Department of Engineering "Enzo Ferrari", University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via P. Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena, Italy.
Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, S. S. Nicola 3, 36100 Vicenza, Italy.
Sensors (Basel). 2022 Jul 22;22(15):5466. doi: 10.3390/s22155466.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) paradigm represents a significant leap forward for sensor networks, potentially enabling wide-area and innovative measurement systems. In this scenario, smart sensors might be equipped with novel low-power and long range communication technologies to realize a so-called low-power wide-area network (LPWAN). One of the most popular representative cases is the LoRaWAN (Long Range WAN) network, where nodes are based on the widespread LoRa physical layer, generally optimized to minimize energy consumption, while guaranteeing long-range coverage and low-cost deployment. Additive manufacturing is a further pillar of the IIoT paradigm, and advanced measurement capabilities may be required to monitor significant parameters during the production of artifacts, as well as to evaluate environmental indicators in the deployment site. To this end, this study addresses some specific LoRa-based smart sensors embedded within artifacts during the early stage of the production phase, as well as their behavior once they have been deployed in the final location. An experimental evaluation was carried out considering two different LoRa end-nodes, namely, the Microchip RN2483 LoRa Mote and the Tinovi PM-IO-5-SM LoRaWAN IO Module. The final goal of this research was to assess the effectiveness of the LoRa-based sensor network design, both in terms of suitability for the aforementioned application and, specifically, in terms of energy consumption and long-range operation capabilities. Energy optimization, battery life prediction, and connectivity range evaluation are key aspects in this application context, since, once the sensors are embedded into artifacts, they will no longer be accessible.
工业物联网 (IIoT) 范式代表了传感器网络的重大飞跃，有可能实现广域和创新的测量系统。在这种情况下，智能传感器可能配备新型低功耗和长距离通信技术，以实现所谓的低功耗广域网 (LPWAN)。最受欢迎的代表性案例之一是 LoRaWAN（远程广域网）网络，其中节点基于广泛使用的 LoRa 物理层，通常优化以最小化能耗，同时保证远程覆盖和低成本部署。增材制造是 IIoT 范式的另一个支柱，可能需要先进的测量能力来监测制品生产过程中的重要参数，以及评估部署现场的环境指标。为此，本研究在制品生产阶段的早期阶段解决了一些特定的基于 LoRa 的智能传感器问题，并研究了它们一旦部署在最终位置后的行为。考虑到两种不同的 LoRa 端节点，即 Microchip RN2483 LoRa Mote 和 Tinovi PM-IO-5-SM LoRaWAN IO 模块，进行了实验评估。本研究的最终目标是评估基于 LoRa 的传感器网络设计的有效性，既要考虑到上述应用的适用性，又要考虑到能耗和远程操作能力。在这种应用场景中，能量优化、电池寿命预测和连接范围评估是关键方面，因为一旦传感器嵌入到制品中，它们将不再可访问。
