Reliable information management in a low-cost wireless structural monitoring and control network

Yang Wang, Jerome P. Lynch, Kincho H. Law, Chin-Hsiung Loh, Ahmed Elgamal, Masayoshi Tomizuka, Chung-Bang Yun, Victor Giurgiutiu
2007 Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2007  
Structural health monitoring and control have attracted much research interest in the last few decades. Traditional monitoring and control systems depend on the use of cables to transmit sensor data and actuation signals. With recent advances in wireless communication technology, wireless networks can potentially offer a low-cost alternative to traditional cable-based sensing and control systems. Another advantage of a wireless system is the ease of relocating sensors and controllers, thus
more » ... ding a flexible and reconfigurable system architecture. However, compared to a cablebased system, wireless communication generally suffers more stringent limitations in terms of communication range, bandwidth, latency, and reliability. This paper describes the architectural design of a prototype wireless structural monitoring and control system. Although design criteria for sensing and control applications are different, state machine concepts prove to be effective in designing simple yet efficient communication protocols for wireless structural sensing and control networks. In wireless structural sensing applications, the design priority is to provide reliable data aggregation, while in wireless structural control applications, the design priority is to guarantee real-time characteristics of the system. The design methodologies have been implemented in a prototype wireless structural monitoring and control system, and validated through a series of laboratory and field experiments.
doi:10.1117/12.715970 fatcat:j6xbcuf6irfddivkhnh4mabjhu