Smart Agriculture Based on Cyber-Physical Systems

The general objective of the project is to develop a cyber-physical system based on low-cost portable multispectral IoT nodes and Artificial Intelligence that allows the most relevant parameters that influence olive quality to be measured in a simple and economical way, with the benefit of assisting the farmer in making a decision about when to collect the olive from the olive tree and its processing for production in both table olives and olive oil

Locating sensors with fuzzy logic algorithms

In a system formed by hundreds of sensors deployed in a huge area it is important to know the position where every sensor is. This information can be obtained using several methods. However, if the number of sensors is high and the deployment is based on ad-hoc manner, some auto-locating techniques must be implemented. In this paper we describe a novel algorithm based on fuzzy logic with the objective of estimating the location of sensors according to the knowledge of the position of some reference nodes. This algorithm, called LIS (Localization based on Intelligent Sensors) is executed distributively along a wireless sensor network formed by hundreds of nodes, covering a huge area. The evaluation of LIS is led by simulation tests. The result obtained shows that LIS is a promising method that can easily solve the problem of knowing where the sensors are located.Junta de Andalucía P07-TIC-0247

Industrial Fieldbus Improvements in Power Distribution and Conducted Noise Immunity With No Extra Costs

Industrial distributed control continues the move toward networks at all levels. At lower levels, control networks provide flexibility, reliability, and low cost, although perhaps the simplest but most important advantage is the reduced volume of wiring. Powered fieldbuses offer particular notable benefits in system wiring simplification. Nevertheless, very few papers are dealing with the potentials and limitations in power distribution through the bus cable. Only a few of the existent fieldbus standards consider this possibility but often simply as an option without enough technical specifications. In fact, nobody talks about it, but power distribution through the bus and conducted noise disturbances are strongly related. This paper points out and analyzes these limitations and proposes a new low-cost fieldbus physical layer that enlarges power distribution capability of the bus and improves system robustness. We show an industrial application on water desalination plants and the very good results obtained owing to the fieldbus. Finally, we present electromagnetic compatibility test results that verify improvements against electrical fast transients on the sensor/actuator connection side as disturbances usually encountered in harsh-environment industrial applications

LIS: Localization based on an intelligent distributed fuzzy system applied to a WSN

The localization of the sensor nodes is a fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks. There are a lot of different kinds of solutions in the literature. Some of them use external devices like GPS, while others use special hardware or implicit parameters in wireless communications. In applications like wildlife localization in a natural environment, where the power available and the weight are big restrictions, the use of hungry energy devices like GPS or hardware that add extra weight like mobile directional antenna is not a good solution. Due to these reasons it would be better to use the localization’s implicit characteristics in communications, such as connectivity, number of hops or RSSI. The measurement related to these parameters are currently integrated in most radio devices. These measurement techniques are based on the beacons’ transmissions between the devices. In the current study, a novel tracking distributed method, called LIS, for localization of the sensor nodes using moving devices in a network of static nodes, which have no additional hardware requirements is proposed. The position is obtained with the combination of two algorithms; one based on a local node using a fuzzy system to obtain a partial solution and the other based on a centralized method which merges all the partial solutions. The centralized algorithm is based on the calculation of the centroid of the partial solutions. Advantages of using fuzzy system versus the classical Centroid Localization (CL) algorithm without fuzzy preprocessing are compared with an ad hoc simulator made for testing localization algorithms. With this simulator, it is demonstrated that the proposed method obtains less localization errors and better accuracy than the centroid algorithm.Junta de Andalucía P07-TIC-0247

