Alarm Dispatch system Overview

The alarm server forwards the alarms via text messages (SDM, SDS) to the radio subscriber. This mechanism is compatible with both DMR and Tetra provided that the radios are configured with the appropriate header compression

ALARM DISPATCHER FOR RADIOS

Aggregate alarms from various sources and automatically dispatch those alarms onto the radio subscribers. The 'Alarm Dispatcher for radios' consolidates the alarm list from various sources (PLCs, RTUs, Cloud-Based IIoTT servers, OPCUA, ...) and dispatches those alarms to radio talk groups via data messages.

The alarm message is displayed onto the portable radio LCD screen and changes the colour of the LED according to the alarm severity. Alarms can be acknowledged by the operators and their acknowledgement forwarded to the main control room.

The alarm server can interface with OPC and others sensors, and subsequently forwards the alarms via text messages to the portable radio( ATEX or normal). This is important for safety monitoring for company.

Alarms can be configured to be affected to GroupCalls and automatically dispatch to a single operator or group, such as safety officer or emergency response team. The configuration is accessible from a web-panel or via the OPC Server configuration panel.

ALARM ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Active alarms should be followed by operators to maintain nominal operations. The alarm acknowledgment function is embeded into the portable radio. Scroll through the active alarm-list and acknowledge an alarm. The OperatorID who has acknowledged the alarm is forwarded to the OPCAlarm Server and shared with the control room.

STREAMING ALARMS

The full alarm-list is streamed to the portable radios. Alarm Dispatcher does not only sends the latest alarm triggered, it allows for scrolling the full active alarm list directly from the radio. This feature is interesting in the case of multiple alarms. It distinguishes ACTIVE alarms from INACTIVE alarms which once were in an active state but no-longer require the operators assistance. 

ALARM SEVERITIES

The Alarm Severity levels are represented on the radio by use of a colour code affecting both the Radio LED and the Alarm Popups on the radio LCD display. According to OPC, Alarm Severity levels are contained between 1-999. The severity mapping table is configurable to distinguish critical safety alarms from warnings and simple events such a coffee break!

IIOT CLOUD-BASED OPERATIONS

Are you using Mindsphere @Siemens to digitalize your factory? Alarm Dispatch is Mindsphere ready using the OPCUA drivers.