Page 11 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 1st Febraury 2021

achieve this, the temperature of every panel in a verify the correct operation of cooling fans, they can
plant as well as the surrounding ambient provide a complete IoT based thermal monitoring
temperature needs to be monitored continuously and remote maintenance solution.
using appropriate sensor solutions.
Real-time remote monitoring in this way ensures Wide angle thermal sensors
that the need for site visits is kept to an absolute New infrared thermal sensors with a wide viewing
minimum. Sometimes the fault can be rectified angle in a compact body highlight hotspots
remotely, perhaps by reducing power demand from anywhere in their field of view, filling the gap
the system to allow key components to cool. Other between taking an ‘average’ value of the
times an engineer site visit is needed, for example temperature of the whole system and taking a
to replace a faulty component or to repair a short reading of the temperature at one or two selected
circuit. points.
Monitoring of the temperature of the whole Omron D6T MEMS thermal (IR) sensors
cabinet in which the system is housed is essential measure the surface temperature of objects without
but by itself clearly insufficient: a component can be touching them using a thermopile element that
running dangerously hot and be in danger of absorbs radiated energy from the target object.
meltdown or combustion without affecting the Incorporating a state-of-the-art MEMS thermopile,
overall temperature of the system. On the other custom designed sensor ASIC and signal processing
hand, attaching an individual temperature sensor to microprocessor and algorithm into tiny package, the
each electrical component is completely impractical D6T is believed to offer the highest signal-to-noise
– a wiring loom for example can develop hotspots ratio (SNR) in the industry. This ensures clear,
almost anywhere. reliable measurements that can readily be
New wide-angle thermal image sensors that can interpreted by the system.
detect hotspots in large areas of a system such as a A key advantage of the integrated signal
whole panel, provide a great starting point for the processing microprocessor is the fully linear output.
truly effective remote thermal management of By pre-processing the signal on the module, the
electrical systems. Complemented by ambient D6T converts the sensor signal to a digital
temperature sensors and air velocity sensors to temperature output giving a straightforward

February 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p11