Wireless sensor and actuator networks: Enabling the nervous system of the active aircraft

Abstract

The ever-increasing volume of air transport necessitates new technologies to be adopted by the flight industry to fulfil the requirements of safety, security, affordability and environment friendliness while still meeting the growing demand. What we need to achieve this goal is a new type of aircraft cruise control, interconnecting all the onboard active control systems and making more accurate control decisions than is currently possible, thus improving the overall flight efficiency. "Active Aircraft" envisions such a nervous system of distributed wireless sensor and actuator network (WSAN) components, enabling the early detection of potential problems, and quick, accurate reactions to these. As part of this vision, WSAN deployed on aircraft wings help the reduction of aerodynamic drag and significantly reduce fuel consumption.In this article, we first describe this conceptual change in aircraft control technology. We then introduce a WSAN application to reduce skin friction drag, and a network topology to enable it. In our application, WSAN form virtual flap arrays on the wings to measure the skin friction in real time, and to react using synthetic jet actuators, which suck and expel air on the wing to reduce the friction. The Active Aircraft vision imposes stringent performance requirements on the underlying WSAN communication algorithms. The medium access control and routing protocols, in particular, must meet the quality of service criteria set by active control applications. Thus, we also present the application characteristics of Active Aircraft and raise the issue of design considerations with regard to the communication protocols.

A survey of protocols for Intermittently Connected Delay-Tolerant Wireless Sensor Networks

“…With the development of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, sensor nodes have become smaller, lighter, smarter and cheaper. In addition to the main categories of WSNs mentioned above, WSNs are now being used in airplane surveillance [13] and body sensor networks [14,15].…”

“…Instead of RF communication, acoustic communication is preferred in underwater WSNs,With the development of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, sensor nodes have become smaller, lighter, smarter and cheaper. In addition to the main categories of WSNs mentioned above, WSNs are now being used in airplane surveillance [13] and body sensor networks [14,15].The network infrastructures, sensor nodes and communication protocols can be different from one WSN to another. Because WSNs are mission oriented, the topology design and device selection for a WSN depends on the application for each WSN.Generally, WSNs have little or no infrastructure.…”

Fault detection and eigenstructure optimization in IEEE 802.11 wireless sensor actuator networks for building automation

“…Because of the flexibility of wireless transmission, wireless communication is playing an increasingly important role in distributed systems, allowing rapid deployment, flexible installation, and fully mobile operation. With the maturity of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), a new field of wireless sensor actuator networks (WSANs) emerges by introducing actuators to the WSNs [1][2][3][4] and many promising applications in industrial automation have been proposed, such as active flow control [3], fire detection and management [5], target tracking [6], and industrial smart building [7]. This paper is motivated by upgrading the wired heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to a wireless one in building automation.…”

Supply Chain Management in International Logistics - RFID Applications

“…The main areas of applications for WSNs are among others: environmental monitoring (Perry, 2002), health care (Cao, 2009), sports and fitness, assisted living, structural monitoring (Bur, 2010), automotive, logistics, home and building automation (Gómez, 2010), industrial monitoring and control, smart utility, urban monitoring and control, road usage charging, disaster recovery, rural monitoring and control (Mariño, 2010), telecommunications applications, gaming, robotics and contextual awareness.…”