Carlos Eduardo Cugnasca

Home automation networks

Home Automation Networks provide a promising opportunity in designing smart home systems and applications. In this context, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) networks are emerging as an efficient means to provide automated communication among distributed ubiquitous devices on in a standardized manner, but none have been adopted universally. In an effort to present the technologies used in the M2M and home integration environment, this paper presents the home area network elements and definitions, and reviews the standards, architectures and initiatives created to enable M2M communication and integration in several different environments, especially at the smart home domain. This paper points out differences between them and identifies trends for the future. HighlightsPresents?different definitions and concepts of the smart home.Reviews the technologies created to enable M2M communication in smart home domain.Shows a comparison between standards created to enable M2M communication.Those technologies have strong market competition, but none is adopted universally.

Implementation of a Control Loop Experiment in a Network-Based Control System With LonWorks Technology and IP Networks

Considering the increasing popularity of network-based control systems and the huge adoption of IP networks (such as the Internet), this paper studies the influence of network quality of service (QoS) parameters over quality of control parameters. An example of a control loop is implemented using two LonWorks networks (CEA-709.1) interconnected by an emulated IP network, in which important QoS parameters such as delay and delay jitter can be completely controlled. Mathematical definitions are provided according to the literature, and the results of the network-based control loop experiment are presented and discussed.

Ad Hoc Wireless Sensor Networks Applied to Animal Welfare Research

Ad hoc Wireless Sensor Networks (AWSN) are arrays of miniaturized electronic devices that embed sensors and have communication capabilities that allow them to interconnect using a radio network. They are available with different technologies, configurations, and sensing capabilities, and can be used on different network topologies. As an AWSN is composed of a large number of compact low-cost and energy-constrained sensor nodes, it offers unprecedented flexibility and mobility, which makes them suitable for environmental data acquisition in the field, and allows fine-granular observations. The sensors are easy to deploy and can be used to detect previously unrecognized relationships and behaviors in natural systems, which cannot be detected by conventional approaches. In many cases, power consumption is still an issue. Research related to biological and environmental systems can be enhanced with AWSNs. Monitoring and control of the quality of indoor environment is very important for animal health and welfare and directly impacts productivity and quality. The goal of this work was to evaluate the capability and usefulness of an AWSN in studies related to animal housing environment. An AWSN has been set up and applied to monitor environmental variables in an animal housing facility. The network is composed of several sensing nodes and a gateway that links the network to a microcomputer. They were distributed over strategic points inside an animal housing facility to allow us to collect data about those environmental variables in real time. The inherent flexibility and mobility of the nodes allowed us to move them through the facility to determine different profiles of temperature, humidity and luminosity across the facility. Model based on this data can be derived to enhance animal welfare.

Visible Light Communication Applied to Intelligent Transport Systems: an Overview

The growing use of mobile devices, besides contexts as the Internet of Things, are demanding all the efforts to provide wireless communications alternatives. Optical wireless communication is posing as a promising complementary technology to radio frequency, especially due to considerable deployments in solid-state lighting technology and its adoption in many domains. Light-emitting diodes can be used to promote visible light communication indoors and outdoors and in this case, there are many opportunities to be explored regarding intelligent transport systems, since they have been used in public lighting, traffic lights and vehicles. This article aims at presenting an overview of the applications in intelligent transport systems that are being proposed or developed around the world, allowing the communication between vehicles and infrastructure through visible light. This technology has the potential to provide a significant contribution to the communication demands in the intelligent transport system scenario.

Dynamic definition of the sampling rate of data in Wireless Sensor Network with Adaptive Automata

The Wireless Sensor Networks have the potential for different applications, especially for environmental monitoring. This paper aims to present the formalization of a technique to minimize the energy expenditure of sensor nodes in a Wireless Sensor Network. The technique presented considers the use of Adaptive Automata and the possibility of the sensor network dynamically vary the interval (time) between a data logging and other. Thus, it is expected that the sensor network automatically use long intervals while collecting information within a range of values considered normal or acceptable. However, when the nodes collect data considered outside the normal range, it is expected that the data sampling intervals are reduced, so that the sensor network to monitor the phenomenon in more detail. With the implementation of this strategy is economy in energy consumption of sensor nodes in the network without loss of efficiency in the monitoring of phenomena. The formalization of the technique is given by Adaptive Automata that has adaptive actions to dynamically adjust the sampling interval of sensor nodes. To verify the energy savings was developed and evaluated a computational simulation results.

