Cellonics Technology

[project report tiger]

Are you tired of slow modem connections? Cellonics Incorporated has
developed new technology that may end this and other communications problems forever.
The new modulation and demodulation technology is called Cellonics. In general, this
technology will allow for modem speeds that are 1,000 times faster than our present
modems. The development is based on the way biological cells communicate with each
other and nonlinear dynamical systems (NDS). Major telcos, which are
telecommunications companies, will benefit from the incredible speed, simplicity, and
robustness of this new technology, as well as individual users.
In current technology, the ASCII uses a combination of ones and zeros to
display a single letter of the alphabet (Cellonics, 2001). Then the data is sent over
radio frequency cycle to its destination where it is then decoded. The original
technology also utilizes carrier signals as a reference which uses hundreds of wave
cycles before a decoder can decide on the bit value (Legard, 2001), whether the bit
is a one or a zero, in order to translate that into a single character.
The Cellonics technology came about after studying biological cell behaviour. The
study showed that human cells respond to stimuli and generate waveforms that consist
of a continuous line of pulses separated by periods of silence. The Cellonics
technology found a way to mimic these pulse signals and apply them to the
communications industry (Legard, 2001). The Cellonics element accepts slow analog
waveforms as input and in return produces predictable, fast pulse output, thus
encoding digital information and sending it over communication channels. Nonlinear
Dynamical Systems (NDS) are the mathematical formulations required to simulate the
cell responses and were used in building Cellonics. Because the technique is
nonlinear, performance can exceed the norm, but at the same time, implementation is
straightforward (Legard, 2001).
This technology will be most beneficial to businesses that do most of their work by
remote and with the use of portable devices. The Cellonics technology will provide
these devices with faster, better data for longer periods of time (Advantages, 2001).
Cellonics also utilizes a few discrete components, most of which are bypassed or
consume very little power. This reduces the number of off the shelf components in
portable devices while dramatically decreasing the power used, leading to a lower
cost for the entire device. The non-portable devices of companies will benefit from
the lack of components the machines have and the company will not have to worry so
much about parts breaking.
CHAPTER- 2
PRINCIPLE OF CELLONICS TECHNOLOGY
2: PRINCIPLE OF CELLONICS TECHNOLOGY
Fig 2.a: Measured ß-cell Response
The Cellonics„¢ technology is a revolutionary and unconventional approach based on
the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems (NDS) and modelled after biological
cellbehaviour1. In essence, the term Cellonics is an euphemism for Ëœelectronic
cellsâ„¢. When used in the field of communications, the technology has the ability to
encode, transmit and decode digital information powerfully over a variety of physical
channels, be they cables or wirelessly through the air. There have been much research
over the past decades to study inter-cell communications. Laboratory studies have
recorded electrical waveforms that show burst of spikes separated by periods of
silence
For examples, Fig 2a and Fig 1b show the behaviour of the ß-cell and the Leech
Nociceptor respectively. From these figures, we may observe that the slow waveforms2
trigger the fast pulse trains3 allowing the cells to convey information (as
postulated by some researchers).Note that while the fast pulse trains are always the
same, the slow time-varying stimulus analog waveforms can take many arbitrary shapes.
The number of the pulse trains varies according to the parameters of the slow analog
waveforms. Thus, if a circuit can be found that accept an analog input waveform and
output a set of pulse trains with predictable number of pulses in each burst, we have
a very powerful means of encoding digital information and communicating it over a
variety of physical channels. Cellonics Inc. has invented and patented a number of
circuits that mimic the above biological cell behaviour. The Cellonics„¢ circuits are
incredibly simple with advantages of low-cost, low power consumption and smallness of
size. They can and have been used in various applications such as communications and
electronic circuits (gated oscillator, sigma delta modulator, delta modulator, clock
multipliers, etc). When applied in communications, the Cellonics„¢ technology is a
fundamental modulation and demodulation technique. The Cellonics„¢ receivers are used
as devices that generate pulses from the received analog signal and perform
demodulation based on pulse counting and related algorithms.
1 The study of biological cell behaviour is ONLY an inspiration to the invention of
Cellonics„¢ circuits. The Cellonics„¢ technology is NOT related to any neural network
communications or neurophomic electronics.
