Acoustic Communication on Metallic Structures: Implementation and Results

In today's automotive industry, the widespread use of metallic structures and spot welding machines introduces various challenges, which are discussed in this paper. The primary issue revolves around achieving precise control over welding process quality. Recent research in smart welding has addressed this by monitoring voltage and current values throughout the welding process, focusing on their temporal patterns. By analyzing the signature left by welding machines, the weld quality can be traced and evaluated by comparing it to a model. Challenges arise in harsh environments regarding communicating measured voltage and current levels to a central unit for enhanced monitoring. The paper identifies communication issues among metallic structures and proposes a solution exploiting acoustic communication. It delves into the concept of creating an acoustic communication setup, presents the implementation of acoustic communication along with its results, and concludes by exploring the type and entity of acoustic noise in communication in this context.