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Systems and Methods for Ultrasonic Pulse Communication in Solid Substrates

Detailed Technology Description

Introduction Information exchange with ultrasonic pulses offers an energy efficient approach for event monitoring in wireless sensor networking. Since the purpose of this wireless sensor network is to detect the occurrence of a certain event, the information is binary in nature – a single ultrasonic pulse represents the detection of such an event. In contrast to this, traditional radio communication requires multiple bits, due to radio packet structure, to represent the same information. Hence, the traditional model of communication in wireless sensor networks for binary event detection is highly inefficient.  Description of Technology This technology is a generalized ultrasonic sensor node, small enough to be embedded into structural materials, which can communicate with neighboring nodes via ultrasound and can be programmed to monitor a specific component of the structure.  This technology can be used to create a network of generalized ultrasonic sensor nodes embedded in a construction material. The structural material could be fashioned into modular components. The nodes are embedded in a manner such that mechanically connecting the modules to one another results in a sensor network. Communication between nodes is achieved via mechanical wave propagation in solid substrates, using ultrasonic waves. Multi-hop pulse networking is applied in order to exchange information over large distances and an ultrasonic pulse compression mechanism is applied in order to reduce overhead.  Key BenefitsLower power consumptionNo overhead for network design and implementation Low cost ApplicationsEvent monitoring in wireless sensor networkingStructural health monitoringAircraft Wing monitoringBridge monitoring Patent Status Patent pending Inventors Subir Biswas, Stephan Lorenz, Bo Dong, Qiong Huo Tech ID TEC2013-0069

*Abstract

None

*Principal Investigator

Name: Subir Biswas, Professor

Department: Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Name: Stephan Lorenz, Doctoral Student

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Name: Bo Dong, Student

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Name: Qiong Huo, previously MSU studnet

Department: Electrical and Chemical Engineering

Country/Region

USA