EAGER: Wireless Underground Sensor Network for In-Situ Monitoring of Soil Parameters, Soil-Structure Interaction Behavior, and Buried Utiltiies

EAGER：无线地下传感器网络，用于现场监测土壤参数、土壤-结构相互作用行为和地下设施

• 批准号: 1055669
• 负责人: Kerop Janoyan
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Clarkson University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-10-01 至 2013-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1055669&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Wireless; Underground; Sensor; Network

The research objective of this EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project is to engage novel interdisciplinary perspectives as it aims to study radio propagation and performance coupled with characterization of absorption losses through representative soil mediums to facilitate reliable estimation of permissible underground network structures using currently available chip transceivers. The extension of wireless sensor networks to underground applications has the potential to be highly transformative as it addresses numerous pressing societal challenges, such as condition monitoring of buried infrastructure, improved mine safety, precision agriculture, and covert border protection. While field studies of limited scope have demonstrated the feasibility of underground data communications using terrestrial sensor motes, practical solutions such as power amplification, mesh networking, and galvanic energy harvesting have yet to be investigated. This research investigates absorption loss estimates derived from dielectric measurements specific to sub-1GHz chip transceivers used predominantly in wireless sensor networks. The research aims to provide uncertainty bounds for simplified path loss estimates and to propose empirical corrections based on experimental observations to facilitate reliable design of underground wireless sensor network topologies and network protocols. In addition to soil parameters, radio transmission factors including carrier frequency, modulation format, transmission power, and data rate are examined for influence on underground signal propagation. Outcomes of this project could yield a powerful and low-cost solution to monitoring a variety of geo-structural phenomena thereby improving spatial density of subsurface sampling and minimizing intrusiveness. Improved classification of dielectric absorption through soil-water mediums may contribute to improvement of advanced impedance-based, non-nuclear methods for soil density determination as well as aid in RF-based subsurface imaging techniques. The successful execution of this project would facilitate the use of UWSNs to address national concerns associated with monitoring and maintenance of buried infrastructure. The project also develops a broader awareness of multi-disciplinary science and technology in education and research.

EARLY概念赠款探索性研究（EAGER）项目的研究目标是从事新的跨学科的观点，因为它的目的是研究无线电传播和性能，再加上通过代表性土壤介质的吸收损耗的表征，以促进可靠的估计允许使用目前可用的芯片收发器的地下网络结构。 将无线传感器网络扩展到地下应用具有高度变革性的潜力，因为它解决了许多紧迫的社会挑战，例如地下基础设施的状态监测，提高矿山安全性，精准农业和隐蔽边界保护。 虽然有限范围的实地研究已经证明了使用地面传感器微粒进行地下数据通信的可行性，但诸如功率放大、网状网络和电流能量收集等实际解决方案还有待研究。 本研究调查吸收损耗估计来自介电测量特定的子1GHz芯片收发器主要用于无线传感器网络。 该研究的目的是提供简化的路径损耗估计的不确定性界限，并提出基于实验观察的经验校正，以促进可靠的地下无线传感器网络拓扑结构和网络协议的设计。 除了土壤参数，无线电传输因素，包括载波频率，调制格式，传输功率和数据速率进行检查，对地下信号传播的影响。该项目的成果可以产生一个强大的和低成本的解决方案，以监测各种地质结构现象，从而提高地下采样的空间密度，并尽量减少侵入性。 通过土壤-水介质的介电吸收的改进分类可能有助于改进用于土壤密度确定的基于阻抗的先进非核方法，以及有助于基于RF的地下成像技术。 该项目的成功实施将有助于使用UWSNs来解决与地下基础设施的监测和维护相关的国家问题。 该项目还在教育和研究中培养了对多学科科学和技术的更广泛认识。