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ADVANCED EMBEDDED SYSTEMS AND SENSOR NETWORKS FOR ANIMAL ENVIRONMENT MONITORING DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Matthew J. Darr, M.S., E.I.T * * * * * The Ohio State University 2007 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Lingying Zhao, Assistant Professor, Advisor Approved by Dr. Erdal Ozkan, Professor Dr. Peter Ling, Associate Professor ________________________ Dr. Reza Ehsani, Assistant Professor Advisor Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering Graduate Program ABSTRACT Advancements in sensing and monitoring of air quality parameters within confined animal feeding operations have been realized through the application of embedded systems and advanced networking. The development of an embedded vibration sensor to detect the presence of ventilation fan activity provided researchers with an improved method to monitor ventilation from high capacity CAFO facilities. Experiments revealed over estimation errors common to the majority of passive ventilation sensors. Analysis of ventilation sensor systems resulted in proposed limits to overall measurement error by minimizing the modulus of fan on‐time and sampling time. Controller Area Networks were found to be a viable means to link multiple analog and digital sensors through a multi‐master based embedded network. It was found that signal attenuation was significant as bus lengths increased to a maximum of 600 meters. This attenuation was counteracted by reducing the baud rate of the communication and allowing for longer bit times. Signal reflection of the individual bits was another major factor of transmission error caused by the mismatch of impedance between the signal wire and the termination resistor. Wireless sensor networks were also evaluated for their potential to act as the data communication network within a multi‐point sampling system inside a CAFO. ii Results from experimental path loss studies found many factors including antenna orientation, enclosure thickness, free space, antenna height, animal cages, and concrete floor separations to all be statistically relevant factors in determining the overall system path loss. It was further found that linear separation within an aisle and number of cage separations provided the highest levels of signal attenuation. A model was developed to predict the path loss at any point within a poultry layer facility based on the aisle and cage separation terms. The model was able to predict 86% of the system variability and was able to produce an average error of ‐ 0.7 dB for all combined points. The verification of all theoretical path loss models indicates that when applied to new systems not representative of poultry layer facilities, fundamental laws can be used to create initial predictions for path loss. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many individuals who provided support and assistance during the completion of this work. My major advisor, Dr. Lingying Zhao, provided the vision for this work and was a source of guidance throughout its completion. My remaining research committee members, Dr. Erdal Ozkan, Dr. Peter Ling, and Dr. Reza Ehsani, have dedicated many hours to revising and editing this document and have been excellent sources of advice for the past four years. Within the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, I wish to thank my first chair, Dr. K. C. Ting, for allowing me to return to Ohio State to pursue my doctorate and for his mentorship during his tenure. I would also like to acknowledge the willingness of our current department chair, Dr. Tom Bean, to mentor me through difficult professional decisions and for supporting my many research, extension, and teaching based activities. Dr. Mike Lichtensteiger has served both as a mentor and colleague during my tenure at Ohio State and has helped to develop my passion for the engineering profession. Drs. Scott Shearer and Tim Stombaugh, from the University of Kentucky Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, have continued to serve has profession mentors and friends. They have been instrumental in helping me iv understand the true requirements of academic careers and have fostered by abilities to achieve excellence in the field of Agriculture Engineering. My success at Ohio State has also been the direct result of tremendous support from other staff with the FABE department. Specifically, Mr. Carl Cooper has always been available to provide timely support for the construction of test fixtures and has served as good listener on both good days and bad. Mrs. Val Stewart has provided tremendous support in preparing course materials and managing many of the daily tasks associated with resident instruction. Mrs. Kay Elliott