Shadowbowl Field Sensor Integration
Tim Murphy
I was responsible for the wired and wireless network providing communications
for sensors running through the riverbed to monitor for chemical and nuclear
contaminants and developing the sensors themselves. At the same time
the system, in wearable mode, was monitoring the physiological status (pulse/spo2)
of forward deployed personnel within the riverbed along with location and
the presence of any nearby contaminants. I was also responsible for
getting the sensor data from the river, through the river ops center, back
to the main operations center (Tunnel) and through to the rest of the world.
The ESP portal helped facilitate this by providing the ip of the Sensor on
the Shadowbowl portal.
- Tophat
- Location
- Tophat provided its exact location using a Magellan 315 GPS system,
- Wearable Medical Telemetry
- Wearable Vital Signs monitoring of forward deployed personnel while
worn providing pulse, spo2, and Co2 exhale.
- Environmental Sensor Telemetry
- Radiation detection <Tested with radiation sample>
- Aerosol Chemical contamination <Tested with car exhaust and Co2>
- TNG-3 <Providing 8 channels of analog data and 8 digital channels>
- The analog feed was capable of streaming analog microphone signals
- The digital feed was capable of streaming the digital status of
motion detection systems
- Tracking
- While in wearable mode, the operations centers were able to watch
the movement of Tophat while in the field, or while on the person.
- Local Communication/Display of data
- Tophat displayed data locally to the forward deployed personnel using:
- Handspring Visor and Prism (IR and Serial)
- Compaq Ipaq (TCP/IP)
- Windows Laptop (Win XP, Serial, Bluetooth, TCP/IP)
- Macintosh Laptop (OS X, Telnet, http, Bluetooth, TCP/IP)
- All displays were used simultaneously
- Reach back
- Data were viewed live in the operations center through the Mindtel
NeatView system, in Florida by the US Navy and was stored on a server
for later analysis in Greenville NC.
- Alarms
- When the devices came across radiation (using radioactive sample)
the device would send emails to a specified list of users.
- When the 802.11b network connection to Tophat was disconnected, Tophat
continued to post radioactive data readings through a Globalstar Qualcomm
GSP-1600 satellite phone.
- Power tested for Tophat
- Solar
- SunCatcher Expedition averaging 20 volts, 1 amp, in direct sunlight
- Direct power connection from solar panel to tophat and environmental
devices
- Car (for Mobile monitoring)
- The mobile ability allowed tophat to be within a car, monitoring
the environment and the driver, while providing the data over the
802.11 network.
- 12v Cigarette lighter adapter
- 12vDC to 120vAC converter
- NIMH Battery 7.2v 3-amp
- 120AC to 7.5volt DC converter
- 802.11B Infrastructure
- The 802.11b network was setup to be moved from one reach back system
to another. For example, if the RF network failed, the whole system
could be shifted to the Satellite effortlessly. Additional 802.11b
access points were located in the river for maximum wireless coverage.
- Alternative powering of devices
- Linksys Wap 11
- Solar powered
- Combination of solar and battery
- D-Link 1000w 802.11b + Ethernet web cam station
- Combination Solar powered and 7.2v 3-amp battery power.
- Video Transmission
- D-Link 1000w 802.11b + Ethernet web cam station was used to transmit
video back from the river and through the web to remote viewing facilities.
- The camera was integrated with the sensor network as well as monitoring
for people in the river.
- The camera was able to provide a video feed for motion detection software.