A Bluetooth based "power node" has been developed for monitoring and controlling power systems on board US Navy Vessels. For this application a "power node" is defined as an electronic system, which collects information from many sensors and makes appropriate control decisions based on the occurrence of well-defined events. Bluetooth is a low cost, low power wireless standard, which is incorporated on each "power node." This wireless standard allows networking of several "power nodes." An important advantage of this system is that it can be configured for many shipboard applications. The Bluetooth standard uses a spread-spectrum modulation scheme that allows reliable communication between "power nodes" within several sub-networks (piconets) in the same physical location. A robust wireless network that maintains reliable connectivity among nodes even when the communication channels are altered by the opening and closing of watertight doors has been designed. Versatility is achieved by the use of the Motorola microcontroller in the "power node." This microcontroller is in-circuit-programmable, allowing rapid software changes. The goal of this project is to have tested a working prototype network consisting of several "power nodes"on the ex-USS America.
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