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Massives Ultraschall-MIMO (muMIMO)

Subject Area Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
Mechanics
Term from 2017 to 2024
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 349435502
 
Final Report Year 2024

Final Report Abstract

In recent years, ultrasonic Guided Waves (GWs) received a considerable attention to perform wireless data communication in situations where traditional electromagnetic wireless connections are not possible or perform poorly. With this in mind the AcoComm project as well as the muMIMO project were proposed. AcoComm explored possibilities and advantages of acoustic communication between sensor-nodes in an autonomous multi-sensor network, in which wireless communication is performed over dispersive mechanical waveguides. Meanwhile, muMIMO pursued the goal of parallel multiple acoustic communication within nodes in a communication network by means of GW, which are often used in Structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Both projects rely on the intrinsic capabilities of GW, namely their ability to travel long distances without substantial attenuation, as well as to their versatile multimode/frequency nature, that allows for defect detection, localization and characterization. Through AcoComm, autonomous damage detection sensor nodes were able to use elastic waves to detect damage over a structure, calculate damage indicators, and by using the structure as channel, transmit elastic waveforms to share with other sensor nodes their damage assessment. On the other hand, muMIMO extend this concept by exploiting the capabilities of frequency steerable acoustic transducers (FSATs); these transducers are able to generate and swivel acoustic wave-field lobes, similar to those generated by a phased array system. Additionally, to the acoustic network capabilities explored by AcoComm, the FSAT networks explored in muMIMO also enable the possibility to combine spatial, time and frequency multiplexing, directive communication and spatial filtering for multiple simultaneous communication. Complementary to the previous, thanks to the inherent directionality faculty of the FSAT, the number of array elements can be importantly reduced. The system combination of dedicated electronics or sensor nodes (SN)s and acoustic transducers explored in AcoComm and muMIMO forming acoustic networks, allows structural scanning for damage detection, identification and localization; and allows exchange between nodes of such structural information, that can be lead through the network for remote deeper analysis at a base station. Throughout both projects, it was proven using finite element simulations and analysis that the information can be successfully transmitted under different communication protocols, such as on-off keying or quadrature amplitude modulation and be successfully transferred and decoded through down the network. Information compressing approaches were developed allowing for a significantly reduction in the amount of data to be transmitted in a transducer network.

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