North Building Technologies

What is Serial Data Acquisition?

The traditional way of detecting real-world conditions from the environment is by analogue and digital data acquisition - where a system uses a combination of sensors or detectors to acquire raw values from their primary location. Again, where integration of different systems is required, it has been common practice to "overlay" one system with another, duplicating field sensing devices, or passing voltage signals from one system to another. Clearly, this duplication carries a cost, and in the recent past it has become far more cost-effective to obtain the same (and often the potential for very much more) data through Serial Data Acquisition.

With Serial Data Acquisition, systems share values using communications (RS232, RS485 and RS422 are common serial technologies) and an understanding of each other's communications language, or protocol. In general, these protocols are proprietary, designed by a systems manufacturer with only their own system in mind. Very often, manufacturers have made considerable investment, both financially and intellectually, in the development of their protocols, and the needs of the system are finely matched to the protocol.

Inevitably, in order to be able to acquire data from any of these systems, a Serial Data Acquisition system must have an inherent understanding of the proprietary protocol and it's functionality. Many of North's products act as Serial Data Acquisition systems, having common communications drivers which understand proprietary protocols. Compass, ObSys and Commander all share common communications drivers, developed in a harmonised, rationalised process. North has an open systems policy for Serial Data Acquisition, which in principle means :

• Unrestricted - all comms drivers available to all
• Responsible - no reverse engineering
• Supportable - all comms drivers developed in co-operation with IPR holders
• Reciprocal - North serial data protocols are available to developers

In recent years, common standard protocols have allowed some systems to acquire data without the need for protocol convertors. However, not all systems support any standards, and still others support only one of many.

Application

Simple field devices, such as meters, fixed-function controllers, and even larger systems, such as fire panels, can be incorporated within main automation systems, enabling not only integration but also true interoperability.

Open an illustrated example of a serial data acquisition solution.

Integrated Building Automation System | Remote Building Monitoring

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