WIRELESS
WIRELESS
1.A Smart Helmet for Air Quality and Hazardous Event Detection for the Mining Industry
A Smart Helmet for Air Quality and Hazardous Event Detection for the Mining Industry
Abstract
A smart helmet has been developed that is able to detect of hazardous events in the mines industry. In the development of helmet, we have considered the three main types of hazard such as air quality, helmet removal, and collision (miners are struck by an object). The first is the concentration level of the hazardous gases such as CO, SO2, NO2, and particulate matter. The second hazardous event was classified as a miner removing the mining helmet off their head. An IR sensor was developed unsuccessfully but an off-the shelf IR sensor was then used to successfully determine when the helmet is on the miner’s head. The third hazardous event is defined as an event where miners are struck by an object against the head with a force exceeding a value of 1000 on the HIC (Head Injury Criteria). An accelerometer was used to measure the acceleration of the head and the HIC was calculated in software. The layout of the visualisation software was completed, however the implementation was unsuccessful. Tests were successfully done to calibrate the accelerometer. PCB’s that were designed and made included a breakout board and a prototype board. A whole software implementation was done based on Contiki operating system in order to do the control of the measuring of sensors and of calculations done with the measured values. This paper presents the undertaken design detailing solutions to issues raised in previous research.
2.A Dual-Channel, Interference-free, Bacteria-Based Biosensor for Highly-Sensitive Water Quality Monitoring
A Dual-Channel, Interference-free, Bacteria-Based Biosensor for Highly-Sensitive Water Quality Monitoring
Abstract
In this work, we demonstrated a miniaturized bacteria-based biosensing platform for sensitive, reliable and practical on-line monitoring of water quality. Two biosensors were integrated into a dual-channel microfluidic device which operated as a detection and a reference sensor, respectively. By providing a reference-compensated sensing response, the device was capable of minimizing environmental interferences such as temperature and flow rate, ultimately leading to high sensitivity and reliability in water quality monitoring. We used microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology as a biosensor for the detection of toxic substances in water. Toxic components inhibit bacterial metabolic activity, generating a distinct change in the current output of the MFC-based biosensor. Each biosensor incorporated a single-chambered MFC with an air-cathode, which substantially decreased the device complexity and enhanced the practicability as a real-world application. The miniaturization of the MFC biosensor having a 90𝜇L microfluidic chamber provided rapid and sensitive sensing responses with a concentration range from 0.003% to 0.075% of formaldehyde in media. By controlling the introduction time of the toxic sample with sequential injection of the fresh media into the detection channel, the biosensor is completely reusable and is potentially applicable to long-term in-situ monitoring of water quality.
3.Flexible Technologies for Smart Campus
Flexible Technologies for Smart Campus
Abstract
The article considers an example of the advertisement network based on the BLE 4.0, and its facilities for creating the infrastructure for a Smart Campus, where dynamic information is provided for the target audience. The authors provide an analysis of the characteristics and experimental implementation of this system. Moreover, the practical usage of a popular vendor and the needed back-end to provide dynamic usages of the network, both in appearance and content is described. In the paper different wireless technologies are compared in regards to their main feature and field of application. In general the characteristics of a Blue Tooth Low Energy, BLE, are highlighted. This is elaborated upon in the Smart Campus example. The Smart Campus is an indoor wireless network to deliver location and user based dynamic information to the different visitors, teacher or students of a university campus, both for day-to-day use as for specific events. To keep the system interesting and to augment ease-of-use for all kind of users and content providers, a dedicated content management system is developed within the Smart Campus case. The complete system consists of a set of beacons, an application on a smartphone, a database with the related CMS. All is developed in an international cooperation between different universities.
4.Real-Time Patient Health Monitoring and Alarming Using Wireless-Sensor-Network
Real-Time Patient Health Monitoring and Alarming Using Wireless-Sensor-Network
Abstract
The main objective of this research is design and realization of real-time monitoring and alarming system for patient health, especially for patients suffering from diseases during their normal life. The proposed system has an embedded microcontroller connected to a set of medical sensors (related to the patient case) and a wireless communication module (Bluetooth). Each patient is considered as a node in a wireless sensor network and connected to a central node installed at the medical center through an internet connection. The embedded microcontroller checks if the patient health status is going well or not by analyzing the scanned medical signals. If the analysis results are abnormal, the embedded unit uses the patient’s phone to transmit these signals directly to the medical center. In this case, the doctor will send medical advice to the patient to save his/her life. The implemented prototype has been tested and calibrated with standard devices. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system that is accurate in scanning, clear in monitoring, intelligent in decision making, reliable in communication, and cheap (about 100 US$).
5.Wireless Gas Leak Detection and Localization
Wireless Gas Leak Detection and Localization
Abstract
Thousands of industrial gas leaks occur every year, with many leading to injuries, deaths, equipment damage, and a disastrous environmental effect. There have been many attempts at solving this problem, but with limited success. This paper proposes a wireless gas leak detection and localization solution. With a monitoring network of 20 wireless devices covering 200m2, 60 propane releases are performed. The detection and localization algorithms proposed here are applied to the collected concentration data, and the methodology is evaluated. A detection rate of 91% is achieved, with seven false alarms recorded over three days, and an average detection delay of 108 seconds. The localization results show an accuracy of 5 meters. Recommendations for future explosive gas sensor design are then presented.
6.ZigBee Network System for Observing Operating Activities of Work Vehicles
ZigBee Network System for Observing Operating Activities of Work Vehicles
Abstract
Observing activities of working vehicles on a work site, such as a factory, is important in regard to managing the lifetime of vehicles and achieving high operational availability. However, it is a problem that an administrator cannot completely grasp the activities of a working vehicle. Existing systems cannot cover a large area, particularly in an indoor environment. A system is proposed for monitoring operating activities of working vehicles, regardless of whether they are operating indoors or outdoors. The system calculates the activity rate of a vehicle by analyzing the topology of a network configured by the wireless technology ZigBee. In addition, it was experimentally verified that network topology and RSSI can be used to estimate activities of working vehicles.