3. Data Logging Examples

In a Hospital

When a patient has had a major operation or is very ill, they may be in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

While they are in the ICU, they will be constantly monitored to make sure that their condition is stable.

A heart monitor will take readings of their heart rate and pattern of beats. These readings will be displayed as digital numbers on the monitor itself and they will also be output to a continuous graph so that the doctors can pick up any changes over time.

Their blood pressure will be monitored, using something like the health monitor shown above.

Their breathing rate will be monitored and their level of oxygen measured. Alarms will be triggered if their oxygen level goes below a certain amount.

Their temperature will be measured at regular intervals to monitor whether they have an infection and if so, whether it is responding to treatment.

Water Companies

Water companies have to constantly monitor the acidity of the water in their reservoirs. They also monitor pollution, chemicals and the number of bacteria in rivers.

In order to do this:

• The sensors take measurements of the water.
• An ADC converts the analogue signals into digital data
• The data is sent to the data logger where it is stored until called for by the Water Board's computer.
• On request, the digital data is transmitted to the Water Board's computer.
• Special software (data logging software) takes the data and analyses it
• The results of the analysis are presented as graphs and tables
• The results are printed out

Racing Cars

Some companies invest millions into developing state-of-the-art racing cars.

They want to know every aspect of how their car is performing so that they can ensure the engine is calibrated correctly, the right amount of fuel is being delivered, the best speeds are being achieved etc.

Digital electronic dashboards are used inside the cars. They display data collected by the sensors.

This data is logged and stored for later analysis by the engineers.

Also, output alarms can be set to alert the driver when certain conditions have been met.

Data can also be scrolled through by the driver pushing a button.