RF-Powered Low-Energy Sensor Nodes for Predictive Maintenance in Electromagnetically Harsh Industrial Environments

Abstract

This work describes the design, implementation, and validation of a wireless sensor network for predictive maintenance and remote monitoring in metal-rich, electromagnetically harsh environments. Energy is provided wirelessly at 2.45 GHz employing a system of three co-located active antennas designed with a conformal shape such that it can power, on-demand, sensor nodes located in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and difficult-to-reach positions. This allows for eliminating the periodic battery replacement of the customized sensor nodes, which are designed to be compact, low-power, and robust. A measurement campaign has been conducted in a real scenario, i.e., the engine compartment of a car, assuming the exploitation of the system in the automotive field. Our work demonstrates that a one radio-frequency (RF) source (illuminator) with a maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 27 dBm is capable of transferring the energy of 4.8 mJ required to fully charge the sensor node in less than 170 s, in the worst case of 112-cm distance between illuminator and node (NLOS). We also show how, in the worst case, the transferred power allows the node to operate every 60 s, where operation includes sampling accelerometer data for 1 s, extracting statistical information, transmitting a 20-byte payload, and receiving a 3-byte acknowledgment using the extremely robust Long Range (LoRa) communication technology. The energy requirement for an active cycle is between 1.45 and 1.65 mJ, while sleep mode current consumption is less than 150 nA, allowing for achieving the targeted battery-free operation with duty cycles as high as 1.7%.

Development of Wireless Sensor Network for Environment Monitoring and Its Implementation Using SSAIL Technology

“…For the battery-free multi-node sensor system [ 1 , 4 ], the system was designed using SSAIL technology [ 2 , 3 ] and validated for harsh environment implementation scenarios. For the energy-harvesting technique [ 4 ], research challenges on topologies and the energy management system [ 6 , 13 ], and the proposed system optimization, would increase the system reliability and scalability.…”

“…For the battery-free multi-node sensor system [ 1 , 4 ], the system was designed using SSAIL technology [ 2 , 3 ] and validated for harsh environment implementation scenarios. For the energy-harvesting technique [ 4 ], research challenges on topologies and the energy management system [ 6 , 13 ], and the proposed system optimization, would increase the system reliability and scalability. Our discussion stresses the classification of coverage [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ], practical challenges in the deployment of WSNs [ 8 , 9 , 10 ], QoS support [ 15 , 16 , 17 ], sensing models, and research issues in WSNs [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…This is the first demonstration of a multi-node sensor system designed using SSAIL technology. In contrast to solutions relying on various energy sources [ 1 , 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 ], the power unit RF harvesting itself is integrated and designed as a component of the system, ensuring full control over the amount of available energy and the continuous operation of the wireless sensor nodes.…”

“…The communication module that supports energy-harvesting antenna circuits enables the rapid, cost-effective fabrication of three-dimensional circuits on flexible material. Furthermore, even in harsh conditions, the long-term operation of distributed sensors can be achieved by collecting energy from various electromagnetic radiation sources [ 4 ]. In addition, collecting energy from the environment can reduce the need for sensor network maintenance by ensuring that they have sufficient energy for a longer lifetime, resulting in many convincing environmental and deployment benefits [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Investigation of Degradation and Upgradation Models for Flexible Unit Systems: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Considering all the foregoing requirements, and, in addition, according with the current market demand and society requests, there is a need to enhance the system's capabilities by maintaining it under control from system breakdowns and several external forces that have not been considered as a highest priority in the past decade. To accomplish these challenges, there is a need for high machine availability, flexibility, configurability, and accessibility of manufacturing processes, as mentioned in [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]), along with another interesting contribution for emphasizing the necessity of increasing the level of flexibility of manufacturing systems, which can be seen in https://publications.muet.edu.pk/index.php/muetrj. However, various manufacturing systems available to fulfil the above-mentioned requirements have costs affairs and high maintenance.…”