Architecture of an ultrasonic experimental platform for information transmission through solids

An ultrasonic signal is seldom used for information transmission because it attenuates, scatters, disperses and reverberates in the channel. In some environments, the ultrasonic signal is the only option for communication since radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves cannot propagate in the solid and metallic media. This paper presents the feasibility of using an RF ultrasonic signal as the energy source for communication through elastic solids. A testbed platform based on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), high speed data and signal converters, low noise amplifier, power amplifier, and transducers are assembled to conduct ultrasonic communication experiments. This paper focused on the frequency of 2.5 MHz signal. Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) and Phase Shift Keying (PSK) are tested using the testbed platform. The objective is to design and examine a reliable system for the ultrasonic communication in solids having diverse geometrical configurations.