The CIMScan architecture is very straightforward and easily understood. The simple diagram below shows how it works.

Every sensor has a unique serial number. The serial number and the measurement value are sent to a remote data acquisition device called a Monitoring Station. The monitoring station typically averages these measurements over a user-defined sample period then sends them to the server via the facility’s existing LAN or the Internet. The server, in turn, uses the serial number to determine where the measurement came from and stores it in the appropriate database for later recall and analysis. Then the server processes the measurement to determine if an abnormal condition exists. If an alarm is detected, the user is alerted via email, cellular text message, pager, or optionally, voice telephone.

MONITORING STATIONS

Monitoring Stations play a pivotal role in implementing a monitoring system where reliability is an important consideration. All CIMScan Monitoring Stations have the following capabilities.

• Supports the attachment of up to sixteen (16) plug-in or wireless sensors
• Has the ability to store measurements during LAN or server outages
• Performs local alarm processing and display
• Contains battery backup to continue monitoring during power outages
• Contains an active filter to eliminate the need for messy glycol bottles
• Calculates critical statistics for each sensor and automatically forwards them to the server once every hour
• Operates on line power to maximize reliability and minimize battery replacement

Currently, two types of monitoring stations are available. One of these is called a DA-12 and communicates with the host server over a facility's existing Local Area Network (LAN). The unit is housed in a flame retardant ABS enclosure which measures 4.25” x 2.63” x 1.28” deep.

The other Monitoring Station (DA-16) has exactly the same capabilities as the DA-12, but communicates with the server wirelessly through a Gateway called a DA-66. The diagram below shows these two devices along with a number of plug-in and wireless sensors.

Notice the CI-01 Splitter which is used to connect up to three sensors to a single port on the monitoring stations. Splitters can be daisy-chained so that all sixteen sensors can be accommodated.

PLUG-IN SENSORS

A wide variety of off-the-shelf plug-in sensors are available for use with any monitoring station. Each station can accept up to sixteen (16) of these devices, daisy-chained using CI-01 splitters.

The following types of sensors are available.

WIRELESS SENSORS

The wireless sensors operate on a frequency far away from WiFi and other sources of radio interference.

A list of the available wireless sensors is shown below.

REMOTE DISPLAY MODULE

A display module can be connected to any Monitoring Station or Gateway to show the current status of all the attached sensors. It contains a very loud audible alarm and can drive a variety of visual indicators.

SERVER COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

We can host your system on our server for a small monthly fee. The following are the minimum server requirements if you would like to host it yourself.

Small System (Less than 50 Monitoring Points)

• At least 1.6 GHz Server Computer with 2 GB RAM
• 160 GB Hard Drive
• Windows-XP or Windows-7 with latest service pack
• SQL Server 2005 or 2008 Express Edition with the latest service pack
• SQL Management Studio (supplied with SQL Server)
• MS Internet Information Server (IIS) version 6
• SMTP Email Server that acts as relay server
• LAN Network Interface (NIC)

Larger System (Over 50 Monitoring Points)

• At least 2.4 GHz Dual Core Server Computer with 4 GB RAM
• 500 GB Hard Drive
• Windows Server 2003 R2 or Server 2008
• SQL Server 2005 or 2008 Web Edition or greater with the latest service pack
• SQL Management Studio (supplied with SQL Server)
• MS Internet Information Server (IIS) version 6
• SMTP Email Server that acts as a relay server
• LAN Network Interface (NIC)

SERVICE TOOLS

Monitoring Stations and Gateways are shipped pre-configured to connect to your server based on our information at the time of the order (server’s IP address, DHCP usage, etc.). The configuration parameters can be changed and other options enabled using the DA Service Tool. The Service Tool software runs on a standard Windows XP/7 based notebook PC and is provided with a USB to SensorBus interface cable. The software can also be supplied installed and ready to run on a low cost netbook PC. A screen capture of the main page of the service tool is shown below.

The service tool is indispensable for sensor calibration and general troubleshooting.