Wireless sensor networks are a fascinating and challenging area of research and a key enabler for new applications involving smart objects interacting with the physical environment. Example applications are building automation, facility management, intelligent agriculture and environmental monitoring. Wireless sensor networks have unique properties which make the design of protocols and applications especially challenging: a finite energy budget, limited processing capabilities, scaling requirements coming from high node densities, the need for intelligent local collaboration, in-network processing and many more. This article gives an introduction to the concept of sensor networks and discusses important characteristics of sensor node and sensor network architectures. These characteristics have profound impact on the design of protocols, as will be exemplified on medium access control (MAC) protocols for sensor networks. Finally, we discuss some of the research challenges which in our opinion are key to bring wireless sensor networks into more real applications.
Drahtlose Sensornetze sind ein faszinierendes und herausforderndes Forschungsgebiet und erlauben die Gestaltung neuartiger Anwendungen, in denen smarte Objekte mit unserer physikalischen Umwelt interagieren. Mögliche Anwendungen von Sensornetzen sind Gebäudeautomatisierung, Facility Management, Landwirtschaft und Umweltbeobachtung. Drahtlose Sensornetze haben einzigartige Eigenschaften, die den Entwurf und die Implementierung von Protokollen und Anwendungen zu einer besonderen Herausforderung machen: ein begrenztes Energiebudget, beschränkte Rechenkapazitäten und Speicherressourcen, große Knotendichten, der Bedarf nach intelligenter Zusammenarbeit zwischen Sensorknoten, in-network-processing und viele mehr. Der vorliegende Artikel gibt eine Einführung in das Konzept drahtloser Sensornetze und stellt wichtige Merkmale von Sensorknoten- und Netzwerkarchitekturen vor. Diese Merkmale haben erheblichen Einfluss auf den Entwurf von Protokollen, was am Beispiel von Mediumzugriffsprotokollen exemplarisch dargestellt wird. Schlussendlich werden noch einige Herausforderungen für die weitere Forschung diskutiert, mit besonderem Augenmerk auf Probleme, die für einen weitverbreiteten praktischen Einsatz von Sensornetzen noch befriedigend gelöst werden müssen.
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Willig, A. Wireless sensor networks: concept, challenges and approaches. Elektrotech. Inftech. 123, 224–231 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00502-006-0351-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00502-006-0351-1