BRIEM control technology: Read out measured values quickly and easily via smartwatch using NFC

NFC is the abbreviation for "Near Field Communication". This wireless standard can be used to make contactless payments with a smartphone or to control access to buildings, for example. However, this technology also makes it possible to transmit measured values quickly and securely. BRIEM Steuerungstechnik equips sensors, clean rooms and even refrigerators in which blood reserves are stored with NFC tags. If the responsible employee is in the immediate vicinity of the tags, he or she has the measured values immediately available via a mobile device. They can check them at any time. Smart watches that the user always wears on their wrist are particularly suitable for this application. If a critical measured value is reached, the watch indicates this immediately. The employee on site can react immediately. This ensures safe and reliable monitoring.

Blood banks and hospitals usually store blood in special refrigerators, as well as diagnostics, vaccines, serums and plasma. If the temperature falls below or exceeds the temperature range defined by the standard, this can spoil or at least damage the sensitive products. BRIEM Steuerungstechnik GmbH in Nürtingen near Stuttgart supports customers in maintaining this temperature with its Holistic Cleanroom Monitoring (GRM). Depending on the product, the critical operating parameters from the refrigerator to particle measurement are continuously recorded, logged and monitored using measuring sensors. The measured values are usually shown on fixed graphic displays.

In order to be able to react even faster to any critical change, BRIEM now offers the option of transferring data wirelessly to mobile devices using the NFC radio standard. NFC stands for "Near Field Communication", i.e. communication between two elements that are close to each other, i.e. just a few centimeters apart. These two elements can be the fridge with the blood bottles on one side and a smartphone on the other - or even better: a smartwatch that the responsible employee always wears on their wrist. They identify the measuring point by holding their watch near the NFC tag. The measured values and alarm status are shown on the display. If the values exceed the green range, an alarm can be sent to the smartwatch by e-mail or text message - the watch then vibrates. The employee knows immediately, can locate the alarmed measuring point and intervene if necessary.

Not only refrigerators can be equipped with NFC tags, but also particle counters or other sensors. Another possibility is, for example, flow monitoring in the clean room during pharmaceutical production. In order to check the values, the employee does not have to remove the product. Use in high-bay warehouses is also conceivable. This is because the measuring sensors are often not accessible here and there are no graphic displays. NFC tags on the shelves make temperature monitoring via the smartwatch very simple and secure.