SANTA BARBARA, Calif. /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- The Accsense solution is now monitoring critical measurements with its industry-first turnkey wireless sensor product at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) nanofabrication facility.
The Accsense solution measures a wide range of physical properties, such as temperature and humidity, and makes real-time measurements available online from any computer or Web-enabled device. No software installation or complex configuration is required. The complete Accsense system includes up to 16 wireless sensor Pods; a Pod Gateway for connecting the sensor network to the Internet; and an online account for monitoring, delivering alarms, and storing and analyzing data. The sensor Pods automatically form a highly secure, self-healing mesh network with a wireless reach of up to 4,000 ft. (3/4 mile).
In its stage-one deployment, UCSB's heralded nanofabrication facility is using the Accsense solution to verify that temperature and humidity are kept within range in its new, 12,700 square-foot nanotech clean room. Controlling the environment within the clean room is critical to the cutting-edge research being conducted there, including semiconductor-based device fabrication and thin-film processing work. The system was installed in March 2006.
Accsense will soon have a second installation at UCSB where it will play a critical role in keeping the facility operational around the clock. In addition to monitoring the environment in the lab, the Accsense solution will monitor systems critical to clean room operation. Accsense sensor Pods will monitor the lab's PLCs and chilled-water, deionized-water, air pressure, and reverse osmosis systems and then post status information on the Web in real time. Should any of these systems falter at any hour of the day or night, UCSB's on-call technicians will be paged by the Accsense system.
A world-leading nanotechnology research institution and National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network member, the UCSB nanofabrication facility selected the Accsense solution for its versatility and ease of deployment. Accsense offered UCSB an economical and practical alternative to running wires throughout the clean room, an easy interface with existing mission-critical equipment, and the ability to make operational information online.
"We believe the Accsense product line has particular utility for clean room environments, including those in the biotech, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and nanotechnology industries," said Tobin Greensweig, Product Manager for Accsense, Inc. "The ability to quickly deploy an accurate and dependable system to verify that all systems are functioning properly is key for clean rooms of every scale, from UCSB's state-of-the-art facility to smaller clean rooms that don't have control systems quite as complex," he added.
The Accsense product line features wireless sensor Pods that measure ambient temperature, humidity, light, noise, and vibration. Accsense sensor Pods are compatible with a range of standard external plug-in sensors and probes, including thermocouples, RTDs and thermistors. The Pods' industry-standard 4-20 ma, 0-5 V, digital (contact closure) and pulse counter inputs can also connect to sensors that measure air and liquid-particle counts, flow, electrical current, pressure, gas concentration, tank/sump levels, proximity, foot traffic—almost anything that can be measured. A single Pod can simultaneously measure up to nine different properties.
Accsense products can streamline processes across all industries. Applications for clean rooms, food processing plants, medical manufacturing facilities, labs of all kinds, and agricultural entities can offer immediate benefits and cost-savings. The product is ideal for remotely monitoring equipment—for example, when harmful chemicals or extreme conditions prevent onsite monitoring or when a scientist or manager is at home or miles away from a lab, plant, field, or facility.
About Accsense, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Barbara, Calif., Accsense is the leading provider of wireless sensor solutions that are quick to deploy and easy to use. Accsense delivers affordable remote monitoring and data acquisition/logging sensor networks to customers including manufacturing plants, factories, labs, hospitals, and greenhouses. For additional information, see the company's Web site.