Autonomous Wireless Sensors Network for the Implementation of a Cyber-Physical System Monitoring Reinforced Concrete Civil Engineering Structures
Gaël Loubet, Alassane Sidibé, Alexandru Takacs, Daniela Dragomirescu
Abstract
This paper presents an autonomous Wireless Sensors Network as the hardware basis for implementing a Cyber-Physical System. The Wireless Sensors Network is composed of Sensing Nodes and Communicating Nodes. The Sensing Nodes can wirelessly transmit data measured in reinforced concrete using Non-Destructive Testing methods over several tens of meters. These are battery-free, and are powered and controlled wirelessly and remotely by a radiative electromagnetic Wireless Power Transfer system tuned by the Communicating Nodes. Each Communicating Node covers a volume of at least 11 meters in all directions for the Wireless Power Transfer. The Wireless Sensors Network meets the requirements of the Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transmission paradigm by using a single antenna in the Sensing Nodes (concurrently for power harvesting and data transmission). The proposed system is designed for the Structural Health Monitoring of reinforced concrete civil engineering structures, but can be adapted to other applications, especially in harsh environments.