Evaluation of a presence sensor for wireless sensor networks based on energy harvesting

• Grant number: 17/09389-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2017
• End date: June 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Telecommunications
• Principal Investigator: Diana Pamela Moya Osorio
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Krohling Almeida
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), new challenges have arisen for the wireless communication technologies. In this context, the next mobile communications network, 5G, aims to be the infrastructure that will accomplish the ambitious demands of this new paradigm. The basic idea in IoT is the generalized presence of a large number of devices and things, which are equipped with sensors and provided of network connectivity, thus they are able to interact and collaborate with their neighbors in an autonomous and intelligent way, in order to achieve common goals. For this purpose, one of the essential technologies for IoT is the wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where small devices, with limited processing and energy resources, are responsible of acquiring information from the environment, making decisions and, potentially, carrying out an action, thus allowing a flexible and easy deployment for the requirements of IoT. However, one of the major bottlenecks for the widespread of these networks is the high dependence on limited lifetime batteries. In this way, energy harvesting concept arises as a promising solution for the energy management of WSNs by allowing the energy from several sources to be collected and stored in order to provide energy autonomy for the nodes of WSNs. In order to contribute with the study of WSNs based on energy harvesting, this project evaluates the energy harvesting development kit, TI eZ430-RF2500-SEH, by implementing a presence sensor application. Thus, the accuracy of the sensor will be evaluated together with the energy consumption required for this type of application. (AU)