Multi-Client Embedded Telemetry System (MCETS)

The Multi-Client Embedded Telemetry System (MCETS) is an ultra-low-power prototype data acquisition system developed in collaboration with MIT Lincoln Laboratory for testing components of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Capable of collecting both atmospheric and kinematic data, the MCETS incorporates a network of small modular clients that stream data to a server in real-time. This project is concerned with all aspects of the system, including defining the system\u27s functionality, designing the client hardware, developing firmware, and writing server-control software

ITERL: A Wireless Adaptive System for Efficient Road Lighting

This work presents the development and construction of an adaptive street lighting system that improves safety at intersections, which is the result of applying low-power Internet of Things (IoT) techniques to intelligent transportation systems. A set of wireless sensor nodes using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard with additional internet protocol (IP) connectivity measures both ambient conditions and vehicle transit. These measurements are sent to a coordinator node that collects and passes them to a local controller, which then makes decisions leading to the streetlight being turned on and its illumination level controlled. Streetlights are autonomous, powered by photovoltaic energy, and wirelessly connected, achieving a high degree of energy efficiency. Relevant data are also sent to the highway conservation center, allowing it to maintain up-to-date information for the system, enabling preventive maintenance.Consejería de Fomento y Vivienda Junta de Andalucía G-GI3002 / IDIOFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional G-GI3002 / IDI

Wireless Personal Area Network-Based Assistance for the Visually Impaired

In this dissertation, a system allowing a visually impaired person to interact with his environment is developed using modern, low-power wireless communications techniques. With recent advances in wireless sensor networks, open-source operating systems, and embedded processing technology, low-cost devices have become practically feasible as a personal notification system for impaired people. Additionally, text-to-speech capabilities can now be employed without special application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), allowing low-cost, general-purpose processors to fill a niche that once required expensive semiconductors. The system takes advantage of 802.15.4 and media access control (MAC) protocols offered by the open source operating system TinyOS. Important characteristics of these new standards that make them ideal for interface with humans are short range, low- power, and open-source software. To facilitate research and development in use and integration of such devices, we developed a hardware platform to allow exploration of possible future network architectures with multiple options for interfacing with the user. Our Visually Impaired Notification System (VINS) allows unprecedented awareness of the environment and has been simulated with multiple nodes using a modification of the TinyOS Dissemination protocol. This dissertation outlines the hardware platform, demonstration of a working prototype, and simulations of how the system would work in its intended environment. We envision this system being used as a testbed allowing further research of other communications and message-delivery techniques. Additionally, the research has contributed directly to the TinyOS project and offered new insight into power management in embedded systems. Finally, through the research effort we were able to contribute to the open source movement and have produced software in four languages used in three countries with over 1500 downloads

Wireless temperature sensing in hostile environments using a microcontroller powered by optical fiber

