scholarly journals Design and Field Validation of a Low Power Wireless Sensor Node for Structural Health Monitoring

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1050
Author(s):  
Federico Zanelli ◽  
Francesco Castelli-Dezza ◽  
Davide Tarsitano ◽  
Marco Mauri ◽  
Maria Laura Bacci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Power ◽  
Sensor Node ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
Wireless Sensor Node ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Fatigue Life Estimation ◽  
Remaining Fatigue Life

Smart monitoring systems are currently gaining more attention and are being employed in several technological areas. These devices are particularly appreciated in the structural field, where the collected data are used with purposes of real time alarm generation and remaining fatigue life estimation. Furthermore, monitoring systems allow one to take advantage of predictive maintenance logics that are nowadays essential tools for mechanical and civil structures. In this context, a smart wireless node has been designed and developed. The sensor node main tasks are to carry out accelerometric measurements, to process data on-board, and to send wirelessly synthetic information. A deep analysis of the design stage is carried out, both in terms of hardware and software development. A key role is played by energy harvesting integrated in the device, which represents a peculiar feature and it is thanks to this solution and to the adoption of low power components that the node is essentially autonomous from an energy point of view. Some prototypes have been assembled and tested in a laboratory in order to check the design features. Finally, a field test on a real structure under extreme weather conditions has been performed in order to assess the accuracy and reliability of the sensors.

Wireless Vibration Sensing Without a Battery

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiying Huang ◽  
Yayu Hew
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Power Consumption ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Strain Gauge ◽  
Sensor Node ◽  
Wireless Sensor ◽  
Low Power Consumption ◽  
Wireless Sensor Node ◽  
Signal Modulation ◽  
Ultra Low Power

This paper presents the implementation and characterization of a low power wireless vibration sensor that can be powered by a flash light. The wireless system consists of two components, namely the wireless sensor node and the wireless interrogation unit. The wireless sensor node includes a wireless strain gauge that consumes around 6 mW, a signal modulation circuit, and a light energy harvesting unit. To achieve ultra-low power consumption, the signal modulation circuit was implemented using a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to convert the strain gauge output to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, which is then used to alter the impedance of the sensor antenna and thus achieves amplitude modulation of the backscattered antenna signal. A generic solar panel with energy harvesting circuit is used to power the strain sensor node continuously. The wireless interrogation unit transmits the interrogation signal and receives the amplitude modulated antenna backscattering, which can be down-converted to recover the IF signal. In order to measure the strains dynamically, a Phase Lock Loop (PLL) circuit was implemented at the interrogator to track the frequency of the IF signal and provide a signal that is directly proportional to the measured strain. The system features ultra-low power consumption, complete wireless sensing, solar powering, and portability. The application of this low power wireless strain system for vibration measurement is demonstrated and characterized.

scholarly journals Selection of Clothing for a Cold Environment by Predicting Thermophysiological Comfort Limits

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radostina Angelova ◽  
Elena Georgieva ◽  
Priscilla Reiners ◽  
Yordan Kyosev
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Cold Environment ◽  
Clothing Insulation ◽  
Cold Environments ◽  
Selection Of

Results are presented from a study on the prediction of the insulation abilities of outerwear clothing for cold protection from the point of view of the thermophysiological comfort of the wearer. The Required Clothing Insulation (IREQ) index is used to simulate the abilities of 14 assemblies of layers designed for the production of winter jackets to protect the body in different cold environments. The calculations allow to assess the limits of applicability of the garments in terms of the thermophysiological comfort assured, the activities performed and the weather conditions. Discussions are presented on the correspondence between ISO11079:2007 and the online JavaScript code for calculation of IREQ based on it. The results predicted and their analysis have a practical use, as they allow to estimate the cold protection effectiveness of the textile layers used in an assembly at the design stage, thusgiving room for necessary changes depending on the conditions of its use.

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