Bridging dream and reality: programmable baseband processors for software-defined radio - [integrated circuits for communications]

A programmable radio baseband signal processor is one of the essential enablers of software- defined radio. As wireless standards evolve, the processing power needed for baseband processing increases dramatically and the underlying hardware needs to cope with various standards or even simultaneously maintaining several radio links. Meanwhile, the maximum power consumption allowed by mobile terminals is still strictly limited. These challenges require both system and architecture level innovations. This article introduces a design methodology for radio baseband processors discussing the challenges and solutions of radio baseband signal processing. The LeoCore architecture is presented here as an example of a baseband processor design aimed at reducing power and silicon cost while maintaining sufficient flexibility.     

A DBF self-beam steering array antenna for mobile satelliteapplications using beam-space maximal-ratio combination

This paper proposes a diversity-receiving array antenna scheme achieved by digital beamforming (DBF) for the purpose of self-beam steering toward the unknown direction-of-arrival (DOA) of a modulated signal in a mobile satellite communications environment. This scheme uses a multibeam former with a spatial fast Fourier transform (FFT) for the received baseband signals to coarsely acquire the attenuated signal. It also uses a self-phasing processor (SPP) applied to the multibeam outputs for precise acquisition and tracking. In the SPP, maximal-ratio combining is achieved with simple digital numerical operations in the complex baseband, allowing for rapidity and stability in beamforming. As a result, the array antenna steers its receiving beam toward the DOA automatically without the need for nonlinear optimization methods. Moreover, the beam is steered toward the DOA of multipath signals according to their signal levels, leading to the optimal cophase recombination of all correlated signals, which improves the quality of the total receiving signal. This paper discusses the scheme, and its performance is evaluated by computational simulation and experiments conducted in a radio anechoic chamber     

基于软件无线电的FM解调算法

软件无线电的基本思想是将宽带A/D及D/A尽可能靠近天线,将无线电台的各种功能在一个开放性、模块化的通用硬件平台上尽可能多的用软件来实现。软件无线电已成为移动通信中的关键技术之一。文中基于软件无线电采用软件实现通用硬件调制的目的,通过基带信号处理算法,结合软件无线电接收机中的相关理论对其中的调制方式识别和解调算法进行了仿真,说明了各个解调模块的功能,而且也验证了系统的科学性和可实现性。     

适用于软件无线电基带芯片验证的实时原型平台

随着半导体芯片器件规模急剧增长,对芯片的功能验证以及场景验证提出了更多的挑战。而对于基带SOC芯片,挑战则更加显著。基带SOC芯片的设计验证涉及到大量算法、信号处理专用电路、软硬件协同、实时复杂场景等功能评估与验证。一般通用的芯片验证方法(基于测试用例的服务器离线验证以及FPGA原型验证)无法覆盖对基带芯片评估、验证以及测试的要求。针对基带芯片设计验证需求,本文设计并实现了一个基于软件无线电的通用实时原型平台,可满足不同频段、不同协议的基带芯片的算法评估、功能及场景测试需求。本文基于该通用实时原型平台,成功的对一款GPS/BD导航基带芯片进行了实时原型验证,解决了原有离线仿真不能满足的实时场景验证需求,使得基带芯片的验证环境更加贴近真实环境,从而极大的提高了芯片的成功率。     

移动数字信号基带处理平台的设计与实现

设计了基于ARM,DSP和FPGA多处理器的分时长期演进系统(TD-LTE)移动数字信号基带处理平台。该处理平台能够灵活实现移动通信中基带信号的各种操作,主要功能模块包括协议软件实现、物理层算法实现、系统定时等。经测试,在LTE模式及20 MHz带宽下,平台符合LTE标准技术指标要求,验证了其实时性、高效性。另外,该基带处理平台从硬件设计上还满足TD-SCDMA,WCDMA,CDMA2000等各种无线通信系统的数字信号处理需求,只需适当修改部分软件,即可实现多种制式的基带处理功能,具有良好的通用性。     

相控阵卫星跟踪闭环实验系统设计与实现

相控阵卫星跟踪系统是一个庞大、复杂的闭环系统,主要包含卫星及其发射信号、相控阵接收天线、基带信号处理单元、波束指向控制四个部分。为了解决卫星自跟踪系统在实验中对实时性的要求,降低测试成本和测试难度,设计了一套运动平台卫星自跟踪闭环实验系统。上位机完成了运动目标建模和波束指向控制功能,基于FPGA的四通道硬件板完成接收信号的产生,自跟踪基带数字板完成基带信号的搜索、测角和跟踪滤波,各部分之间通过SMA或串口进行连接。对每一部分作了理论分析和硬件设计描述,并在最后给出了测试结果,表明了演示系统的可行性和有效性。     

