Open Access
Ubiquitous connected train based on train-to-ground and intra-wagon communications capable of providing on trip customized digital services for passengers
(MDPI, 2014) Salaberria, Itziar; Perallos Ruiz, Asier; Azpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, Leyre; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Carballedo, Roberto; Angulo Martínez, Ignacio; Elejoste Larrucea, Pilar; Bahillo, Alfonso; Astrain Escola, José Javier; Villadangos Alonso, Jesús; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Ingeniería Matemática e Informática; Matematika eta Informatika Ingeniaritza
During the last years, the application of different wireless technologies has been explored in order to enable Internet connectivity from vehicles. In addition, the widespread adoption of smartphones by citizens represents a great opportunity to integrate such nomadic devices inside vehicles in order to provide new and personalized on trip services for passengers. In this paper, a proposal of communication architecture to provide the ubiquitous connectivity needed to enhance the smart train concept is presented and preliminarily tested. It combines an intra-wagon communication system based on nomadic devices connected through a Bluetooth Piconet Network with a highly innovative train-to-ground communication system. In order to validate this communication solution, several tests and simulations have been performed and their results are described in this paper.
Open Access
Characterization of wireless channel impact on wireless sensor network performance in public transportation buses
(IEEE, 2015) Azpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, Leyre; López Iturri, Peio; Aguirre Gallego, Erik; Astrain Escola, José Javier; Villadangos Alonso, Jesús; Zubiri Segura, Cristóbal; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniería Matemática e Informática; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Matematika eta Informatika Ingeniaritza
Wireless communications systems are growing rapidly during the last two decades and they are gaining a significant role for multiple communication tasks within public transportation buses. In this work, the impact of topology and morphology of different types of urban buses is analyzed with the aid of an in-house developed 3D Ray Launching code and compared with on-board measurements of a deployed Wireless Sensor Network. The presence of human beings has been taken into account, showing a significant influence in the signal attenuation in the case of considering persons. In addition, the statistical analysis of simulation results considering both large and small-scale fading has been performed, providing good agreement with statistics for typical indoor environments. In addition, a Wireless Sensor Network has been programmed and deployed within the buses in order to analyze topological impact with overall system performance, with the aim of minimizing the energy consumption as well as non-desired interference levels. The use of deterministic techniques destined to consider the inherent complexity of the buses can aid in wireless system planning in order to minimize power consumption and increase overall system capacity.
Open Access
Analysis of bluetooth-based wireless sensor networks performance in hospital environments
(MDPI, 2016) López Iturri, Peio; Led Ramos, Santiago; Aguirre Gallego, Erik; Azpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, Leyre; Serrano Arriezu, Luis Javier; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
In this work, a method to analyze the performance of Bluetooth-based Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) deployed within hospital environments is presented. Due to the complexity that this kind of scenarios exhibit in terms of radio propagation and coexistence with other wireless communication systems and other potential interference sources, the deployment of WSNs becomes a complex task which requires an in-depth radio planning analysis. For that purpose, simulation results obtained with the aid of an in-house developed 3D Ray Launching code are presented. The scenarios under analysis are located at the Hospital of Navarre Complex (HNC), in the city of Pamplona. As hospitals have a wide variety of scenarios, the analysis has been carried out in different zones such as Boxes, where different medical sensors based on Bluetooth communication protocol have been deployed. The simulation results obtained have been validated with measurements within the scenario under analysis, exhibiting Bluetooth-based WSNs performance within hospital environments in terms of coverage/capacity relations. The proposed methodology can aid in obtaining optimal network configuration and hence performance of Bluetooth-based WSNs within medical/health service provision environments.
Open Access
Band-pass filter-like antenna validation in an ultra-wideband in-car wireless channel
(Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), 2015) García Zuazola, Ignacio Julio; Azpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, Leyre; Sharma, Ashwani; Landaluce, Hugo; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a very attractive technology for innovative in-car wireless communications requiring high data rates. A designated antenna, which presents a reflection coefficient (S11) matched band comparable to the band-pass filter (BPF) normally required at the transducers, plays a positive contribution in this in-car application and was validated for the scenario. The inherited BPF-like response of the antenna relaxes the specification of the front-end BPF components of the transceivers. The in-car propagation channel was modelled and used to validate the BPF-like antenna. For the modelling, a comprehensive set of well-defined measurements (using a standard antenna) were used to set-up the in-car channel simulator and simulated results were used to validate the BPF-like antenna. In addition, the performance of the UWB radio system is studied and the probability of errors over the communication channel compared using the standard and the BPF-like antenna by predictions.