has also been invaluable in assisting with equipment and supply procurement as well as also having an open mind to help figure our solutions to budget related issues. Finally, Mr. Chris Gecik, has on many occasions provided insight and suggestions on design related issues and I will miss his expertise in the future. My research has been supported financial from several sources including the Ohio Agricultural Research Development Center and the United States Department of Agriculture. Furthermore, I wish to acknowledge the many in‐kind gifts I have received from Pioneer Hi‐Bred Int., Analog Devices, Maxim IC, Unverferth Manufacturing, Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Wanner MetalWorx, Laserflex, CASE IH, and the Department of Veterinary Medicine. Of course, none of this work would have been possible if not for the love and support of my extend family. My parents and grandparents have been a constant v source of support throughout my academic career. My parents especially, Mr. and Mrs. George and Bev Darr, have been instrumental in teaching me the importance of hard work, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence. And most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the love, support, and sacrifice of my wife, Mrs. Kristi Darr. For the entirety of our marriage she has supported my academic habit in a way that only she could. She serves as a sounding board during times of achievement and times of disappointment. She maintains our life together outside of the university and is always searching for ways to support my work and degree progress. Throughout all, she can always make me laugh, smile, and refocus on those things in life which are truly important. Without her support this work would have been unachievable and I will be forever grateful for her constant love and dedication. vi VITA October 11, 1979 …………….Born – Coshocton, Ohio 2002………………………………..B.S. Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University 2004………………………………..M.S. Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky 2004 – present…………………Research Associate II & Instructor, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS Refereed 1. Darr, M. J., L. Zhao, J. Ni, and C. Gecik. 2007. Robust Sensor for Agricultural Ventilation Fan Monitoring. Transactions of the ASABE. 50(3): 1019‐1027. 2. Manuzon, R. B., L. Y. Zhao, H. M. Keener, and M. J. Darr. 2007. An Acid Spray Wet Scrubber for Absorbing Ammonia Emissions from Exhaust Fans of Animal Buildings. Transactions of the ASABE. 50(4): 1395‐1407. 3. Darr, M. J., T. S. Stombaugh, S. A. Shearer, and R. S. Gates. 2007. Instrumentation Teaching Methodology for Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Based on Low‐cost Microcontrollers. International Journal of Engineering Education. Dublin, Ireland. 23(4): 716‐722. 4. Darr, M. J., L. Zhao, and M. R. Ehsani. 2006. Implementation of Controller Area Networks for Animal Environment Monitoring. ASHRAE Transactions. DA‐07‐043. 5. Darr, M. J., Stombaugh, T. S., and Shearer, S. A. 2005. Controller Area Network Based Distributed Control for Autonomous Vehicles. Transactions of the ASAE. 48(2): 479‐490. vii 6. Fulton, J., Higgins, S., Shearer, S., and Darr, M. J. 2005. Rate Response Assessment from Various Granular VRT Applicators. Transactions of the ASAE. 48(6): 2095‐2103. Peer­Reviewed 1. Zhao, L., Darr, M. J., Wang, X, Manuzon, R., Brugger, M., Imerman, E., Arnold, G., Keener, H., and Heber, A. 2007. Temporal Variations in Gas and Odor Emissions from a Dairy Manure Storage Pond. Sixth International Dairy Housing Conference Proceeding. June 16‐18, 2007. China. Peer Reviewed. 2. McDonald, T., Fulton, J., Darr, M. J., Steven, T., Corley, F., and Brodbeck, C. 2006. GPS‐based Documentation of Manual Silvicultural Operations, International Precision Forestry Symposium. March 5 ‐ 10, 2006. Stellenbosch, South Africa. Peer Reviewed. 3. Heber, A., Ni, J., Hanni, S., Zhao, L., Keener, H. M., and Darr, M. J. 2006. Characterization and Abatement of Air Emissions from Egg Production. Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science. June 5‐8, 2006 Potomac, Maryland. Peer Reviewed. 4. Darr, M. J., Zhao, L., Ehsani, M. R., Ward, J. K., and Stombaugh, T. S. 2005. Evaluation of Controller Area Network Data Collection System in Confined Animal Feeding Operation. International Livestock Environment Symposium. 5. Davis, J., Darr, M. J., Xin, H., Harmon, J., and Brown‐Brandl, T. 2005. Development of Low‐cost GPS Data Logger for Livestock Monitoring. International Livestock Environment Symposium. 6. Darr, M. J., Sullivan, M. D., and Ehsani, M. R. 2004. CAN Bus Systems for Agricultural Machinery. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet #AEC‐575‐04.

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