SBIR Phase II: Adaptable Ad Hoc Network Architecture for Rapid Infrastructure Development in Disaster Zones

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目降低了建设现代蜂窝网络的成本和复杂性。在自然或人为灾害等严重紧急情况下，以及在互联网接入基础设施有限的农村地区，数字接入的最大障碍之一是建设蜂窝网络的成本和复杂性。数以百万计的美国人每天都依靠蜂窝网络与他人通信、开展业务、协同工作、访问医疗保健和信息资源，并通过销售点（PoS）设备、电表和交通基础设施为经济提供动力。这些蜂窝网络的丢失对生活造成了重大破坏，其中一个例子是2017年袭击波多黎各的飓风玛丽亚，造成了持续数周的全岛范围内的大规模通信中断。即使在正常情况下，高速互联网的缺乏也会使社区倒退。根据2020年美国人口普查，全国50个州中超过12%的家庭没有互联网接入。随着数字基础设施升级到5G甚至6G，蜂窝基站技术更加昂贵，需要专业知识来配置，并扩大了数字鸿沟。这个项目将解决这些问题。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将创建新的蜂窝基站技术（提供蜂窝信号的设备），以分散蜂窝网络并使其更容易建立。与目前的解决方案相比，该项目将降低建立新蜂窝网络的成本，与现有网络相比至少降低一个数量级。这项技术将缩短部署时间，使没有受过培训的个人能够轻松建立一个大型网络，即使没有基础设施存在。蜂窝基础设施由于使用网状网络在基站之间进行通信和传输数据而提高了可靠性。该项目的研究目标是为生产就绪的基站设备开发集成数字和射频（RF）电路和外壳，将成本降低2.5倍，重量降低2倍。此外，目标是开发一种高性能放大器，使基站能够以高达1w的峰值输出在任何频段上运行，实现无线电和放大器的电信设备（TDD）通信能力，实现频谱接入系统，并设计相控阵天线，以将网状网络的链路预算增加18 dBi。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project reduces the cost and complexity of building modern cellular networks. In grave emergencies such as natural or manmade disasters, and in rural areas where infrastructure for Internet access is limited, one of the largest barriers to digital access is the cost and complexity of building cellular networks. Cellular networks are relied upon everyday by millions of Americans to communicate with others, conduct business, work together, access healthcare and information resources, and power the economy through Point of Sale (PoS) devices, utility meters and transportation infrastructure. Loss of these cellular networks constitutes a major disruption in life, an example being Hurricane Maria that struck Puerto Rico in 2017 and created a massive island-wide communications blackout that lasted several weeks. Even in normal times, the lack of high-speed Internet sets communities back. According to the U.S. Census in 2020, more than 12% of households across the nation's 50 states do not have internet access. As digital infrastructure is upgraded to 5G and even 6G, cellular base station technology is more expensive, requires expertise to configure, and widening the digital divide. This project will combat these problems. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will create new cellular base station technology (the equipment that provides cellular signals) to decentralize cellular networks and make them easier to establish. Compared to current solutions, this project will reduce the cost to set up new cellular networks, by at least an order of magnitude compared to existing networks. The technology will reduce the deployment time and enable individuals with no training to easily set up a large network, even if no infrastructure exists. The cellular infrastructure increases the reliability resulting from the use of a mesh network to communicate and transfer data between base stations. The research objectives of this project are to develop integrated digital and radiofrequency (RF) circuitry and the enclosure for a production-ready base station device reducing the cost by 2.5x and the weight by 2x. In addition, the objectives are to develop a high-performance amplifier to allow the base station to operate on any band at higher power up to 1 W peak output, implement telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) communication ability for the radio and amplifier, implement a spectrum access system, and design a phased array antenna to increase the link budget by up to 18 dBi for the mesh network.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.