A Self-Organizing and Fault-Tolerant Wired Peer-to-Peer Sensor Network for Textile Applications

• Published in: Engineering Self-Organising Systems pp. 256 - 266
• Main Authors: Lauterbach, Christl, Glaser, Rupert, Savio, Domnic, Schnell, Markus, Weber, Werner, Kornely, Susanne, Stöhr, Annelie
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin, Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• Subjects: Alarm System; Data Path; Screen Shot; Sensor Network; Smart Textile
• ISBN: 354026180X; 9783540261803
• ISSN: 0302-9743; 1611-3349
• DOI: 10.1007/11494676_17

Textiles are omnipresent in everyday life. Their combination with microelectronics will lead to completely new applications, thus achieving elements of ambient intelligence. The integration of sensor or actuator networks, using fabrics with conductive fibres as a textile motherboard enable the fabrication of large active areas. In this paper we propose a “smart textile” based on a wired peer-to-peer network of simple information processing elements with integrated sensors or actuators. A self-organizing and fault-tolerant architecture is accomplished which detects the physical shape of the network. Routing paths are formed for data transmission, automatically circumventing defective or missing areas. The network architecture allows the smart textiles to be produced by reel-to-reel processes, cut into arbitrary shapes subsequently and implemented in systems at low installation costs. The possible applications are manifold, ranging from alarm systems to intelligent guidance systems, passenger recognition in car seats, air conditioning control in interior lining and smart wallpaper with software-defined light switches.