USB sensor network for industrial applications

This work proposes a USB solution for sensor networking. First, a network architecture has been presented having as the primary objective its integration with an existing infrastructure: for this reason, a USB to Ethernet gateway has been introduced. Then, many aspects of industrial applications have been considered in order to realize a suitable solution: insulation problems and low-cost implementation has been tackled. Working prototypes of each network component have been defined and realized: host-gateway, insulator, and hub. Several commercial devices can be used as sensors. Finally, some experiments have been carried out: timing performances, network activities and power consumption have been tested.