A Wireless Interface for Replacing the Cables in Bridge-Sensor Applications

Marko Pavlin,Franc Novak

doi:10.3390/s120810014

Abstract

This paper presents a solution in which a wireless interface is employed to replace the cables in bridge-sensor measurement applications. The most noticeable feature of the presented approach is the fact that the wireless interface simply replaces the cables without any additional hardware modification to the existing system. In this approach, the concept of reciprocal topology is employed, where the transmitter side acquires signals with its own transfer function and the receiver side reconstructs them with the transfer function reciprocal to the transmitter transfer function. In this paper the principle of data acquisition and reconstruction is described together with the implementation details of the signal transfer from the sensor to the signal-monitoring equipment. The wireless data communication was investigated and proprietary data-reduction methods were developed. The proposed methods and algorithms were implemented using two different wireless technologies. The performance was evaluated with a dedicated data-acquisition system and finally, the test results were analyzed. The two different sets of results indicated the high level of amplitude and the temporal accuracy of the wirelessly transferred sensor signals.

Highlights

Cable connections can lead to difficulties in many sensor applications [1,2,3]
This paper presents a solution in which a wireless interface is employed to replace the cables in bridge-sensor measurement applications
The concept of reciprocal topology is employed, where the transmitter side acquires signals with its own transfer function and the receiver side reconstructs them with the transfer function reciprocal to the transmitter transfer function

Summary

Introduction

Cable connections can lead to difficulties in many sensor applications [1,2,3]. The key advantage of using wireless technologies in industrial, medical, environmental and other sensor applications is that they can significantly improve the flexibility and lower the costs associated with installing, maintaining, and upgrading wired systems [4,5]. The commercial promise of such solutions has been proved by the vast number of installed applications [6] based on new standards, like IEEE802.15.4 [7], and industrial collaborations, like the Zigbee Alliance [8]. All these new installations and wireless sensor applications, which are often very application specific, require a new infrastructure or at least some degree of adaptation to implement the wireless sensor technology in industrial or other environments. A good example is hospitals, where sensors are used in intensive care

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Conclusion