2 Slow waveforms: Analogue waveforms that vary slowly with time. These waveforms can
be in any arbitrary shape.
3 Fast waveforms/fast pulse trains: Waveform in the shape of pulses that varies
rapidly with time
CHAPTER- 3
CELLONICS CIRCUITS
3. THE CELLONICS„¢ CIRCUITS
Cellonics Inc. has developed and patented families of Cellonics„¢ circuits that are
useful for various applications. One of these Cellonics„¢ circuits is an extremely
simple circuit that exhibits the Scurve transfer characteristic. Fig 3a shows one
of the possible circuit realizations. The circuit contains a negative impedance
converter. Its iv transfer characteristic is shown in Fig 3b.Thetransfer
characteristic consists of three different regions. The two lines at the top and
bottom have positive slope, 1/RF and they represent the regions in which the Op-Amp
is operating in the saturated (nonlinear) mode. In Fig 3b, the middle segment has a
negative slope (negative resistance)
Fig 3.A Cellonic Circuit
Fig 3b: Phase Space & I-V Characteristics Curve
and represents the region in which the Op-Amp is operating linearly. It is this
negative resistance region that allows the Op-Amp to oscillate and produce pulses
bounded by the positive and negative saturation voltages.
For ease of explanation4, we assume that the input signal is a triangular waveform.
Here we have dVs/dt = (V0 depending on the slope of the triangular input waveform.
Whenever the slope is positive, the Op-Amp is stable and outputs a constant
saturation voltage. Thus a silent period is observed i.e. no spike is being produced.
On the other hand, with properly selected circuit parameters whenever the slope of
the triangular waveform is negative, the Op-Amp is unstable. In this region, the
output is oscillating. The duration of each pulse is similar and the number of pulses
generated depends on the length of time the slope remains negative. Thus by
Controlling the duration of the negative slope, he number of pulses to be produced at
the output of the Op-Amp can be controlled. The Cellonics„¢ circuit is robust against
noise perturbations “ as long as the effective negative slope keeps the Op-Amp
unstable, the noise will not have an effect on the pulse generation. The level of
tolerance against the noise perturbations is carried out by proper selection of
circuit parameters in the design. There are also many other families of Cellonics„¢
circuits. By using the Principle of Duality, the N-curve families of Cellonics„¢
circuits can be derived. In this case, the realization of the circuits can be based
on the OP-AMP or devices such as he tunnel diode, etc. The transfer function of a
tunnel diode exhibits the N- curve transfer characteristic inherently, which is a
dual of the S-curve family. By connecting an inductor and
Fig 3d: PN-Curve Cellonics„¢ Element
a tunnel diode in series, we can produce pulses that are separated by periods of
silence. This family of circuits responds to the voltage level of the input signal.
As an application example, a square wave signal is used in Fig 3d. In this case, the
duration when the input signal is above a certain threshold voltage determines the
duration that the circuit operates in the unstable region and consequently the number
of pulses generated.
CHAPTER- 4
APPLICATIONS TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS
APPLICATIONS TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Fig 4a: Digital Communication Pathway Functional Diagram
The Cellonics„¢ technology can be used as a modulation/demodulation technique with the
Cellonics„¢ Element embedded in the demodulator(Fig 4a). One of the most important
features of the Cellonics„¢ demodulation technique is its powerful inherent Carrier-
rate Decoding„¢, which enables one information symbol to be carried in one RF carrier
cycle. Convention systems require thousands of cycles to capture one symbol.
Cellonics„¢ unique Carrier-rate Decoding„¢ offers throughput at maximum rate.
Fig 4b: One symbol Per Cycle
To further illustrate the Cellonics„¢ inherent Carrier-rate Decoding„¢, an FSK- like
signal is taken as an example5. As shown in Fig 4b, the information symbols are
encoded in this FSK- like signal that is transmitted through the channel. At the
receiver, the Cellonics„¢ circuit produces different sets of pulses with respect to
the different frequencies of the signal. The information symbol can be recovered by
simply counting the pulses i.e. f1 produces 2 spikes, f2 produces 3spikes, f3
produces 4 spikes etc.
