Wireless sensing, actuation and control - With applications to civil structures

Abstract

Structural monitoring and control have been subjects of interests in structural engineering for quite some time. Structural sensing and control technologies can benefit in terms of installation cost and time from wireless communication and embedded computing. The hardware and software requirements pose an interesting, interdisciplinary research challenge. This paper describes a low-cost wireless sensing system that is judiciously designed for large-scale applications in civil structures. Laboratory and field tests have been conducted to validate the performance of the prototype system for measuring vibration responses. By incorporating an actuation signal generation interface, the wireless sensing system has the capabilities to perform structural actuation and support structural control applications. Structural control tests have been performed to validate the wireless sensing and actuation system. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.