Open Access
A review of IoT sensing applications and challenges using RFID and wireless sensor networks
(MDPI, 2020) Landaluce, Hugo; Arjona, Laura; Perallos Ruiz, Asier; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Angulo Martínez, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
Radio frequency identification (RFID) and wireless sensors networks (WSNs) are two fundamental pillars that enable the Internet of Things (IoT). RFID systems are able to identify and track devices, whilst WSNs cooperate to gather and provide information from interconnected sensors. This involves challenges, for example, in transforming RFID systems with identification capabilities into sensing and computational platforms, as well as considering them as architectures of wirelessly connected sensing tags. This, together with the latest advances in WSNs and with the integration of both technologies, has resulted in the opportunity to develop novel IoT applications. This paper presents a review of these two technologies and the obstacles and challenges that need to be overcome. Some of these challenges are the efficiency of the energy harvesting, communication interference, fault tolerance, higher capacities to handling data processing, cost feasibility, and an appropriate integration of these factors. Additionally, two emerging trends in IoT are reviewed: the combination of RFID and WSNs in order to exploit their advantages and complement their limitations, and wearable sensors, which enable new promising IoT applications.
Open Access
5G spatial modeling of personal RF-EMF assessment within aircrafts cabin environments
(IEEE, 2022) Celaya Echarri, Mikel; Azpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, Leyre; Rodríguez Corbo, Fidel Alejandro; López Iturri, Peio; Shubair, Raed M.; Ramos González, Victoria; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
Recently, new wireless communication systems within aircrafts cabins have drawn higher attention due to the growing demand of passenger services and applications and their corresponding requirements and constraints. In this regard, the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication becomes an attractive and promising alternative to enable aircraft passengers' comfort and entertainment along the flight, considering its potential benefits in term of high data transfers and low latencies. Nevertheless, general population concern about radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) safety in general and, in particular to the environmental exposure at which we are all exposed in these flights, increases at the same time. Thus, in this work, we present an experimental campaign of measurements for current passengers' environmental exposure assessment, performed in different real generalizable type of flights and aircrafts' cabins, in order to provide current RF-EMF exposure insight within these complex heterogeneous environments. In addition, worst-case uplink 5G scenarios, where all 5G cellular handsets of the passengers operate at the same time, have been simulated by means of an in-house developed 3D Ray Launching (3D-RL) deterministic technique. Before takeoff and after landing, critical scenarios with the aircrafts' doors closed have been selected and assessed considering different types of modeled aircrafts full of passengers, considering 5G frequency range 2 (5G-FR2) operating links. The obtained results show that the operation frequency and the morphology and topology of the aircraft cabin have a great influence in the environmental RF-EMF passengers' spatial distribution and overall exposure, but not exceeding, even in worst case conditions, the international established regulatory limits. © 2022 IEEE.
Open Access
A metasurface-based single-layered compact AMC-backed dual-band antenna for off-body IoT devices
(IEEE, 2021) Ahmad, Sarosh; Paracha, Kashif Nisar; Sheikh, Yawar Ali; Ghaffar, Adnan; Butt, Arslan Dawood; Alibakhshikenari, Mohammad; Soh, Ping Jack; Khan, Salahuddin; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
In this article, a compact printed monopole dual-band antenna using artificial magnetic conductor (AMC)-plane with improved gain and broader bandwidth, applicable for off-body internet of things (IoT) devices is presented. The monopole antenna consists of two C-shaped resonators connected through a U-shaped monopole, parasitic elements, discrete ground circular rings and a co-planar waveguide (CPW) feedline. Each artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) unit cell consists of a slotted circular and a square stubs, designed with two zero-crossing phases for improving the radiation characteristics and to achieve the high gain. The overall size of the proposed AMC-backed antenna is 44.4 mm ×44.4 mm ×1.6 mm with electrical dimensions of 0.75λ g × 0.75λ g× 0.027λ g. This AMC-backed antenna featured measured bandwidths of 9.6% and 12.4% with improved measured gain values of 4.88 dB and 4.73 dB at 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively. The specific absorption rate (SAR) values are analysed and found to be 1.58 W/kg at 2.45 GHz and 0.9 W/kg at 5.8 GHz. Therefore, the proposed AMC-backed antenna is useful for off-body IoT devices operating at 2.45 and 5.8 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band applications.
