Adaptive Learning and Reconfiguration in Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks for Control Applications

WSANs are becoming a solution for implementation of control applications. Sensors and actuators can be deployed forming a large or dense network to monitor and control physical parameters or systems. Reliable data transmission and real time constraints are the most significant challenges in WSAN implementation for control applications in addition to basic challenges such as scalability, network topology, energy efficiency and connectivity. Control applications will have some Quality of Service (QoS) requirements from the sensor network, such as requiring a very low packet loss rate, minimum delay and guaranteed delivery of packets. An in-depth review of previous research to date in the area of reliability and real time implementation for WSANs was carried out and a novel routing technique is proposed to improve reliable and real time communication within the sensor network based on a link quality aware and minimum path length routing mechanism. The success of this research will go a long way to address reliability issues relating to guaranteed data delivery within the wireless network, thereby potentially moving WSAN’s for critical control applications on a path to wireless implementation.