Green Reconfigurable Radio Systems

The wireless standards scene and its evolution strengthens the need for functional flexibility in future radios. Multimode terminals supporting an increasingly large variety of standards (cellular, WLANs, WMANs, WPANs) are subject to a cost increase that is addressed by more flexible radio interfaces. Energy efficiency, however, is the main obstacle to successfully deploying such reconfigurable radios. To address this, it is essential to design energy-scalable SDRs, both for the radio front-end and the digital baseband platform. Complementing this, an essential ingredient is an intelligent controller that optimally exploits this scalability and the run-time dynamics to translate potential energy scalability to actual low-power operation. To realize this goal, an energy-aware cross-layer radio management framework is introduced. It was instantiated in different case studies, showing the applicability of this approach in realistic setups. Results have shown that substantial gains can be achieved through effective cross-layer optimization and problem partitioning. Next, it was shown that SDRs will play a crucial role in enabling CRs, which will enable saving on both the scarce radio spectrum and battery lifetime. A key building block for the design of such CRs, i.e., the appropriate control intelligence to make the SDR platform cognitive, can be derived by incrementally building on the proposed framework. As a result, green (or environment friendly) reconfigurable radio systems will emerge, which offer a wide variety and ubiquitous availability of wireless services, while overcoming energy and spectrum scarcity     

Open-Source SCA-Based Core Framework and Rapid Development Tools Enable Software-Defined Radio Education and Research

This article describes the Open Source SCA Implementation::Embedded project, an open source software development kit designed for rapid prototyping of software defined radios consistent with the software communications architecture. The SCA is a product of the American military's SDR acquisition program and has played a large role in SDR development in the military and in the wireless industry. OSSIE was designed for use in wireless communications curricula and research efforts, so it is easy to learn and illustrative of software engineering, programming, and communications engineering concepts important in industrial practice today. OSSIE includes a core framework (i.e., common services enumerated in the SCA). It also includes graphical user interface-oriented tools that are easily learned and free to download and use. The tools auto-generate SCA-specific component source code and supporting files, leaving the developer to provide signal processing functionality. In addition, visualization tools for debugging and a growing library of SDR software components are available. Discussed herein are examples of SDRs designed using OSSIE, including embedded applications. OSSIE enables easy transition from concepts to practice in SDR design for communications engineers who may not have a strong software background.     

Broadband RF stage architecture for software-defined radio inhandheld terminal applications

Broadband RF is a general-purpose common RF stage for every standard within a set of RF bands. The RF stage architecture presented in this article is suitable for software-defined radios. This article first defines the conceptual scheme of a handheld software defined radio (SDR) terminal, and then describes how the direct conversion principle is applied to the SDR. The discussion focuses on receiver hardware implementation and systematic control     

Intermittent WLAN and interactions across heterogeneous wireless networks

It is envisioned that multiple radios may be integrated into a single portable device in the near future. Such multi-radio devices may participate in multiple networks at the same time. In this paper, we consider a 802.11 WLAN network that shares a common set of multi-radio devices with another network, say CO-NETWORK, and we discuss WiMAX as one example of CO-NETWORK. One multi-radio device may not actively operate in WLAN when the same device is transmitting or receiving in the CO-NETWORK. As such, two networks interact with each other via shared multi-radio devices; and scheduling in CO-NETWORK may affect the performance of WLAN. In this paper, we study how the fairness/throughput of a WLAN network may be affected by the scheduling of CO-NETWORK. We further propose some scheduling optimization criteria for CO-NETWORK to minimize such impact. Simulation and analytical results are provided to demonstrate benefits.     

A software defined radio modeling framework for enabling cognitive applications

The rapid advances in software defined radio (SDR) technologies over the past decade encouraged their transition from the lab to field deployment, and shifted the usage from disparate communication devices to the creation of large resilient wireless networks capable of adapting to highly variable environment conditions in a cognitive manner. Simulation models capable of accurately representing the behavior and properties of SDR devices operating in a networked environment thus become a prerequisite for both the evaluation of such networks as well as for providing a development platform for creating new cognitive capabilities. This paper describes our work in creating a network simulation model framework for software defined radios that takes into account some of the unique behaviors and requirements of SDRs not previously seen in purely hardware devices. Factors such as large and variable communication delays between software modules, contention to shared resources, such as CPU or memory, as well as continuous tuning and environment awareness functionality essential to SDR demand a different modeling approach as well as novel techniques that enable accurate scale testing.     

Power consumption benchmarking for reconfigurable platforms

Software defined radios (SDR) wideband mobile terminals must be capable of data processing while consuming low power and keeping the design and manufacturing costs as low as possible. SDR can combine high performance signal processing and flexibility, but power efficiency of SDR nodes is an issue that needs to be addressed. Analysis of power consumption for various target technologies is challenging, since each technology typically contains its own benchmarking tools and thus, results are not comparable. In this paper, we illustrate how the GroundHog2009 benchmark suite, designed to be platform independent, can be used to evaluate power dissipation of four modern FPGAs and one microcontroller. We also introduce a generic RTL library for the GroundHog2009 design cases and test bench infra-structure to make the toolset usage easy. In addition, we show that power can be saved by using clock management, available on one of the FGPA-boards. The power savings range from 38 to 1,150?%.     

