A collaborative sensor network middleware for automated production systems

Recent advanced production facilities have utilized networked sensors, which are increasingly designed as e-Work networks with sensor collaboration. Especially, wireless networked microsensors network have been developed and are about to gain widespread use as technology and reliability improve and prices drop. Especially, the redundantly distributed microsensor-based system can significantly and cost-effectively improve the quality of service, processes, and productivity in automated production systems. Besides energy consumption and scalability, a major design challenge, however, is that they must be designed to be adaptable for industrial applications. Most industrial applications require better reliability in communication, robustness to various interferences, fault tolerance, and the geometry of the production facility that collaborating sensors are implemented. Thus, this research proposes a sensor network middleware structure that automated production systems require. The middleware supports optimal or near-optimal multi-sensor deployment scheme and provides solutions for geometry-specific wireless microsensor deployment design. The middleware model is also supported by collaborative e-work network framework. Network design parameters such as the number of sensors, geometry of production facility are being considered to improve reliability of sensory data and to minimize the overall energy consumption under given geometry. Results are also evaluated through specific simulations, applying the Teamwork Integration Evaluator (TIE).