Directional Link Management using In-Band Full-Duplex Free Space Optical Transceivers for Aerial Nodes

Free-space optical (FSO) communication has become very popular for wireless applications to complement and, in some cases, replace legacy radio-frequency for advantages like unlicensed band, spatial reuse, and enhanced security. Even though FSO can achieve very high bit-rate (tens of Gbps), range limitation due to high attenuation and weather dependency has always restricted its practical implementation to indoor application like data centers and outdoor application like Project Loon. Building-to-building communication, smart cars, and airborne drones are potential futuristic wireless communication sectors for mobile ad-hoc FSO networking. Increasing social media usage demands high-speed mobile connectivity for applications like video call and live video stream on the go. For these scenarios, implementation of in-band full-duplex FSO (IBFD-FSO) transceivers will potentially double the network capacity to improve performance and reliability of the communication link. In this work, we focus on implementing prototypes of FSO transceivers on mobile platform using both off-the-shelf and customized components. Current goal is to implement a prototype of IBFD-FSO transceiver using VCSEL as transmitter and PIN photodiode as receiver at 900 nm wavelength. We are considering atmospheric attenuation, FSO beam propagation model, geometry, and tiling of the components to optimize the link performance while keeping the package low-cost and mobile, ensuring connectivity to mass population. Eventually, our goal is to have communication between multiple airborne drones through IBFD-FSO transceivers by discovering each other and maintaining established link. Applications of this research is not only limited to the conceived idea of smart cities, but it can also have real impact on disaster management in times of wildfire or hurricane

Autonomous Discovery and Maintenance of Mobile Frees-Space-Optical Links

Free-Space-Optical (FSO) communication has the potential to play a significant role in future generation wireless networks. It is advantageous in terms of improved spectrum utilization, higher data transfer rate, and lower probability of interception from unwanted sources. FSO communication can provide optical-level wireless communication speeds and can also help solve the wireless capacity problem experienced by the traditional RF-based technologies. Despite these advantages, communications using FSO transceivers require establishment and maintenance of line-of-sight (LOS). We consider autonomous mobile nodes (Unmanned Ground Vehicles or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), each with one FSO transceiver mounted on a movable head capable of scanning in the horizontal and vertical planes. We propose novel schemes that deal with the problems of automatic discovery, establishment, and maintenance of LOS alignment between these nodes with mechanical steering of the directional FSO transceivers in 2-D and 3-D scenarios. We perform extensive simulations to show the effectiveness of the proposed methods for both neighbor discovery and LOS maintenance. We also present a prototype implementation of such mobile nodes with FSO transceivers. The potency of the neighbor discovery and LOS alignment protocols is evaluated by analyzing the results obtained from both simulations and experiments conducted using the prototype. The results show that, by using such mechanically steerable directional transceivers and the proposed methods, it is possible to establish optical wireless links within practical discovery times and maintain the links in a mobile setting with minimal disruption

Intelligent aerial store & foreword packet repeater

A communication framework capable of rapid deployment and adaptive wireless support was designed and implemented using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a 900 MHz, frequency- hopping transceiver configured as a store and forward packet repeater. Users with or without line of sight propagation between one another can automatically connect through the packet repeater and employ the aerial platform for extended data transfer. The airborne vehicle accommodates dynamic re-positioning in response to varying radio link conditions, thus supporting communication between highly mobile and/or line of sight-obstructed users even as the network topology evolves. Using open source and custom written software applications, as well as specially modified radio firmware, a command and data-logging environment was designed to monitor, control and initialize radio network conditions and vehicle platforms in real time. Careful real world evaluation of the developed system has demonstrated a robust platform capable of improvement to a user\u27s communication performance

