Using static objects for passive communication with sunlight

Master thesis (2018)

Authors

C.J. Pai Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Contributors

K.G. Langendoen (supervisor 2)
A.J.L. Adam (supervisor 2)
Marco Zuniga (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Copyright: © 2018 Chaitra Pai
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Published Date

30-08-2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Abstract

The idea of having a smart environment to automate day to day tasks appeals to us all. To enable this, we need objects with embedded electronics to communicate with each other in a network known as the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT communication infrastructure is built on top of existing Radio Frequency (RF) technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), WiFi, and cellular protocols. The RF technology is bandlimited and power hungry, making it unfeasible to support the growing demand of IoT networks. The number of IoT devices in the year 2020 is expected to be around 20 billion, making it essential to explore other areas of sustainable communication technology. Visible light communication (VLC) in the optical domain is being explored to meet the surge in connected devices and to enable sustainability in the energy consumed. The idea behind a VLC system is to toggle a Light Emitting Diode (LED) at high speed to transmit information which ensures that users are not subjected to visual interruptions. Even sunlight - the biggest source of illumination - can be used to transmit information. However, it is not possible to toggle the sun like LEDs. Hence, the objective of this thesis is to use sunlight to setup a green communication channel. In the 1800s, sunlight was used to communicate over long distances by using mirrors to reflect light to send signals. Taking inspiration from this method, I propose using smart materials to toggle sunlight and use it for wireless communication. My aim in this thesis is to analyze the behavior of smart materials, develop a modulation scheme suitable to send information using sunlight, and evaluate the system's performance.