Actuated Acoustic Sensor Networks for Industrial Processes (AASN4IP)

该项目旨在开发无线技术，以支持涉及导电液体（例如水）的工业过程的内部监控。这种过程在包括化学、制药和核工业在内的许多部门都很常见。该技术将基于无线传感器网络（WSN），该网络由包含传感器、通信收发器和嵌入式计算机系统的“节点”集合组成。节点将自己组织成一个计算机网络，该网络用于向基站发送传感器读数。目前的提案旨在将英国建立为该技术开发和应用的卓越中心，并将大大扩展我们目前在谷物加工中应用该技术的工作。该项目将研究构建一个小节点网络所需的技术，该网络可以浸入过程外壳中，可以感知当地情况，并通过网络将读数传递给船外的基站。这项工作的一个重要和新颖的方面是声学技术的使用，在一个有限的空间，用于通信和节点位置的确定。这些节点将包含小型浮力和推进系统，使它们能够被操纵到用于测量目的的选定位置。还将开发软件，使节点能够探索过程，这一功能在演示系统中非常重要，该演示系统将与我们的一个工业合作者（Nexia）一起开发。示范系统的使用为将在项目中进行的一般研究提供了重点。它涉及测量核废料储存池内的条件，提供关键的资料，以便能够执行仔细规划的材料清除和处置方案。鉴于公众对核废料长期储存的担忧日益增加，这显然是一个及时的申请。然而，这项研究的动机超越了单一的应用，源于克服当前过程测量技术的局限性的愿望，并提供比目前所能获得的更准确和详细的过程动力学信息。获得这些信息将为提高工厂灵活性、减少原材料摄取、减少能源使用、减少环境影响、减少废物产生和通过改进工艺知识减少职业暴露提供机会。关键的研究挑战包括在狭窄和潜在混乱的水下环境中使用声学技术，开发非常小的浮力和推进系统，能源管理和有效的勘探策略。显然，这需要广泛的专业知识。提出这一建议的团队包括来自曼彻斯特大学的三名学术研究人员和来自牛津大学的一名学术研究人员。曼彻斯特大学的学者来自电气与电子工程学院的两个研究小组：微波和通信系统以及传感、成像和信号处理。他们提供通信（物理层和协议）、嵌入式系统、传感和电子系统方面的技能。此外，首席研究员在机械工程方面有经验。来自牛津大学的研究者是计算机实验室软件工程小组的成员，并提供探索算法和协议方面的专业知识。将聘请四名博士后研究助理来支持这项工作并提供演示。此外，两名研究生将探索移动性和电源管理以及探索算法领域。四名支持人员将为该项目贡献大约三年的努力。

This project aims to develop wireless technology to support the internal monitoring of industrial processes involving conducting liquids (e.g. water). Such processes are common in many sectors including the chemical, pharmaceutical and nuclear industries. The technology will be based on wireless sensor networks (WSN) which consist of collections of 'nodes' containing sensors, communications transceivers and an embedded computer system. Nodes organise themselves into a computer network, which is used to send sensor readings to a base station. The present proposal seeks to establish the UK as a centre of excellence for the development and application of this technology, and will significantly extend the work that we are currently carrying out in its application to grain processing.The project will research the technologies necessary to construct a network of small nodes that can be immersed within a process enclosure and which can sense local conditions and communicate readings through the network to a base station outside the vessel. An important and novel aspect of this work is the use of acoustic techniques, in a confined space, for communications and the determination of node position. The nodes will contain small scale buoyancy and propulsion systems enabling them to be manoeuvred to selected positions for measurement purposes. Software will also be developed to enable nodes to explore the process, a capability that is very important in a demonstrator system that will be developed with one of our industrial collaborators (Nexia).The use of a demonstrator system provides a focus to the generic research that will be carried out within the project. It is concerned with measuring the conditions within nuclear waste storage ponds, providing crucial information that will enable a carefully planned material removal and disposal programme to be carried out. This is clearly a timely application, given increasing public concern about the long-term storage of nuclear waste. However, the motivation for the research goes beyond a single application, and stems from the desire to overcome the limitations of current process measurement technology, and to provide much more accurate and detailed information about process dynamics than can be obtained at present. Access to such information will provide opportunities for increased plant agility, reduced raw materials uptake, reduced energy usage, reduced environmental impact, reduced waste generation and reduced occupational exposure via improved knowledge of the process.The key research challenges include the use of acoustic techniques within confined and potentially cluttered underwater environments, the development of very small scale buoyancy and propulsion systems, energy husbandry, and efficient exploration strategies. Clearly this requires a broad range of expertise. The team making the proposal includes three academic investigators from the University of Manchester, and one from the University of Oxford. The Manchester academics are from two research groups in the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering: Microwave and Communication Systems and Sensing, Imaging and Signal Processing . They provide skills in communications (physical layers and protocols), embedded systems, sensing, and electronic systems. In addition, the lead investigator has experience in mechanical engineering. The investigator from Oxford is a member of the Software Engineering Group in the Computing Laboratory, and provides expertise in exploration algorithms and protocols. Four postdoctoral research assistants will be employed to support the work and to deliver the demonstrator. In addition two research students will explore the areas of mobility and power management, and exploration algorithms. Four support staff will contribute about three years of effort to the project.