The Time-Triggered Sensor Fusion Model

This paper compares current sensor fusion models and proposes a new time-triggered model for sensor fusion. The time-triggered sensor fusion model decomposes a real time system into three levels, a node level, containing the sensors and the actuators, a cluster level that gathers measurements and performs sensor fusion, and an application level where an application program makes control decisions based on environmental information provided by the cluster level. Because the application code is independent of the employed sensors, the system is open to sensor reconfigurations and reuse of the application code. Furthermore, the model contains a hardwareindependent application interface and a timetriggered smart transducer network. An application of the presented concept is shown with a mobile robot controlled by a timetriggered communication network.