Fig 4c: Comparison with Various Modulation Schemes
Fig 4c shows the different conventional modulation/demodulation schemes and the
Cellonics„¢ approach. In the conventional communication systems, thousands of RF
carrier cycles are required to reliably extract the information contained in a
carrier signal. This is because the receiver requires time to synchronize with the
carrier signal. With the Cellonics„¢ technology, information can be decoded in every
transmitted cycle. Thus, this breakthrough promises very high-speed data
transmission.
Besides its application in decoding circuits, the Cellonics„¢ technology also offers
simplicity in receiver architecture with its attributes of low cost, smallness in
size and low power consumption. Its robustness in noisy environment
Fig 4d: 4th Generation GSM Receiver Architecture vs. Cellonics„¢
also offers a system that has better performance and receiver
sensitivity. Fig 4d shows a conventional Super heterodyne receiver which is complex
in design and has many practical drawbacks. Some issues that need considerable
attention include: device noise inter modulation, local oscillators/mixer isolation,
Phase Lock Loop (PLL) switching time and noise immunity. Moreover, these subsystems
consume considerable amount of power. A newer technique uses the Super homodyne
approach with no IF stage (i.e. zero-IF). But these solutions are difficult to
manufacture, have some tricky problems (e.g. DC offset) and still require power
hungry subsystems as mentioned earlier. With the Cellonics„¢ technology, a very simple
receiver architecture can be realized without oscillators, phase lock loops etc. This
is a paradigm shift in design.
Fig 4e: 4th Generation GSM Receiver vs. Cellonics
Fig 4e shows a more detailed diagram of the 4thgeneration Super homodyne GSM receiver
and the Cellonics„¢ receiver. It clearly shows the simplicity of the Cellonics„¢
receiver as no oscillators and crystals are required. To improve the spectral
efficiency, multi-level
Fig 4f: Other Performance Advantages
modulation scheme is usually employed. Fig 4fcompares a conventional M-ary FSK
receiver and a Cellonics„¢ receiver. Each increase in the modulation level requires a
significant number of circuits to be added in the conventional receiver. For the
Cellonics„¢ receiver, no additional circuit elements are required due to its inherent
multi-level modulation property. This is achieved using different number of spikes
per cycle to represent different sets of information symbols (Fig 4g below).
Fig 4g: M-ary Receiver FSK vs Cellonics
CHAPTER 5
PERFORMANCE OF CELLONICS „¢ RECEIVER
5. PERFORMANCE OF CELLONICS „¢ RECEIVER
Fig 5a: Cellonics„¢ Receiver Performance
5 a. BER Performance in a Narrowband Communication System
An important performance measure of any modulation scheme is its bit-error rate (BER)
performance in a noisy channel. Fig 5a shows the numerical simulation results of the
Cellonics„¢ receiver in the AWGN channel. Also shown in the figure is the theoretical
curve of the optimal Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation scheme. From the
figure, it is clear that the BE performance of the Cellonics„¢ modulation is able to
match the theoretical optimal BPSK modulation scheme. This is achieved by using only
4Cellonics„¢ elements which are very simple (please refer to Fig 3a and Fig 3d).
Figure 5b shows another set of results in the multi-path environment which show that
the Cellonics„¢
Fig 5b: Performance in 2-path and AWGN Channel
receiver has similar performance as the BPSK receiver but with much simpler receiver
architecture. Furthermore, in practical terms, the Cellonics„¢ receiver will have less
implementation losses when compared to a conventional receiver.
b. BER Performance in an Ultra Wideband
Fig 5c: Performance in Cellonics„¢ UWB
Fig 5d: Performance in Cellonics„¢ UWB
UWB is a new radio system that occupies an ultra wide bandwidth. In UWB signaling,
the transmission uses very short impulses of radio energy (less than a few
nanoseconds in duration). This results in a spectrum that covers a wide range of
radio frequencies. Consequently, the small amount of transmitted energy is spread
over a wide frequency range resulting in very small energy per Hertz. It will cause
little interference to the existing spectrum users. Typical correlator-based UWB
receiver requires thousands of cycles and frames to acquire the signals and average
out the noise.
