Shock/Drop Detection Whitepaper

There are several possibilities to detect shock/impact. All work with the accelerometer. We will go through the pros and cons of each in this whitepaper.

Why detect shocks?

Shock detection can be useful in situations where any shock/impact might damage goods or other objects.

It's useful in e.g. transporting fragile goods where the messages can help you with sorting out insurance quickly and also analyzing where the damage came from and when. This allows you to improve your processes.

What API 6 mode to use for shock detection

• The most commonly used mode for this purpose is Don't drop me.

• You can also experiment with the Guard me mode.

• Both Don't drop me and Guard me modes have WiFi-enabled variants you can opt for if you want better localization. More here: Location tracking whitepaper

How to test and find the ideal settings

• Always start with the basic mode and work from there - the default settings are calibrated to be an all-in-one solution. With Don't drop me, we recommend modifying register 0x15 (Don't drop me threshold) - use heapsort to find the correct value quickly.

• You can use the heapsort method when working with Guard me as well, in this case, you work with accelerometer sensitivity register 0x11.

Example setup

• You want to track packages with porcelain and make sure their fragile content is delivered without damage. You also want to make sure the packages will not be tilted and would like to track the packages with the best precision possible.

• You will use Don't drop me WiFi with independent accelerometer events and tilt. This combination will work like Trace me WiFi which also detects impacts on goods and tilting. The tilt is controlled by register 0x3E and has a precision of 1°. Here are the steps to take:

• Try basic Don't drop me and find the ideal threshold of acceleration you want to use.

• Switch to Don't drop me WiFi, turn on the independent alerts (reg 0x56), and tilt (0x3E).

• Test in the field and adjust accordingly.

If you have any questions, you can raise a support ticket here.

If you'd like us to review your use case and suggest the best settings, here's the form.