Introduction To Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a wireless network consisting of spatially using as distributed autonomous devices such

sensors to cooperatively monitor physical or environmental temperature, conditions, sound, vibration, pressure,

motion or pollutants, at different locations.

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he development of wireless sensor networks was originally motivated by military applications such as battlefield surveillance. !owever, wireless sensor networks are now used in many civilian application areas, including environment and habitat monitoring, healthcare applications, home automation, and traffic control.

Sensor Node

Networks of typically small, battery#powered, wireless devices. $ %n#board processing, $ &ommunication, and $ Sensing capabilities.
Sensors
Storage

Processor Radio

P O W E R

WSN device schematics

Sensor Node

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'n addition to one or more sensors, each node in a sensor network is typically e(uipped with a radio transceiver or other wireless communications device, a small microcontroller, and an energy source, usually a battery.
Sensors
Storage

Processor Radio

P O W E R

WSN device schematics

Sensor Node

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Sensor Node

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Sensor Network Antenna

Server Interface electronics, radio and microcontroller Soil moisture probe Communications barrier Sensor field

Mote

Gateway

Internet

Computer Revolution

Original IBM PC (1981) 2.;; :!+ .0#,*0 56 9A: .0) 56 7loppies 1 305 (today) 1 02 W ,* lb, ./.* - *.* - .0 inch

MICAZ Mote (2005) 2 :!+ .,8 56 9A: *., 56 7lash 1 34* 1.2 mW ).* o+, ,.,* - ..,* - ).,* inch

Sensor Network
Server

Watershed Sensor field

Gateway

Internet

Network Model for WSN

A wireless sensor network consists of hundreds or thousands of low cost nodes which could either have a fi-ed location or randomly special sinks). deployed nodes to monitor base the environment. he flowing of data ends at called stations

(sometimes they are also referred to as

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A base station links the sensor network to another network (like a gateway) to disseminate the data sensed for further processing. 6ase stations have enhanced capabilities over simple sensor nodes since they must do comple- data processing.

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his <ustifies the fact that bases stations have workstation=laptop class processors, and of course enough memory, energy, storage and computational power to perform their tasks well.

Usage of Sensor Networks

>nvironmental %bservation?
Sensor networks can be used to monitor environmental changes. An e-ample could be water pollution detection in a lake that is located near a factory that uses chemical substances. Sensor nodes could be randomly deployed in unknown and hostile areas and relay the e-act origin of a pollutant. agriculture. %ther e-amples include forest fire detection, air pollution and rainfall observation in

:ilitary :onitoring? surveillance@ enemy.

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sensors could monitor

:ilitary uses sensor networks for battlefield vehicular traffic, track the position of the

6uilding :onitoring?

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Sensors can also be used in large buildings or factories monitoring climate changes. hermostats and temperature sensor nodes are deployed all over the buildingAs area. 'n addition, sensors could be used to monitor vibration that could damage the structure of a building.

!ealthcare? Sensors

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can be used in biomedical

applications to improve the (uality of the provided care. Sensors are implanted in the human body to monitor medical problems like cancer and help patients maintain their health.