News
3rd consortium meeting in Berlin
The third consortium meeting of the LINCNET project hosted from 18-19 October 2023 at our project partner BISDN GmbH in Berlin.
Devolo GmbH, the consortium leader gave an overview of the overall status of the project, as well as a status update from each of the participating partners on the individual work packages.
The LINCENT project is on schedule, there have been no delays. Looking ahead, the project will enter its final year at the beginning of January 2024.
With the newly developed "single-board" prototypes being put into operation, use cases in the medical and industrial sectors are to be demonstrated.
LINCNET explores networking solutions that intelligently combine the most advanced transmission technologies available today: #LiFi (Light Fidelity), #Powerline Communication and #5G.
The focus is on data communication over the light spectrum for applications in healthcare and industrial environments.
Lincnet Meeting in Aachen
In April, devolo AG, the consortium leader of the #LINCNET project, hosted the 2nd project meeting at its offices in Aachen, Germany.
LINCNET explores networking solutions that intelligently combine the most advanced transmission technologies available today: #LiFi (Light Fidelity), #Powerline Communication and #5G.
The focus is on data communication over the light spectrum for applications in healthcare and industrial environments.
At the meeting, consortium partners and project sponsor, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), received an update on the progress of the project.
The prototype was demonstrated live after the first functional samples already were shown at the #MobileWorldCongress in Barcelona in February.
LINCNET partners have contributed to standardisation at the IEEE and ITU-T based on knowledge gained during the project. Thus, in November of last year, final improvements to IEEE Std 802.15.13-2023 [1], ( the last draft before publication), which was adopted this year, could be introduced. The professional public was informed about the new standard within the framework of a tutorial [2].
In April 2023, proposals for future performance improvements were also presented in ITU-T Q3/15. The two standards are relevant for the technical approaches of a distributed, user-centric LiFi system pursued in the project, as well as for LiFi over powerline communication. The partners are continuously following the current standardisation activities and will prepare further contributions to the standardisation where possible.
[1] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9963940
First LiFi-PLC demonstrator completed
LINCNET presents its results at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona
LINCNET, the strategic individual project of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, has successfully completed its second work package.
In collaboration with devolo and 14 other partners, hybrid LiFi/PLC networks have been developed, utilizing the most advanced transmission technologies currently available. The project focuses on data communication through the spectrum of light, with Powerline Communication serving as a link between LiFi and 5G.
The goal of the development is to create a solution that is particularly suitable for use in sensitive environments in medicine or industry, meeting the highest requirements for transmission rates, security, flexibility, and electromagnetic compatibility. In the medical field, imaging sensors such as endoscopes, X-ray or ultrasound machines, as well as digital patient records, should be easier to connect. In the industrial environment, a goal is to simplify the restructuring of production lines and environments.
Work package 3 of the project has now begun, including the development of prototypes. The first functional LiFi/PLC module prototype was presented at the end of February at the HHI partner's booth (Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Interested parties can also inquire with Strategic Positioning (Anil Mengi / Dirk Förmer).
Work package 2 in the Lincnet project completed
New Hybrid LiFi/PLC Network Concept for Medical and Industrial Applications
After conducting a thorough requirement analysis for the medical and industrial sectors (AP1), a system concept and network architecture (AP2) have been developed. The result is a hybrid LiFi/PLC network with LiFi technology used in the access network and PLC technology used in the backhaul network.
The design of the system concept focuses on the following:
- Resilient network architecture
- Quality of service (QoS) including reliability, data rate, latency, and more
- Support for application-critical functionalities such as mobility, low latency, reliability, and localization
- Compatibility with application and network protocols (IP)
- Integration with parallel technologies such as WiFi
While the propagation properties of light allow for advantageous communication properties, they also present challenges in achieving homogeneous and uninterrupted coverage. To cover larger areas, multiple LiFi access points, such as those integrated with lights, need to be installed.
Reusing existing power line infrastructure for power and data supply to LiFi is intuitive, simplifies the process, and reduces the cost of LiFi installations. Direct data connection in industrial applications is equally feasible.
In addition to these two possibilities for realization, technical specifications have been established. This primarily involves the physical layer, which determines modulation and spectrum, as well as the data link layer, where the protocol and encryption are specified.
There are two main applications for this technology, and use cases for the medical and industrial sectors have been identified. The form factor and housing for the LiFi module in the mobile device, LiFi access point (e.g., ceiling module), and gateway are described. Energy-efficient hardware and software are a key focus, achieved through targeted on/off switching of hardware based on load and network traffic situation, using software-defined networking (SDN) concepts.
First status meeting of the project partners in Berlin
Kick-off meeting at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI
LINCNET, which stands for "LiFi-supported 5G for industrial and medical networks", is a collaborative effort among 15 partners to develop networking solutions that intelligently combine the most advanced transmission technologies: LiFi, Powerline Communication, and 5G.
LINCNET focuses on data communication through the spectrum of light – an innovative and highly interesting technology that the project partners are pushing forward in a professional environment. LINCNET will develop the optical wireless communication technology LiFi (Light Fidelity) to be used in various applications as an alternative to 5G radio communication.
Powerline Communication (PLC), a technology that uses existing wiring for data transmission, serves as a link between LiFi and 5G. LINCNET contributes to digitization in the healthcare and industrial sectors.
At the kick-off meeting, the exchange focused on developing a demonstrator system for wireless data communication through LiFi and subsequent transmission over Powerline. The meeting also presented the overall status and results of Work Package 1 (Requirements Analysis) and Work Package 2 (System Concept and Network Architecture) to the DLR project sponsor.