基于SCA软件无线电硬件平台的设计

介绍了一种基于SCA软件无线电硬件平台的具体设计方案,通过对平台的资源需求估计,确定以DSP+ FPGA为核心器件构建一套具有高度灵活性和开放性的通用通信平台,该平台能够完成信号的基带和中频处理,从而实现多模式、多频段、多信道等通信功能.     

Cumulant-based adaptive multichannel filtering for wirelesscommunication systems with multipath RF propagation using antenna arrays

A method based on high-order statistics is proposed to mitigate the performance degradation caused by multipath RF propagation in a mobile radio communication system using a linear antenna array at the base-station receiver. It is shown that an overdetermined system of linear equations (involving only cumulants of the received baseband digitized signal) can be obtained to perform noniterative deconvolution. An efficient adaptive algorithm based on square-root decomposition is proposed to avoid numerical problems when real-time tracking of moving transmitters is needed     

Beam Tracking Particle Filter for Hybrid Beamforming and Precoding Systems

Because millimeter wave (mmWave) systems can span notably wide spectral bands, mmWave systems are expected to dominate fifth-generation (5G) communication systems. Due to the short wave-length of mmWave radiation, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems can use massive antennas and precoding technology to overcome signal attenuation in mmWave channels. However, the cost and power consumption of radio frequency (RF) chains would increase substantially with the number of antennas. Hence, hybrid beamforming was proposed to reduce the number of RF chains in massive MIMO systems. Hybrid beamforming involves RF beamforming matrix construction and baseband precoding matrix derivation. This study focused on the design and implementation of an algorithm for the RF beamforming matrix construction for mobile environments. Accordingly, this study presents a mixture particle filter that exploits the temporal continuity of beam clusters in a mobile mmWave channel to reduce the computational complexity of RF beamforming matrix construction. Moreover, this beam-tracking particle filter is based on parallel processing architecture to support the tracking of multiple beam clusters in the mmWave channel. Finally, the beam-tracking particle filter was implemented on a field-programmable gate array platform and was verified in a hybrid beamforming system for mmWave MIMO systems. The particle filter processor achieved a maximal throughput of 9.198k matrices/s with a clock rate of 192 MHz, which could support a speed of up to 88.5 km/h for mobile users.

     

Performance evaluation of a C-RAN supporting a mixture of random and quasi-random traffic

Wireless Networks - In this paper we consider a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) where the remote radio heads (RRHs) are separated from the baseband signal processing servers, named baseband...     

An open baseband processing architecture for future mobile terminal design [accepted from open call]

This article introduces an open wireless architecture (OWA) mobile terminal design, focusing on the open baseband processing platform, to support different existing and future wireless communication standards through multi-dimensional open baseband processing modules with open interface parameters and baseband management systems. The article describes a multilayer, open architecture platform to maximize system flexibility and minimize terminal power consumption, so as to provide an integrated and converged next-generation wireless and mobile communication terminal system. The OWA platform is fully compatible with the computer architecture, with interface-based rather than transmission-specific system architecture, for complete openness and simplicity.     

基于软件无线电结构的通信信号处理平台的研制

软件无线电所具有的灵活性、开放性等特点,使其在通信领域获得了广泛应用。讨论了一种基于软件无线电结构的通信信号处理平台的设计方案及实现,该处理平台能完成阵列信号处理、扩频信号处理以及多种调制模式信号的解调,实验表明,该平台的设计符合软件无线电的设计思想,具有较强的通用性和信号处理能力。     

Signal Level Simulation Modeling for Antenna Array of Aperture Synthesis Radiometer Based on the Equivalent Complex Baseband Representations

This paper presents a signal-level simulation model for simulating the process that antenna array of Aperture Synthesis Radiometer (ASR) collecting thermal radiation and transforming thermal radiation signal into radio frequency (RF) signal. By using the equivalent complex baseband signals to represent the practical thermal radiation and RF signals, simulation efficiency is improved significantly. The statistic characteristics of simulation results are found to match the corresponding theoretical analysis well. Results of an imaging simulation experiment show that this model can be employed in ASR system-level simulator design.     

