Manufacturers in search of more cost-effective industrial sensing solutions were presented with a variety of possibilities at the Sensors Expo & Conference, June 8-10, in Detroit.
无线网状网络 - 该行业的最新热门主题之一 - 突出显示在展厅。千禧一纳公司，基于剑桥大陆。例如，推出了新的传感器网络管理软件和应用程序编程接口，旨在简化其无线网状网络的安装和维护。Carlsbad, Calif.-based Helicomm Inc., meanwhile, demonstrated a prototype Wireless Image SensorNet platform that integrates low-cost CMOS image sensors from Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, Calif., with Helicomm’s wireless mesh networking products based on the IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee wireless networking standards.
Industrial applications such as machine monitoring, automation sensing and control have been touted among the most promising markets for emerging wireless mesh networking technology. “One of the first places we focused on was industrial automation, where wiring costs run anywhere from $10 to $100 per linear foot,” said Robert Poor, chief technology officer at Ember Corp., a three-year-old Boston-based mesh networking products company that also exhibited at the Sensors show. “We knew we could replace that wire with a system that could meet the technical requirements for communication reliability, so there was a clear value proposition,” Poor noted. Mesh networks are considered well-suited for noisy industrial environments, because they are based on multipoint-to-multipoint topologies that can be “self-healing,” providing alternate communication paths if one part of the network fails.
但是，虽然工业自动化社区对无线网状网络仍然非常感兴趣，但制造商到目前为止，在采用技术方面有点“保守”，而其他市场段已经迅速增长，穷人说。他估计，约有30％的Ember的业务目前来自建筑和家庭自动化部分，而工业自动化的约15％，其余的其他行业之间的剩余差异。
Combi-sensors
While wireless networking may be one way to reduce costs, another approach involves industrial sensor products that combine the ability to measure more than one parameter on the same device. That was the approach taken with the FS300-100 Combi-sensor, one of several new products introduced at the Sensors show by Honeywell Sensing and Control, Freeport, Ill., a unit of Honeywell Control and Automation Solutions.
在欧洲锅炉制造商的要求下开发，FS300-100设计为单一设备，可以测量锅炉应用中的水压和流入温度。因此，该单位将提供比使用两个单独传感器的较低的成本解决方案，所述霍尼韦尔高管表示。基于客户需求的日益增长，霍德韦尔感应和控制的工业商业领导者布拉德·卡德泽表示，有更多的双功能传感器。“这是我们从所有客户中听到的事情，因为他们渴望降低成本，”Kautzer指出。“所以我们积极地看着更多的组合传感器。”
Dual-function sensors can be lower cost because they require less material and assembly than two individual sensors. The savings for end users can range typically from 30 percent to 40 percent, Kautzer estimated. Additional savings come in reduced installation and wiring costs, he pointed out.
Sensing and Control developed the FS300-100 by combining piezoresistive pressure sensor technology—long a Honeywell strength—with thermistor temperature sensing technology drawn from Elmwood and Fenwal—two companies that were part of Invensys Sensor Systems, which Honeywell acquired in 2002. That acquisition, in addition to last year’s acquisition of Sensotec Sensors, added key technologies and products to Honeywell’s already broad portfolio, said company executives. Honeywell Sensing and Control plans to introduce “hundreds” of new products during 2004, said Ron Sansom, president of the unit.
Seven make one
Another Sensors show exhibitor that plans to cash in on a broad sensor portfolio is GE Infrastructure Sensing, Duluth, Ga. As a new name in the sensing business, the unit was formed by bringing together seven sensor companies recently acquired by GE under the GE Infrastructure Sensing umbrella. The seven companies—Druck, General Eastern, Kaye, NovaSensor, Panametrics, Ruska and Thermometrics—provide a broad range of sensor technologies and products, said Gary Pacilio, global marketing leader.
GE Infrastructure Sensing introduced several new products at the show, including the LPX 7380-SE, a diaphragm pressure transmitter designed for use in sludge pumping lines to monitor discharge pressure; and GearTrak, a wireless equipment health monitoring system that incorporates infrared temperature sensors, 300MHz and 900MHz ISM radio frequency band communication, and software that enables users to view and track trends in support of proactive maintenance.
