LineVision Satellite Communications Development Team

LineVision’s patented contactless LiDAR scanning service, the LUX, equips transmission providers with the analytics to optimize their power transmission efficiency. Currently, the LUX uses cellular services to transmit a LiDAR point cloud to LineVision, where it is analyzed for metrics that characterize the potential power drawn through the line.  

We implemented commercial low bandwidth satellite connectivity compatibility into the LUX system; doing so allows LineVIsion to expand coverage to include remote areas with insufficient cellular coverage. Sending data over satellite comes with several constraints, most notably the limitation of packet transmission size and power consumption. By pivoting from a compression algorithm to conducting the metric extraction on-board before the data was sent, we reduced the transmission size by orders of magnitude. while maintaining a comparable power draw. Ultimately, our prototype successfully sent data over satellite with the frequency promised to customers while accommodating power and bandwidth constraints. These are the first steps towards improving the scalability of the LUX for a low bandwidth satellite solution.

Faculty Advisor:

• Lynn Andrea Stein

Team Members:

• Charlie Babe
• Dasha Chadiuk
• Katie Fleming
• Grant Miner
• Abby Omer

Project Poster