SIRG: A Wireless Network of Battery-Free Sensors for Atmosphere-Biosphere Studies in Complex Environments

当前的传感器网络技术严重限制了大型传感器阵列在复杂自然环境中的使用。最关键的限制之一是权力。传感器需要电力来感知、发送和接收信息，目前部署的几乎所有无线网络都是由电池供电的。电池占传感器的大部分质量，寿命有限，导致定期更换电池或限制整个网络的使用寿命。许多环境应用需要高频数据，这与电池的问题混淆，因为电池寿命随着数据采集和传输频率的增加而缩短。电池供电的传感器严重阻碍了传感器网络的发展，因为传感器网络可以在复杂、敏感或恶劣的环境中无人值守和自主运行。为了绕过这个问题，PI提出了一种新的无线传感器网络供电方法：无电池、被动供电的传感器。该系统中的传感器将以扩频无线电波的形式从供电的基站接收电力，基站由电池供电，电池由太阳能电池板持续充电。因此，一个单一的电源将为80-100个传感器供电，这些传感器可以无限期地保持功能，在部署后只需最少的关注。这种新型系统的成功开发需要一种全系统方法，其中数据存储、路由、传输和校准协议被设计为在确保准确测量的同时最大限度地减少传输的比特数。该项目将开发一个传感器的原型无线网络，支持在复杂、敏感的环境中进行高时间和空间频率的测量。广泛的影响将来自计算机科学家、工程师和生态学家之间的多学科合作；从本科生到博士后水平的学生参与；与正在进行的IGERT、SMILE和LTER校园教育项目的整合；以及通过项目网站进行交流。

ABSTRACTCurrent sensor network technologies seriously limit the use of large sensor arrays in complex natural environments. One of the most critical limitations is power. Sensors require power to sense, send and receive information, and in virtually all wireless networks currently deployed are battery-powered. Batteries account for most of the mass of the sensor and have a finite life, resulting either in periodic replacement or a limit to the useful life of the whole network. Many environmental applications require data at high frequencies, confounding problems with batteries as battery life decreases as the frequency of data acquisition and transfer increases. Battery-powered sensors are a serious impediment to the development of sensor networks that can function unattended and autonomously in complex, sensitive or hostile environments. To circumvent this problem, the PIs propose a new approach to power supplies in wireless sensor networks: battery-free, passively powered sensors. Sensors in this system will receive power in the form of spread-spectrum radio waves from a powered base station, which in turn is powered by batteries that are continuously recharged by a solar panel. Thus, a single power source will power 80-100 sensors, which could remain functional indefinitely with minimal attention following deployment. Successful development of this novel system requires a total-systems approach in which data storage, routing, transport, and calibration protocols are designed to minimize the number of bits transmitted while ensuring accurate measurement. This project will develop a prototype wireless network of sensors that will support measurements at high temporal and spatial frequency in complex, sensitive environments. Broad impacts will arise from multi-disciplinary collaboration among computer scientists, engineers, and ecologists; participation by students spanning undergraduate to post doctoral levels; integration with ongoing IGERT, SMILE, and LTER Schoolyard education programs; and communication through project website.