Monitoring of building constructions with passive RFID technology

Brunner, Basil; Küng, Roland; Strässler, Daniel

Publication type:	Conference paper
Type of review:	Peer review (abstract)
Title:	Monitoring of building constructions with passive RFID technology
Authors:	Brunner, Basil Küng, Roland Strässler, Daniel
Proceedings:	Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications
Conference details:	Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, Germany, 9-10 November 2016
Issue Date:	2016
Series:	Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	WEKA
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Haar
ISBN:	978-3-645-50161-3
Language:	English
Subjects:	Batteryless sensor; Passive HF-RFID; Energy harvesting; IoT
Subject (DDC):	004: Computer science 621.3: Electrical, communications, control engineering
Abstract:	The effective monitoring of building constructions increases the safety, cuts down on maintenance costs and builds a solid basis for sustainability. Therefore a reliable and uncomplicated acquisition of meaningful sensor data from modules embedded into the constructions are vital. A passive RFID based sensor system that measures mechanical stress in reinforcing steel was developed at the Centre for Signal Processing and Communications Engineering (ZSN) at the ZHAW University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. The system enables the monitoring of building structures over their whole lifespan (>30 years). The newly developed compact strain sensor operates wireless and can therefore be completely embedded in concrete in comparison to older systems, which were wire bound. The project was initiated by enertec engineering AG, Switzerland. To perform a measurement the loop antenna of the portable RFID reader is held over the surface of the building structure. Energy harvesting from the 13.56 MHz RF-field delivers the necessary power for operating the batteryless sensor. The strain is converted to an electrical signal with 350 Ω strain gauges in bridge configuration. The signal is afterwards amplified, digitised and stored in an EEPROM. The worldwide RFID standard ISO 15693 at a frequency of 13.56 MHz is used for the communication of commands and for reading out the stored data. A Windows based graphical user interface (GUI) is used to configure the sensor and display the measured data as well as to connect the sensor to the IoT. The sensor has an accuracy of well under 1 MPa in a measuring range of ±1600 MPa. A reader with 2 Watt transmission power can identify the sensor up to a distance of 40 cm. The maximum measuring distance is 14 cm, limited by the wireless transfer of the harvesting energy. This is a triplication of other known systems on the market due to efficient energy harvesting circuit and using a very low power electronic design. For monitoring dynamic processes, e.g. strain changes of a passing truck, it is possible to capture up to 100 samples per second. A field test was successfully carried out on a newly built bridge. The ease of installation together with the benefit of a fully connector-less sensor in concrete are important success factors for intelligent construction projects.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/16475
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Engineering
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Signal Processing and Wireless Communications (ISC)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen School of Engineering

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Brunner, B., Küng, R., & Strässler, D. (2016). Monitoring of building constructions with passive RFID technology. Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications.

Brunner, B., Küng, R. and Strässler, D. (2016) ‘Monitoring of building constructions with passive RFID technology’, in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications. Haar: WEKA.

B. Brunner, R. Küng, and D. Strässler, “Monitoring of building constructions with passive RFID technology,” in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications, 2016.

BRUNNER, Basil, Roland KÜNG und Daniel STRÄSSLER, 2016. Monitoring of building constructions with passive RFID technology. In: Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications. Conference paper. Haar: WEKA. 2016. ISBN 978-3-645-50161-3

Brunner, Basil, Roland Küng, and Daniel Strässler. 2016. “Monitoring of Building Constructions with Passive RFID Technology.” Conference paper. In Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications. Haar: WEKA.

Brunner, Basil, et al. “Monitoring of Building Constructions with Passive RFID Technology.” Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2016: Systems & Applications, WEKA, 2016.