This document describes a wireless passive sensor network for environment monitoring using radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors. The network collects ambient information such as temperature, humidity, light, and human presence to detect physical and cyber threats. It consists of battery-less RFID sensors that backscatter sensor data to reader units. The sensors are being tested in electric cabins and a sea cabin to monitor for flooding, unauthorized access, equipment tampering and temperature/humidity changes that could indicate issues. The network architecture divides the monitoring areas into zones covered by antennas to localize detected events.
2. 2
Wireless passive Sensor Network (PSN) for Environment
Monitoring
MONITORING LAYER: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
Purpose
Collect ambient information by means of cracking-free passive
distributed sensors, to detect early precursors of physical and cyber
attacks.
- Human Intrusion
- Tampering
- Altered environmental conditions as a consequence of anomalous
equipment behavior
Technology
Augmented UHF Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) with custom
power-autonomous sensors and multi-level control & command
software suitable to process ambient backscattering
3. 3
Wireless passive Sensor Network (PSN) for Environment
Monitoring
MONITORING LAYER: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
Water/Humidity
+ RSSI
temperature
light
NUVLA Box
RFID
reader
LAN
Cable
Electrical
Equipment
stack
Antenna 1 Antenna 2
Events
• Authorized and un-
authorized access
• Equipment overload
• Flooding and Fire
• Human Interaction
with devices
• Device Tampering
camera
4. 4
Wireless passive Sensor Network (PSN) for Environment
Monitoring
3. Agent interface SW
2. RF interface SW
1. Sensor Design & Manufacturing
Protocol
RFID-UHF band (EU: 866-869 MHz),
EPCRGEN 2
RadioBOARD (S-Tags)
Battery-less (or battery-assisted) small
antenna+microchip+ sensors
READER unit (radar)
max 3.2W EIRP EU, 4W US
TCI-IP- USB Interface
Multiple Surveillance Antennas for
space-diversity monitoring
RadioSCAN SW
Network configuration, sensor query,
data flush
MONITORING LAYER: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
5. 5
radioBOARD: Layout
MONITORING LAYER: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
The board may be configured for different applications and
placements by connecting or disconnecting electrical traces
67mm
28mm
Electromagnetic
Coupler with tuning
elements
Expander: external
sensors + optional
Battery/solar cell
Energy Harvester
with tuning elements
6. 66
Battery-less mode (real time)
Battery-assisted mode (data logger)
Sensors
• Temperature (onboard)
• Humidity (external)
• Light (external)
• Strain (external)
Read distance (circular polarized reader)
radioBOARD: Features and estimated performance
MONITORING LAYER: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
in air
On
metal/concrete
(with patch
booster)
Battery-less 2 m 2.3 m
Battery-assisted 6.5 m 7 m
Standalone With patch booster
9. 99
radioSCAN: Real-time data monitor and dashboard
MONITORING LAYER: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
TCP-IP
• Remote control of the Passive
Sensing Network
• Pre-Processing of raw signals
(filtering…)
• Dashboard for Visualization
RadioSCAN
11. 1111
Location: Engineering School Univ. Roma TV
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
ICT BUILDING
underground
December 23th 2015
12. 1212
Electric Cabin
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
Active
Apparatus
Active
Apparatus
CabinetCable harness
Cabinet
With internal
devices
14. 1414
Access
Flooding Humidity and light
Temperature (Harness overload)
Manumission
Events & Sensors
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
15. 1515
1. Flooding, humidity, cable overloading
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
Safe condition flooding
Safe state
Over
loading
16. 1616
The maintenance technician
( authorized personnel )
badge
The intruder
( un-authorized personnel )
No badge
Identification
RFID badge
2. Cabin Access & Manumission
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
17. 1717
2.1 Authorized access
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
1. Door open: somebody inside
2. Badge detection: the system recognizes
the technician
3. The technician turns on the light
4. The technician opens a cabinet
5. The technician get close the exit door and
turns-off the light; the system records the
exit
18. 1818
2.2 Un-authorized access
and tampering
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE
1. Open door: somebody inside
2. No badge detection: the person is not authorized
and may be classified as intruder
3. The intruder turns on the light for a short time:
maybe uses a torch
4. The intruder opens a cabinet
5. The temperature inside the cabinet increases:
possible manumission
6. The intruder opens the door and exits.
24. 24
Hardware
Wireless Sensors (R6E RADIOBOARDS)
RadioBoard
with light sensor
RadioBoard
with external temperature sensor (PT1000)
RadioBoard
with humidity sensor
RadioBoard
with internal
temperature sensor
Each device has a dedicated configuration
of the micro-transponder chip
TEST BED: ENVIRONMENT SENSORS – RADIO6ENSE + SEA