Modeling of Distributed Control System in Intelligent Buildings Based on Colored Petri Net

Distributed control systems consist of sensors, actuators and controllers, interconnected by communication networks and are characterized by a high number of concurrent process. This work presents a proposal for a procedure to model and analyze communication networks for distributed control systems in intelligent building. The approach considered for this purpose is based on the characterization of the control system as a discrete event system and application of coloured Petri net as a formal method for specification, analysis and verification of control solutions. With this approach, we develop the models that compose the communication networks for the control systems of intelligent building, which are considered the relationships between the various buildings systems. This procedure provides a structured development of models, facilitating the process of specifying the control algorithm. An application example is presented in order to illustrate the main features of this approach.

Computational simulation of wireless sensor networks for pesticide drift control

The efficient application of low cost pesticides is a challenge for agricultural production. Pesticide drift is a major cause of environmental contamination. At the time of application, it is essential to know the environmental conditions, such as wind, temperature and humidity to minimize contamination. This study proposes the use of wireless sensor networks in a support and control system for crop spraying and three cases of use are put forward. In the first case, the sensor network evaluates environmental data at the time of application to notify the user if the environmental conditions are suitable. The second use evaluates the wind speed and direction to suggest corrections in the path of a spray vehicle. Due to this alteration in the path, the pesticide is applied solely in the appropriate area. The final use involves collecting samples and analyzing the quality of crop spraying by evaluating the deposition of the pesticide over the crop. Through computer simulations, wireless sensor networks are shown to be useful in crop spraying operation to minimize and to control pesticide drift, to improve the quality of application, to reduce environmental contamination and to save time and money.

MODELING OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR WINE TRACEABILITY BASED ON A SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE

The purpose is to present a scientific research that led to the modeling of an information system which aimed at the maintenance of traceability data in the Brazilian wine industry, according to the principles of a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Since 2005, traceability data maintenance is an obligation for all producers that intend to export to any European Union country. Also, final customers, including the Brazilian ones, have been asking for information about food products. A solution that collectively contemplated the industry was sought in order to permit that producer consortiums of associations could share the costs and benefits of such a solution. Following an extensive bibliographic review, a series of interviews conducted with Brazilian researchers and wine producers in Bento Goncalves -RS, Brazil, elucidated many aspects associated with the wine production process. Information technology issues related to the theme were also researched. The software was modeled with the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and uses web services for data exchange. A model for the wine production process was also proposed. A functional prototype showed that the adopted model is able to fulfill the demands of wine producers. The good results obtained lead us to consider the use of this model in other domains.

MODELING OF COLLISION RESOLUTION ALGORITHM IN LONWORKS NETWORKS

The industrial organization of productive processes have presented a tendency for dispersion and distribution of manufacturing plants based on an increase of resources and functionality of information and mobility technology. In this sense, Local Operating Networks (LON, LonWorks) is the name of one of the leading technologies in sensor/control networking, addressed to a wide range of applications with topology free technology. In spite of its popularity, only a few design tools are available to simulate LonWorks architectures and predict their performance. In this paper, a model of the collision resolution algorithm of LonWorks is described. The approach developed in this work is based on the characterization of LonWorks networks as Discrete Event Dynamic Systems (DEDS), since dynamic behavior is defined through the discrete events and discrete states. The proposed procedure employs techniques that are derived from interpreted Petri net, which has been used as an efficient tool for modeling, analysis and control of DEDS. In this context, the media access control sublayer (MAC) is modeled in different levels of abstraction: a conceptual model which is obtained using the PFS (Production Flow Schema) technique, and a functional model by using MFG (Mark Flow Graph). The MFG abstraction level describes details in a functional form preserving the description activities of upper levels. This procedure allows the structured development of models, facilitating the modeling process of the algorithm specification. The result presented in this paper for a single network segment can be integrated into a global networks modeling, since the proposed procedure decomposes the model systematically according to a hierarchal approach into different modules. In this way, it is straightforward to integrate single segments networks models into complex networks.Copyright

Towards an IoT-based system for Smart City

Along with the breakthrough of the Internet of Things, a new city concept has attracted the attention of researchers, businesses and governments; it is the concept of Smart Cities. The purpose of this article is to present an IoT-based System for Smart Cities, called SIGINURB. The purpose of this System is to develop a range of applications that offers new services to students, employees, businesses and public administration in the University of São Paulo, raising their quality of life.