A generic NFC-enabled measurement system for remote monitoring and control of client-side equipment

NFC technology can be integrated into existing systems to simplify and speed up the process of monitoring and control of these systems. In this paper we address a problem pertaining to the complexity of the monitoring and control of sensor or measurement equipment. Manual monitoring of measurement systems can be a tedious endeavor, especially in systems where the measurements are numerous and at regular intervals. A possible solution to the tediousness of manual monitoring is to link up measurement systems to a computer using a suitable communication protocol, but this becomes a problem if the monitoring needs to be done remotely or the measurement device needs to be mobile. We propose using NFC technology to facilitate the process of data acquisition from a measurement or sensor device. An existing measurement device can be fitted with an NFC interface to enable easy access to measurement data by simply touching the device with an NFC reader. By using an NFC-enabled mobile phone as a reader, the GPRS capabilities of the phone can be implemented to enable the transmission of acquired data to a remote location. The process is activated by simply bringing an NFC-enabled mobile phone into close proximity of an NFC-enabled measurement device. From a remote location, data from these devices can be processed and control commands can be sent to the devices, using an NFC-enabled mobile phone as an intermediary device. Applying NFC to measurement devices can save time and effort, and no specialized skills are needed by a person initiating the acquisition of data, as a simple 'touch' is all that is required. © 2011 IEEE.