Fulgencio Soto

Wireless Sensor Networks for Oceanographic Monitoring: A Systematic Review

Monitoring of the marine environment has come to be a field of scientific interest in the last ten years. The instruments used in this work have ranged from small-scale sensor networks to complex observation systems. Among small-scale networks, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are a highly attractive solution in that they are easy to deploy, operate and dismantle and are relatively inexpensive. The aim of this paper is to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to the use of WSNs in oceanographic monitoring. The literature is systematically reviewed to offer an overview of the present state of this field of study and identify the principal resources that have been used to implement networks of this kind. Finally, this article details the challenges and difficulties that have to be overcome if these networks are to be successfully deployed.

Optimizing the Design of Single-Stage Power-Factor Correctors

This paper presents a new analytical method for the generalized study of a cluster of single-stage power-factor correctors (S2PFCs). Due to this generalized approach, new topologies have been obtained, and the study of other known topologies has been simplified. The new analytical method simplifies the design of S2 PFCs by making it possible to compare a large number of different designs from the same viewpoint in order to identify the best topology. Finally, this research has enabled us to reduce the total size of the additional inductors that are used by a factor of two to three with respect to previous implementations

A new approach for teaching power electronics converter experiments

This paper presents a new methodological approach to teaching power electronics converter experiments. This approach is based on a reconfigurable hardware-software platform for use in converter experiments in a basic power electronics course. This course is an optional subject, and, therefore, the experiments need to motivate the students. The platform is controlled by software (made in a LabVIEW environment) run on a PC. The student can control the fundamental parameters of the selected converter topology through the user interface and, with a little work, can compare the results with a real circuit. An example of use of the methodology in an inverter experiment is included.

Development of a sensor node for precision horticulture.

This paper presents the design of a new wireless sensor node (GAIA Soil-Mote) for precision horticulture applications which permits the use of precision agricultural instruments based on the SDI-12 standard. Wireless communication is achieved with a transceiver compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The GAIA Soil-Mote software implementation is based on TinyOS. A two-phase methodology was devised to validate the design of this sensor node. The first phase consisted of laboratory validation of the proposed hardware and software solution, including a study on power consumption and autonomy. The second phase consisted of implementing a monitoring application in a real broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var Marathon) crop in Campo de Cartagena in south-east Spain. In this way the sensor node was validated in real operating conditions. This type of application was chosen because there is a large potential market for it in the farming sector, especially for the development of precision agriculture applications.

Effect of the Output Impedance in Multiphase Active Clamp Buck Converters

Passive current sharing in multiphase converters, where resistive losses are not dominant, is a quite complex goal. In this paper, an averaged model of an active clamp buck converter was obtained. It has been checked that this topology presents high output impedance. This property is used like a lossless passive equalization. The principle of operation, theoretical analysis, simulation, and experimental results are presented, taken from a three-stage laboratory prototype.

A Low-Cost Sensor Buoy System for Monitoring Shallow Marine Environments

Monitoring of marine ecosystems is essential to identify the parameters that determine their condition. The data derived from the sensors used to monitor them are a fundamental source for the development of mathematical models with which to predict the behaviour of conditions of the water, the sea bed and the living creatures inhabiting it. This paper is intended to explain and illustrate a design and implementation for a new multisensor monitoring buoy system. The system design is based on a number of fundamental requirements that set it apart from other recent proposals: low cost of implementation, the possibility of application in coastal shallow-water marine environments, suitable dimensions for deployment and stability of the sensor system in a shifting environment like the sea bed, and total autonomy of power supply and data recording. The buoy system has successfully performed remote monitoring of temperature and marine pressure (SBE 39 sensor), temperature (MCP9700 sensor) and atmospheric pressure (YOUNG 61302L sensor). The above requirements have been satisfactorily validated by operational trials in a marine environment. The proposed buoy sensor system thus seems to offer a broad range of applications.

An educational tool for implementing reactive systems following a goal-driven approach

This article presents a novel computer‐based tool that has proven useful for students to both implement and validate the design of reactive systems using the Teleo‐Reactive approach. The design and implementation of the tool and the proposed laboratory exercises are described. The tool, then, is a useful framework for tackling the synthesis of control systems for reactive systems. The results of the tests on efficiency with undergraduate students are also discussed.© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 22:764–773, 2014; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21568

SCADA platform combined with a scale model of trickle irrigation system for agricultural engineering education

During the last three decades, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are being widely used in agricultural applications and specifically in irrigation management systems, where an intelligent use of the water is required. Taking this objective into account, an educational platform for the design of SCADA applications for irrigation programming combined with a scale model of a trickle irrigation system is described in this article. This platform facilitates the students of Agricultural Engineering to design and simulate different irrigation systems, providing an efficient and low cost tool. Moreover, as the SCADA applications are developed with the LabVIEW graphical programming language, complex mathematical models for irrigation, data sampling, and on‐line programming by Internet are supported. The use of a data acquisition card for collecting data from transducers and for the activation of the actuators makes it possible to apply the implemented platform both to a real irrigation system and to the developed scale model, supplying the students with a more practical application of the learned concepts.

Effect of the Output Impedance of Active Clamp Topology in Multiphase Converters

Passive current sharing in multiphase converters, where resistive losses are not dominant, is a quite complex goal. In this paper an averaged model of an active clamp converter was obtained. It has been checked that these topologies present high output impedance. This property is used like a lossless passive equalization. Simulated results of the average model accuracy and current sharing are presented.

Design and Implementation of a Wireless Sensor Network for Precision Horticulture

A prototype wireless sensor network for measuring soil and environmental characteristics was developed and evaluated for purposes of scheduling irrigation on field vegetable farms. The system consists of a central base station connected to multiple sensor nodes installed in the field and distributed over several crops. The sensor nodes consist of specially designed hardware which transmits data to a base station inside the farm offices. The relatively low cost of the system (USD 6000 for a 20-sensor node system) allows for installation of a dense sensor population that can adequately represent inherent soil characteristics such us temperature, volumetric moisture content, salinity and so on. Additional sensors can be used to measure environmental variables and the quality of the water used to irrigate the crops. This paper describes our experience during the design and implementation of the wireless sensor network and its components in a field crop of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var Marathon) in the semiarid region of Campo de Cartagena in Southern Spain. It presents the topology of the network, which was deployed using three types of sensor nodes (Soil-Mote, Environmental-Mote and Water-Mote).