Evaluation of Performances of Structural Control Benchmark Problem with Time Delays from Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become a novel approach for structural control of civil structures from natural hazards such as earthquakes and extreme weather conditions. Increasing number of research efforts have been made, both theoretically and experimentally, focusing on WSNs in control systems. Compared with traditional wired sensor networks, WSNs have advantages of low cost and convenience; however, bandwidth and wireless communication delay are issues associated with implementation of wireless control. The effects of wireless communication delay have not been carefully investigated in the wireless control systems. In this paper, a wireless control simulator is proposed which simulates a structural control benchmark model: linear active mass driver (AMD) control model with realistic wireless delay from wireless network environment simulation tool – TOSSIM. The control performance of this benchmark model is evaluated with realistic wireless delay. Later on, this simulator can become a test bed so that different controllers can be tested out in this simulator to evaluate their performances of dealing with time delays in wireless structural control systems.