NeTS: Small: The MOLES: Enabling Wireless Sensor Networks in Underground

无线地下传感器网络（WUSNs），即在地表以下运行的无线传感器节点网络，是许多新兴应用的使能技术，如智能农业、地下管道和电网监测、油藏监测、隐蔽边境巡逻、地震和滑坡预报、地下矿山灾害预防和救援等。尽管具有潜在的优势，但实现WUSNs非常具有挑战性。地下环境的特殊性阻碍了大多数（如果不是全部的话）现有无线通信和网络解决方案的直接使用，这主要是由于地下环境中非常高的路径损耗、很小的通信范围和电磁波的高动态。该项目的目标是解决在具有挑战性的地下环境中实现WUSNs的独特挑战。该研究是建立在基于磁感应（MI）的新型通信机制以及地下土壤介质、油藏、矿山和隧道的系统架构之上的。这个特殊的项目有四个主要的推动力。首先，提出了一种基于MI信道特性的跨层通信框架，实现高吞吐量、高能效、可靠的地下通信。其次，提出了一种新的基于接收磁场强度（RMFS）的定位模式，利用接收磁场强度信号独特的多径和无衰落传播特性，保证了定位策略的准确性、简便性和方便性。第三，针对不同的WUSNs应用，提出了一种基于mi的最优网络部署策略，其目标是在保持所需带宽约束和可靠性要求的同时，最小化线圈密度。最后，开发了一个基于mi的物理WUSN试验台，该试验台由我们自己设计的基于mi的传感器设备和工程地下环境组成，以验证我们提出的解决方案。预计该研究将为新型WUSNs应用的实现和实施铺平道路，从而在工业生产力和国土安全方面取得重大进展，例如隐蔽边境巡逻。该项目将汇集信息论、无线电设计和网络领域的研究人员，并使建立新的研究联系和解释成为可能。该项目将资助两名研究生。该项目的解决方案还将为所建议的技术和新颖的系统架构获得专利。研究成果将在该领域的重要科学会议、期刊和主要杂志上发表。开发的仿真工具和物理测试平台将作为研究界的评估平台。

Wireless Underground Sensor Networks (WUSNs), i.e., networks of wireless sensor nodes that operate below the ground surface, are the enabling technology of many emerging applications, such as intelligent agriculture, underground pipelines and power grid monitoring, oil reservoir monitoring, concealed border patrol, earthquake and landslide forecasting, and underground mine disaster prevention and rescue, amongst others. Despite their potential advantages, the realization of WUSNs is very challenging. The peculiarities of the underground environments prevent the direct use of most, if not all, existing wireless communication and networking solutions, mainly due to the very high path loss, small communication range, and high dynamics of electromagnetic (EM) waves in the underground environment. The objective of this project is to address the unique challenges for the realization of WUSNs in challenging underground environments. The proposed research is built on top of novel Magnetic Induction (MI)-based communication mechanisms as well as system architectures in underground soil medium, oil reservoirs, and mines and tunnels. This particular project has contributions along four major thrusts. First, a cross-layer communication framework based on the MI channel characteristics is proposed to achieve high-throughput, energy-efficient, and reliable underground communications. Second, a new Received Magnetic Filed Strength (RMFS)-based localization paradigm is proposed to exploit the unique multi-path and fading-free propagation properties of MI-based signals, which guarantees the accuracy, simplicity, and convenience of the localization strategy. Third, an optimal MI-based network deployment strategy is proposed for different WUSNs applications with the objective to minimize the coil density while maintaining the required bandwidth constraint and reliability requirements. Finally, a physical MI-based WUSN testbed is developed, which consists of our own designed MI-based sensor devices and an engineered underground environment, to validate our proposed solutions. The proposed research is expected to pave the way for the realization and implementation of emerging WUSNs applications, which bring significant advances in the industrial productivity and homeland security, e.g., concealed border patrol. This project will bring together researchers in the areas of information theory, radio design, and networking, and enable the establishment of new research connections and interpretations. The project will support two graduate students. The solutions of the project will also result in patents for the proposed techniques and novel system architectures. The research results will be disseminated in important scientific conferences, journals and premier magazines of the field. The developed simulation tool and physical testbed will serve as the evaluation platform for the research community.