Ultrasonic Energy and Data Transfer through a Metal—Liquid Multi-Layer Channel Enhanced by Automatic Gain and Carrier Control

Abstract

Ultrasonic communication and power transfer are attractive solutions when conventional electromagnetic-based or wired connections are unfeasible. Most ultrasonic communication applications concern a single-solid barrier. Nevertheless, some relevant scenarios can be composed of several fluid—solid media, through which communication and power transfer are intended. Due to its multi-layer nature, insertion loss and, consequently, the system efficiency considerably decrease. This paper presents an ultrasonic system capable of simultaneously power transferring and transmitting data through a set of two flat steel plates separated by a fluid layer using a pair of co-axially aligned piezoelectric transducers on opposite sides of the barrier. The system is based on frequency modulation and adopts a novel technique for automatic gain and automatic carrier control. The modems used herein were developed specifically for this application, rendering the system able to transfer data at a rate of 19,200 bps, using the frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation scheme and simultaneously transferring 66 mW of power through two flat steel plates (5 mm) separated by a fluid layer (100 mm), which completely supplied a pressure and temperature sensor. The proposed automatic gain control allowed a higher data transmission rate and the automatic carrier control reduced power consumption. The former reduced the transmission error from 12% to 5%, while the latter reduced the global power consumption from 2.6 W to 1.2 W. The proposed system is promising for monitoring applications such as oil wellbore structural health monitoring systems.

Ultrasonic Through-Metal Communication Based on Deep-Learning-Assisted Echo Cancellation

“…Traditional wireless communication based on electromagnetic waves is ineffective due to the Faraday shielding effect. Ultrasound propagates readily in metal; therefore, it has been suggested to replace electromagnetic waves for through-metal communication [6][7][8][9]. However, the acoustic impedance mismatch between the ultrasonic transducer and the metal structure leads to numerous acoustic reflections at interfaces.…”

Evaluation of the Vibration Signal during Milling Vertical Thin-Walled Structures from Aerospace Materials

“…Experimenting with a larger number of samples; While metals have been used for thousands of years [38], new original applications are reported in the literature. Thus, Pereira, Braga and Kubrusly [39] describe an ultrasonic system capable of simultaneously power transferring and transmitting data through a set of two flat steel plates separated by a fluid layer-using a pair of co-axially aligned piezoelectric transducers on opposite sides of the barrier. Ioana and coworkers in Bucharest [40] used physicochemical systems connected to a computer to optimize the melting of metals.…”