Cellular Wireless Mesh Sensor Network for Comprehensive Spatial Traffic Movement Detection and Data Fusion - FY07 NATSRL

Project summary:

The overall goal of this project was to develop a practical method for monitoring detailed movements of traffic using a mesh network of wireless sensor nodes. This approach was motivated by the fact that low-power wireless nodes naturally form cell coverage areas that can be easily configured as a mesh network and used to detect the motion of vehicles in the coverage area. In the first year, anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) sensor nodes were designed and integrated with the commercially available 802.15.4 chip sets to form the basic wireless node. Basic node-to-node protocols were then developed and implemented. The objective of the second year was to complete development of the remaining required protocols and software for the mesh network so that the network functions as a working prototype. The performance of the prototype for tracking vehicle movements in an intersection was then evaluated. The primary protocols developed included ones for congestion control and for network and sensor management. Once the protocol implementation was complete, researchers developed a vehicle-tracking algorithm based on the aggregated sensor data and installed the system in a live intersection, enabling them to evaluate the network's performance and to learn about field installation and operational issues. The report describes details on the system component design, implementation, experimental results, and analysis.