The Cellonics„¢ technology can be used as a receiver to detect the UWB signals. The
BER performance of the Cellonics„¢ UWB system has been evaluated in both simulation
and experiment. Fig 4c shows the simulated and experimental results. Using the On-Off
Keying method, the experimental Cellonics„¢ performance curve is less than 1 dB from
the theoretical best performance using the correlate approach. However, the
Cellonics„¢ UWB system has superior throughput and is potentially hundreds to
thousands times faster as it uses only one to few frames (e.g. 7frames) to decode one
information symbol depending on the power efficiency requirements. Fig 4d shows its
performance in a dense in-door multipath environment. The fading margin is only3 dB
and indicates that it is suitable for indoor applications such as wireless local area
networks.
CHAPTER- 6
PROOF OF CONCEPT - DEMONSTRATION ON SYSTEMS
6.0 PROOF OF CONCEPT - DEMONSTRATION ON SYSTEMS
In the following discussions, the parameters used in the demonstration systems such
as the distance of transmission and the data rates are merely for ease of prototyping
purposes and are NOT the limitation of the Cellonics„¢ technology.
a: Narrowband Communication System
F ig 6 a: Wireline Cellonics„¢ Communication System (5.7 Mbps)
Fig 6a shows the block diagram of a proof-of concept demonstration system
that transmits compact disc music at a data rate of 5.7 Mbps over a wired line. In
this system, a CD-ROM player is used as a convenient signal source to provide the
required bit stream. The digital data is modulated using a pulse width modulation
scheme. These modulated data are then passed through a700-ft telephone wire line. At
the receiver, the data is demodulated using the N-shaped Cellonics„¢ circuit, which
in this case uses only two elements - an inductor in series with a tunnel diode. To
recover the digital information, the decision device simply counts the pulses to
determine if it is a logic ˜1™ or ˜0™. The recovered data is then output to an audio
player for real
time playback.
Note: This demo highlights good long distance
performance.
b. Narrowband Communication System(Wireless)
F ig 6b Wireless Cellonics„¢ Communication System
Fig 6b shows the block diagram of another demonstration system which is a 26.7 Mbps
file transfer system. The system consists of a transmitter and receiver; both sub-
systems further comprise three modules: the PC/DSP module, baseband transceiver
module and the RF transmit/receive module. The DSP module resides in a personal
computer and provides a high-speed data transmission interface with the
transmit/receive PC. The DSP transmits a data file residing on the PC serially to the
baseband transmitter at a data rate of 26.7 Mbps. The baseband transmitter converts
these data from the DSP into FSK-like waveforms. The RF receiver module down converts
the received signal using an AM envelope detector. The received waveform is fed into
the S-shaped Cellonics„¢ chip to recover the data. The recovered data are sent to
the DSP storage on the receiver PC. The transmission has no error correction scheme
and the off-line BER check has zero error most of the time. The demonstration system
shows a high throughput of data transfer and is 3 times faster as compared to a
commercial Radio LAN product. Note: This demo highlights better than current wireless
LAN (11 Mbps) performance.
c. Ultra Wideband Audio System
Fig 6c Cellonics„¢ UWB Wireless Audio Radio System
Fig 6c shows the block diagram of a UWB radio system. This system demonstrates the
live transmission of compact disc music using UWB wireless technology. Digital data
from two CD-ROM players is tapped at a rate of 11.4 Mbps. This data stream is fed
into a UWB pulse generator and transmitted wirelessly. At the receiver end, the
signal is detected and then fed to a Cellonics„¢ receiver to decode and the original
music data is recovered/sent to an audio player for real-time playback.
Note: This demo highlights future application and good noise immunity.
d. Ultra Wideband Video System
Fig 6d Cellonics„¢ UWB Wireless Video Radio System
Fig 6d shows the block diagram of a second UWB demonstration system that transmits
real-time video images at a data rate of 12Mbps wirelessly to a video monitor. In
this system, a simple web camera is used as the video capture source. The digital
video information is fed into a pulse position modulation processing board (a Field
Programmable Gate Array or FPGA board) via a USB connection before being frequency
translated to a higher frequency band at a transmitter for sending over the air. The
airborne signals are then detected by a UWB receiver and pulse position demodulated
back into digital video information for display at a video monitor. In both
instances, an ultra simple Cellonics Transmitter and a simple Celloncis receiver are
used. The speed of the system is only limited by the Video cameraâ„¢s USB interface
data rate.
