MESHNETICS DEMONSTRATED INTEGRATION OF WIRELESS SENSOR DATA WITH SCADA SYSTEM AT ZIGBEE OPEN HOUSE

MeshNetics, a leading ZigBee technology provider, demonstrated its SensiLink integration platform at ZigBee Open House in San Jose, California, on June 15, 2006. The SensiLink integration platform serves as a gateway between wireless sensor networks (WSN) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), IP-based and custom applications.

The SensiLink software suite features OPC, Web Services and Java API interfaces to facilitate data integration. OPC Server is a crucial component of SensiLink middleware architecture that enables interconnectivity with a wide range of OPC compatible industrial automation applications. OPC (Open Connectivity) technology is the non-proprietary automation interconnectivity standard. Frequently compared to Microsoft Windows’ printer drivers, the OPC Specification defines a set of standard interfaces. The new Unified Architecture (UA) holds promise of unifying all of the existing OPC technology. The OPC UA is no longer based on Microsoft COM/DCOM, but on open, internet-based communication standards, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, SOAP, and XML. MeshNetics plans to implement OPC UA in its SensiLink integration platform which should make it significantly more scalable.

SensiLink also includes Smart Engine, a critical feature that provides distributed intelligence for preliminary node computations. For example, an operator can monitor office comfort level that is a combination of certain temperature, humidity and illumination. With SensiLink’s Smart Engine, the measurements of these parameters are analyzed on the nodes, and an alert is only generated when they exceed the comfort level. Smart Engine node computations like these significantly minimize data traffic within the WSN while maximizing battery life.

“SCADA systems are widely used in the industry. Most sensors used in such systems are wired, which limits their use. Adding WSNs would make a lot of sense, but how do you plug in the data from sensors into SCADA? We identified this need in the market few years ago, and started developing middleware to address it,” said Vasiliy Suvorov, MeshNetics’ CTO & Managing Director. “Our vision is to use standards-based technology wrapped into a standards-based interface. That way the new product will present a not a disruptive change, but rather a welcome improvement.”

At the heart of the WSN nodes is the new ZigBit module. MeshNetics’ latest ZigBee/802.15.4 OEM module, ZigBit is based on the newest Atmel hardware platform. The high sensitivity, low-power ZigBit module is only 13.5 x 18.8mm (0.53 x 0.74”), which is less than half the size of other modules available in the market today.

MeshNetics modules come bundled with eZeeNet mesh-networking software, which is based on IEEE802.15.4 MAC layer and is ZigBee network capable. The eZeeNet stack enables module-based wireless sensor devices to form self-healing, self-organizing mesh networks that are widely used in industrial monitoring, HVAC control, automatic meter reading, and more.