Uno de los mayores riegos del mundo industrial es el fallo de las maquinarias y aparatos que los forman. Un error, provocado por la causa que sea, puede tener consecuencias fatales, no solo para la empresa sino también para todo su entorno. Estas máquinas trabajan con altas cantidades de energía, por lo que su control y monitoreo disminuye los riesgos y asegura una mayor seguridad a la hora de trabajar con ellos. Un ejemplo de este tipo de máquinas son los transformadores. Estos dispositivos trabajan con circuitos eléctricos que intercambian altas cantidades de potencia para el funcionamiento y distribución eléctrica. Existen distintos parámetros a medir para poder monitorear el estado en que se encuentran estas máquinas, pero uno de los principales es la temperatura, y en ese se va a basar este proyecto. Controlar la temperatura de un transformador supone controlar el interior del mismo, y con ello asegurarse de que funciona correctamente, y que sigue en el periodo de su vida útil, ya que el envejecimiento y desgaste de esta puede llegar a generar graves consecuencias. La temperatura se va a medir utilizando un sensor de instrumentación. Para su diseño, la principal característica a tener en cuenta es la necesidad de que se adapte al entorno hostil que rodea a los transformadores. Es por ello que se va a utilizar un sensor de fibra óptica, inmune a las interferencias electromagnéticas y de radiofrecuencia, y garantizando un bajo coste. La información del sensor se va a obtener con un microprocesador, conectado en el punto de salida de señal del sensor. Este dispositivo va a obtener la data correspondiente y la va a transmitir al módulo de comunicación, encargado de emitir los resultados a la unidad de control. Como sistema de comunicación, se va a utilizar un protocolo inalámbrico. El protocolo ZigBee asegura una robustez y rápido start-up, así como un diseño simple y sencillo. Finalmente, la interfaz de ordenador se va a diseñar con el programa LabView. Va a tener la funcionalidad de punto de control, con la capacidad de activar el funcionamiento de la red sensorial, y su casi inmediato monitoreo. Eso es, que la interfaz estará diseñada para obtener la data emitida por el sensor, y analizarla, dándole al usuario la información correspondiente, casi en tiempo inmediato. Por lo que es posible conocer, casi al momento, la temperatura a la que se encuentra el sensor, por ende la temperatura en el transformador. En caso de requerir un sistema totalmente inmune a las interferencias electromagnéticas, la alimentación del sensor se podría hacer a través de la tecnología PoF (Power over Fiber). Utilizando un sistema ya diseñado e implementado de la universidad, se van a adaptar sus parámetros a los requerimientos del sistema para observar sus resultados, tanto teórica como experimentalmente. Este proyecto consiste en el diseño e implementación de todos los distintos componentes del sensor de temperatura, es decir, la fibra óptica y sus circuitos de adaptación, la programación del microprocesador, el establecimiento de la comunicación inalámbrica, y el diseño de la interfaz. Una vez implementado todo el sistema, se van a realizar distintas pruebas, donde se va a someter al sensor a bruscas variaciones de temperaturas para estudiar su respuesta. Y una vez comprobado que todo el sistema funciona correctamente, se va a sustituir la fuente de tensión, por la tecnología PoF, observando los resultados y su posible futura inclusión en el desarrollo de sensores.One of the greatest risks of the industrial area is the failure of the machines and devices composing in. Any mistake may have fatal consequences, not only for the industry but also for its environment. These machines work with high quantities of energy, so its control and monitoring decreases the risks and guarantees a greater security when working with them The transformers are an example of these machines. These devices work with electrical circuits exchanging great amounts of energy for the electrical distribution. There are different parameters that will enable the monitoring of the machine´s state, but one of the main ones is the temperature, and it is what this project will focus on. In order to control the temperature of the transformer, the sensor must be placed inside of it. This means one of the main characteristics of the designed sensor has to be its immunity to electromagnetic and radiofrequency interferences, this is why it the selected sensor uses optical fiber. The data acquisition is going to be done with a microprocessor, which will be connected to the sensor and programed to obtain the results and transmit them to communication module, which is set to emit them to the control unit. The communication is going to use a wireless protocol. The ZigBee protocol is going to provide roughness and fast commissioning, as well as a simple and nice design. The control unit is going to be designed with the LabView program. Its programming include the acquisition of the data received from the sensor and its analysis. This means it will take the results and give the user its equivalent temperature value, almost immediately to the response of the sensor. This way it is possible to know the temperature the sensor is at, hence the temperature of the transformer. In case of requiring a system totally immune to interferences, the system will have to be powered with a PoF technology. A PoF system already designed and implemented is going to be adapted to the system, and tested to read its response. The project consists on the design and implementation of the sensor temperature, and all its components, this is the optical fiber and its adaptation circuits, the microprocessor´s programming, the communication and the interface design. Once the whole system is implemented, different tests are going to be done where the sensor is going to be submitted to abrupt temperature variations and its response studied. Once checked the system is working correctly the power source will be replaced with the PoF, analyzing its results and future inclusion on the sensors development.Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automátic

Smart UV-C Disinfectant Module

The Smart UV Disinfectant device shall sanitize objects which are 18”x14”x8” or smaller and less than 20 lbs. using UV-C light. This device should contain many safety measures to prevent human and animal exposure to the UV-C light and have no public touchpoints to operate the interface. In order to achieve the first objective, this device shall contain a sanitizing chamber which completely encloses the object to be sanitized to prevent outside exposure with detection of any lifeforms inside of the chamber; for the second objective, it will contain a wireless interface to an Android application which can be used to control the device. Because this device is meant for public areas, its interface should allow many applications to one sanitizing module; however, only one application is expected to be controlling the module at any one time. It should complete a sanitizing cycle in a relatively short period of time, in which the entire object is exposed to UV-C light at an intensity high enough to sanitize

Lightweight Synchronization Algorithm with Self-Calibration for Industrial LORA Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor and actuator networks are gaining momentum in the era of Industrial Internet of Things IIoT. The usage of the close-loop data from sensors in the manufacturing chain is extending the common monitoring scenario of the Wireless Sensors Networks WSN where data were just logged. In this paper we present an accurate timing synchronization for TDMA implemented on the state of art IoT radio, such as LoRa, that is a good solution in industrial environments for its high robustness. Experimental results show how it is possible to modulate the drift correction and keep the synchronization error within the requirements

Wind energy harvester interface for sensor nodes

The research topic is developping a power converting interface for the novel FLEHAP wind energy harvester allowing the produced energy to be used for powering small wireless nodes. The harvester\u2019s electrical characteristics were studied and a strategy was developped to control and mainting a maximum power transfer. The electronic power converter interface was designed, containing an AC/DC Buck-Boost converter and controlled with a low power microcontroller. Different prototypes were developped that evolved by reducing the sources of power loss and rendering the system more efficient. The validation of the system was done through simulations in the COSMIC/DITEN lab using generated signals, and then follow-up experiments were conducted with a controllable wind tunnel in the DIFI department University of Genoa. The experiment results proved the functionality of the control algorithm as well as the efficiency that was ramped up by the hardware solutions that were implemented, and generally met the requirement to provide a power source for low-power sensor nodes

Wireless Pressure Ulcer Prevention Device

Pressure ulcers are a common problem in current hospital settings. This project created a system to detect the early onset of pressure ulcers and alert a caregiver. Three different physiological factors, known to contribute to the formation of pressure ulcers, can be continuously measured via a disposable adhesive patch and wirelessly transmitted to a computer interface. The user interface instructs a clinician to input additional physiological factors, not locally measured, which indicate the risk of local ulcer formation