DT3: RF On/Off Remote

Control Technology
Rodney Singleton
Joe Larsen
Luis Garcia
Rafael Ocampo
Mike Moulton
Eric Hatch

Agenda
Radio

Frequency Overview
Frequency Selection
Signals Methods
Modulation Methods

Radio Frequency
Spans from 3kHz to 300GHz
Advantage:
Long

Distance
No stress on line-of-sight
Disadvantage:
Needs

to be operated in accordance with the

FCC
Interference occurs between RF devices

Remote Control using RF

Remote

Control:

Wireless

device used to operate audio, video

and/or other electronic equipment using
transmission.
Car

opener
Garage Door
Specifically
Using

for our project:

RF as a remote control to power on/off a

system.

Selecting a frequency
Spectrum

Characteristics

How rich

is your signal
Distance and environment
Legal

Considerations

Licensed

or unlicensed
Allowed power output
International regulations

Generalizing the RF Spectrum

Frequency

Examples

3 Hz 30 kHz

Submarine Communications

30 kHz 300 kHz

RFID, Navigation Signals

300 kHz 3 MHz

AM Broadcasts

3 MHz 30 MHz

Amateur radio, RFID

30 MHz 300 MHz

FM Radio, Line of sight aircraft communication, Maritime

Radio

300 MHz 3 GHz

Broadcast TV, Cell phones, WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS

3 GHz 30 GHz

WLAN, Backhaul Communications

Lower frequencies will go further and more easily

penetrate obstacles
Higher frequencies have greater bandwidth

Licensed Frequencies
If

a RF signal is considered Mission

Critical a license should be considered
Allows

for sole use of that frequency

Significant cost
$19

Billion raised in 700 MHz auction

Large Telecommunication providers
Other

options do exist in the unlicensed

spectrum

ISM Band

Industrial, Scientific, and Medical

bands
A shared and unlicensed set of
frequencies

Must accept all interference received

Transmission power regulations
Usage regulations

Regulations vary by country

Max power output for 2.4 GHz:

US: 30 dBm, before antenna. 36 dBm,
with antenna.
Europe: 20 dBm

900 MHz is unlicensed only in North and

South America

Frequency range
6.7656.795 MHz
13.55313.567 MHz
26.95727.283 MHz
40.6640.70 MHz
433.05434.79 MHz
902928 MHz
2.4002.500 GHz
5.7255.875 GHz
2424.25 GHz
6161.5 GHz
122123 GHz
244246 GHz

ISM Congestion
900

MHz and 2.4 GHz ranges are

extremely congested
Urban areas will have higher congestion

RF Detection

RF detector monitors the output of an

RF circuit and develops a dc output
voltage.

RF detectors are used primarily to

measure and control RF power in
wireless systems.

In a receiver:

Signal strength is a key factor in

maintaining reliable communications.

In a transmitter:

The amount of power transmitted is

critical because of regulatory guidelines.

Main Applications of RF Detectors

Transmitter output power measurement is the primary

application.

It is essential to know the RF output power.

In many cases, the transmitter power is controlled

automatically.

As a result, the output power is measured and compared

to a set point level in a feedback control circuit so power
can be adjusted as required.

Types of RF Detectors
There are two basic types:
1.
Logarithmic type
2.
RMS type.

The log type converts the input

RF power into a dc voltage proportional to the log
of the input, making the output directly related to
decibels.

The RMS detector creates a dc output proportional

to the RMS value of the signal.

General Criteria for Selecting RF

Detectors

The type of RF signal to be measured is the most

important determining factor in the type of detector to
use.

Log type is best for:

general power measurement and control applications

pulsed RF signals

RMS type is best for:

those applications where then signal has a high crest factor or a

widely varying crest factor

*The crest factor is the ratio of the peak to RMS value of the signal.

Binary Coding
The process of coding pieces of information
and are assigned the values of 0 or 1.
Examples of binary
coding for:
Unique codes for
different devices
Character strings
to bit strings
Security

Amplitude Shift Key Modulation (ASK)

Most

basic of shift key

modulations.

Binary
Type

form of AM

of ASK

On/Off

Key

Advantages v. Disadvantages of ASK

WOO-HOOs:

Cheaper
Conserves
power with the
case of OOK

BOOs:

Susceptible to
interference

What is FSK ???

A frequency

modulation scheme where digital

information is transmitted through discrete
frequency changes of a carrier wave.
Two types are Minimum-shift keying (MSK) and
Audio frequency-shift keying (AFSK).

Common Applications of FSK

Remote Metering

Automatic Meter Reading

(AMR)

Car door openers/remote

car starters.
Garage door openers

Advantages of FSK
Rejects
Better

unwanted noise

signal-to-noise ratio

Automatic

volume control

Disadvantages of FSK
Expensive
High

power consumption

Slow

data transmission

Phase Shift Keying (PSK)

A digital

implementation of Phase
Modulation (PM)
Most forms of digital data transmission
used a form of Phase Modulation
Very high bitrate capabilities
Unnecessarily complicated for most
remote control applications

Analog Signaling (Tone Signals)

Information

sent using analog tones within the

voice band (20 Hz 20 kHz)
Tones detected or not detected, corresponding
to binary 1 or 0
Tones of frequency a corresponds to 1,
frequency b corresponds to 0 (AFSK)
Can

use any analog modulation technique and

existing equipment
Commonly used by amateur radio and emergency
services

Conclusion
Frequency

Selection
RF Detection
Types of Encoding
Types of Modulation
Questions?