A critical analysis of research potential, challenges and future directives in industrial wireless sensor networks

In recent years, Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs) have emerged as an important research theme with applications spanning a wide range of industries including automation, monitoring, process control, feedback systems and automotive. Wide scope of IWSNs applications ranging from small production units, large oil and gas industries to nuclear fission control, enables a fast-paced research in this field. Though IWSNs offer advantages of low cost, flexibility, scalability, self-healing, easy deployment and reformation, yet they pose certain limitations on available potential and introduce challenges on multiple fronts due to their susceptibility to highly complex and uncertain industrial environments. In this paper a detailed discussion on design objectives, challenges and solutions, for IWSNs, are presented. A careful evaluation of industrial systems, deadlines and possible hazards in industrial atmosphere are discussed. The paper also presents a thorough review of the existing standards and industrial protocols and gives a critical evaluation of potential of these standards and protocols along with a detailed discussion on available hardware platforms, specific industrial energy harvesting techniques and their capabilities. The paper lists main service providers for IWSNs solutions and gives insight of future trends and research gaps in the field of IWSNs

Design of a wireless monitoring system based on the ZigBee protocol for photovoltaic systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This work deals with the possibility of using the promising technology of wireless sensor networks (WSN) in the field of photovoltaic (PV) plant supervising and monitoring. The knowledge of the status and good working condition of each PV module separately as well as of any component of the PV system will guide in a more efficient way of power management. This work will concentrate on monitoring and controlling as well as healthy operation control of PV panels separately. Data logging will be also available and can be used for reference or statistical purposes. The nature of wireless sensor networks (WSN) offers several advantages on monitoring and controlling applications over other traditional technologies including self-healing, self-organization, and flexibility. The versatility, ease of use, and reliability of a mesh network topology offered by the ZigBee technology that is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, are used in this work to offer the maximum of its capabilities on the system being presented. A set of sensors attached on each PV panel are connected to a wireless ZigBee module. Each PV panel has its own ZigBee device located at its back side. All ZigBee devices forms a network with all the necessary devices of the ZigBee protocol included, such as end devises (RFD), a router (FFD), and a coordinator (COO). An extra ZigBee device might optionally be used to serve the whole system as an Ethernet gateway for making the system able to be connected to the internet. The factors that are being monitored are the panel‟s temperature, the output voltage, and output current. At the router device that operates as a parent for all the end devices, extra monitored factors are the air dust concentration, current irradiance and also the angle of the PV array (in the case of tracking system use).Two controlling outputs (relays) are located at the router device offering the capability of controlling the motors or the actuators of a tracking system

7. GI/ITG KuVS Fachgespräch Drahtlose Sensornetze

In dem vorliegenden Tagungsband sind die Beiträge des Fachgesprächs Drahtlose Sensornetze 2008 zusammengefasst. Ziel dieses Fachgesprächs ist es, Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aus diesem Gebiet die Möglichkeit zu einem informellen Austausch zu geben – wobei immer auch Teilnehmer aus der Industrieforschung willkommen sind, die auch in diesem Jahr wieder teilnehmen.Das Fachgespräch ist eine betont informelle Veranstaltung der GI/ITG-Fachgruppe „Kommunikation und Verteilte Systeme“ (www.kuvs.de). Es ist ausdrücklich keine weitere Konferenz mit ihrem großen Overhead und der Anforderung, fertige und möglichst „wasserdichte“ Ergebnisse zu präsentieren, sondern es dient auch ganz explizit dazu, mit Neueinsteigern auf der Suche nach ihrem Thema zu diskutieren und herauszufinden, wo die Herausforderungen an die zukünftige Forschung überhaupt liegen.Das Fachgespräch Drahtlose Sensornetze 2008 findet in Berlin statt, in den Räumen der Freien Universität Berlin, aber in Kooperation mit der ScatterWeb GmbH. Auch dies ein Novum, es zeigt, dass das Fachgespräch doch deutlich mehr als nur ein nettes Beisammensein unter einem Motto ist.Für die Organisation des Rahmens und der Abendveranstaltung gebührt Dank den beiden Mitgliedern im Organisationskomitee, Kirsten Terfloth und Georg Wittenburg, aber auch Stefanie Bahe, welche die redaktionelle Betreuung des Tagungsbands übernommen hat, vielen anderen Mitgliedern der AG Technische Informatik der FU Berlin und natürlich auch ihrem Leiter, Prof. Jochen Schiller