Líneas de investigación del TIC-150: Proyecto SIIAM

En este documento se describen las diferentes líneas de investigación en las que actualmente trabaja el grupo TIC 150: Tecnología Electrónica e Informática Industrial del Departamento de Tecnología Electrónica (DTE) de la Universidad de Sevilla. Este grupo cuenta con una dilatada experiencia en proyectos de investigación, tanto de convocatorias competitivas públicas, como en proyectos de investigación en colaboración con empresas. El TIC150 destaca por su elevada trasferencia tecnológica, así como por su producción científica. En este sentido, y a modo de ejemplo, en este trabajo se describen brevemente dentro de cada línea algunos de los proyectos más representativos que reflejan el trabajo realizado. Así pues, se hará especial hincapié en el proyecto SIIAM, proyecto del plan estatal actualmente activo, ya que aúna las distintas líneas de investigación del grupo de investigación y, por tanto, supone un buen ejemplo de aplicación.This document describes the different lines in which currently works the TIC150 research group: Electronic Technology and Industrial Computer Science, joined to the Department of Electronics Technology (DTE) of the University of Seville. This group has extensive experience in research projects, both competitive public calls and collaborative research projects with companies. The TIC150 stands out for its high technology transfer, as well as its scientific production. In this sense, as an example, this paper briefly describes some of the most representative projects (of different lines) which reflect the performed work. Thus, it will place special emphasis on the SIIAM project (funding through a governmental call). It is currently active and combines several lines research of the group, being a great example of application

A Wildfire Prediction Based on Fuzzy Inference System for Wireless Sensor Networks

The study of forest fires has been traditionally considered as an important application due to the inherent danger that this entails. This phenomenon takes place in hostile regions of difficult access and large areas. Introduction of new technologies such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has allowed us to monitor such areas. In this paper, an intelligent system for fire prediction based on wireless sensor networks is presented. This system obtains the probability of fire and fire behavior in a particular area. This information allows firefighters to obtain escape paths and determine strategies to fight the fire. A firefighter can access this information with a portable device on every node of the network. The system has been evaluated by simulation analysis and its implementation is being done in a real environment.Junta de Andalucía P07-TIC-02476Junta de Andalucía TIC-570

Localization method for low-power wireless sensor networks

Context awareness is an important issue in ambient intelligence to anticipate the desire of the user and, in consequence, to adapt the system. In context awareness, localization is very important to enable a responsive environment for the users. Focusing on this issue, this paper presents a localization system based on the use of Wireless Sensor Networks devices. In contrast to a traditional RFID, these devices offer the possibility of a collaborative sensing and processing of environmental information. The proposed system is a range-free localization algorithm that uses fuzzy inference to process the RSSI measurement and to estimate the position of mobile devices. The main goal of the algorithm is to reduce the power consumption and the cost of the devices, especially for the mobiles ones, maintaining the accuracy of the inferred position

Localization method for low power consumption systems

Locating nodes is a fundamental problem in wireless networks with hundreds of devices deployed in a wide area. This is especially relevant for mobile nodes. Wireless sensor nodes are usually powered by small batteries, solar panels or piezoelectric generators, so that, and consequently, power consumption is the main constraint to deal with. But classic localization techniques do not consider the problem of energy consumption as a key point. This paper presents a novel low power and range-free localization technique based on distributed fuzzy logic and cooperative processing among a set of fixed nodes and its neighbours. This feature permits better accuracy with less power consumption than most relevant localization techniquesJunta de Andalucía P07-TIC-0247

Automatic Lesser Kestrel’s Gender Identification using Video Processing

Traditionally, animal surveillance is a common task for biologists. However, this task is often accompanied by the inspection of huge amounts of video. In this sense, this paper proposes an automatic video processing algorithm to identify the gender of a kestrel species. It is based on optical flow and texture analysis. This algorithm makes it possible to identify the important information and therefore, minimizing the analysis time for biologists. Finally, to validate this algorithm, it has been tested against a set of videos, getting good classification results.Junta de Andalucía P10-TIC-570

mTOSSIM: A simulator that estimates battery lifetime in wireless sensor networks

Knowledge of the battery lifetime of the wireless sensor network is important for many situations, such as in evaluation of the location of nodes or the estimation of the connectivity, along time, between devices. However, experimental evaluation is a very time-consuming task. It depends on many factors, such as the use of the radio transceiver or the distance between nodes. Simulations reduce considerably this time. They allow the evaluation of the network behavior before its deployment. This article presents a simulation tool which helps developers to obtain information about battery state. This simulator extends the well-known TOSSIM simulator. Therefore it is possible to evaluate TinyOS applications using an accurate model of the battery consumption and its relation to the radio power transmission. Although an specific indoor scenario is used in testing of simulation, the simulator is not limited to this environment. It is possible to work in outdoor scenarios too. Experimental results validate the proposed model.Junta de Andalucía P07-TIC-02476Junta de Andalucía TIC-570