Multi-pattern cross training: An ANN model training method using WSN sensor data

A wireless sensor network (WSN) consisting of autonomous sensor nodes can provide a rich stream of sensor data representing physical measurements. A well built Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model needs sufficient training data sources. This paper proposes a procedure of combining ANN and WSN sensor data in modeling. Experiments on indoor thermal modeling demonstrated that WSN together with ANN can lead to accurate fine grained thermal models. A new training method “Multi-Pattern Cross Training”(MPCT) is also introduced in this work. This training method makes it possible to merge knowledge from different training data sources (patterns) into a single ANN model. Further experiments demonstrated that models trained by MPCT method shew better generalization performance and lower prediction errors in tests using different data sets.