Abdul-Rahman Al-Ali

Java-based home automation system

This paper presents the design and implementation of a Java-based automation system that can monitor and control home appliances via the World Wide Web. The design is based on a stand alone embedded system board integrated into a PC-based server at home. The home appliances are connected to the input/output ports of the embedded system board and their status are passed to the server. The monitoring and control software engine is based on the combination of JavaServer pages, JavaBeans, and interactive C. The home appliances can be monitored and controlled locally via the embedded system board, or remotely through a Web browser from anywhere in the world provided that an Internet access is available. The system is scalable and allows multi-vendor appliances to be added with no major changes to its core. Password protection is used to block unauthorized users from accessing the appliances at home. If the Internet connection is down or the server is not up, the embedded system board still can control and operate the appliances locally.

A Mobile GPRS-Sensors Array for Air Pollution Monitoring

An online GPRS-Sensors Array for air pollution monitoring has been designed, implemented, and tested. The proposed system consists of a Mobile Data-Acquisition Unit (Mobile-DAQ) and a fixed Internet-Enabled Pollution Monitoring Server (Pollution-Server). The Mobile-DAQ unit integrates a single-chip microcontroller, air pollution sensors array, a General Packet Radio Service Modem (GPRS-Modem), and a Global Positioning System Module (GPS-Module). The Pollution-Server is a high-end personal computer application server with Internet connectivity. The Mobile-DAQ unit gathers air pollutants levels (CO, NO2, and SO2), and packs them in a frame with the GPS physical location, time, and date. The frame is subsequently uploaded to the GPRS-Modem and transmitted to the Pollution-Server via the public mobile network. A database server is attached to the Pollution-Server for storing the pollutants level for further usage by various clients such as environment protection agencies, vehicles registration authorities, and tourist and insurance companies. The Pollution-Server is interfaced to Google Maps to display real-time pollutants levels and locations in large metropolitan areas. The system was successfully tested in the city of Sharjah, UAE. The system reports real-time pollutants level and their location on a 24-h/7-day basis.

InfoPods: Zigbee-based remote information monitoring devices for smart-homes

Recent developments in ad-hoc wireless networks, single-chip embedded systems and the wide-spread availability of Internet in homes has made it possible to remotely monitor status of external data sources and home appliances using small, independent wireless devices. This paper presents an open-architecture and an implementation of such a system called the IPnfopods System. This architecture is based on a Zigbee-based controller. The architecture allows multiple family members to simultaneously monitor their home appliances as well as external Internet resources using cheap, stand-alone hand-held mobile wireless devices. The proposed architecture can be easily integrated with existing smart-home systems. The architecture is implemented and demonstrated in the context of an existing Java-based smarthome architecture.

Mobile RFID Tracking System

This paper describes the design of an RFID kids tracking system. It is designed to track a moving child in a wide area, such as a park or mall, using RFID technology. The proposed system has hardware and software components. The hardware architecture consists of an RFID active tag, RFID tag reader, Web server and database server. The Web server and database server are located in the master station. The tag readers are distributed around the open area, e.g. park. The tags are programmed with kids profiles and are worn by the kids. Communication between the tag reader and the Web server is done via wireless LANs. The software architecture consists of a communication driver that handles all communication functions done at the master station, an application programming interface (API) that handles and analyzes the data, a friendly GUI and a database that saves all readings and client information.

Role of Internet of Things in the Smart Grid Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) has recently emerged as enabling technology for the smart gird, smart health, smart transportation, and smart environment as well as for smart cities. The major smart grid devices are smart home appliances, distributed renewable energy resources and power substations. The seven domains existing smart grid conceptual model was developed without the IoT concept in mind. As the smart grid evolved, many attempts started to introduce the IoT as enabling technology to the grid. Each device in the grid can be considered as an object. Utilizing the concept of IoT, each device can have a unique IP address that can upload its status and download control commands via the Internet. This paper proposes a conceptual model for the smart grid within the Internet of Things context. The proposed model is based on IPV6 as the backbone of the smart grid communications layer.

Smart Home Area Networks Protocols within the Smart Grid Context

The Internet of things (IoT) applications are becoming one of the emerging smart grid enabling technologies. Smart home appliances are one the beneficiary of such applications. Machine-to-Machine and Man-to-Machine are the basic IoT communication platforms that enable home appliances to communicate with each other to be more efficiently operated. In a recent search for the IoT communication protocols that are utilized in smart home appliances, there was no inclusive reference that contains and describes the smart home area networks and guides the research and development (R&D) professionals to select the suitable protocol for an application. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the home area network (HAN) communication protocols that are used to enable bidirectional communication between the home owners, utilities and smart home appliances. The paper presents the most utilized HANs wired and wireless communication protocols and discusses their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

Development of a monitoring and control platform for PLC-based applications

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a platform to remotely monitor and control PLC-based processes over TCP/IP or by using the GSM network. The platform is built using industry-standard off-the-shelf PLCs. Integrated with each PLC are communication processors that can be used for connectivity to the network and to a GSM modem. The communication processor module (Ethernet module) used in this work, provides an industrial compatible protocol over TCP/IP that achieves the same functionality as Profinet but at a much higher bandwidth (10/100 Mbps). Additionally, a mobile-based communication protocol that facilitates remote monitoring and control of PLCs using SMS messages has also been developed. The intent here is to provide system users with a back-up communication mechanism in case of a network failure.

Implementation of experimental communication protocol for health monitoring of patients

Modern wireless communication technology has provided new tools for collecting data from remotely distributed sensors. Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) services like General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Short Message Service (SMS) have proven to be legitimate and cost effective methods for collecting occasional data from remote locations. A communication protocol that facilitates remote data collection using SMS has been developed to collect data from large number of monitoring stations. In this study, the developed protocol is implemented and tested to monitor medical condition of large number of patients. The paper gives implementation details and the results of implementation.

Embedded system-based mobile patient monitoring device

This paper describes the design of a mobile medical device that can be used to monitor the human temperature and blood pressure (BP) using a stand-alone single chip microcontroller. The device hardware architecture consists of temperature and pressure sensors, signal conditioning circuits (SCC), single chip microcontroller, LCD display and GSM modem. An embedded software algorithm acquires temperature and pressure, processes, transmits, displays and stores it in the built-in EPROM of the microcontroller. A preset trigger level for the temperature and/or the BP is stored in the EEPROM of microcontroller. Once the desired programmed trigger level of any of the signal is reached, the microcontroller downloads the current value of the temperature and BP to the GSM modem. Then, GSM automatically dials presorted mobile number/s and transmits both parameters as a normal mobile message to a physician, nurse and/or emergency personal. A short database containing these parameters are collected and stored in a lookup table. This database can be used to track the patient temperature and BP history if needed.

Smart home gateway for smart grid

This paper presents a smart home computing platform architecture that extends smart home network to be compatible for smart grid integration. The proposed hardware architecture along with a tailored software algorithm empowers utility companies and homeowners to communicate bi-directionally with home appliances via a public mobile network to monitor and manage power consumption of home appliances. The platform also enables homeowners to operate, monitor and control their home appliances locally via a control panel and remotely via their mobile phones.