Pacific Scientific Instruments Announces New Particle Vision Online Software For Complete Online Facility Monitoring Of Particulate Contamination

 

Pacific Scientific Instruments introduces Particle Vision Online V2.0, which transforms sensor data into a meaningful vision of a manufacturing process or cleanroom facility. Designed for air and liquid particle counters, Particle Vision Online V2.0 is the latest monitoring software for the pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and other related industries. Measurements from 3^rd-party sensors and PLCs can be included via DDE inputs to create a complete facility monitoring system. The TCP/IP protocol allows PVO software to communicate with other clients and provide a full account of the environmental conditions in a cleanroom or process.

Customizable report groups give the flexibility of choosing which measurements and statistics to include in reports. Create up to four alarm levels for any or all of your measurements to warn you immediately of any potential problems. Particle Vision Online can control alarm lights and sirens, track alarm acknowledgement by user, and record alarm notes.

Never worry about losing data with PVO's automatic database backup, archive, and transaction logging functions. Redundant logging safeguards data up to the most recent sample. Sybase's Adaptive Server Anywhere, is included with installation. By using PVO's rapid storage criteria, you can reduce the amount of statistically insignificant data saved to the database. If security is a concern, Particle Vision Online comes complete with user-level security controls. Assign unique permissions to each user. Control access to setup, shut-down, administration, and alarm acknowledgement, etc. Combined with Windows NT built-in security and event-tracking features, PVO's system security can be rigorously controlled and tracked.

Key Software Features of Particle Vision Online

• Supports Microsoft Windows NT, 95 and 98 with true 32-bit, multithreaded performance
• Clean, simple, easy-to-use interface with superior graphing features
• User-expandable system; easy to add more particle counters, measurements, custom reports and computers
• Plug-n-Play makes hardware setup easy; software scans and finds available particle counter instruments
• Use 3^rd-party environmental sensors, control signals, and alarm lights/sirens via DDE
• Intelligent Monitoring—data storage rate will automatically adjust during process events and changes in trend slope
• Includes full relational database management system: Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere, and full report capabilities using Crystal Reports.
• Automatic, unattended, data backup and archive while sampling
• Backed by a full selection of Optional onsite services including engineering, validation, training, and integration

 

Measurements

• Cumulative or differential particle counts
• Environmental parameters via DDE (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, differential pressure, air velocity, closed/open sensors, speed, etc.)
• Calculations of percent removal, Beta ratio, percent difference, count concentration, dilution scaling, difference, sum, average, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation
• Manual input of values from "virtual" sensors for data entry from off-line devices such as laboratory instruments, manually controlled dilution systems, or microscope and chemical tests.
• Monitoring of process control signals via DDE or particle counter analog inputs to automatically set Out-of-Service and Process Profiling software states. States can also be set manually on-screen. Software can also generate control signals to control your process or facility.
• The Measurements Explorer display uses the standard Windows Explorer metaphor to reveal the status and critical value for each measured location in your facility/process

 

Graphs

• Clean display of three (or four) stacked trend graphs with all legends, labels, and scales clearly visible. Superior to most monitoring systems that only display one graph at a time, stack graphs on top of each other, or crop graphs.
• Selection and instant display of unlimited graphs (Enterprise version) from the main screen.
• Drag-to-Zoom both graph axes (time and value). Single-click unzoom.
• Click to display value of individual graph points (i.e. on-screen callout)
• Easy landscape or portrait graph printing that fits the whole page
• Synchronized scrolling of displayed, stacked graphs (Scroll Lock) using true time-based scrolling. Each graph can have different time periods displayed. Scroll and compare past-to-present (i.e. previous vs. current) or present-to-present (different measurements and locations).
• Customize graph presentation features such as labels and scales.
• Extremely fast graphing of long time periods using online statistical measurements (month, yearly trends).

 

 

Reports

• Automatic printing of unlimited user-customized reports per day
• On demand reports sent to screen, printer, or file
• Customize reports by selecting title, measurements, statistics, and statistical interval (i.e. hourly, daily, etc.)
• Extremely fast reporting of long time periods (monthly, yearly) using online statistical measurements

 

 

Alarming

• Four alarm levels for each measurement
• User-selectable alarm delays and automatic acknowledge after specified time period
• Statistical alarms using online statistical measurements
• Alarm notes and acknowledgement tracking including "acknowledged by", reason, when acknowledged, length of time to acknowledgement, etc.
• Alarm light/siren control, including grouping alarms per annunciator and controlling annunciator behavior based on acknowledgement and alarm state.

 

 

Supported Instrumentation

 

• Met One Models:

• Model 4800 Series, 5800 Series and 237D online air particle counters
• Model 2400, 2100, and 2200 Series air particle counters with Model 2432 sequential sampling manifold
• Model 5230 and 5250 air particle counters with sequential sampling manifold (by Jan. 2000)
• Model PCX and 215W online drinking water particle counters

 

• HIAC Models

• Model iPCX online particle counter with Microcount and HRLD Series liquid particle sensors
• Model 2000 online particle counter with Microcount and HRLD Series liquid particle sensors

 

• 3^rd –Party Devices/Models

• Any sensor, instrument, device, or monitoring system that produces a standard Windows Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) output. Many devices, such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), provide DDE driver/server software. Particle Vision Online is a DDE client.

 

Three Editions of Particle Vision Online

Particle Vision Online is available in Small System, Standard, and Enterprise editions.

