Multimedia over 802.15.4 and ZigBee Networks for Ambient Environment Control

WPAN technologies such as IEEE 802.15.4 have been introduced to allow for energy-efficient communication of control and sensor data. In certain application areas, it is beneficial to leverage such a wireless control network to transfer multimedia data. A concrete example is a wireless cabin control network, which is deployed to control the ambient environment (light, sound, climate etc.) of a vehicle cabin (such as a bus, a train or an aircraft). Therefore, in this paper we introduce a distinct system architecture, called Ambient Multimedia ZigBee Service Environment (AMuZE) for WPANs and describe the results of performance evaluations achieved by simulations in an experimental test-bed. We demonstrate that it is possible to use an IEEE 802.15.4 networks to broadcast voice messages (e.g. for instructions in case of emergencies) as well as continuous sound streams (e.g. to create ubiquitous ambient sound environments), while at the same time control functions are performed with high reliability. For the control of the ambient lighting, video image transfer has been integrated to enable an optical feedback channel for auto-configuration of the system. The performance evaluation has been carried out by integrating the embedded device code into an event driven simulation framework. This approach allows for a realistic assessment of the performance in the simulation. As an asset, the optimized algorithms may be transferred directly to the target devices. Finally, results from the validation of the proposed concept in an experimental test-bed are presented