A Distributed Testbed for Wireless Embedded Devices

摘要

Wireless sensor networks are increasingly used for improving the operation of industrial machines and facilities. Such complex and distributed networks are composed of embedded devices. These devices are typically powered by batteries or energy harvesting, and can thus be classified as energy constrained devices. Especially, the embedded devices powered by energy harvesting rely on sufficient harvestable energy. The correct operation of the whole network may depend on the correct operation of a single device. Thus, relevant energy harvesting scenarios must be ideally covered by functional tests of such networks. To be able to emulate different energy harvesting scenarios in combination with the distributed character of such networks, we have developed a distributed testbed based on the robot operating system (ROS). This paper presents the architecture and describes relevant testing aspects for such devices. Furthermore, it introduces a use case for testing wireless sensor nodes supplied by energy harvesting and presents exemplary testing procedure results. Finally, it discusses the advantages of incorporating such testing procedures into a continuous integration process to verify the correct functionality of the embedded devices during development.