Lorawan Battery-Free Wireless Sensors Network Designed for Structural Health Monitoring in the Construction Domain
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sensors Article LoRaWAN Battery-Free Wireless Sensors Network Designed for Structural Health Monitoring in the Construction Domain Gaël Loubet 1,* , Alexandru Takacs 1, Ethan Gardner 2 , Andrea De Luca 2 , Florin Udrea 2 and Daniela Dragomirescu 1 1 LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INSA, UPS, 31400 Toulouse, France; [email protected] (A.T.); [email protected] (D.D.) 2 Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FF, UK; [email protected] (E.G.); [email protected] (A.D.L.); [email protected] (F.U.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 25 January 2019; Accepted: 21 March 2019; Published: 28 March 2019 Abstract: This paper addresses the practical implementation of a wireless sensors network designed to actualize cyber-physical systems that are dedicated to structural health monitoring applications in the construction domain. This network consists of a mesh grid composed of LoRaWAN battery-free wireless sensing nodes that collect physical data and communicating nodes that interface the sensing nodes with the digital world through the Internet. Two prototypes of sensing nodes were manufactured and are powered wirelessly by using a far-field wireless power transmission technique and only one dedicated RF energy source operating in the ISM 868 MHz frequency band. These sensing nodes can simultaneously perform temperature and relative humidity measurements and can transmit the measured data wirelessly over long-range distances by using the LoRa technology and the LoRaWAN protocol. Experimental results for a simplified network confirm that the periodicity of the measurements and data transmission of the sensing nodes can be controlled by the dedicated RF source (embedded in or just controlled by the associated communicating node), by tuning the radiated power density of the RF waves, and without any modification of the software or the hardware implemented in the sensing nodes. Keywords: wireless power transmission (WPT); wireless sensor network (WSN); simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT); cyber-physical systems (CPS); structural health monitoring (SHM); Internet of Things (IoT); communicating material 1. Introduction By using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that are now widely available, cyber-physical systems (CPS) can be implemented to respond to the needs of various applications. In the heart of these applications lies structural health monitoring (SHM) [1] for buildings, and civil and transportation infrastructures (e.g., railway and subway stations, bridges, highways, etc.) [2,3], which are part of the Smart City concepts and paradigms. In parallel, the building information modelling (BIM) concept [4] has provided new tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct and manage buildings and infrastructures during the different stages of their lifecycle. At the border between these concepts (SHM and BIM) the idea of ‘communicating material’ has arisen [5]. A ‘communicating material’ is intrinsically able to generate, process, store and exchange data from its environment to dedicated digital systems as a virtual model. A few works have already proposed implementations of communicating materials based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for various Sensors 2019, 19, 1510; doi:10.3390/s19071510 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors SensorsSensors 20192019, ,1919, ,x 1510 FOR PEER REVIEW 2 2of of 26 26 Sensors 2019, 19, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 26 materials and applications. The main targeted application is the storage and access, at short ranges, materialsmaterials and and applications. applications. The The main main targeted targeted application application is is the the storage storage and and access, access, at at short short ranges, ranges, of some disseminated or measured data in a material like wood [6], textile [7], or concrete [8]. of some disseminated or measured data in a material like wood [6], textile [7], or concrete [8]. of someThe disseminatedresearch project or measured McBIM data[9]—communicating in a material like material wood [6 ],at textile the dispos [7], oral concrete of the [ 8building]. The research project McBIM [9]—communicating material at the disposal of the building informationThe research modelling—aims project McBIM to provide [9]—communicating a practical application material of at the the concept disposal of communicating of the building information modelling—aims to provide a practical application of the concept of communicating materialinformation in the modelling—aims construction domain to provide through a practicalcommunicating application reinforced of the prec conceptast concrete. of communicating Currently, material in the construction domain through communicating reinforced precast concrete. Currently, reinforcedmaterial in concrete the construction is the most domain common through construction communicating material thanks reinforced to its precast scalability, concrete. durability Currently, and reinforced concrete is the most common construction material thanks to its scalability, durability and costreinforced [10]. The concrete communicating is the most concrete common must construction be intrinsically material able thanks to generate, to its scalability, process, store durability and cost [10]. The communicating concrete must be intrinsically able to generate, process, store and exchangeand cost [data10]. Theover communicating several meters from concrete its enviro mustnment be intrinsically (i.e., the reinforced able to generate, precast process,concrete store element and exchange data over several meters from its environment (i.e., the reinforced precast concrete element thatexchange is the datamonitored over several structure) meters to fromdedicated its environment systems. These (i.e., theded reinforcedicated systems precast may concrete include element other that is the monitored structure) to dedicated systems. These dedicated systems may include other structuralthat is the elements monitored made structure) of communicating to dedicated concrete systems. (e.g., These a floor dedicated or a wall) systems and may a unique include virtual other structural elements made of communicating concrete (e.g., a floor or a wall) and a unique virtual modelstructural (a BIM), elements shared made or transmitted of communicating between concrete all the stakeholders. (e.g., a floor The or a system wall) and must a uniquebe functional virtual model (a BIM), shared or transmitted between all the stakeholders. The system must be functional formodel the entire (a BIM), lifespan shared of or the transmitted element (i.e., between several all dec theades) stakeholders. as part of The a global system structure must be and functional by itself. for for the entire lifespan of the element (i.e., several decades) as part of a global structure and by itself. the entireAs presented lifespan in of theFigure element 1, the (i.e., properties several of decades) precast as concrete part of aelements global structure change andregularly by itself. during As presented in Figure 1, the properties of precast concrete elements change regularly during the constructionAs presented process in Figure of 1a, structure, the properties but often of precast virtual/digital concrete elements information change is not regularly shared during or can thebe the construction process of a structure, but often virtual/digital information is not shared or can be lost.construction Thus, a new process owner of acannot structure, have but a complete often virtual/digital view of the informationhistory of their is not structural shared orelements. can be lost.By lost. Thus, a new owner cannot have a complete view of the history of their structural elements. By joiningThus, a a new unique owner virtual cannot model have a(BIM) complete at each view elemen of thet, history it becomes of their possible structural to conserve elements. the By joiningentire joining a unique virtual model (BIM) at each element, it becomes possible to conserve the entire historya unique of virtualan element model and (BIM) to create at each a element,virtual model it becomes of a structure possible toand conserve each of the its entirecomponents. history ofThe an history of an element and to create a virtual model of a structure and each of its components. The virtualelement model and to can create also a be virtual updated model at ofeach a structure modification and each (e.g., of for its each components. step in the The lifecycle, virtual model for each can virtual model can also be updated at each modification (e.g., for each step in the lifecycle, for each owneralso be change, updated etc.) at eachand be modification partially stored (e.g., in for the each element step in itself. the lifecycle, for each owner change, etc.) ownerand be change, partially etc.) stored and in be the partia elementlly stored itself. in the element itself. FigureFigure 1. 1.ChangesChanges of of owner owner for for a aprecast precast concrete concrete elemen elementt during during the the construction construction phase of a building. Figure 1. Changes of owner for a precast concrete element during the construction phase of a building. As presented in Figure 2, the risk of losing information is increased by the fact that many AsAs presented inin Figure Figure2, the2, the risk risk of losing of losing information information is increased is increased by the fact by thatthe manyfact that industries many industries work together on a project and have similar tasks, but do not follow