A Wireless Toolkit for Monitoring Applications
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Elektroniikan, tietoliikenteen ja automaation tiedekunta |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2009
Department
Major/Subject
Automaatiotekniikka
Mcode
AS-84
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
93
Series
Abstract
Monitoring the behavior of physical structures and processes gives valuable information about their condition and performance. This information can be used to improve safety, reliability and performance of the monitored physical structure. Complex systems of today require efficient and intelligent monitoring strategies which will help forming cause-effect relations between certain variables and problems. Wireless sensing is a promising technology for monitoring applications due to its advantages, e.g., in installation times and costs. Many systems were successfully implemented over the last decade. However these systems are often hard to use and designed for a specific purpose. Moreover, high sampling rate data collection with these systems can take long times due to limited bandwidth of the wireless networks. In this thesis, a wireless monitoring toolkit is developed and it can be defined as a portable, easy-to-use, simple-to-setup and fast monitoring system to be used for simultaneous multi-parameter monitoring of physical structures and processes. The toolkit consists of user interfaces, a novel data acquisition system which optimizes wireless communication speed in the network, a real-time monitoring application, a communication test application, a high sampling rate application, and wireless sensors hardware equipped with multiple sensors and IEEE 802.15.4 radios. Real-time monitoring application has a flexible, reliable and efficient structure due to its dynamic and multi-task operation. These two features distinguish this application from other wireless monitoring applications. Tests on a wooden bridge, a laboratory scale trolley crane, and an industrial bridge crane show that the developed system works seamlessly in industrial environments as well as in laboratory environments. Data collected in these case studies provide valuable information about the condition and performance of the monitored structures and systems, as shown by the data analysis performed. The thesis includes a review of state of the art wireless monitoring systems and determines framework of a general purpose wireless monitoring system to be used for condition monitoring and performance optimization purposes.Description
Supervisor
Koivo, HeikkiThesis advisor
Eriksson, LasseKeywords
wireless monitoring, performance optimization, condition monitoring, structural health monitoring, crane monitoring, wireless sensors, controller tuning, wireless sensor networks