Security: Playing it Safe
By Lynda Nolen, Bishop & Associates Inc.

According to industry analysts, the electronic security product market is expected to increase approximately 7.8 percent per year to approximately $15.6 billion by 2012. Interconnect products used in these products, although accounting for a very small portion of these total sales, have played an important role in the growth of this industry.

Electronic security systems are available in a variety of options, all of which are dictated by what is being secured and by the company, group, or organization requesting the monitoring. Things can be monitored audibly, visually, spatially, or any combination of the three. Yet, the ability to take the information and successfully interpret it relies on the ability to successfully transmit the data from the source to the location where it will be read and interpreted. This is probably the area where interconnects play the most important role. But what is very surprising about this role, is that the majority of the ways this information is transmitted is nothing new to the interconnect market.

Presently, the security industry uses five basic ways to transmit information. They include an RS232 connection (or RS485), a coax connection, an RJ-45 connection, or a fiber optic or wireless connection. Ben Renshaw, vice president of business development for Duos Technologies Inc., a Jacksonville, Florida-based company that provides a broad range of sophisticated technology solutions with an emphasis on Homeland Security, says the method used to transmit the information is totally driven by customer choice and logistics. Customer choice, of course, is also related to selected equipment, the size of the system, and the monitoring location. How the information is processed, and what is done with this information once it is transmitted, becomes the key to any security system. Duos Technologies Inc. relies on its Praesidium platform to provide operational problem-solving. By programming software to respond to a specific situation, and then take it to the next step of resolution, an environment is created in which the number of people necessary to monitor a system is greatly reduced, coverage is enhanced and expanded, and situational response time is greatly increased.

When reviewing the available options for transmitting data, Craig Thornton, regional account manager with Huber+Suhner, says that the one area they have seen the most change in is the use of fiber optics, particularly in the installation of cameras within buildings. This is where products like Huber+Suhner’s MASTERLINE® pre-terminated fiber optic cabling system, with connectors on one or both sides of the cable, are being used. By using MASTERLINE®, high fiber-count links can be constructed on-site without the need for timely and expensive splicing.

“MASTERLINE® cable systems are designed for indoor and outdoor applications, for fixed and mobile cablings. Depending on the application and specification, this system can be combined with different cable types, with or without pulling tube, or even with complete connection boxes,” said Thornton. Connector selection is left to the discretion of the customer, and cables are supplied on environmentally-friendly reels for efficient installation. Once installed, just plug ‘n’ play.

Areas that have shown significant growth in regards to electronic security systems over the last few years, according to Renshaw, are transportation systems, including rail, bus, marine, air and truck, critical infrastructure systems, including water treatment plants, petrol-chemical plants, nuclear power plants, and health care.

In the transportation industry, security systems are used not only to monitor the coming and going of people, but also the actual equipment, roads, rails, tunnels, and bridges used by the transportation industry. For instance, using salient intelligent video, the transferring of illegal immigrants in areas close to borders can be detected without having to stop and manually check railcars. By programming the system to look for abnormalities within the railcars, station and border control agents can be notified with the precise location of the abnormality, and the train can be stopped in areas with parallel tracks, preventing the backup of other trains on the same line.

Bridges located in remote areas can be outfitted with cameras and acoustic sensors that not only provide video and sound recording of the area, but also use preprogrammed systems to verify the stability of the bridge if accidentally compromised. The Duos Collision Alert Monitoring and Impact Analysis (CAMiA™) System automatically records all traffic passing through a user-defined area and creates a video and sound record. This is especially important in areas where bridges support major railroad lines. If a vehicle, barge, or other vessel comes in contact with the bridge, strategically located cameras are able to document and identify the damaging object, and measure impact, tilt, and pitch, while determining if rails have been misaligned or the structural integrity of the bridge has been jeopardized. If a problem is found, emergency officials can be immediately dispatched to the area, and trains or other vehicles can be re-routed. The documentation of actual events also provides rail operators with detailed information, in the event of the need to prosecute if damages are due to illegal or negligent activity.

