Laboratory

Intelligent Communication Infrastructures

About the Laboratory

Intelligent Communication Infrastructures Laboratory specializes in research and development activities, to perform measurements and testing in the areas of railway traffic management and security systems (trains, trams and metro), 5G communications and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The laboratory is equipped with the main technological solutions for testing specific products and systems in the field of railway transport, as well as specific equipment and software for research in the field of 5G communications and for LoRaWAN, IoT and M2M applications.

The laboratory is accredited according to БДС EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 – certificate of accreditation № 294 ЛИ/05.07.2022 and order of accreditation № А 416/05.07.2022, issued by Executive Agency Bulgarian Accreditation Service.

Activities

Current Activities

The research activity of the laboratory is focused in two main directions – creation of unique platforms for validation and certification of industrial solutions and components in railway control systems (ERTMS), incl. European Vital Computer (EVC) and Balise Transmission Module (BTM) test and analysis platforms:

  • European Vital Computer (EVC) high-response on-board computer testing as required by Subset-26, Subset-076 and Subset-094;
  • analysis of the compatibility of a train with the railway line, to provide an opportunity for early detection of problems in the validation of the train/railway line compatibility on the basis of design data, operational and technical rules, etc;
  • testing of Eurobalises and BTM (Balise Transmission Module), according to Subset-036 and Subset-085;
  • providing software and hardware tools for signal quality analysis from the balises;
  • services and test capabilities for upgrading the road infrastructure to standards with newer versions (baselines).

The research activities of the laboratory are focused on two main areas: creating platforms for next-generation communications analysis, including 5G and those in ISM frequency bands for LoRaWAN, IoT and M2M applications:

  • the development of specific SW and HW platforms for simulating and analyzing the performance of next-generation telecommunication networks;
  • RF data processing and communication spectrum occupancy analysis;
  • new radio access technologies;
  • IoT and M2M communications.

Services and Equipment

Services
  • ERTMS:
    • European Vital Computer (EVC) and Balize Transmission Module (BTM) testing
    • Tests for certification of the product as an interoperability component – the tests are performed by an accredited laboratory according to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 (BDS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018).
    • Testing to perform interim checks during the product development phase to verify that the characteristic(s) meet the requirements of SUBSET-036 and SUBSET-085 – Testing shall be performed by a laboratory, with the Manufacturer choosing whether or not to perform the tests under accreditation
    • Use of the On-Board Computers and BTM laboratory test benches for research and development, device performance testing and analysis, and functional testing. This also includes evaluation of wireless system coverage through radio frequency (RF) measurements in three-dimensional (3D) space.
  • IoT Cognitive Networks
    • Research and development in the field of next-generation telecommunications networks and the Internet of Things
    • Development of specific SW and HW platforms for simulation and performance analysis of next generation telecommunication networks
    • Design and development of private 4G/5G mobile networks operating in frequency range up to 6GHz
Equipment
  • Temperature test chamber WeissTechnik 240/70 – temperature range -70 o C to +180 o C
  • Signal generators – 3 pieces – Keysight 33522B – 2 channels, range 0 ÷ 30MHz
  • Network analyzer (VNA) – 1 piece – Rohde Schwarz ZVL3 Network analyzer, range 9kHZ – 3 GHZ
  • Spectrum analyzer – 1 piece – Tektronix RSA5103B, range 1 HZ – 3 GHZ
  • Oscilloscope – 1 piece – Keysight DSOX3024A, bandwidth: 200 Hz
  • USB power sensors – 3 pieces – Mini-Circuits PWR-SEN-4GHS, 9 kHz – 4000 kHz, -30 ÷ +20 dBm;
  • Amplifiers – 2 pieces – Amplifier Research AR-150A100B-20dBm 150W and Multitel 30W
  • Programmable DC power supply – 1 piece – Sorensen DLM 600
  • Antennas (reference loops) – 27 MHz and 4,234 MHz
  • Automatic positioning tool – a European Vital Computers (EVC) test robot that allows positioning of an antenna, device, etc. in a 3D space measuring 6000x2000x800 mm with 0.1 mm accuracy
  • Additional equipment for signal measurement – balancing modules, low-pass filters, power dividers, couplers, attenuators, cables, loads, etc.
  • Field strength analyzers – 2 instruments – NARDA SRM-3000 selective radiation meter with isotropic and uniaxial probes, 100 kHz ÷ 3 GHz and NARDA NBM-550 broadband field meter, 100 kHz ÷ 6 GHz
  • Additional equipment to simulate environmental conditions – metal objects, metal rails
  • Software Defined Radio – 9 devices – 3x USRP B210 , 1x LimeSDR 5x ADALM-PLUTO
  • 5G testbed, which is a private mobile network implemented using open-source platforms and widely used hardware

Scientific Publications

Related Scientific Publications
No related scientific publications found.

Management

Prof. Vladimir Pоulkov
Technical University – Sofia
Head of the laboratory

Scientific Areas:

Information and Communication Technologies

History:

Prof. Vladimir Pulkov, PhD, has obtained both his higher education and doctoral degrees from the Technical University – Sofia (TUS). He has extensive research and teaching experience in the telecommunications field. He has pursued specializations in Germany (1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) and Greece (1996) and has authored over 130 scientific publications indexed in SCOPUS and WoS. He leads numerous national and international research and educational projects, as well as numerous industrial and engineering projects related to the development of the telecommunications network in Bulgaria, executed in collaboration with leading foreign firms and Bulgarian telecommunications operators.

He served as the Dean of the Faculty of Telecommunications (2007 – 2015) and as the Head of the thematic area "Resource-Optimal Embedded ICT" at the Center for Teleinfrastructure (CTIF), Aalborg University, Denmark (2012 – 2016). From 2016 to 2020, he held the position of Deputy Chair of the General Assembly of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

Currently, he is a member of the Accreditation Council of the National Agency for Assessment and Accreditation, and the Chairman of the "Bulgarian Cluster for Digital Transformation and Innovation".

He is a member of the editorial and program committees of international journals, presides over major international scientific conferences, and holds the titles of "Fellow" of the European Alliance of Innovation (EAI) and "Senior Member" of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Prof. Vladimir Pоulkov has extensive experience in teaching and research in the field of telecommunications. He has specialized in Germany, Denmark, Greece, and is the author of numerous scientific publications. He has led numerous industrial and engineering projects related to the development of the telecommunications network in Bulgaria, as well as numerous national and international research and educational projects. He is the Deputy Chair of the General Assembly of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the Chairman of the "Bulgarian Cluster for Digital Transformation and Innovation".