Web-based data inquiry and real-time control of structural health monitoring sensor networks

Bo Chen, Michigan Technological University
Wenjia Liu, Michigan Technological University
Jinjiang Wang, Michigan Technological University
Justin Slepak, Michigan Technological University

Abstract

This paper presents a Web-based data inquiry and real-time control of sensor's operating mode for structural health monitoring sensor networks. The main objective of the presented system is to provide a Web interface for real-time sensor data visualization, sensor-level damage diagnosis, and control of sensor's operating mode. Web services are available both on distributed sensor nodes and a data repository machine. Users can request Web pages hosted on the sensor nodes or the data repository machine by specifying corresponding sensor IDs. The ability of directly accessing data on sensor nodes via internet allows users to monitor a structure's performance in a timely manner. The damage diagnosis algorithms implemented on the sensor nodes help users to assess the structural health conditions without the need of transmitting sensor data to a central data station. The presented system also provides the capability of dynamically changing sensor's operating mode through the Web interface. This feature greatly enhances the flexibility of the system to accommodate different sensing needs and achieve a long lifespan. The system has been tested in the Laboratory to validate its capabilities. © 2009 by ASME.