Summary: | Using various wireless communication methods to achieve some type of
remote monitoring and/or controlling of processes and systems, in general,
is a continuously thriving industry. The wood industry is not immune to that
but the prevalence of such systems, automated to a certain level, remains
low. Their rise and presence, however, are unavoidable and will continue
to grow. Wireless devices are used to continuously monitor environmental
factors as well as the structural moisture of wood in a wooden plank during
the natural aspirated drying process and the forced drying process all in a
controlled environment. An exemplary system based on LoRa
communication interfaces is configured, adapted, and operationally tuned
for the wood processing industry. The selected LoRa communication
system operates on an EU compliant RF spectrum. Nevertheless, since such
devices must be tightly integrated within a pack of planks, wireless signal
propagation is greatly impacted. The pack of planks has an effect on radio
signal dispersion because it creates a dense environment hostile to RF
propagation. A technique to strengthen measurement devices and receive
units for wireless signal propagation is proposed in order to maintain a
high-quality communication link. Furthermore, practical procedures for
maintaining a desirable signal level and their upkeep suggestions are
presented for applications with numerous obstacles in the working
environment.
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