Ridgeline Meteorological Sensor Network Stephen Copeland, Xau Moua, Joseph Lane, Robert Akerson Client: Doug Taylor, John Deere Renewables Advisors: Dr. Manimaran Govindarasu, Dr.Venkataramana Ajjarapu
Dec 16, 2015
Ridgeline Meteorological Sensor Network
Stephen Copeland, Xau Moua, Joseph Lane, Robert Akerson
Client: Doug Taylor, John Deere Renewables
Advisors: Dr. Manimaran Govindarasu, Dr.Venkataramana Ajjarapu
Small scout towers capable of wirelessly transmitting measurements to large MET towers.
Wireless communication via radio transceivers on scout tower and MET tower.
Built-in mesh networking protocol
Project Plan
Design Scope
Signal Converter
Microcontroller and Wireless Shield
Microcontroller
Arduino
Runs programmed code to
send and receive data on
mesh network
Wireless Shield
Xbee
Provides easy form of adapter
from transceiver to arduino
due to header misalignment.
Transceiver and Antenna
Transceiver
Xbee-PRO digimesh 900
Provides mesh protocol
Transmits data to other node
Antenna
7" ½ wave dipole, bulkhead
mount, RPSMA connector
Omni-directional
transmission of data
Wind SensorsWind Vane
NRG#200P
Provides wind direction
Angle from North=(360’/Vin)*Vout
Vout ranging from 0 to Vin
Anemometer
NRG#40C
Provides wind speed
Generates a sine wave whose
frequency determines wind speed
Sensor Circuitry
Used to transform the Sine
wave output from the
Anemometer into a square
wave which provides the
arduino with a frequency that
represents the measured wind
speed.
Sensor Circuitry Cont.
Scout Tower Code
Reads the Voltage
Signal at selected
pins of the Arduino
Aggregates data at
a user specified
interval
Arduino CodeAnemometer Output Signal
Measures Pulse Width
Converts Pulse Width to Wind
Speed
Sends Wind Speed to Serial
Port
Central transceiver code
Receives data from all
other nodes in the mesh
network
Aggregates all of the data
Prints new data set to a
text file
Arduino Code cont.
Reads Signal From
Transceivers
Sends Data To Computer
Averages Wind Speed Data
Sensor Testing PCB Functionality Testing Range Evaluations
◦ Elevated testing locations north of Ames Power consumption
◦ Use of multi meters to measure current and voltage levels
Microcontroller◦ Basic data communication
Testing
Self Healing◦ Selected modules turned off during transmission
Security◦ Encryption of data being transmitted
Latency◦ Receiving rate vs. data size
Casing◦ Shock, vibration, realistic impact, and contact
with water, ice, and snow.
Further Testing
We connected the
anemometer
directly to an
oscilloscope
Signal amplitude
and frequency
increases as wind
speed increases
Sensor Testing Anemometer Results
We connected the wind
vane to 5V power supply
Oscilloscope gives
output voltage over time
Voltage varies as wind
vane changes direction
from 0 to 360 degrees
Sensor Testing Wind Vane Results
Able to obtain a sine
wave from the
anemometer
Outputs a square
wave with a
frequency relative to
the actual wind speed
PCB Functionality Testing and Anemometer Results
Wind speed in mph
Top node 1
Middle node 2
Both sampled and
averaged every 10
seconds
Bottom average of node
1 and 2 calculated every
10 seconds
Aggregated Data Simulation
Successful interfacing
to the sensors and PCB
for gathering of data
Aggregation of data
from sensors
Storage of data as MPH
in a text file from
output
Microcontroller Results
Found optimal
frequency of our
antennas to be
marker 1
Freq= 896.247MHz
Antenna Results
marker 1freq=896.2473 MHzdB(S(1,1))=13.97
marker 2freq=1.8014 GHzdB(S(1,1))=13.66
We attached sensors to the roof
of Coover Hall.
Successful transmission of data
to motors lab from two nodes on
roof
Simulated rugged terrain at
Veenker golf course north of
campus
Achieved an approximate range
of 0.8 Km between nodes.
Results for Rough Terrain Testing
Tested North of
Ames on a flat
gravel road
Achieved an
approximate range
of 1.75Km
Results for Range Testing
We spliced the USB cable
between the device and
PC
Connected inner USB
wiring to a multi meter
Through the use of P=I*V
we determined the
required power to be
around 0.5 Watts
Power Consumption Results
Placement of four nodes at a
certain distance preventing
direct communication
between first and last node
Upon the removal of a
middle node from the system
the line of communication is
not broken
Self Healing Results
Receiving Node
Node 1
Node 3
Node 2
User
128-bit encryption is incorporated in the
protocol for the transceivers
Client required only verification of
encryption setting in transceivers
Security and Latency Results
Node 1 sends current time to node 2
Node 2 computes difference from it’s
current time
Security and Latency Results
Time Synchronized
Time Synchronized
Node 1 Node 2
Security and Latency Results
2 3 40
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
f(x) = 2.1 x + 0.933333333333335R² = 0.988050784167289
Latency (ms)
Latency (ms)
Linear (Latency (ms))
Number of Nodes
Tim
e (
ms)
2 nodes 3 nodes 4 nodes
2.9ms 5.4ms 7.1ms
Remained water tight
under running water
Absorbed force from
hammer without
damage to the inner
components
Withstood 6℉ without
damage
Case Testing Results
Consists of sections of
PVC and Brass
connectors to ensure
stability for the sensors
Nema-4 enclosure
Clamped to vent pipes
on the roof of Coover
Hall
Mounting System
Cost of Product
Task Breakdown
Fall Semester Project Schedule
Utilizes aggregated wind speed from the
roof of Coover
USB interface with transceiver and Desktop
PC
Uses Labview Software to run motor
Motor is coupled to a wind turbine which
simulates wind power generation.
EE 491 Wind Turbine Project
EE491 Wind Turbine Project cont.
http://seniord.ece.iastate.edu/may1101
Use of renewable energy power source (wind or solar)
Integration of CFD into calculations for Wind Turbine
project
Addition of more sensors to device
◦ GPS units
◦ Temperature Sensors
◦ Barometers
This would allow for better analysis of potential wind
generation locations
Recommendations
Leland Harker, ISU Parts Shop
Senior Design Team SD MAY11-01
Doug Taylor, John Deere
Brad Luhrs & Bryan Burkhardt , DMACC
Dr. Manimaran Govindarasu
Dr. Venkataramana Ajjarapu
Acknowledgements
Any Questions?
Thank You