An FSO System Based on Mirrors for Early Warning of Frost: Primary Analysis

This paper proposes a free-space optical (FSO) system for early warning and detection of natural disasters. The system consists of multiple sensor nodes equipped with mirrors, motors, and controllers. Under normal weather conditions, signals are transmitted between nodes. However, in the presence of frost, signal reflection is directed to a base station (BS) by adjusting the mirrors’ orientation based on the reflection angle determined using Snell’s law. By monitoring the round-trip time of the signal to the BS, the frost-affected node can be identified. The power received at various nodes is analyzed, considering reflections from mirrors and path attenuation. The results indicate that sufficient power levels can be achieved for six nodes, covering an area of approximately 314.16 km2. The total time required to send an alarm signal to the BS is calculated and compared with the systems proposed in the literature. The proposed system demonstrates a time reduction of up to 69.7% compared to systems where the signal traverses all nodes before reaching the BS and a 7% reduction compared to systems employing dedicated transmitters and receivers. The proposed system is easy to deploy in a crop area with a fast response and relatively low power consumption, making it an efficient solution for early warning of frost. To the author’s best knowledge, the proposed system is the first one to exploit mirrors in free-space optics for early warning of frost. The analysis presented in this paper is very helpful for further investigations into using mirrors in FSO systems for early warning and notification of natural disasters such as frost.