POINTING, ACQUISITION, AND TRACKING FOR DIRECTIONAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

Directional wireless communications networks (DWNs) are expected to become a workhorse of the military, as they provide great network capacity in hostile areas where omnidirectional RF systems can put their users in harm's way. These networks will also be able to adapt to new missions, change topologies, use different communications technologies, yet still reliably serve all their terminal users. DWNs also have the potential to greatly expand the capacity of civilian and commercial wireless communication. The inherently narrow beams present in these types of systems require a means of steering them, acquiring the links, and tracking to maintain connectivity. This area of technological challenges encompasses all the issues of pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT). iii The two main technologies for DWNs are Free-Space Optical (FSO) and millimeter wave RF (mmW). FSO offers tremendous bandwidths, long ranges, and uses existing fiber-based technologies. However, it suffers from severe turbulence effects when passing through long (>kms) atmospheric paths, and can be severely affected by obscuration. MmW systems do not suffer from atmospheric effects nearly as much, use much more sensitive coherent receivers, and have wider beam divergences allowing for easier pointing. They do, however, suffer from a lack of available small-sized power amplifiers, complicated RF infrastructure that must be steered with a platform, and the requirement that all acquisition and tracking be done with the data beam, as opposed to FSO which uses a beacon laser for acquisition and a fast steering mirror for tracking. This thesis analyzes the many considerations required for designing and implementing a FSO PAT system, and extends this work to the rapidly expanding area of mmW DWN systems. Different types of beam acquisition methods are simulated and tested, and the tradeoffs between various design specifications are analyzed and simulated to give insight into how to best implement a transceiver platform. An experimental test-bed of six FSO platforms is also designed and constructed to test some of these concepts, along with the implementation of a three-node biconnected network. Finally, experiments have been conducted to assess the performance of fixed infrastructure routing hardware when operating with a physically reconfigurable RF network

Architectures and synchronization techniques for distributed satellite systems: a survey

Cohesive Distributed Satellite Systems (CDSSs) is a key enabling technology for the future of remote sensing and communication missions. However, they have to meet strict synchronization requirements before their use is generalized. When clock or local oscillator signals are generated locally at each of the distributed nodes, achieving exact synchronization in absolute phase, frequency, and time is a complex problem. In addition, satellite systems have significant resource constraints, especially for small satellites, which are envisioned to be part of the future CDSSs. Thus, the development of precise, robust, and resource-efficient synchronization techniques is essential for the advancement of future CDSSs. In this context, this survey aims to summarize and categorize the most relevant results on synchronization techniques for Distributed Satellite Systems (DSSs). First, some important architecture and system concepts are defined. Then, the synchronization methods reported in the literature are reviewed and categorized. This article also provides an extensive list of applications and examples of synchronization techniques for DSSs in addition to the most significant advances in other operations closely related to synchronization, such as inter-satellite ranging and relative position. The survey also provides a discussion on emerging data-driven synchronization techniques based on Machine Learning (ML). Finally, a compilation of current research activities and potential research topics is proposed, identifying problems and open challenges that can be useful for researchers in the field.This work was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), through the CORE Project COHEsive SATellite (COHESAT): Cognitive Cohesive Networks of Distributed Units for Active and Passive Space Applications, under Grant FNR11689919.Award-winningPostprint (published version

Routing algorithms for wireless sensor : networks based on the duty cycle of its components

