Simulation framework for modeling magnetic induction based wireless underground channel

Abstract

Wireless underground communication is a challenging task when electromagnetic (EM) waves are used. The communication has to face many limitations like spreading loss, fading, and attenuation. The existing solution for this problem is magnetic induction (MI) based communication. The performance of this method depends on many factors like the distance between the transmitter and receiver, placement of relay coils, moisture content, permeability, seasonal changes, and the depth at which the system is deployed. There are no proper MI channel model which incorporates all these soil parameters and geometrical parameters for predicting the signal quality at the receiver. We propose a simulation model using MATLAB to predict the signal quality at the receiver by optimizing the placement of relay coils, taking into consideration the soil parameters, geometrical parameters of coils, and geological parameters.