Open Access
Patient tracking in a multi-building, tunnel-connected hospital complex
(IEEE, 2020) Trigo Vilaseca, Jesús Daniel; Klaina, Hicham; Picallo Guembe, Imanol; López Iturri, Peio; Astrain Escola, José Javier; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Serrano Arriezu, Luis Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA29
Patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICU) are transported from and to other units. Knowing their location is strategic for a sound planning of intra-hospital transports as well as resources management. This is even more crucial in big hospital complexes, comprised of several buildings often connected through tunnels. In this work, a patient tracking application in a multi-building, tunnel-connected hospital complex (the Hospital Complex of Navarre) is presented. The system leverages Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) communication technologies, such as Long Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) and Near Field Communication (NFC). The locations of the LoRaWAN nodes were selected based on several factors, including the situation of the tunnels, buildings services and medical equipment and a literature review on intra-hospital ICU patients' trips. The possible locations of the LoRaWAN gateways were selected based on 3D Ray Launching Simulations, in order to obtain accurate characterization. Once the locations were set, a LoRaWAN radio coverage studio was performed. The main conclusion drawn is that just one LoRaWAN gateway would be enough to cover all overground LoRaWAN nodes deployed. A second one would be required for underground coverage. In addition, a remote, private cloud infrastructure together with a mobile application was created to manage the information generated. On-field tests were performed to assess the technical feasibility of the system. The application provides with on-demand ICU patients' movement flow around the complex. Although designed for the ICU-admitted patients' context, the system could be easily extrapolated to other use cases.
Open Access
Analysis of radio wave propagation for ISM 2.4GHz wireless sensor networks in inhomogeneous vegetation environments
(2014) Azpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, Leyre; López Iturri, Peio; Aguirre Gallego, Erik; Astrain Escola, José Javier; Villadangos Alonso, Jesús; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Ingeniería Matemática e Informática; Matematika eta Informatika Ingeniaritza
The use of wireless networks has been extended in an exponential growing due to the improvement in terms of battery life and low consumption of the devices. However, it is highly important to conduct previous radio propagation analysis when deploying a wireless sensor network. These studies are necessary to perform an estimation of the range coverage, in order to optimize the distance between devices in an actual network deployment. In this work, the radio channel characterization for ISM 2.4GHz Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in an inhomogeneous vegetation environment has been analyzed. The impact of topology as well as morphology of the environment is assessed by means of an in-house developed 3D Ray Launching code, to emulate the realistic operation in the framework of the scenario. Experimental results gathered from a measurements campaign conducted by deploying a ZigBee Wireless Sensor Network, are analyzed and compared with simulations in this paper. The scenario where this network is intended to operate is a combination of buildings and diverse vegetation species. To gain insight in the effects of radio propagation, a simplified vegetation model has been developed, considering the material parameters and simplified geometry embedded in the simulation scenario. The use of deterministic tools can aid to know the impact of the topological influence in the deployment of the optimal Wireless Sensor Network in terms of capacity, coverage and energy consumption, making the use of these systems attractive for multiple applications in inhomogeneous vegetation environments.
Open Access
Smart cities, IoT y salud: retos de Internet of medical things (IoMT)
(Sociedad Española de Informática de la Salud, 2018) Trigo Vilaseca, Jesús Daniel; Serrano Arriezu, Luis Javier; Astrain Escola, José Javier; Falcone Lanas, Francisco; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
La innovación tecnológica aplicada al ámbito de la salud está permitiendo el rápido desarrollo de la internet de los dispositivos médicos, o en su versión inglesa más aceptada internet of medical things (iomt). En este artículo se pretende dar una visión general de las posibilidades y retos de estas tecnologías, la cuales deben imbricarse como pilar fundamental en el desarrollo de estrategias locales, regionales y estatales de las ciudades inteligentes o smart cities.