[eng] Wireless sensor network is one of the most important topics in the current data transferring. In fact regarding to data gathering and transformation, cost effective is the top topic and optimum point, which every vendors and sector are focusing on it. In the field of petrochemical regarding sensitive processes could not stay out of this scope and start to monitor the gas pipes and processes over the wireless fashion. Therefore some items should have been taking into considerations such as: instant monitoring, nonstop characteristic, long term investing and energy consuming. According to those aforesaid items, we have planned to do an investigation and find the feasibly of how we can to create and distribute a network to have accuracy to measurement , sending data reliability, having long term network life cycle and having minimum energy consuming. Therefore the only technology could help us was IEEE 802.15.4 with mixed of microcontrollers and transceivers, able to manipulate to reach out our objects in maximizing lifetime and minimizing latency in wsn, as an unique routing algorithm in Mobile ad Hoc Network. WSN in fact is a relatively new section of networking technology and nowadays is more popular. The reason of these advantages instead of others is low-power microcontroller and inexpensive sensor usage for any communications and also simple sensor designing. Regarding to network layers, Physical layer for WSN based on IEEE802.15.4 is fundamental of frames and packets transactions. So two main devices which are involving in this project: transceivers such as CC2520 and CC3200 ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 RF, managed by microcontrollers. Common controller for those transceivers such as MSP430F1611 16-bit MSP430 family for Texas instrument in the nodes and coordinators ideas were selected. One step more close to the idea, was other layer so called Link layer or in other hand MAC layer. Another advantage of WSN is ability to manipulate MAC layer, because modifications in lower layer always has low Energy consuming than other layers. Therefore according to these circumstances, MAC protocols are able to energy efficiency, also reduce and achieve to zero based of unused time in WSN. So any WSN, energy wasting could be control in MAC sub layer and even though MAC protocols. Other layer in WSN is declared as a Network layer, the logical way which those packets could be find the best way and shortest path in minimum time as possible and reachability to the main point based on node and coordinator. Nodes are programmed in upper layer and have been matched with MAC layer, now it's time to join and stick the frames in a packet and involving to each other. Meanwhile we decided to create a middle layer through MAC and Network layer to play as a bridge, mainly called VRT (Variable Response Time) and FRT (Fixed Response Time) to control the energy consumption in the process of routing in network layer. This algorithm is cooperating with MAC layer in sleep and wake up modes, in fact with VRT, nodes just received their needs and captured the vital packet in wake up mode, sends back the answer, now the task is finished and both sided transaction is done. After that, it's not need to have more listening and capturing packets from the remote nodes as a coordinator therefore, left the transmission process to save more energy for further wireless communication stream in sleep mode. Also FRT is another algorithm in MAC layer, to decrease the energy consumption. This algorithm is switch based energy control, as a same concept in VRT in sleeping and wakeup mode. Finally we have design this algorithm in Simulator and real world. The results correlate quite well results showing as a good agreement between two worlds, also we have obtained better results in battery consumption over network life cycle to other business algorithms.[spa] En este trabajo nos focalizaremos en la minimización del consumo a partir de la minimización del número de transmisiones. Buscamos por tanto aquel algoritmo que nos permita aumentar la probabilidad de aciertos. Esta idea, diseñará el algoritmo de enrutamiento que mejor se ajusta a la red MANET. Una vez simulada la red se diseñará un "testbed" en donde una parte de la red se implementará de forma real, mediante la introducción de sensores inalámbricos y la otra parte se hará de forma simulada, a través de una interfaz que interconecta el mundo real con la simulación de Spyder. Se pretende ver que ambos mundos progresan de forma similar. Con respecto a la capa de OSI en WSN, sería prioritaria la capa física o capa de hardware, por este motivo nuestra proyecto también se centra en el tipo determinado de hardware que debe aplicarse para obtener resultados satisfactorios. Entonces tratamos las características de los dos hardwares, el transceiver y el microcontroller. También se trata en este apartado su concepto lógico de acuerdo con la ficha técnica oficial IEEE802.15.4. La segunda prioridad de la capa OSI se centra en el Medium Access Control (MAC) de la capa. En esta capa nuestro objetivo se logrará mediante la manipulación de las addresses MAC. Los protocolos MAC deben estar orientados a la reducción del consumo de energía y también a la reducción del tiempo no utilizado en WSN, para ello aplicamos algunas políticas para controlar los comportamientos del tráfico en esta capa para cambiar el consumo de energía, la vida útil de la red y evitar el gasto innecesario de recursos, en realidad concentramos a nuestro algoritmo VRT y FRT. Respecto de la idea principal, de controlar los sensores para aumentar la vida útil de la red y disminuir el consumo de energía. En realidad se explica cómo controlar la capa MAC y forzar el hardware para lograr el objetivo principal de este proyecto. De hecho podemos decir que mejoramos el reenvío de paquetes entre los sensores intermedios, buscando el promedio de distancia HOP más corta desde el origen al destino, así como la disminución del consumo de energía en cada sensor

Timing and Carrier Synchronization in Wireless Communication Systems: A Survey and Classification of Research in the Last 5 Years

Timing and carrier synchronization is a fundamental requirement for any wireless communication system to work properly. Timing synchronization is the process by which a receiver node determines the correct instants of time at which to sample the incoming signal. Carrier synchronization is the process by which a receiver adapts the frequency and phase of its local carrier oscillator with those of the received signal. In this paper, we survey the literature over the last 5 years (2010–2014) and present a comprehensive literature review and classification of the recent research progress in achieving timing and carrier synchronization in single-input single-output (SISO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), cooperative relaying, and multiuser/multicell interference networks. Considering both single-carrier and multi-carrier communication systems, we survey and categorize the timing and carrier synchronization techniques proposed for the different communication systems focusing on the system model assumptions for synchronization, the synchronization challenges, and the state-of-the-art synchronization solutions and their limitations. Finally, we envision some future research directions