Smartphones are now universal in the developed world. As their technical capabilities continue to grow, so do the number and variety of consumer applications. There is a stark contrast between today’s smartphones and the Palm Pilots and Blackberries of the past, which were used primarily as business communication tools. While modern smartphones offer endless entertainment and productivity apps for consumers, there’s no Candy Crush for industrial automation.
New technology—and new industrial data management platforms—has made smartphones an increasingly appealing tool for building automation and factory-floor applications. We can now leverage the ubiquity of smartphones to send live, instantaneous data to a broad range of less-technical users.
The MQTT protocol is one of the newer technologies—at least within the industrial automation world—that enables smartphones to become a seamless part of your operation.
Based on the publish–subscribe model, MQTT allows equipment that requires periodic monitoring to communicate efficiently. Sensors and devices send messages to an MQTT broker, and end users “subscribe” to the devices individually or in groups. The broker distributes the most recent values to each subscriber at pre-defined intervals.
The primary benefit of MQTT is its simplicity. The publish–subscribe model makes it easy for anyone to connect to the broker and subscribe to devices. Operators can also organize sensors into groups based on location or purpose. For example, all temperature sensors on the fourth floor of a building can be grouped together and labeled “Floor 4,” with each sensor broadcasting its ID and latest measurement at scheduled intervals.
This type of communication is ideal for building automation, air quality monitoring, and less-critical data acquisition—especially applications where periodic updates are sufficient and constant broadcasting would be unnecessary.
In applications requiring continuous updates or more reliable measurements, the same technology can be used to broadcast constant data and send alerts when necessary.
In the example below, a DL-302 environmental sensor monitors temperature and CO₂ concentration on the sixth floor of an office. Using a direct Ethernet connection, it sends Modbus values to an iKAN-116 industrial LED display, which shows temperature, CO₂ levels, humidity, and air quality in real time.
The iKAN-116 can be used to read indoor air quality monitoring data from an external DL-302 module, including carbon dioxide levels, temperature, and humidity, and then display the information in real time, making it suitable for commercial and public buildings such as schools and museums, as well as for retail, leisure, and healthcare facilities where personnel are required to stand for long periods of time and where the indoor air quality is required to be monitored and displayed at the entrance or lobby of the building.
While the iKAN-116 broadcasts constant visual data to personnel, the DL-302 is ready to send emergency alert messages over office Wi-Fi via email or the iAir smartphone application. It also features an onboard flashing LED and relay output that can activate visual or audio alarms.
Together, these components form a multi-layered monitoring and alert system:
Constant visual data on the iKAN display
Instant smartphone updates via the iAir app
Emergency alarms via relay output and audible alerts
In the event of a hazardous particulate buildup, the DL-302 immediately switches its relay and alerts the entire floor.
Finally, in a kind of merger between the consumer and professional side, there are app-enabled industrial sensors like our DL-300 series. Real-time data from the DL-300 Data Logger can be accessed from anywhere and at any time using the DL-300 Utility, the iOS or Android app, or via a regular web browser, as long as they are connected to the same local network as the Data Logger.
The iAir app is designed for connecting to the DL series via your smartphone or tablet. It can retrieve real-time data from the DL series and transfer messages to display on the DL-300 devices.
On its touchscreen display, the DL-302 shows a constantly updated air quality status report with both PPM measurements and an at-a-glance air quality score. If the particulate concentrations measured in the office stay at non-harmful levels, then the display stays green. If particulate concentration increases, then the status update changes to reflect the estimated harm to office occupants.
The iAir app is a free mobile application available to Android and iOS users, published by ICP DAS.
The iAir app gives the same instantaneous readings to any app user connected to the same local network as a DL-300, or a group of DL-300s.
The iAir application is an apt example of the kind of consumer-friendly tools for DAQ and data display that smartphones can bring to very technical industries. The app provides an approachable way for less-technical personnel to get access to field data without giving them behind-the-scenes access to SCADA or the control system. This kind of limited, user-friendly approach is a great compromise between too little and too much information.
All the methods of data display we’ve discussed today—the iKAN-116 LED display, the on-unit display, the MQTT broker, and the mobile phone app—come together to form a redundant, comprehensive messaging and alert system that is simultaneously easy to use. The advantage of smartphones in this case is to put exactly the right data into the hands of workaday personnel right at the time it’s measured.
iKAN-116: Industrial-grade scrolling LED display with web user interface and built-in RTC. Interprets and displays Modbus values as scrolling or static text. The iKAN-116 includes seven colors, a library of common messages, and the ability to integrate text and Modbus variables into readable lines.
DL-302: This is an all-in-one sensing, data logging, display, and alert module. The DL-302 measures CO₂ concentrations, temperature, humidity, and dew point, and then displays it on an attractive color touchscreen. Users are free to access data logs and live readings remotely through our iAir app, the DL-300 Utility, or through a web browser.
iAir Mobile App: Available to Android and iOS users, the iAir mobile app provides live sensor readings and air quality reports from our DL-300 series. Get up-to-date sensor output in the palm of your hand, from anywhere on the local network.
