Monitoring Processes with the Alarm System

Monitoring Processes with the Alarm System

You use the alarm system to monitor whether signals overshoot or undershoot limits. Define limits in two stages to trigger alarms with increasing priorities of importance. DIAdem displays the alarms continuously on the screen. You can record and comment on alarms online as they occur. The alarm log can function as an operation report that DIAdem sends straight to those in charge so they are informed about alarms that occur.

Note The NI License Manager only provides the alarm functions if your license contains the alarm system. If not, the buttons in the respective function groups are dimmed. To use the alarm system, you might have to obtain a license for a different DIAdem edition.

The following figure shows how the alarm generator monitors measured values from connected packet buses. If limit values are exceeded, the alarm generator displays alarms in the alarm table on the screen. To record the alarms in a file or to send them in an e-mail, DIAdem converts the alarm information into text. With each alarm, the alarm generator also outputs numeric data packets with the status of the alarms.

Alarm System Structure

The alarm blocks are packet blocks and process the incoming measurement values in data packets in a data-controlled way. The alarm generator does not work until a data packet arrives at the input, and the subsequent alarm table does not work until an alarm packet arrives from the alarm generator. The alarm generator monitors the green-gray packet buses and issues alarms on the blue-gray alarm buses. DIAdem transfers texts to the gray-gray text buses.

Related Topics

Installing Measurement Hardware and Communicating via Interfaces | MSR Technology with DIAdem | Packet Processing | The Block Diagram Describes the Measurement Task | Visualizing Data and Operating Facilities