Wireless Data Logger "AirLogger™" Wireless Data Logger "AirLogger™"

About AirLogger™

1. Introduction

Recently in the leading-edge industries such as automobile, electric instruments or industrial instruments, products are getting smaller, higher in performance, and higher in density. As a result, generation of heat within these instruments have become serious problem.
This means thermal management is one of the key technical themes on both performance side and safety side of the instruments.
For the purpose of this thermal management, R&D engineers are doing more evaluations with CAE (computer aided engineering) to analyze and simulate new designs, fully utilizing the computer technology.
Even in these cases, it is inevitable to verify correlation between the simulated results and the actually measured temperature at the last stage of evaluation. Therefore demands for temperature measurement is quite large.
To measure temperature in such occasions, thermometers using thermocouples are mainly used with temperature loggers to record temperature change over time.
There are many occasions simultaneous temperature measurement of multiple points are required. In such cases, multi-channel temperature loggers are used. Nowadays, there are various kinds of temperature loggers in the market , to meet different kinds of requirements.
Most of the loggers are employing “wired” method to connect logger mainframe (data processing part) and thermocouple (temperature measurement part) with cables.
This method has limitations because cables are required for connection. Adding to that, preparation, measurement, and cleanup processes are quite complicated, which is one of the reasons to decrease operation efficiency. We are introducing a new temperature logger, “Wireless Temperature Logger, AirLogger™ WM1010” to solve these problems and improve efficiency of temperature measurement dramatically.

Wireless Temperature Logger WM1000, Launched January 2015

2. Purpose of development and demands from users

We started to develop “Wireless Temperature Logger, AirLogger™ WM1010” with two goals, the first goal is to solve problems with wired method.  The second goal is to add a new value to conventional temperature loggers.  To begin with, to solve the problems of conventional temperature loggers, we picked up complaints we were feeling for temperature loggers because we ourselves are actual users of temperature loggers.  Our complaints are as follows: 

• Wiring thermocouples requires lots of work
• Wirings are obstacles for experiments
• Loggers are large so there are limitations on locating them
• Software operations are complicated so when we use them after a certain period, it requires some time to remember how to use them

We tried to solve above complaints and as the viewpoint of adding new values, we focused on measuring objects difficult to measure with conventional temperature loggers.  For example, measuring moving or rotating objects, or measuring inside of shielded space.

Then, in order to solve above problems, we have made following development concept which will become the fundamental parts of the specifications of the product. 

1. Wireless design to eliminate wiring operation
2. Small sized logger (Integrated with a PC)
3. Simple software

To verify if this concept meets demands from customers or not, we visited customers to explain above concept. 
Their reactions were better than we have expected and we also found they have serious concern over troubles on measuring temperature in occasions described above.  Lots of  customers requested us for earlier delivery of this product, so we advanced delivery date from the original schedule to meet their enthusiastic request.  

Features of WM1000

1. Being wireless, man-hours to wire thermocouples are reduced to one fifth comparing to the conventional method.
2. Being wireless, wire connection mistake or accidental wire cut during wiring operations are reduced.
3. The temperature measurement units is an independent type powered with small, light weight button battery, so it can be located over a wide area, or in a narrow spot, or mounted on a moving object.
4. Measurement data are sent to PC immediately so data can be retrieved without extra space, enabling real-time data monitor on a PC located away from the measurement units.
5. Up to 100 temperature measurement units can be connected, realizing max 100 points simultaneous temperature measurement.
6. Simple software enables measurement with intuitive operation.

WM2000 Series, Launched November 2017

In the production field, physical values are measured with various purposes such as performance check, quality control, management of operation site environment, maintenance of facilities, and so on. 
Recently, demands for these measurements are increasing due to higher performance of products and stronger requirements from the society. 
There are cases more precise measurements are required for what were measured before, such as precise management of heating values due to higher performance or smaller size of products, or management of precise stress due to lighter parts being used.  Also, there are new cases what were not measured before are measured, such as temperature and humidity management based on new standard for food production, or temperature and vibration control for preventive maintenance of facilities. 
While demands for these measurements are increasing, measurement methods have many limitations, so there are large demands to resolve these limitations. 
Now we introduce Wireless Datalogger “AirLogger™” and new series “AirLogger™ WM2000”, trying to eliminate these limitations.

3. General Description of the Product

The “AirLogger™” is a multi channel wireless data logger. A small measurement unit equipped with data processing part is connected with a sensor, enabling measurement of temperature, voltage or other physical quantity. Acquired data are sent to a small USB stick type unit called “PC Communication Unit” by wireless transmission, then displayed and stored in a PC in real time. One PC Communication Unit can communicate with max 100 measurement units enabling multiple-point simultaneous measurement.
The new series “AirLogger™ WM2000” has three kinds of measurement units. The WM2000TA and WM2000TB with temperature/voltage measurement unit have sensor connection terminals of 2 channels, 7 channels, respectively. These units can measure both temperature with thermocouples and voltage using voltage output sensors. The Strain measurement unit WM2000SA can measure strain using strain gauges. These three different kinds of measurement units can be connected to one PC Measurement unit.

Features

• One PC Measurement unit can be connected to max 100 measurement units.  Three kinds of measurement units can be combined arbitrary as long as the total number of units does not exceed 100.  This enables multiple point simultaneous monitoring of different kinds of data such as temperature, voltage output type physical quantity (humidity, pressure, wind speed, illumination, etc.) or strain. 
• Measurement units are extremely small, so they can be installed even in narrow gaps.
• Most of conventional wireless measurement instruments do not support synchronized simultaneous measurement among measurement units, but this product conducts synchronization process of measurement timing periodically, making the measurement timing error among units to be less than 5 msec.
• Disadvantage of wireless measurement instrument is that when radio wave condition is bad, transmitted data are not received and loses measurement data.  The measurement units of this product has functions to monitor data send/receive condition.  When data transmission is disabled, they stores data into their internal memory and will transmit the total data after measurement, to compensate data.
• Operation temperature range of the measurement unit are as follows:
  - Temperature/voltage measurement unit WM2000TA/WM2000TB: -40 to below 100℃ (In the United States, -40 to 90℃*)
  - Strain measurement unit WM2000SA: -30 to below 100℃ (In the United States, -30 to 90℃*)
  　* In the United States, the temperature range is up to 90℃ in compliance with US safety standards.
• They are extremely wide as measuring instruments, so they can be installed in severe temperature environment.  For the temperature/voltage measurement units, when optional heat-resistance case is used, they can be used in 300℃ environment for five minutes.
• When measuring with the 2 channel and the 7 channel temperature/voltage measurement units, the 2 channel measurement units can be used on points where measurement points are dispersed, and the 7 channel units can be used on points where measurement points are crowded, to enable efficient measurement depending on measuring environment.
• Demands for measurement under tough environment are increasing and under these circumstances, this product has excellent tolerance performance for vibration, high/low temperature, dust, and water. It means this product can be used under environment with severe limitations.
• The Temperature/voltage measurement unit WM2000TA, WM2000TB have capability to measure temperature using thermocouple and adding to it, they have voltage measurement function.  By installing voltage output type sensors such as humidity,  pressure, wind speed or illumination, variety of targets can be measured.  Please note that either temperature or voltage can be chosen for each channel, enabling simultaneous measurement of variety of applications by one measurement unit.
• The measurement units are designed with low energy consumption, enabling continuous operation of two weeks with battery operation.