Note: This demo highlights the ultra simplicity, speed and robust performance of the
Cellonics UWB transceiver technology in a popular consumer application.
CHAPTER- 7
CELLONICS ADVANTAGES
7:Cellonics„¢ Advantages
The impact of Cellonics„¢ is such that it effects a fundamental change in the way
digital communications have traditionally been done. As such, many communication
devices will benefit from its incredible simplicity, speed and robustness.
Devices built with the Cellonics„¢ technology will save on chip/PCB real estate, power
and implementation time.
1. New Life to Communication Devices
The strength of the Cellonics„¢ technology lies in its inherent Carrier-rate Decoding„¢
(i.e. extremely fast decoding rate), multilevel capability (spectral efficiency),
simple circuitry, low power consumption and low cost. Some telecommunication
application examples in wireless communication are cellular networks(2/3/4 G and
beyond), W-LAN/Home networks ,LMDS, broadcasting, military radio, RF identification
tags, low cost radar with fine range precision and sensor for automobiles. In wire
line communication, some areas where the Cellonics„¢ technology is deployable are:
high-speed modem cable modem, xDSL), LAN/Home networks, backbone telephony/data
networks, power line communications and military applications. Beyond its application
in telecommunication, the Cellonics „¢ technology is also applicable in the
electronics circuits such as gated oscillators, delta modulators, sigma-delta
modulators and clock multipliers, etc.
1:Savings on Chip/ PCB Real Estate Because of its simplicity, a receiver implemented
with Cellonics„¢ can save as much as 4 times the chip real estate. (Comparison made
with a zero-IF receiver designed with the same 0.8Mm BiCMOS process.)
2:Savings on Power
Using the same design and comparison above, it was found that a Cellonics„¢-based
receiver consumed 3 times less power. This is possible because a Cellonics„¢ circuit
is built with a few discrete components that are mostly passive and hence consume
very little or negligible power. Cellonics„¢ returns a high 'power budget' back to a
communication device. Designers can use this 'extra' power to 'finance' other power-
needy features in a device such a color screen, GPS receiver, etc. Else, the device
will simply end up having a longer battery life. (As in the case of mobile phones.)
Table 7:a
3:Savings in Implementation Time In a receiver, the Cellonics„¢ circuit replaces many
traditional subsystems such as the amplifier, mixer, PLL, oscillator, filter, crystal
quartz, etc. that are necessary in a common Super heterodyne and Super homodyne
design. These parts in these subsystems can be costly, fragile and noisy. Aside from
this, the subsystems need great expertise to be put together and fine-tuned. It is
also difficult to miniaturize. With the simplicity and robustness of Cellonics„¢,
implementation time is swift without the sacrifice on performance.
4:Build or Rejuvenate your Products with Cellonics„¢ The incredible simplicity, low
cost, low power consumption of Cellonics„¢ makes it ideal for use in your next
generation of feature-rich products that need to be small in size and long on power
reserve. Else, the technology is also ideal in giving your current products a new
low- cost and power-saving receiver engine.
CHAPTER- 8
CONCUSION
8:Conclusion
The Cellonics communication method is one inspired by how biological cells
signal. It is a fresh and novel look at how digital signals may be conveyed. In this
digital day and age, it is timely; current digital communication designss are mostly
derived from old analog signal methods. With the Cellonics method, much of the sub-
systems in a traditional communication system are not required. Noise-generating and
power-consuming systems such as voltage-controlled oscillators, PLLs, mixers, power
amplifiers, etc., are eliminated. To a communications engineer, this is unheard off.
One just doesn™t build a communication device without an oscillator, mixer, or¦.
Such is the revolutionary impact of Cellonics. Engineers will
have to reform their thinking- that such a simple solution is possible.
REFERENCE
1:cellonics.com
2:future20hottechnologies.com