Diseño e implementación de un prototipo WSN basado en protocolo LPWAN para monitoreo y alerta del crecimiento radial de árboles.

Abstract

In the current degree work, a prototype of the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) type based on the Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) protocol was designed and implemented for monitoring and alerting the radial growth of trees. It consists of a wireless network based on the Arduino and Node Microcontroller Unit (Nodemcu) development boards. It comprises three nodes: sensor node, coordinator node, and the storage and display node, which allow monitoring the daily fluctuations of the tree trunk in micrometric units. The sensor node receives and processes the data fluctuations through the variable linear displacement sensor and sends it wirelessly to the coordinator node. Finally, the information received by the coordinator node is sent to the storage and display node on the ThingSpeak platform. Thus, the storage and display node displays data dynamically and graphically. When comparing with reference equipment, the tests carried out found that the prototype presents a margin of error obtained from the measurements that do not exceed 0.01 millimeters belonging to the reference standard equipment, so it is ideal for measuring stem growth fluctuations. In addition, the tests carried out on communication between nodes showed no packet losses in a distance of up to 575 meters in line of sight. Based on the tests carried out in a range of 18 days, it was observed that the stem showed a radial growth of 1090.37 microns (1 millimeter), so it was determined that the tree has a growth according to the monitoring time, taking as reference studies developed in Ecuador. Therefore, it is concluded that the implemented prototype met the previously established requirements. It is recommended to replace the first spiral antenna that comes by default in the long-range module.