Radio and Optical Communications

Radio and Optical Communications

Measurement of the characteristics of radio, broadband and narrowband channels, radio interference and the development of models of such channels.

Most of the research is directed towards:

Analysis of the radio channel.
Characterization of propagation degradations.

Lines of Research

Líñas de Investigación

Characterization of the radio channel

Measurement of the characteristics of radio channels, in broadband and narrowband, radio interference, etc., and development of channel models.

Characterization of impulsive noise

Measurement and characterization of impulsive noise. Radio communication systems are affected like any other communications systems by the presence of noise. Noise degrades the performance of the communication systems and the quality of the received signal. At the time of designing a system, the presence of Gaussian noise is taken into account in order to guarantee a minimum value of the signal / noise ratio (analog systems) or a maximum value of the probability of error (digital systems).

Wireless sensor networks

Communication solutions using wireless networks.

Design, construction and testing of communications systems

Analysis and design of communications systems, prototype manufacturing and testing.

Design and manufacture of hybrid circuits of RF and microwave circuits

Among the lines of work are: (1) Design of radio subsystems, (2) design of monolithic microwave integrated circuits, (3) small/large-signal characterization (with vector calibration) of microwave and mm-wave devices and circuits, (4) non-linear model development for microwave transistors.

Software for simulation of any type of complex problems from the field of radio frequency to optical frequencies

In 1998, HEMCUVE was born as a response to the commission given by the company NAVANTIA to the COM group to conduct a study of electromagnetic compatibility and interference in radiant systems on board of ships. Since then, the group’s efforts have focused on evolving this software tool to achieve rigorous and accurate analysis of arbitrary electromagnetic problems. Currently, HEMCUVE++, the Hybrid ElectroMagnetic Code University of Vigo and Extremadura, is a complex tool based on the Moment Method, which uses spectral acceleration techniques (FMM and FMM-FFT) and exploits the resources available in the current supercomputers to solve electromagnetic simulation problems unsolvable by any other method.

Research Groups

Facilities

atlanTTic center, in its experimental laboratory “Antelia”, has different broadband channel probes and commercial equipment with which to perform the measures. In particular, we must mention the anechoic chamber for measurement in free space conditions.

Likewise, in the laboratory “Antelia”, the necessary equipment is available for the measurement of:

Measure tests “in situ” exposure of people to electromagnetic fields “Quick view of the radioelectric environment between 100KHz – 3 GHz”. ENAC accreditation No. 1141 / LE2222.
Tests of measures “in situ” for the exposure of people to electromagnetic fields “Phase-2”.
Measure of exposure of people to electromagnetic fields of industrial frequency (50 Hz) generated by electrical infrastructures.
Anechoic chamber for measurement in free space conditions.
Equipment necessary for the design, manufacture and testing of the circuits that make up this type of system. Particularly, it is necessary to mention the ability to measure the characteristics of the antennas, including the gain of the antenna according to an essay.

Other equipment and facilities available:

Anechoic / semianecoicca camera with 9mm x 7m x 7m electromagnetic measures (L x W x H) designed to operate up to 24GHz equipped with high performance automated positioning systems, high-end equipment and near-field transformation software. System of measurement of spherical range.
Millimeter headsystems formed by (a) vector analyzer Agilent PNA 5222A networks, (b) modules (Tx / Rx + Rx) in the 220-330 GHz bands, 500-750GHz and 750-1.100GHz + calibration kit in those Bands + antennas.
Spectrometers in THz: (a) in the temporal domain (THz-TDS). Spectral range greater than 2 THz (typical> 3THz), dynamic range of up to 50 dB, 5 GHz spectral resolution; (B) continuous wave (THz-CWS). Spectral range from 100 GHz to 2 THz, dynamic range up to 80 dB, 10 MHz spectral resolution.
Supercomputing cluster It is composed of 4 nodes, each with 64 calculation cores and 1 TB of RAM.
Basic RF and Microwave electronic instrumentation (signal generators, spectrum analyzers, etc.).
analyzers, etc.).
Non-linear analyzers of vector-calibrated networks (up to 50 GHz) and with power measurements for impedances that are different from 50 Ohm, and up to 24 W.
Test rod station with temperature control for measurements on devices on die or semiconductor wafer.
Equipment for the manufacture of hybrid prototypes of RF and microwave by chemical attack and mechanical milling.

Application Sectors

Food.
Safety, quality, food traceability.
Precision agriculture.
Ecological livestock Smart animal farming.
Environmental control.
Environment: detection and monitoring of pollution.
Health: monitoring, remote diagnosis.
Retail: Inventory management, product rotation control, etc.
Industrial Control.
Logistics.

Home automation.
Communications electronics.
Maritime, fishing.
Maritime and land communications.
Navigation.
Communications with unmanned vehicles.
Military use.
Ship manufacturers.
Manufacturers vehicles.

