Design and evaluation of ambient wireless networks

本研究的目标是为“环境”无线网络（AWN）中的节点实现新颖的物理层设计。一个无线网络将由100到1000个无线节点组成，所有节点都相互通信。这种对传统无线网络架构的巨大背离引发了AWN所能支持的服务类型的同样巨大的变化。AWN正在考虑应用于各种各样的领域，如家庭护理环境中的病人监测、森林环境中的野生动物或火灾跟踪、牲畜识别和跟踪以及零售商品的自动跟踪和销售。因此，AWN的研究是一个非常活跃的领域。然而，大部分工作都集中在在AWN协议栈的较高层上运行的算法和协议上。这些算法主要负责网络的组织和控制。物理层设计是AWN研究中另一个较少受到关注的重要方面。物理层是协议栈的最底层，处理将数字信息从一个节点传输到另一个节点所需的算法和硬件。无线网络节点需要一个物理层，能够在消耗极小能量的同时可靠地传输数字信息。这项研究的目的是寻找新的方法来应对这一挑战。这个过程的第一步是描述AWN在不寻常的条件下运行。无线信道测量程序将确定各种AWN操作环境如何影响无线信号。这些数据将用于开发节点间干扰的数值模型。这些知识将作为开发AWN物理层设计的基础，使用自适应技术将能耗降至最低。最终的结果将是AWN无线节点硬件可以使用一个电池一年或更长时间。

The goal of this research is to realize novel physical layer designs for nodes in an "ambient" wireless network (AWN).  An AWN will consist of 100's up to 1000's of wireless nodes all communicating with each other.  This dramatic departure from traditional wireless network architectures has triggered an equally dramatic change in the types of services AWN's can support.  AWN's are being considered for applications as diverse as patient monitoring in a homecare setting, tracking wildlife or fires in a forest setting, identifying and tracking livestock and automating the tracking and sale of retail goods.  As a result, AWN research is a very active area.  However, much of the effort has been concentrated on algorithms and protocols that operate at the higher layers of the AWN protocol stack.  These algorithms are primarily responsible for network organization and control.     Physical layer design is another important aspect of AWN research that has received less attention.  The physical layer is the lowest layer of the protocol stack and deals with the algorithms and hardware required to transmit digital information from one node to another.  AWN nodes require a physical layer that can reliably communicate digital information while consuming extremely small amounts of energy.  The purpose of this research is to find new ways to meet this challenge.   The first step in this process is to characterize the unusual conditions that AWN's operate under.  A wireless channel measurement program will determine how various AWN operating environments affect the wireless signal.  This data will then be used to develop numerical models for interference between nodes.  This knowledge will serve as a foundation for developing AWN physical layer designs that will minimize energy consumption using adaptive techniques.  The end result will be AWN wireless node hardware that can operate for a year or more on a single battery.