Time-Hopping Concentration-Position Shift Keying for Multiple Access in Concentration-Encoded Molecular Communication

Abstract

Molecular communication (MC) represents a paradigm shift in communication technologies, extending beyond traditional electromagnetic methods by incorporating advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and communication theory. This innovative approach holds promise for groundbreaking applications in diverse fields such as medicine, military operations, and environmental monitoring. MC employs molecules to carry and transmit data. In concentration-encoded molecular communication (CEMC), information is represented through the concentration levels of the transmitted molecules. In this study, we introduce a novel method named time-hopping concentration-position shift keying (TH-CPSK), designed to facilitate multiple access within MC networks. The TH-CPSK method encodes information based on the position of the transmitted molecular concentration, significantly enhancing the accuracy of data transmission by reducing interference in MC channels. Numerical simulations reveal that an increase in the number of users adversely affects communication performance. Furthermore, our findings indicate that augmenting the number of hops improves communication performance at transmitter-receiver distances of 1 cm and 2 cm. Conversely, at a distance of 3 cm, performance degradation is observed, attributed to the increased complexity. Therefore, it is important to carefully select the number of hops considering the molecular channel’s characteristics. Overall, TH-CPSK can enhance the efficiency and reliability of CEMC systems, offering a significant step forward in the realization of MC’s potential applications.

Keywords

• molecular communication
• concentration-encoded molecular communication (CEMC)
• concentration-position shift keying (CPSK)
• time hopping
• multiple access
• ligand–receptor binding