Design of Autonomous Base Stations for Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) Communication

Konferenz: Smart SysTech 2017 - European Conference on Smart Objects, Systems and Technologies
20.06.2017 - 21.06.2017 in Munich, Germany

Tagungsband: Smart SysTech 2017

Seiten: 8Sprache: EnglischTyp: PDF

Persönliche VDE-Mitglieder erhalten auf diesen Artikel 10% Rabatt

Autoren:
Schadhauser, Michael; Robert, Joerg; Heuberger, Albert (Lehrstuhl für Informationstechnik mit dem Schwerpunkt Kommunikationselektronik (LIKE), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany)

Inhalt:
The Internet of Things (IoT), Machine-to-Machine- Communication (M2M) and Industry 4.0 are keywords arousing great research interest in recent years. All these terms incorporate the idea of data exchange among diverse objects in wireless sensor networks. In a previous paper, we extended the domain of sensorbased applications to the scope of wildlife tracking, in particular the tracking of bats. The concept of a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) sensor network was introduced, built up by lightweight Ultra Low Power (ULP) nodes attached to the back of the animals, transmitting sensor data via long range telemetry over a distance of several kilometers. The network architecture was discussed and suitable transmission schemes meeting the harsh energy and weight restrictions were evaluated. For an optimal system performance, however, it is also essential that the receiving network is properly designed. In this paper, we elaborate the development of a LPWA reception network of telemetry-related base stations, tackling the highly demanding requirements for mobility, energy efficiency and remote maintainability. Both, hardware as well as software components are addressed and their interactions are illustrated. The energetically self-sustaining base stations are equipped with directional and omni-directional antennas in a MIMO-like fashion. A Software Defined Radio (SDR) controlled frontend allows for a flexible reception and fast data processing. The operation performance toward the stated requirements is evaluated. Finally, initial results of field trials in Berlin (Germany) are presented, proofing the successful recording of actual bat signals.