This paper presents an effort that is aimed at addressing two challenges in the monitoring of some bridges and roads: poor wireless signal transmission and low real-world survivability of wireless sensors. A product is proposed; a prototype is designed and made to protect some off-the-shelf wireless sensors and improve their performance. The design is based on numerical simulations of the electromagnetic field including using finitedifference time-domain method. To protect the wireless sensors and all other components, basic structural analysis is exercised to obtain an enclosure design that tends to optimize the load-carrying capacity given the design constraints. All materials used for the enclosure have low electrical conductivities limiting or nullifying their negative imprint on wireless communication. Off-the-shelf components are utilized as often as possible to minimize the overall cost and expedite the manufacturing process. The problem encountered in the real-world testing of the design is presented, analyzed and solved.

Date Published: 15 April 2011
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 7981, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2011, 79813Z (15 April 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.880679

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7981:
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2011
Masayoshi Tomizuka, Editor(s)