Industrial Internet of Things Sensor System: Encapsulation for Robust Performance in Harsh Environments

This paper presents the validation of a novel Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensor platform, and a dedicated polymer encapsulation process designed to operate reliably in harsh environmental conditions. The platform consists of a modular printed circuit board assembly (PCB-A) that integrates a sensing component and a communication node. To ensure durability and maintain functionality under extreme conditions, the system is encapsulated using a resin-transfermolding (RTM) process, which protects the electronics while preserving wireless communication capabilities. The system’s performance was evaluated through a series of sinusoidal vibration tests at different frequencies of $20 \mathrm{~Hz}, 60 \mathrm{~Hz}$, and 100 Hz across the X, Y, and Z axes, at ambient condition as well as under thermal and humidity stress conditions, including temperatures of $-40^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$ and $80^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$ with 75% humidity. Results show that the encapsulated system exhibits no degradation in performance compared to the unencapsulated system, as both systems demonstrated consistent signal amplitudes and trends across all test conditions. Additionally, the encapsulation effectively protects the sensor platform from mechanical and environmental stresses, confirming its suitability for real-world applications such as mining, medical environments, and industrial machinery. The proposed IIoT sensor platform offers a reliable and robust solution for monitoring and data acquisition in challenging operating environments.