88162 - Communication Technologies P

Academic Year 2020/2021

  • Docente: Chiara Buratti
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: ING-INF/03
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Mechatronics Engineering (cod. 9250)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have the basic knowledge on digital communication system technologies and telecommunications networks. The student will have knowledge about numerical modulation techniques, problems related to the presence of noise in the receivers, propagation characteristics in cables and wireless medium, the architecture of the Internet and the main principles of protocols, design and configure networks for industrial applications, starting from the physical layer (cabling) up to the network and transportation layer.

Course contents

The course will follow a path similar to the organization of a system and a communication network. After an introduction to telecommunications and applications of Industry 4.0, to which the entire course will refer, we will move on to the fundamentals of communication theory by providing basic elements on the theory of systems, networks and transmission media. The second part of the course will be dedicated to detailing the protocols for the physical layer (modulation), link layer (channel coding and MAC protocols) and network layer protocols. The course will end with an overview of wired and wireless communication technologies for Industry 4.0.

Below is a list of the topics covered in more detail.

  • Introduction to the course and to Industry 4.0
  • Fundamentals of sygnal and systems: PAM signal, LTI systems, distortion and filters, gain
  • Network fundamentals: network topologies, protocols architecture, Internet
  •  Fundamentals of transmission media: coaxial cable, optical fiber and wireless medium, antennas, Friis formula
  • Physical Layer: modulation, thermal noise, link budget, performance in the presence of thermal noise
  • Link Layer: channel coding, multiple access protocols, performance in the presence of interference
  • Network Layer: network protocols, transport protocols (TCP, UDP)
  • Wireless solutions for Industry 4.0: IEEE 802.15.4 / Zigbee, LoRa, NB-IoT, 5G
  • Wired solutions: Ethernet, EtherCAT

The laboratory activity will allow the student to first observe the behavior of a communication link, characterize its performance, in terms of received packets and latency. Later on, the student will have the possibility to observe a small network and the related packets exchanged among devices, using Wireshark. In the laboratory students will use Freescale MC1322 devices, compatible with IEEE 802.15.4 / Zibgee standard, and SX1272 Semtech, LoRa devices.

Readings/Bibliography

Recommended books:

Testo 1: "Fondamenti di Telecomunicazioni per l'Ingegneria gestionale: Messaggi, segnali, sistemi", Marco Chiani, Roberto Verdone, Pitagora Editrice Bologna.

Testo 2: "Fondamenti di Telecomunicazioni per l'Ingegneria gestionale: Codifica di sorgente, mezzi di trasmissione, collegamenti", Appunti tratti dalle lezioni del Prof. Roberto Verdone, Pitagora Editrice Bologna.

Testo 3: "Internet e le Reti", James F. Kurose, Keith W. Ross, McGraw-Hill.

Lecture notes and related slides will be available on IOL (https://iol.unibo.it/).

More in-depth material will always be made available on IOL (https://iol.unibo.it/).

Teaching methods

Chalk & talk - approx. 36 hours 

Exericises and Seminars - approx. 12 hours

Laboratory activities (groups of 3 students) - approx. 12 hours

Assessment methods

The exam is divided into two parts: a written and an oral part. 

The written test consists of two exercises related to the first part of the course, i.e., concerning the fundamentals of signals and systems, transmission media, link budget and physical layer. The student will be allowed to consult the course notes during the exam. It will be possible to take the written test during the course: mid-term test carried out in the middle of the course.

The result of the written part (if positive) will be: passed, or passed with final mark limitation to 27, or passed with final mark limitation to 24.

Once the written test has passed (mid-term test or appeal in January / February), it will be possible to access the oral test.

The oral exam will consist of two questions: i) a theoretical question concerning the first part of the course (sygnal and systems and phy layer); a theoretical question concerning the second part of the course, i.e., the link layer and protocols for the network and transport layers. the oral will finish with a presentation on one of the laboratory activities selected by the the student.

The final grade is defined as follows: starting the oral with 30 (or 27, or 24 depending on the result of the written part) and decreasing the mark at each wrong answer.

 

Teaching tools

Theoretical part: books, slides, notes, in-depth material.

Laboratory: 802.15.4 / Zigbee devices, 868 MHz LoRa devices, sniffers, Wireshark.

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Buratti

SDGs

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.