Small System Edition

This edition is perfect as a low-cost small monitoring system for particle counters, with connections for a few alarm annunciators and environmental sensors. Primarily, the Small System Edition is a particle counting system for 16 locations.

Standard Edition

Particle Vision Online, Standard Edition, is a full SCADA system for facility and process monitoring—optimized for particle counter instrumentation. With a large capacity for 64 particle counter locations and unlimited DDE connections for environmental sensors and PLCs, Standard Edition has the capacity for most monitoring needs. This edition operates on a single Windows 95, 98, or NT computer. Standard Edition provides advanced monitoring capabilities such as statistical measurements and Smart Monitoring^©, which adjusts data storage based on data events/trends or the process state.

Enterprise Edition

The Enterprise Edition offers distributed monitoring. This Edition is capable of monitoring a complete enterprise with multiple facilities in different geographic locations (WAN). Enterprise Edition can also be used on a local area network inside a single facility (LAN). The number of client computers (i.e. view stations) is unlimited. For systems with hundreds of particle counter instruments, this Edition offers unlimited sensor capacity, plus all the features of the Standard Edition. Three software programs comprise the Enterprise Edition: Raw Data Server, Database Server, and Clients. Enterprise Edition supports many Raw Data Servers, which collect data from sensors and publish the data on the network. Using multiple Raw Data Servers is an ideal way to limit installation costs on large systems by using existing network cabling.

 

Features by Edition

 

Feature	Small System	Standard	Enterprise	Feature Description
Number of . . .
locations	16	64	unlimited	Online sensors or sampling manifold ports
measurements per location	4	24	unlimited	Particle count channels, 3rd-party sensor values, etc.
instant graphs	16	64	unlimited	User-configured graphs available for instant display
simultaneous graphs	3	4	4	Simultaneously displayed, stacked graphs, four graphs requires 1024 x 768 resolution
DDE inputs	8	unlimited	unlimited	Allows online data acquisition from other SCADA systems, PLCs, and 3rd-party sensors
control outputs (DDE)	4	unlimited	unlimited	Allows control of alarm annunciators, switches, etc.
Statistical measurements		X	X	Provides average, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation calculations of measurements stored as new measurements. Calculations occur every 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes or every 1, 2, or 3 hours.
Statistical alarms		X	X	Alarms on the above measurements. Useful for statistical alarm dampening
Manual entry measurements		X	X	Entry of manually collected data as unique measurements. Useful for laboratory test data or values from instruments that have no signal output.
Rapid storage		X	X	User-defined mathematical criteria that cause rapid data storage during rapid increases/decreases in measured values or when the trend of data increases/decreases.
Process profiling control		X	X	Automatic rapid data storage to increase monitoring resolution (in time) during critical processes. Triggered from DDE/particle counter input, such as a SCADA control signal.
Multiple network clients			X	Multiple computers can view data from sensors and create custom or identical measurements.
Ethernet sensor data transmission			X	Many Raw Data Servers can be used to collect data from sensors and publish the information on the LAN/WAN network for use by multiple computers.

 

 

 

Particle Vision Suite

Particle Vision Online is a member of the Particle Vision Suite of software from Pacific Scientific Instruments. Particle Vision PortAll, a data retrieval, analysis, and presentation program for portable particle counters, is another member of the Particle Vision Suite. Watch for more software products in the future that are powerful, yet easy-to-use, as the Particle Vision Suite continues to grow.

 

Optional Monitoring System Components

Pacific Scientific Instruments provides all the components required to build a complete process/facility monitoring system. Our detailed system quotes itemize each component necessary for your system. Some of these components are only available from Pacific Scientific Instruments, others you may wish to provide yourself based on local availability or brand preference. Some examples of our complete equipment offering are listed below:

• Communications and power cabling, and wiring/communication test kits
• Vacuum tubing, pumps, and pressure relief valves
• Alarm annunciators: single light, three light, with buzzers, wall or ceiling mount
• Isokinetic sampling probes for laminar air in all sizes and configurations, with mounting brackets
• Programmable Logic Controllers and analog input and relay output interface modules
• Environmental sensors: temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and differential pressure
• Serial port expansion I/O cards
• Computers and printers
• Power supplies
• Termination plates for power, vacuum, and digital communications

 

Optional Engineering Services

Often a complete monitoring system can be built without any on site assistance from Pacific Scientific Instruments. We encourage our customers to install, configure, and test new systems themselves. This is the best way to learn the system. However, for you convenience, Pacific Scientific Instruments provides integration services and validation support to ensure a successful system installation and start up. We maintain a staff of professional system integration engineers skilled in network, computer, integration, training, and validation technologies. Some of our services are listed below:

• Pre-sale system design assistance, including wiring diagrams and part lists
• Custom report scripting for Particle Vision Online
• Custom validation documentation and procedures
• Custom facility map display development
• Installation assistance. PSI will assist with system startup and testing, inspecting the installation, and termination of the final connections. We rely on you to install cabling and tubing, wire the instruments, and mount the instruments/sensors/probes/annunciators.
• Onsite validation assistance (during IQ/OQ/PQ)

We also offer a broad range of support services for installed systems. After your system is installed and operation, Pacific Scientific Instruments offers on going support:

• Technical support via phone, FAX, web site, and Email.
• Annual equipment calibration (on site or at our factory)
• On site service and maintenance

Customized Training through our Pacific Scientific Instruments University.

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