Architecture for Uniform (Re)Configuration and Processing Over Embedded Sensor and Actuator Networks

Deployment of embedded systems in industrial environments requires preconfiguration for operation, and, in some contexts, easy reconfiguration capabilities are also desirable. It is therefore useful to define a mechanism for embedded devices that will operate in sensor and actuator networks to be remotely (re)configured and to have flexible computation capabilities. We propose such a configuration, reconfiguration, and processing mechanism in the form of a software architecture. A node component should be deployed in any embedded device and implements application programming interface (API), configuration, processing, and communication. The resulting system provides remote configuration and processing of data in any node in a most flexible way, since every node has the same uniform API, processing, and access functionalities. The experimental section shows a working deployment of this concept in an industrial refinery setting, as part of the EU FP7 project Ginseng.