Smart Technology

Revolutionise the way you manage sensors and integrate measurement data.

Benefits of the Smart Sensor Technology

The shift to processing information directly onboards the sensor has had a significant impact on how we perform process measurement in the field. Some considerable advantages have resulted from the sensor being “smart”, some of which include:

• Reduced Infrastructure Costs 
  There is now no longer a requirement for intermediary analyser hardware. With transmitters often costing thousands of dollars each and bearing the inherent risk of obsolescence, eliminating the need for an additional piece of hardware is a huge incentive to directly integrate sensors for large scale installations.
  
  
• Improved Maintenance Practices 
  Calibrate sensors anywhere, in the convenience of a laboratory or workshop. The days of performing calibrations connected to an analyser to store calibration information are over. No more cleaning and calibrating in-situ under adverse environmental conditions. Now you can take your sensors back to the workshop to clean and calibrate them efficiently in batches while you have fresh sensors installed on rotation. This maintenance regime is called hot swapping and it saves our customers more than 50% of the manpower involved with traditional sensor maintenance. Click here to learn more about the Hot Swap sensor maintenance regime.  
  
  
• Improved Sensor Management 
  Obtain important information directly from the sensor such as last calibration date, time in service, sensor health and diagnostics. This key data will give you a clear understanding of the impact of the process upon the sensor and how your staff manage the maintenance. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions around operational changes to optimise your measurement practices.
  
  
• Low Power Consumption 
  Smart Sensors can operate from as little as 20mA* current draw. This is an amazing benefit for remote applications that operate from the battery or solar power.
  
  
• Long Transmission Capabilities
  Smart Sensor can support cable distances of up to 1000m

What Makes Smart Sensors Different?

All Turtle Tough sensors with Smart Sensor Technology are equipped with an integral onboard microprocessor that computes temperature-compensated measurement values, stores calibration data and provides a stream of data-rich parameters. These unique features of the Smart technology allow you to manage the health and performance of your sensors while maintaining an even closer eye on your process.

Turtle Tough Smart Sensors can perform all functions usually performed by an external analyser or transmitter due to the onboard microprocessor and memory chip on the sensor’s body. They are designed to store calibration information directly to the sensor and output a fully calibrated digital signal. You’ll no longer need traditional analyser hardware to perform this task. Smart sensors can store historical information such as:

• Time in service
• Calibration intervals
• Service conditions
• The diagnostic information that records changes to the sensor

These essential data gives you an insight into what was previously unrecorded, allowing you to make critical improvements in the process measurement approach.

We use MODBUS Open-Source Communication Protocol

Turtle Tough’s technology is broadly accessible compared to technologies used by other manufacturers. Our Direct Smart technology (DSS) is open source, rather than closed source proprietary technology. Our DSS sensors provide a MODBUS RTU output that can be integrated into virtually any PLC or compatible industrial network. This means NO MORE “lock-in” vendor-specific hardware, allowing you to freely interface with any MODBUS enabled device. MODBUS has become a de facto standard communication protocol and is a commonly available means of connecting industrial electronic devices. MODBUS is popular in industrial environments because it is openly published and royalty-free. It was developed for industrial applications, is relatively easy to deploy and maintain compared to other standards. For our complete guide and detailed instructions on how to integrate our sensors directly into your existing hardware, please click here to see our Implementatio Guide.

The Most Complete Sensor Solution 

Turtle Tough provides a complete ecosystem of controllers, interfaces, communication and installation hardware to implement our Smart Sensor technology in the most convenient way possible.

• Sophisticated controllers and digital display systems
• Data Management Solutions such as loggers, remote access and cloud-based data management systems
• Plug n Play Connectivity throughout our range of installation hardware, including cables, connectors and junction boxes for easy installation
• Convenient Communication Hardware to communicate with Smart Sensors
• Innovative Installation Hardware to mate the sensor with the process
• Intelligent software for sensor and data management
• Comprehensive Installation and Technical Support Guides

Communication & Data Management Solutions

For most of our customers, the most important outcome from purchasing high-quality sensors is obtaining quality data that they can rely on to make process-related decisions. These could result in millions of dollars worth of savings or productivity gains. In recognising the sole importance of data management and user connectivity accessibility, we have developed great communication tools to make sensor and data management simple than ever before.