With 85 percent of America’s critical infrastructure in the hands of the private sector, electronic security systems for this market segment has seen significant growth in recent years. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Infrastructure Protection Program places added responsibility on the private sector to implement systems and programs that protect our nation’s critical infrastructures. Buffer Zone Protection Plans (BZPs) have established that not only do the physical perimeters of the plants need to be protected, but also surrounding areas and communities. According to Renshaw, by using a combination of electronic security measures, “multi-layered digital plant security and surveillance systems can create a virtual perimeter around any facility.”

These multi-layer electronic security measures include ground radar, fixed and pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) high-resolution, color, day/night cameras, and radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs). These, in conjunction with a software program like Duo Technologies Virtual Security Shield™ (VSS™), allows all data from the various layers to be “fused into an immersive and intuitive security tool that will provide a tight virtual security shield” covering the entire infrastructure.

Fixed and PTZ high-resolution, color, and day/night cameras are a critical component in the Virtual Security Shield, and are the type of application Molex had in mind when they developed their Industrial EtherNet/IP cordsets and receptacles, as explained by Michael Scheidler, Molex new business specialist. Using a bayonet-style locking design, which is molded into the plug and offers quick secure mating, these robust connectors meet the Ethernet/IP specification of both the Open DeviceNet® Vendors Association and ControlNet® Vendors Association.

They are IP67 and NEMA 6P-rated and prevent the likelihood of failure with their one sealing surface. They are available in both single- and double-ended cord sets, and are factory overmolded for faster installation at the customer’s site.

To verify the location of personnel, vehicles, chemicals, equipment, or other specified details within the defined area, the third layer within the virtual perimeter relies on RFID devices. These small devices not only can be used to locate and track people or equipment, but can also be used to monitor heavy equipment use in the area, preventing unintentional collisions. In conjunction with the other layers, they can detect unauthorized personnel or vehicles entering or approaching a facility, triggering the lockdown of a particular facility or area, if needed.

The most important component in an RFID system is the antenna. A poorly performing antenna, which is the interface between the RFID reader and the tags, can cause unreliable or erroneous readings. For this reason, Ma-com, a division of Tyco Electronics, uses heavy-duty reverse polarity TNC RF coaxial connectors on all their ThingMagic Mercury 4 RFID readers. These waterproof, threaded, coupling RF connectors offer excellent resistance against vibration and other adverse environmental conditions, such as moisture and temperature variations.

RFID devices have also played a major role in electronic security systems used within the hospital industry. Tagged to essential key equipment and personnel, hospital security personnel can monitor their location at any given time. If a patient requires immediate attention, the closest qualified doctor in attendance can immediately be notified with all necessary information, including the location of the patient and the closest available medical-emergency-related equipment. The same type of device can also be used to monitor newborn infants, creating an immediate lockdown situation when a newborn is transported out of a particular area. In conjunction with the other layers of a Virtual Security Shield (VSS™), as well as other cutting-edge technology such as biometric devices and facial or iris recognition, hospitals and medical research facilities can monitor vehicles coming or exiting facilities, verify drivers of all vehicles, limit the number of visitors to a room or area, monitor patients, equipment, pharmaceuticals, essential personnel, just about anything you can think of. These same systems can also be used to alert hospital staffs of other types of emergencies as well, including bomb threats, terrorist activity, or mass casualties.

In all electronic security applications, using the best and most reliable interconnects available is essential to the success of the system. What is so unique about this industry, as discussed with Don Gushurst, regional marketing director for Molex, is that unlike many other industries, there have really been no unique interconnects developed over the last few years primarily for this industry. Almost all interconnects presently being used are fairly standard or modified/enhanced versions of standard products. As this industry expands, and new cutting-edge technology is developed, there will be smaller, less expensive, more user-friendly, and faster interconnects developed.

Lynda Nolen Product Specialist, Bishop & Associates Inc. Lynda Nolen has been in the interconnect industry for over 28 years. She has worked in sales, sales management, marketing, and product management for such companies as TRW Electronics Components Group, Sunbelt Components, Cinch Connectors, Arrow Electronics, PEI Genesis, and Delphi Interconnect. Nolen has extensive experience in competitive cross-referencing, drawing, web and catalog review, new product introduction programs, harness and connector assembly programs, account management, and customer service programs. Lynda received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island in 1979, and has completed various electrical engineering courses.