Remote monitoring devices

A communications module handles both internal communications and external communications. The communications are dominated by the system s main control board, and the central processing unit (CPU) is a key component on this board. The internal communications are between the main control board and all the subcontrol boards such as those for pumps, fans, blowers, and solenoid valves. The external communications are between the fuel cell system and the load as well as remote monitoring devices. 

The principal requirement of a sampling system is to obtain a sample that is representative of the atmosphere at a particular place and time and that can be evaluated as a mass or volume concentration. Remote monitoring techniques are discussed in Chapter 15. The sampling system should not alter the chemical or physical characteristics of the sample in an undesirable manner. The major components of most sampling systems are an inlet manifold, an air mover, a collection medium, and a flow measurement device. 

Wireless data communications devices are used to enable transmission of data between computer systems and/or between a SCADA server and its sensing devices, without individual components being physically linked together via wires or cables. In industrial chemical processing systems, these devices are often used to link remote monitoring stations (i.e., SCADA components) or portable computers (i.e., laptops) to computer networks without using physical wiring connections. 

Another remotely activated device has been described by Groning et al. (57). They demonstrated in a model the remote control of a device to delivery insulin (Fig. 7). This possibility of external programming and monitoring of insulin pumps is possible for continuous subcutaneous infusion. The use of SMS allows immediate transfer of commands to the pump. There are many pitfalls to overcome the ethics of taking control away from the patients and their carer is but one, and there are safety issues, should the GPS system fad, and presumably if in error the pump is activated by the physician or indeed by individuals accidentally. But there is no doubt that telepharmacy wiU impact on future medicine, whether personalized or not. The personal element could come simply as a result of automated reminders to patients to take their medications also discussed above, but the more sophisticated systems described by Groning et al. wiU also have their place. 

There is a big drive for miniaturisation because of the many advantages it offers, such as shorter analysis times, better control, high throughput, reduction in chemicals and sample required, lower cost and remote monitoring applications. Some devices can be made so small that they can be integrated into larger instruments or incorporated into on-line or in-line systems or arrays. They can be transported easily and entirely new techniques and concepts are becoming available to analysts as the spatial dimensions are rednced. 

The same holds true for remote sensing applications. Imagine a day when blood concentrations of important analytes are determined not in a batch mode, but rather through the use of a fiber-optic bundle inserted into an artery. Each fiber is equipped with a different chemosensor, such that the real-time concentrations of several dozen analytes are provided on a monitor at the patient s bedside. Devices for real-time monitoring of blood pH, pOj, and PCO2 that are now available use fluorescent chemosensors. Technical issues, some of them daunting, await new blood monitoring devices nevertheless, the payoff seems worth the research investments. 

The preamplifier, often implemented as a separate device that is placed adjacent to the electrodes or even directly attached to the electrodes, also acts as an impedance converter that allows the transmission of even weak signals to the remote monitoring unit. Owing to the low output impedance of the preamphfier, the input impedance of the following amplifier stage can be low, and still the influence of interference signals coupled into the transmission lines is reduced. 

FIGURE 11.7 Remote monitoring systems connect cardiac device patients from home or other location to their clinics via a secure Internet website. 

Historically, device monitoring away from the clinic was accomplished transtelephonically. In these sessions, the patient dons wristband electrodes attached to a device that transmits a rhythm strip over a landline. More recently, advances in telecommunication technology have enabled the use of cell-phone-based transmission of essential data directly to a clinic, where it can be viewed via the Internet. This remote monitoring can provide valuable alerts when certain clinical criteria are met (Figure 11.7). 

Two types of transuranic aerosol monitoring devices are used in nuclear laboratories filter air samplers (FASs) and continuous air monitors (CAMs). The purpose of a FAS is to provide a basis for estimating the dose to workers. This is achieved by operating the FAS for a given period of time (e.g., one week), and then measuring the radioactivity collected by the filter. The analysis is performed remotely and is done... 

Lithium-thionyl chloride (Li/SOCl2) cells have seen a number of uses, including remote monitoring (such as residential water meters), various OEM (original equipment manufacturer) electronic devices, military, aerospace, and down-hole oil well monitoring applications. Medical device uses have included implantable heart mmiitors, drug infusion pumps, and some of the earliest implantable cardiac pacemakers [9, 10]. 

Remote communications allow a distant user to know the situation of the fuel cell system through a monitoring device. If the monitoring device is a computer, the user can remotely control and operate the fuel cell system. Remote communications can be through wireless, telephone line, or Internet. Broadband Internet can transport a large amount of data at faster rates. Wireless connections will be the choice when there is no telephone line or Internet port at the location where the fuel cell system is used. 

An ozone monitor is an example of a continuous emission sampler based on absorption spectroscopy. A drop in beam intensity is proportional to ozone concentration in the chamber. Absorption spectrometers exist for sulfur and nitrogen oxides. This type of technology is portable and relatively inexpensive to run and can be used under field conditions, for example monitoring in-use emissions of motor vehicles. Absorption spectroscopy is also used in satellite remote sensing and has been adapted to remote sensing devices deployed on the ground to measure vehicular emissions. 

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