Handhelds have now found their way from the offices into the warehouses and production sites of industry. Mobile data acquisition using PDAs is increasingly replacing documentation with pen and paper. With the new models for robust industrial use from the series PDA i.roc x10 -Ex, ecom instruments is extending the application spectrum of these useful aids and enabling safe, wireless communication in explosion hazard zones.
The technician follows the route of the pipeline. He checks flange connections and valve covers as well as the condition of pumps etc, and, via a servicing software application, he enters his findings on-the-spot into a personal digital assistant (PDA). In one corner, however, which is difficult to reach, he discovers a tiny leak with drips of a highly volatile liquid. Immediately, he writes an e-mail and sends it via WLAN and Ethernet to the process control centre. From there, his colleague initiates the necessary measures for the repair in the ex-hazard zone - even before the servicing technician has returned from his inspection. All this has become possible thanks to devices such as the ex-protected i.roc x10 -ex PDA from ecom instruments.
Wireless and safe
In contrast to ex-protected palmtops whose contact strip may only be activated outside the hazard zone, the industrial PDAs enable as many as three different possibilities of wireless data association with other devices in ex-zones: via the infrared interface (IrDA), via WLAN 802.11b or with Bluetooth. The last two can be used simultaneously without them affecting each other. For example, one can access the intranet or the Internet via WLAN while at the same time connecting up with a Bluetooth-capable RFID reader. Here, VPN software, WEP coding and the support of Cisco LEAP ensure a high level of data security.
The three i.roc devices not only enable intelligent wireless communication but they are also optimally designed for use in heavy-duty conditions in industry such as the corrosive, humid or dusty environment of a chemicals processing plant. The i.roc 410 PDA for use in industry is resistant to shock. Thanks to the robust casing made of anti-static plastic it can withstand a fall from a height of one metre onto a concrete surface without suffering any damage. Furthermore, it is dustproof and waterproof (protective rating IP65). The 510-Ex and 610-Ex models (protective rating IP64) are also suitable for use in gas and dust ex-zones 2/22 or 1/21 respectively and have been granted the corresponding ATEX certification.
The most striking improvements of the new industrial PDAs, in comparison with the predecessor models PDA m515-Ex and the pocket PC Ex-IT 700 from ecom, are the well-contrasted, transflective true colour (64 000 colours) touchscreen with LED background illumination and the ergonomically shaped casing. Entries can be made either with a pen or by touchscreen via a 5-way navigation field or programmable user keys. The PDA is equipped with a 400 MHz Intel processor and is supplied with the operating system Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 as well as the PC pocket versions of the programs Outlook, Word, Excel and Internet Explorer.
Bluetooth periphery for the PDA
Bluetooth, the now standardised short distance radio technology, is suitable for simple and rapid communication between peripheral and portable devices in explosion hazard zones. Even with the low power performance of 1 mW, transmissions within a radius of up to 10 m are possible. Here, the radio technology does not require a clear view between the interfaces as is, for example, the case with infrared transmissions. This alone was a good reason for ecom instruments to extend its already wide range of ex-protected devices with Bluetooth-capable components. These accessories, combined with the industrial PDA, open up a wide spectrum of applications in manufacturing and processing environments.
It has become possible for the first time in process control, for example, for the Bluetooth Adapter RSB-Ex 1 to select a transmitter in an ex-zone environment directly above a serial RS232 interface. It also enables the communication of the PDA with a Bluetooth-capable, ex-protected HART modem.
Product recognition with barcode and RFID
The i.roc PDA can also be used to increase efficiency in an existing ERP system (enterprise resources planning). For this, ecom instruments supply the handheld with an integrated Bluetooth bar code reader. The PDA becomes a mobile data acquisition device and brings the ERP system on-site to every workplace representing a realtime information system regarding all resource movements in the company.
Product marking using RFID technology (radio frequency identification) is even more advanced. Via an RFID chip, an object, eg, an empty container, can be quickly localised without being touched. ecom instruments supplies the Bluetooth-capable RFBT-Ex 10 for the communication of the chip with the PDA. The external pen can gather the information from a transponder up to a distance of 5 m and transfer this to the PDA.
Localisation using the PDA, alarm via mobile telephone
The ex-protected Bluetooth MD-Ex 1 module fulfils two functions. On the one hand, it can be used as an external GPS receiver in combination with the i.roc pocket PC. The user in the field can thus determine his exact position per satellite very easily and, for example, report the exact position of a pipeline leak.
Secondly, in combination with the ex-mobile phone 04 from ecom instruments, the MD-Ex 1 with an integrated position sensor takes on the role of a so-called dead-man's switch. For this, the device is attached to the belt of a person and a Bluetooth connection is made to the mobile phone. As long as the person, ie, the MD-Ex 1, keeps moving and remains in a vertical position nothing happens. However, if no movement takes place within a defined time period, eg, 30 s, or the device is lying flat on the floor, an internal loudspeaker sends out a pre-warning signal. If the position of the affected person does not change after a further pre-defined time period of eg, 15 s, a position signal can be transmitted via the mobile telephone directly to the alarm management system of the company or the emergency aid centre. This allows the emergency services to find an unconscious person in the shortest possible time.
Thus the i.roc x10 with its comprehensive range of accessories not only contributes towards the rationalisation of everyday servicing work but it also increases the safety of the technician working in a dangerous environment.
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