基于FPGA的相控阵探测器高速信号处理电路

为了降低相控阵探测器结构的复杂度,基于现场可编程门阵列FPGA设计了五通道高速信号处理电路。采用坐标旋转数字计算机CORDIC和多相分解滤波器设计了数字下变频器,降低每个数据流的处理负担。在波达方向DOA模块中,引入改良的收缩阵列方法,实现了对数据的并行处理,缩短了空间谱的搜索时间。利用嵌入式乘法器和加法器实现了波束形成网络BFN的可编程设计,使响应速度达到了毫秒级。实验结果表明:设计的电路总延迟仅为1.242 ms,能将原始信号放大到近13 dB,方向角测量误差小于1°,实现了对无线电基带信号的高速处理。     

大规模天线组阵信号并行合成方法

在通用计算平台上进行数字信号处理是软件无线电的发展方向之一,为大规模天线组阵的信号合成提供了新思路。针对通用计算平台上大规模天线组阵的合成问题,研究了基于任务分解原理的多天线组合成方法(MAGM)和基于数据分解原理的多信号块合成方法(MSBM)。两种方法的实时性分析结果表明,MSBM比MAGM更适用于通用计算平台。MSBM要求各信号块的合成是独立的,故提出一种SUMPLE算法的积分时段内迭代方法。仿真结果表明,该迭代方法与传统迭代方法具有同等合成性能。     

基于ZSP500的TD-SCDMA系统设计

对ZSP500的结构和功能进行了介绍,在此基础上提出了基于ZSP500的TD-SCDMA硬件平台,具体介绍了在该平台上数字基带信号处理的过程与实现.对基于ZSP的设计在移动通信中的应用前景进行了展望.     

OFDM for data communication over mobile radio FM channels. I.Analysis and experimental results

The performance of OFDM/FM modulation for digital communication over Rayleigh-fading mobile radio channels is described. The use of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) over mobile radio channels was proposed by Cimini (1985). OFDM transmits blocks of bits in parallel and reduces the bit error rate (BER) by averaging the effects of fading over the bits in the block. OFDM/FM is a modulation technique in which the OFDM baseband signal is used to modulate an FM transmitter. OFDM/FM can be implemented simply and inexpensively by retrofitting existing FM communication systems. Expressions are derived for the BER and word error rate (WER) within a block when each subchannel is QAM-modulated. Several numerical methods are developed to evaluate the overall BER and WER. An experimental OFDM/FM system was implemented and tested using unmodified VHF FM radio equipment and a fading channel simulator. The BER and WER results obtained from the hardware measurements agree closely with the numerical results     

Component-based development of radio systems and subsystems: Are we there yet? [Trends in DSP]

The June 2005 "Trends in DSP" column explored the concept of component-based development for radio systems and subsystems. In this model the intermediate frequency (IF) and baseband signal processing associated with each wireless air interface standard on a given radio product are created from encapsulated software, hardware, and firmware intellectual property (IP) that can be reused from product to product.     

有线电视环网传输技术研究

随着有线电视数字化的发展,广播电视的音视频基带信号已进行了数字化处理,电视前端的信号处理系统已实现了数字化改造?但目前有线数字电视的传输系统仍然采用射频调制的传输方式,而由于有线电视数字节目的扩容,高清节目,互动电视的开播以及有线数字电视信号传输的安全稳定性越来越重要等因素,这种传统的射频传输方式已不适应有线电视数字化的进一步深入发展? 结合目前的数字电视平台和数字通信领域的传输技术,阐述了数字电视信号在同步数字体系(synchronous digital hierarchy, SDH)传送的基本原理,分析了基于SDH网络的数字电视平台基本架构,并对基于ASI信号和基于IP信号的数字电视传输网 的组网方式进行了对比,经过比较得出有线电视的环网传输更适宜采用基于IP网络的传输架构?     

基于DCR标准调制解调器的设计及仿真

目前国内数字对讲机发展相对于欧美国家比较落后,具体的数字对讲机标准没有出台。为了研发出符合中国数字对讲机标准的调制解调芯片,本文研究日本DCR[1]（digital convenience radio）数字对讲机标准,设计调制解调器。主要包括均方根余弦滚降滤波器、Inverse sinc（Isinc）滤波器和帧同步检测器的设计及仿真。整个系统经过matlab测试,结果显示仿真误码率接近理论值,满足DCR标准。