF52DK) which is defined as a sensor_channel enum in sensor.h?

[quote user="Meh"]Although tutorials like the BLE Custom Service series would be the perfect solution for this question[/quote]

As for this, we agree. We will look into creating a similar guide for this purpose, but the timeline for when the potential guide will be finished is currently indefinite.

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

Meh — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:51:27 GMT

There are data types for each parameter, and when I started digging into the example, I realized there might be some impacts on presenting a given data based on the data type enum. I'm creating something with mainly chemical and biological sensors, and it seems like the picking of the data type could might arrange them differently

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 08:50:22 GMT

Hi,

You can always use a struct to define custom user data types in C. But you're referring to "...outside the enum?" Do you refer to a specific enum or just an enum in general?

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

Meh — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 22:51:36 GMT

Hey AHaug,

Although tutorials like the BLE Custom Service series would be the perfect solution for this question, how do you define a custom data type outside the enum? Can simple #define do the trick, or is there something beyond it?

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:25:27 GMT

Hi,

[quote user="Meh"]The current samples deal with NCS native sensors and don't include anything parallel to non-NCS-supported sensors. Can you provide one who does?[/quote]

Unfortunately we don't have any other samples illustrating how to use the Sensor server API other than what I supplied in my previous reply,

The Sensor server sample contains function calls to bt_mesh_sensor_srv_publish which can be seen in model_handler.c, namely in the callback function "button_handler_cb", and in the function "end_of_presence". Any callback function is typically connected to a button press, while the end_of_precense function is coupled with a timer. Depending on if you want your data to be triggered by a button or a timer, you should find what you need w.r.t function calls in these two functions. The sensor server documentation also contains an example for how you can initialize the sensor server with a bt_mesh_sensor.

I know this is not the reply you want, but nonetheless it is what we have available at this point in time. I will however make a note that the sample/guide for how to do this with a non-NCS-supported sensors has been mentioned as a feature request.

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

Meh — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 14:37:37 GMT

As mentioned,AHaug, I know about the observer, client, server, and even the COEX and regular mesh LBS samples. I searched every existing solution possible before reaching out here. NONE IS VALID FOR MY CASE.

I have tried the drivers with a regular BLE shell, and IT WORKS AND TRANSMITS!

However, WHEN IT COME TO MESH, I DON'T KNOW ANY EXISTING SAMPLE TO DO THE SAME TRANSMITTING FUNCTION AS THE BLE BUT OVER MESH.

The current samples deal with NCS native sensors and don't include anything parallel to non-NCS-supported sensors. Can you provide one who does?

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:38:37 GMT

Thank you for verifying.

What the Mesh team suggests is that you base your application on the existing sensor server/client sample for Mesh found in nRF Connect SDK. The samples should be pretty straight forward to use and to augment with the sensor server model if you've reached the point where you can receive data from your sensor board. I'm assuming you've already investigated them, but please correct me if I assume wrong.

The sensor server sample showcases 4 different sensor types as well as different ways for the server to publish the data to the mesh network. It can be used together with the Mesh sensor observer to show the functionality.

Can you explain a bit more about how far you've come in the process and/or point to any specific errors you are experiencing when attempting to integrate your sensor board together with the sample? Any logs/minimal code samples that reproduces any errors you have would be great for helping you find where any errors have occurred.

Kind regard,
Andreas

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

Meh — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 18:00:41 GMT

I've asked about integrating a peripheral sensor into the Mesh layout. I meant that the sensor's driver is already functional(I've made and tested it) - And I need to send its output over Mesh. Over regular BLE, everything works well - but I don't have any design reference for the Mesh equivalent. I don't want to harm the model handler on the mesh_server and mesh_clients to get silly errors, and I don't find any other way to do so.

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 12:38:37 GMT

Hi,

So to verify; you have already created whichever drivers you need to send data from your sensor board to the nRF chip and you can send the data with regular BLE? Are you able to read the data from the sensors in your applications when you're not using Mesh? If that is the case, and you're asking about how to connect to the Mesh network, then we missed that fact in the initial post.

Nonetheless, I will forward this to the Mesh team and we'll get working on an answer for how to do this.

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

Meh — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:40:58 GMT

I disagree.

The current model handler is specified to the mesh/sensor.h formats, and with insufficient documentation about the dynamics between models, I think my question IS, as a matter of fact, a Mesh question. I wrote a dozen drivers to non-supported I2C devices, and over regular BLE, it's okay.

The problem starts with adjusting the integration to Mesh. Please tell me what models are necessary and what's not in the existing mesh_server and mesh_client examples.

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 07:53:28 GMT

Hi,

Thank you for your patience.

Based on my discussion with my colleagues we've come to the following conclusion. As far as we can see, this is not (yet) a Mesh-related question, but rather a question on how to add a sensor that is not supported in our SDK to a project. Unfortunately we do not have support for creating drivers for sensors outside of our SDK, so you will have to do one of the following things for adding support for this sensor

Find a driver for the sensor online that works
Ask the manufacturer of the sensor if they have a standardized Zephyr driver for the sensor or if they can create one for the sensor that you can add to your code base
Write a driver yourself for the sensor and add that to your code base

If you already have a driver for your sensors and are wondering how to add this to your code base, please let me know and I'll continue to query my colleagues for information about how to do this.

Also let us know if you're having issues with setting up I2C/SPI/ADC (whichever you choose to use for communication with the sensor), and we'll help you with that. As a starter, you can see some resources about Serial communication over I2C here:

Lesson 6 – Serial communication (I2C) on our academy pages
TWI/I2C implementation with nRFx TWIS Driver guide on Devzone

After you've added this driver to your code base and can read the data, I recommend you move on to how to do send the sensor data over mesh, as this part should be relatively straight forward.

I hope this answer helps you getting started and please ask more follow up questions if you have any

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

Meh — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:57:01 GMT

Thank you Andreas :)

RE: How to streamline sensor data over Mesh

AHaug — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:55:09 GMT

Hi,

I have picked up your case and have queried our Mesh team about details for an answer. I hope to get back to you by tomorrow.

Kind regards,
Andreas