Worry-Free Wireless Sensing Systems

Wireless sensing networks have the potential to improve in-process control and logistics in many industries but frequently require a critical collaboration to get started. GE Sensing and Dust Networks have pooled their capabilities to simplify applying wireless technology. Using Dust Network’s technology, GE Sensing developed a wireless sensing application for the pharmaceutical industry. The network monitors and validates environments such as freezers and sterilization processes to gather and transmit temperature and moisture conditions for storing and processing medical materials.

High reliability and low power consumption were key factors in GE’s choice of Dust Networks’ Time Synchronized Mesh Protocol (TSMP)-based products. TSMP provides the basis for redundant, fault-tolerant connections between sensors in wireless sensor networking (WSN) systems. The company’s SmartMesh products; self-organizing, multi-hop networks of wireless sensor nodes; allow quick, reliable access to physical world measurements that was previously cost prohibitive. Mesh networking technology avoids lost data by routing data from a node to another logger for subsequent forwarding if the direct path to the base station is blocked. Operating with more than 99.9 percent reliability in harsh RF environments, the battery-operated motes typically function for five or more years.

Using the TSMP technology, GE’s Kaye RF ValProbe system consists of RF wireless loggers, a base station and software. For temperature and relative humidity (RH) measurements, the ValProbe uses 2.4 GHz frequencies and provides temperature to 0.1C accuracy, RH to 2 percent, RH with 4 to 20 mA and 0-10V outputs and contact switch inputs.

In addition to the pharmaceutical industry, other applications include monitoring and validation of critical processes in industries such as biotechnology, automotive, industrial, commercial, petrochemical and power generation.