Outcomes

Title	Characterization of the radio channel
Summary	Measuring the characteristics of the radio channels, broadband and narrowband, radio interference, etc, and development of models of said channels. Most of the research is aimed at: Analysis of the radio channel. Characterization of propagation degradation.
Application and Pros	Measurement and calculation of mobile phone coverage and other wireless systems. Measurement and calculation of coverage of analog and digital television. Measurement and characterization of electromagnetic attenuation by hydrometeors (rain, mist, etc.). Measurement and electromagnetic characterization of materials. Measurement and characterization of the propagation of waves indoors. Planning of radio communication systems. Certification of radioelectric stations. Instrumentation control. Measurement of people/workers’s exposure to electromagnetic fields Numerical simulation of applied electromagnetism problems. Frequent selective surfaces (FSS).
Application sectors	Telecommunications, networks transport and logistics technologies. Navigation and embedded systems. Aerospace Technology: Satellite Navigation Systems. Electronics, Communications Microelectronics High Frequency Technology, Microwave. Building industry.
Intellectual property	N/A

Title	Characterization of impulsive noise
Summary	Measurement and characterization of impulsive noise. Radio communications systems are affected like any other communications system by the presence of noise. Noise degrades the performance of the communication systems and the quality of the received signal. At the time of designing a system, the presence of Gaussian noise is taken into account in order to guarantee a minimum value of the signal / noise ratio (analog systems) or a maximum value of the probability of error (digital systems). However, Gaussian noise is not the only type of noise present in a communications system. There is also a noise of human origin produced by starter motors, electric motors, fluorescents, arc welders, etc., which is known as impulsive noise. This impulsive noise must also be taken into account when it comes to designing the communications system since, despite being discontinued over time, it can cause the system to malfunction, if, for example, in a digital communications system it affects the sync bits.
Application and Pros
Application sectors	Multisectorial.
Intellectual property	N/A

Title	Wireless sensor networks
Summary	Communication solutions that use wireless networks.
Application and Pros	Thanks to the use of this technology in different fields, a higher level of control and monitoring has been achieved. This leads to better handling / response of the medium in which it is being used. Advantages: Flexibility in the network. Greater life time. Greater coverage. Lower cost, easy installation and maintenance. Less response time. Low power consumption. Greater accuracy and frequency of measurements. Greater security.
Application sectors	Food Safety, quality, food traceability. Precision agriculture Ecological livestock Smart animal farming. Environmental control Environment: detection and monitoring of pollution. Health: monitoring, remote diagnosis. Retail: Inventory management, product rotation control, etc. Industrial Control Logistics Home automation Communications electronics.
Intellectual property	N/A

Title	Design, construction and testing of communications systems
Summary	Analysis and design of communications systems, prototype manufacturing and testing. Some of the main results are: Characterization of broadband radio channel for emergency communication systems. Telemonitoring for the improvement of the autonomy of the elderly in rural areas. Development of a location and alarm system for low-cost vessels. CROCANTE Characterization of radio channels, optimization and calibration of the “GEODA” antenna for space communications. Innovation in radio technologies for 5G networks. Medical remote sensing and image on the body using UWB technologies. Design of ultra wide band antennas.
Application and Pros	Rescue and maritime safety work. Improved rural life quality
Application sectors	Telecommunications, maritime, fishing
Intellectual property	N/A

Title	Design and manufacture of hybrid circuits of RF and microwave circuits
Summary	Among the lines of work are: Design of radio subsystems. Design of monolithic microwave circuits. Characterization (with vector calibration) of devices and microwave circuits. Development of nonlinear models for microwave transistors.
Application and Pros	Simulation and modeling of circuits.
Application sectors	Air and sea communications. Navigation. Communications with unmanned vehicles
Intellectual property	N/A

Title	M3 software (previously called HEMCUVE) for simulation of any type of complex problems from the field of radio frequency to optical frequencies.
Summary	In 1998, HEMCUVE was born in response to the commission given by the company NAVANTIA to the COM group to conduct a study of electromagnetic compatibility and interference in radiant systems on board of ships. Since then, the group’s efforts have focused on evolving this software tool to achieve rigorous and accurate analysis of arbitrary electromagnetic problems. Currently, HEMCUVE++, the Hybrid ElectroMagnetic Code University of Vigo and Extremadura, is a complex tool based on the Moment Method, which uses spectral acceleration techniques (FMM and FMM-FFT) and exploits the resources available in current supercomputers to solve electromagnetic simulation problems of unsolvable by any other method.
Application and Pros	Military application. The main advantage is the computational capacity of the algorithms used in the development of simulation software.
Application sectors	Military use, manufacturers boats, vehicle manufacturers.
Intellectual property	N/A

Title	Channel estimation and hybrid precoding
Summary	Our work on channel estimation and hybrid precoding and combining includes: (a) design of low complexity precoders and combiners; (b) development of design algorithms for the hybrid precoders independent of the array geometry; (c) compressive channel estimation algorithms capable to work with different types of analog processing networks (phase shifting networks or switching networks for example); (d) SU and MU precoders designed without need of explicit channel estimation; the study of power consumption rates achievable with different architectures, and design of hybrid precoders with power restrictions per antenna.
Application and Pros	New generation of 5G communication
Application sectors	Multisectorial
Intellectual property	N/A