NeTS-NOSS: Imaging Sensor Nets: from Concept to Prototypes

具有数万个节点的大规模无线传感器网络在国土安全、环境监测和行星探测等领域具有广泛的应用前景。 然而，传统的多跳无线网络不扩展到这么大数量的节点，节点定位是很难随机部署的超低成本传感器。 这项研究提供了一个概念验证的成像传感器网络，同时解决规模和定位的问题，采用类似于GPS，RFID和CDMA的想法。一个“智能”收集器节点发送一个射频信标，该信标被信标照射的“哑”传感器电子反射和数据调制。 收集器采用基带和雷达/成像算法来处理这些反射信号，以便同时估计传感器的位置和数据。为了提高传感器节点定位的分辨率，采用了毫米波载波频率。 研究活动包括具有挑战性的任务，低成本CMOS集成电路实现传感器硬件在毫米波频率（其比商业RF通信系统高一个数量级），收集器收发器的硬件电路板，用于收集器处的定时获取和解调的创新基带信号处理算法的设计和软件实现，以及在收集器处的成像算法的设计和软件实现。 除了通过出版物和互联网等标准途径传播成果外，还将向工业界和供资机构广泛宣传该技术的室内和室外演示，以便为技术转让开辟一条明确的道路。

Large scale wireless sensor networks with tens of thousands of nodes have a host of potential applications, including homeland security, environmental monitoring and planetary exploration. However, conventional multihop wireless networks do not scale to such large numbers of nodes, and node localization is difficult for random deployment of ultra low-cost sensors. This research provides a proof-of-concept for Imaging Sensor Nets, which address the problems of scale and localization simultaneously, employing ideas analogous to GPS, RFID and CDMA. A "smart" collector node sends an RF beacon, which is electronically reflected and data-modulated by "dumb" sensors illuminated by the beacon. The collector employs baseband and radar/imaging algorithms to process these reflected signals in order to simultaneously estimate the locations and data of the sensors. Millimeter wave carrier frequencies are employed in order to enhance resolution for localization of sensor nodes. The research activitiesinclude the challenging task of low-cost CMOS IC implementation of sensor hardware at millimeter wave frequencies (which are an order of magnitude higher than commercial RF communication systems), hardware brassboarding of the collector transceiver, design and software implementation of innovative baseband signal processing algorithms for timing acquisition and demodulation at the collector, and design and software implementation of imaging algorithms at the collector. In addition to the dissemination of results via the standard avenues of publications and the Internet, both indoor and outdoor demos of the technology will be widely publicized to industry and funding agencies in order to establish a clear path to technology transfer.