Transcript PowerPoint Presentation - A Highway Network Using

National Textile Center
F05-AE13
Reinforcement fabrics with electronic
transmission capabilities
Gwynedd Thomas, Auburn Polymer and Fiber Engineering
Sabit Adanur, Auburn Polymer and Fiber Engineering
Lloyd Riggs, Auburn Electrical and Computer Engineering
David Elton, Auburn Civil Engineering
Houmin Li, Graduate Student, Auburn Polymer and Fiber Engineering
The Concept
• A national communications
infrastructure can be built into the
roads solves connection problems
• Localized antennas would be a part
of the road structure and
supplemented by cell towers will
allow better coverage and robustness
• Automobiles could identify their
locations as well as communicate
with other vehicles
A network can be created
by burying antennas
underneath the roads
Problems with present technology
• Cell phones drop calls
• Cell towers are vulnerable
to weather and deliberate
attack
• Current GPS applications
are mainly for navigation
and do not account for
other users
Cell towers have fragile
equipment that can be
easily damaged
Fiber-Based Road Antenna Materials
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Geosynthetic materials are a
norm for use in road
construction
We are integrating antenna
structures into the geosynthetics
to transmit and receive from the
road itself
Antennas can be constructed
using roadbed material as a
basic component
Performance characteristics are
similar to those of conventional
antennas
Road construction using geosynthetics
Copper Tape
Roadbed material
Copper Tape
2.8 GHz fabric patch antenna
Patch antenna structure
Power Loss from Asphalt Interference
Field test, 3/4/06 Successful
transmission from
underneath an
asphalt slab
with minimal
power loss
Field test configurations for asphalt power loss test
Transmission Power Loss Test 2
• Replication test on
4/20/06 verified earlier
testing by successful
transmission with minimal
power loss
• Results of both
experiments show
antennas are capable of
transmitting through
asphalt
Buried antenna test configuration at NCAT
Fabric Antenna
Transmission Test Results
Antenna performance characteristics were
similar to those of conventional antennas
VSWR*
*Voltage Standing Wave Ratio
Radiation pattern
Implications of the Research
• Antennas placed periodically along the road will ensure
uninterrupted cell phone coverage
• Cars equipped with antennas and integrated hardware
and software can become users on the network
– Communication from car to car, avoiding collisions and obtaining
best traffic information
– Police can track a stolen vehicle in seconds
– Street lights become smarter with more information
Antennas placed periodically under the road create a network of
uninterrupted coverage along its entire length