Lora Communication Maintenance and Signal Propagation Evaluation in Obstacle-Dense Industrial Environments: A Wood Processing Application

Abstract

Using various wireless communication methods to achieve some type of remote monitoring and/or controlling of processes and systems, in general, is a continuously thriving industry. The wood industry is not immune to that but the prevalence of such systems, automated to a certain level, remains low. Their rise and presence, however, are unavoidable and will continue to grow. Wireless devices are used to continuously monitor environmental factors as well as the structural moisture of wood in a wooden plank during the natural aspirated drying process and the forced drying process all in a controlled environment. An exemplary system based on LoRa communication interfaces is configured, adapted, and operationally tuned for the wood processing industry. The selected LoRa communication system operates on an EU compliant RF spectrum. Nevertheless, since such devices must be tightly integrated within a pack of planks, wireless signal propagation is greatly impacted. The pack of planks has an effect on radio signal dispersion because it creates a dense environment hostile to RF propagation. A technique to strengthen measurement devices and receive units for wireless signal propagation is proposed in order to maintain a high-quality communication link. Furthermore, practical procedures for maintaining a desirable signal level and their upkeep suggestions are presented for applications with numerous obstacles in the working environment.