Communication Buses and Protocols for Sensor Networks

TLDR: The new intra-module multi-element microsystem (IM 2 ) bus is nine-line interface with 8b serial data which implements several advanced features such as power management and plug-n-play while maintaining minimum hardware overhead at the sensor node.

Abstract: This paper overviews existing digital communication buses which are commonly used in sensor networks, discusses sensor network architectures, and introduces a new sensor bus for low power microsystem applications. The new intra-module multi-element microsystem (IM 2 ) bus is nine-line interface with 8b serial data which implements several advanced features such as power management and plug-n-play while maintaining minimum hardware overhead at the sensor node. Finally, some issues in wireless sensor networking are discussed. The coverage of these issues provides a guideline for choosing the appropriate bus for different sensor network applications. Keywords: Sensor bus, Sensor network, Microsystem architecture, Wireless sensor networks Introduction The advances in sensor technologies, including Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), and associated interfaces, signal processing and networking have made it possible to construct highly functional “smart” sensors and to connect a large number of sensors for distributed measurement and control applications. The networking of many smart sensors enables high quality detection/measurement networks with low cost and easy deployment, and it provides new monitoring and control capability for a wide range of applications, such as industrial process monitoring, health care, environmental oversight, safety and security. In a sensor network, sensors are generally connected to a microcontroller which provides built-in linearization, error correction, and the access to the network. The interface between the sensor node