Surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio transponders make it possible to read identification codes or measurement values from a remote location. The decisive advantage of these SAW transponders lies in their passive operation (i.e., no power-supply), and in the possibility of wireless installation at particularly inaccessible locations. The passive SAW transponders are maintenance free. Identification marks respond to an interrogation signal with their nonchanging identification pattern. In wireless SAW sensors the physical or chemical properties to be detected change the propagation characteristics of the SAW. SAW radio transponders are advantageously placed on moving or rotating parts and in hazardous environments such as contaminated or high voltage areas. They also can be used for contactless measurements in high vacuum process chambers, under concrete, extreme heat, or strong radioactive radiation, where the use of conventional sensors is complicated, dangerous, or expensive. In this paper we discuss the principles of wireless passive SAW transponders and present a radio frequency interrogation unit and several passive radio SAW sensors developed for noncontact measurements of temperatures, pressures, torques, and currents.

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Modern factory facilities are characterized by highly flexible manufacturing cells and highly dynamic processes, where clusters of fixed or moving sensors and actuators have to be controlled in a limited space under stringent real-time and reliability constraints. In such demanding industrial environments, wireless systems can also be beneficial by improving flexibility, cutting cables, and enabling solutions, which are cumbersome or even not possible to realize with wireline systems, especially in controlling moving or rotating parts. In this paper, we present a conceptual study of a wireless real-time system dedicated for remote sensor/actuator control in production automation. System development is based on user requirements, which were extracted from customer interviews and a market research. Low level measurements of frequency-and space-selective wireless channels in a factory-like environment were carried out. System design aspects, i.e., network topology, multiple access schemes, and radio technologies, will be thoroughly reviewed. The performance of a first prototype implementation will be discussed with emphasis on timing behavior and power consumption, as sensors and actuators of the wireless system are intended to operate without power lines or batteries.Index Terms-Factory automation systems, multipath radio propagation, real-time communications, wireless sensor/actuator network.

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