Objective
Development of a distributed gas monitoring system in which individual instruments and sensors can be interrogated to determine their status, adjusted and calibrated by means of coded infrared radiation generated by a hand held compact transmitter and receiver. This development will enable a single engineer to isolate, adjust and calibrate individual instruments and sensors on routine basis with enhanced operational efficiency, improved reliability and reduced cost of operation.
The hand held interactive unit has been fully developed and tested. Manufacturing drawings have been completed and 10 initial units have been produced for evaluation and testing.
The unit is contained in a yellow moulded plastic enclosure which an elastomeric rubber overlay over the ergonomic surface giving environmental protection rating IP67. Interaction is via a key board and an alpha numeric liquid crystal display. The unit is powered by a detectable and rechargeable battery pack. Communication with remote units is two-way via an infrared beam (950 mm wavelength) emitted by diodes. Five modular circuit boards (display, keyboard, power supply, infrared transmitter/receiver and processor circuit) are housed in the enclosure and are designed in accordance with intrinsically safe design standards (EExia IIC T6) for safe use in flammable atmospheres. Notable design features include the use of surface mount technology; encapsulation of processor and infrared circuits to achieve T6 temperature rating; the use of a FLASH EPROM to allow in circuit reprogramming and inductive recharging of batteries in situ.
The operating range has been demonstrated to be over 20 metres in strong fluorescent lighting and 7m in strong sunlight impinging directly on the detector.
Software is based on use of a menu. Functions include setting the real time clock, configuring the unit for specific operations, monitoring battery status, self testing, interacting with an external unit to determine status, information and effect changes, use of passwords for authorized personnel only for specific degrees of interaction and data logging of all transactions.
Interaction of the hand held unit was thoroughly tested and proven in conjunction with a remote infrared gas detection instrument which was equipped with transmission and receiving circuits to interface with the communicating link and a processor with specific software to interface with the functions of the detection instrument.
The project is being abandoned before completion of the range of sensors with interactive interfacing as required for the complete interactive environmental monitoring system. Initial designs considerably exceeded the cost target established by the Company's Marketing Department.
Additionally the Company recently released a range of sensors without interactive facilities but which can readily be replaced in the field as "plug-in" sensors without disconnecting power, by virtue of their intrinsically safe designs.
The Company has therefore requested EEC DG XVII that the contract be terminated.
The proposed programme concerns in the first instance the development of a hand-held treansmitter/receiver incorporating a keyboard and LCD display coupled to a microprocessor which will interact via an encoder/decoder unit with an infrared transmitter so that interrogating and correcting information can be transmitted to the address of specific enclosures to effect, for example, adjustment of such parameters as zero setting, span, linearisation data, range and alarm settings and checking of diagnostic details.
Parallel development concerns the design of sensors and control instrumentation incorporating transmitting and receiving modules, similar to that used in the hand-held unit, all designed in accordance with 'enhanced safety' principles for safe use in use in hazardous areas.
The necessary encoder/decoder circuits will also be developed to provide effective interaction with the control processor unit within the flameproof housing.
Meanwhile software will be developed to enable specific instruments or sensors to be addressed to determine their status and to provide means of diagnosing defective operation and of effecting adjustments including calibration.
Following completion of a number of development units an extensive programme of laboratory testing will be necessary to ensure that all problems, and software problems in particular, are resolved. Tests will cover the range of environmental conditions anticipated in field use and the equipment will be subjected to radiated interference, vibration and shock tests.
When designs have been finalized a pre-production batch of approximately ten units of each new product will be manufactured. These units will be configured into various forms of monitoring systems and subjected to extensive testing both in the laboratory and in selected locations in the field to gain initial operational experience so that any problems arising can be corrected before finalizing the manufacturing drawings.
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DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
BH17 7RZ POOLE
United Kingdom