R&D Being The Backbone Of Whitelion For Innovative Home Automation

We aim at making human life efficient at home and workplace through automation, and to justify that we developed an in-house Research and Development Centre to make the ends meet. Just as all the segments of different industries are undergoing rapid change with the help of technology, the electronics industry is no different. There are new innovations and changes in this segment every day, which require a quick reaction to stay ahead. But making the features user-friendly is as important as making them a reality. 

With innovation happening every minute, our in-house team of Research and Development works dedicatedly and tirelessly to make sure we match the pace and the trends in the industry. The department is subdivided into three teams Internet of Things & IT, Embedded, and Power Electronics. The team Internet of Things looks after the interconnection of our products with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and Wi-Fi, enabling the user to experience the comfort and opulence of automation. The application of MQTT and OTA (over the air) helps you stay updated with new features of our product and allows you to operate them globally. Locally, HTTPs and UDP help you operate some features, in the absence of the internet in the Wi-Fi. To support these technologies and operations the team has developed an in-house application, and with the help of modules from Espressif, Quectel, and Nordic Semiconductor we ensure the product functions with minimum limitations. The team uses a set of Gateways and AWS support for the smooth functioning of the board, RTOS helps deliver real-time action and comfort while operating the same. 

The Embedded team ensures the software runs perfectly and avoids any pesky bugs which could hinder the performance. The team works on using the perfect MCU (Microcontroller Unit) which is of the latest architecture and is associated with pioneers such as Microchip, Infineon Technologies, NXP, Texas Instruments, Renesas, and more. The inter-product communications are secure, which is achieved through MD5 decrypting. We follow MISRA Coding Standards while testing our products assuring smooth functioning. The team follows the development cycle by planning, analyzing, designing, implementing, testing, and maintaining to ensure high stability, efficiency, and reliability which is task-specific and aims at being cost-saving, time-specific, and energy-saving. 

The Power Electronics team looks after the hardware of the product which supports the software as well as components that would give the best possible performance and adheres to the safety norms of the industry. Diving deeper into it, we develop the product from scratch by drafting blueprints and constructing hardware for POC (proof of Concept), then move ahead with relevant CAD work with schematic and PCB Layout. We then proceed with the BOM where the team acquires the latest touch sensory components, mainly Relay, SMPS, Mosfet, and Triac, which are qualified as per Home Appliance Control. Through in-house prototyping, testing, and validation, the team fabricates and assembles the internal components with are the heart of the product. Thorough Testing and Validation of these components are conducted to ensure their safety and reliability, the products are designed in-house and their authenticity is validated with relevant IP rights. The department with these sub-divisions achieves not only efficiency and expertise but also abides by the core values of the organization of Commitment, Quality, Ethics, and Team Spirit.  

The department carries out thorough research on the fundamental theoretical concepts and reviews pertaining to the same. Pioneers of the Electronics and Semiconductors industry and the faculty of IIT/ NIT are consulted as well while developing a product. With a constant change in the industry and the fluctuating availability of a few parts, products have been designed in such a manner to meet these changes and adapt to a different or new part. Meeting changes in innovation also requires our FAE- Field Application Engineer, to double-check that the parts and equipment used are of the highest quality, making it easier to achieve the safety standards defined by recognized Certification Bodies, which are to be fulfilled. The team ensures that it adheres to these policies and achieves the mark of RoHS and REACH, meets the EMI / EMC standard, uses Flame Retardant 4 (FR4) parts, and more.

Achieving these standards help us vouch for the product being safe from hazards and ensures the environmental and surrounding safety of the user. Being a product-centric organization, we have an in-house R&D and Prototyping team which manufacture and assemble the product by itself. Hence, both teams work in fluent coordination to avoid any faults at any point of time in the process.  

Through all this, we have defined a structure of departments and the roles carried out by them. Nonetheless, Research and Development play the most significant role making it the backbone of our organization.