Speaker
Description
Sensor networks are increasingly required in environments where conventional radio-frequency communication is unreliable, attenuated, or unavailable. Examples include dense metallic structures, liquid-filled spaces, enclosed industrial assets, and high-multipath environments where RF propagation is strongly constrained. This paper presents a GNU Radio-based acoustic communication approach for connecting low-data-rate sensors in RF-hostile environments using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform with packet framing based on preamble and postamble detection.
The proposed system is designed for short text and sensor-status messages rather than high-throughput data transfer. This reflects practical monitoring applications where reliability, repeatability, and environmental tolerance are more important than bandwidth. The communication chain was implemented using GNU Radio, allowing the acoustic modem to be developed, tested, and modified using software-defined radio principles. The OFDM structure supports improved robustness in multipath acoustic channels by distributing data across multiple subcarriers and using a cyclic prefix to reduce inter-symbol interference. A preamble provides packet acquisition and synchronisation, while a postamble assists with message boundary detection and validation.
Experimental work from the associated PhD research demonstrates that acoustic signalling can provide a practical alternative communication path in environments where RF links are limited or unavailable. The paper discusses the system architecture, GNU Radio implementation, framing method, acoustic channel challenges, and intended sensor-networking applications. The work contributes a practical SDR-based framework for short-message acoustic sensor communication in difficult physical environments.
| Talk Length | 30 Minutes |
|---|---|
| Acknowledge | Acknowledge In-Person |