BER Analysis and Optimization of Direct Antenna Modulation for Magnetic Induction Communication

The wireless communication range of RF (Radio Frequency) signals in underground environments is limited due to the short skin depth and geometric inhomogeneity. Magnetic induction-based near field communication using long-wavelength signals provides a low-power, low-cost, and long-range solution. Due to the fundamental limitation of antenna bandwidth, the data rate of magnetic induction communication is small, especially using LF or VLF carrier frequencies. Recently, this limitation has been addressed by the use of direct antenna modulation (DAM). Although DAM-based antennas have been widely developed and accepted, it is not clear how to design optimal receivers to build an integrated communication system. In this paper, the bit error rate (BER) of two receiving architectures for magnetic induction communication with DAM using an integrator and a correlator are studied. The demodulation schemes are introduced and analyzed. Analytical models are developed, optimized, and compared.