The evolution of temperature monitoring systems
Monitoring temperature is a critical element in many different
segments of industry and business today. There are several means
of measuring temperature, each of which has its own pluses and
minuses. In the past you had to use a manual method, where an
employee used a thermometer to determine temperature and a piece
of paper and a pencil to record. This was time consuming,
expensive and of questionable accuracy.
When chart recorders were invented it was used for monitoring
temperature twenty-four hours a day. However it still required
an employee to change the chart every day or week and because it
was mechanical it often broke down requiring even more
maintenance.
Data loggers appeared in the late 80s. They were not mechanical,
which eliminated the ongoing maintenance and made monitoring
temperature easier and less expensive. They recorded temperature
in RAM memory and could do their work unattended. They were also
rugged so they would be put in places that were inhospitable to
humans.
Many businesses adopted data loggers for monitoring temperature.
This worked fairly well as long as the temperature they were
monitoring didn't change frequently or require a response to
certain events. The big drawback to data loggers is that the
temperature can't be seen until it is downloaded into a
computer. Data loggers haven't until recently come with a
display.
There is now a new type of data logger available which does have
a display. This class of instrument, called data viewers
collects and stores temperature history, just like a data
logger, but it also displays the temperature on an LCD display.
This improves the utility of the device immensely. The most
useful and low cost data viewer is the ThermaViewer,
manufactured by Two Dimensional Instruments, LLC.
This very useful instrument has been made so that it can be
installed in minutes and used by every employee. It doesn't
require an IT professional to set it up or interpret the
measured temperature. Once in place it draws a chart on the
large LCD display that is very easy to read. It is being used in
laboratories and hospitals for monitoring temperature of
refrigerators and freezers where drugs and vaccines are stored.