Perle Systems Application Note

Monitoring of Fluid Levels in Remote Sterilization Equipment

A large manufacturer of medical autoclave equipment has a need to improve efficiencies by monitoring the fluid levels in remote autoclaves located in hospitals across the country. By knowing what the fluid levels are in the holding tank of the autoclave, the appropriate corrective action can be employed whether it is to provide proactive maintenance to improve customer satisfaction or to prevent expensive truck rolls to correct a problem that may occur at a later time.

Device Servers with Integrated I/O Control
By installing a remote device server with serial and with integrated analog input capabilities, a remote application can over an IP network, remotely monitor the voltage level information provided by the fluid sensors in the autoclave. The voltage level representing the fluid can indicate whether the holding tank is full, empty, or everything in between. Alerts can also be set up to send an email if the levels drop to a certain level. Additionally technicians at the central location can securely manage the autoclave through its serial console port whether it is to monitor other aspects of the equipment, to troubleshoot or to reconfigure.