wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

6-2 Industrial Communication Systems
owners, who plan to utilize new IWSN technologies for industrial automation applications. After a short
review of IWSN applications and standardization activities, technical challenges and design principles
are introduced in terms of hardware development, system architectures and protocols, and software
development. Specifically, radio technologies, energy-harvesting techniques, and cross-layer design for
IWSNs are discussed. Here, our aim is to provide a contemporary look at the current state of the art in
IWSNs and discuss the still-open research issues in this field, and hence, to make the decision-making
process more effective and direct. Note that some parts of this chapter have also been presented in [9].
The remainder of the chapter is organized as follows. Section 6.1 presents the IWSN applications. In
Section 6.2, the IWSN standardization activities are reviewed. Sections 6.3 and 6.4 review the technical
challenges and corresponding design directions, respectively. In Section 6.5, design principles of IWSNs
are discussed. Finally, the chapter is concluded in Section 6.6.
6.1 applications
IWSNs can be used for various applications in which deployment environment and technical challenges
can greatly differ and thus, the design of IWSNs is application oriented. In addition, they can be deployed
to harsh industrial environments, in which installation and maintenance of conventional wired sensor
systems may not be cost-effective. Some of the key IWSN applications are briefly described below.
6.1.1 Factory Automation
Modern factory facilities are characterized by highly flexible manufacturing plants 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 [8,11,25,35]. In such demanding industrial
environments, wireless sensor networks 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. The wireless way of communicating makes plant
setup and modification easier, cheaper, and more flexible.
6.1.2 Building Automation
The primary focus of building automation is the reduction of energy consumption in building installations
through automated mechanisms to lower total energy costs and comply with governmental regulations
while maximizing the comfort [10]. Building automation comprises a set of different functionalities
including energy conservation, environment control, safety, and security. The interest in using wireless
sensor networking in building automation applications is based on the need to lower installation cost,
which comes in the form of cabling, labor, materials, testing, and verification.
6.1.3 Industrial Process Automation
Wireless sensor networks can be used to enable condition-based maintenance and remote management
of industrial equipment and processes by continuously monitoring time-critical process information,
such as temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration, and energy usage. In addition, the preventive maintenance
information can be collected by IWSNs to support a manufacturing process such as those used
in oil tankers [27], conveyor belts [14], automobiles [14], electric motors [29,46] and pumps [1], and food
or pharmaceutical products.
6.1.4 Inventory Management
Inventory management systems based on manual processes can cause out-of-stocks, expedited shipments
or billing delays. With IWSN technology, the inventory and assets could be monitored in real
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC