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response time, etc. Sensor's dimensions are a significant factor in the process of
system building; therefore, a trade-off in size-performances is often needed.
This section focused on the system implementation aspects of VSNs. It dis-
cussed the relevant node architecture and the characteristics of the most popular
sensors used in VSNs today. Further development of VSNs and their practical
implementations often require integration of different technologies that are able to
sense, process, and send data within a dynamic networking context. The following
section will focus on a technology that is not novel per se, but its usage within the
VSN concept allows an evolution toward an ubiquitous and pervasive VSN envi-
ronment capable of autonomous and user-transparent operation.
10.6
Evolution Toward RFID
The increasing interest from both academia and industry for VSNs yields evolution
of the VSN concept toward novel technologies that closely resemble the peculiari-
ties of the vehicular environment. These new technologies must incorporate ele-
ments from mobile computing and automatic data collection systems and enable
self-configuration, lightweight implementation, and integration with other sensor
networking technologies. They should strengthen the sensing capabilities of the
vehicular environment allowing for more efficient VSNs' operation. One of the
most prominent candidate technologies for integration within the VSN paradigm
today is the RFID.
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It is a technology that incorpo-
rates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency
portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal, or
a person. This technology is similar to the bar code identification systems present
in retail stores every day, but the advantage of the RFID technology is that it does
not require direct contact or line-of-sight scanning [
31
]. The system's advantages
are: multiple sensor readings, faster data acquisition, interoperability, reusability,
and flexibility, which offer great potential and can be very useful in a VSN imple-
mentation. Therefore, this section will elaborate the most important characteristics
of the RFID technology paving the evolution of the integration between VSNs and
RFID.
10.6.1
RFID System
A basic RFID system consists of three components, i.e., an antenna and a trans-
ceiver (often combined into one
RFID reader
), and a transponder (
RFID tag
),
which is electronically programmed with unique information and a
database
[
32
].
The electronics in the reader uses an external power source to generate the signal
that drives the reader's antenna. In turn, the antenna creates the appropriate radio
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