Digital wireless data acquisition system for measurement in high voltage substations

This paper describes a new digital wireless data acquisition system that can be used to measure electromagnetic interference (EMI) in power stations or other similar harsh environments. It comprises of a remote acquisition unit (RAU), a wireless data communication network (WDCN) and a PC-based control platform as a front end of the field-distributed-data-acquisition system, RAU captures, digitizes and stores the EMI signals in its memory and sends the information to the PC using the wireless data communication network. The WDCN acts as a bi-directional data communication link between the RAU & the control platform. It is based on Bluetooth technology and has a point-to-multipoint topology. The RAU serves as the acquisition function of a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) while the control platform carries out the display & control function of a DSO. The whole system, as such, may be regarded as a 'computerised wireless oscilloscope'. The system offers an innovative way for implementing monitoring, protection and testing systems based on wireless sensor networks.