MR2_ODMRP: Improvement of End-to-End Transmission Delay in Wireless Multicast Routing

With recent advances in wireless technology, the importance of the capability to use multiple transmission rates and multiple radios has been widely recognized. In this paper, multi-rate and multi-radio (MR2) characteristics are exploited to improve end-to-end transmission delay for reliable multicasts. To achieve this goal, maximum potential rate based on multiple rates and radio based transmission delay with a different number of available radios are investigated in the construction of multicast routes. Multi-rate multi-radio on-demand multicast routing protocol (MR2_ODMRP), a protocol that makes ODMRP suitable for a MR2 environment, is proposed. An integer linear programming model is proposed to obtain the optimal tree as well as the rate and radios at each node of the tree for each multicast service. The solution is employed to evaluate the performance of the MR2_ODMRP. From the simulation, it is shown that the MR2_ODMRP produces nearly optimal solutions even in environments with a large number of nodes. It outperforms the ODMRP in wireless mesh networks. The end-to-end transmission delay is improved by a factor of four compared to the ODMRP.     

SCA4．0规范概述

软件通信体系结构（SCA）规范建立了一个与实现无关的框架,是开发软件定义无线电（SDR）软件的基本要求。SCA标准已经发布了多个版本。最新发布的SCA4．0是标准的一个重要修订。SCA4．0引入选择性继承的设计模式,实现了轻量级组件。Push模型的引入减少了启动和初始化时间,且消除了命名服务的需要。SCA4．0中不再规定CORBA是必需的中间件。SCA4．0通过分级应用和应用连通性支持在一个平台配置多个应用。SCA4．0标准可以裁剪,更好地适应每个无线电台及其功能的具体能力,比SCA2．2．2更易升级、轻量级、灵活。     

Design of a digital FM demodulator based on a 2nd-order all-digital phase-locked loop

Software-defined radio (SDR) is a revolution in radio design due to the ability to create radios that can self-adapt on the fly. In SDR devices, all of the signal processing is implemented in the digital domain, mainly on DSP blocks or by DSP software. By simply downloading a new program, a SDR device is able to interoperate with different wireless protocols, incorporate new services, and upgrade to new standards. Therefore, massively parallel signal processing at higher frequencies are needed to implement a realistic SDR. Thus, FPGAs have been used extensively for implementing essential functions in SDR architectures at lower frequencies. In this paper, we explore the design of a digital FM receiver using the approach of an All-Digital Phase Locked-Loop (ADPLL). The circuit is designed in VHDL, then synthesized and simulated using LeonardoSpectrum Level 3 and ModelSim SE 6, respectively. It operates at a frequency up to 150 MHz and occupies the area of roughly 15 K logic gates.     

Managing the network state evolution over time using CORBAenvironment

This paper proposes a CORBA-based framework for managing the network state evolution over time. This framework is based on the concept of CORBA temporal agents, capable of managing the past and current behavior of network resources. Managed objects use specific time attributes for representing how their values are evolving in time. Moreover, specially designed operations (services) enable users to exploit the temporal dimension of management information in order to understand the past, control the present, and thus even predict the future of managed objects. The management environment is designed in order to provide coexistence and interoperability with existing management platforms     

Methods of addressing the interactions of intelligent networkservices with embedded switch services

A key factor in the transition of the existing network to an intelligent network (IN) environment is the need to partition the network intelligence and to ensure the coexistence of the embedded switch services with the externally controlled services. If the network intelligence can be defined by entities (e.g. access control and routing, connection control, basic call control, feature control, etc.), then the issue is how to manage their distribution over the evolving network elements (NEs). The authors focus on the early phases of the IN, during a 1991-2 time frame, when these features must interwork with the existing features (e.g. those within the Centrex service). They provide an overview of the features interactions and arbitration policies prevailing in today's network. They then describe the framework for both single- and multinode networked features models. The issues of call control distributed over the NEs of the IN are treated as extensions to the concepts and interfaces needed to provide networked services like areawide Centrex and private virtual networks. A model for offering IN/1+ services is described     

Cross-layer network planning for multi-radio multi-channel cognitive wireless networks

We propose a general network planning framework for multi-radio multi-channel wireless networks. Under this framework, data routing, resource allocation, and scheduling are jointly designed to maximize a network utility function. We first treat such a cross-layer design problem with fixed radio distributions across the nodes and formulate it as a large-scale convex optimization problem. A primal-dual method together with the column-generation technique is proposed to efficiently solve this problem. We then consider the radio allocation problem, i.e., the optimal placement of radios within the network to maximize the network utility function. This problem is formulated as a large- scale combinatorial optimization problem. We derive the necessary conditions that the optimal solution should satisfy, and then develop a sequential optimization scheme to solve this problem. Simulation studies are carried out to assess the performance of the proposed cross-layer network planning framework. It is seen that the proposed approach can significantly enhance the overall network performance.     

A Multi-radio 802.11 Mesh Network Architecture

The focus of this paper is to offer a practical multi-radio mesh network architecture that can realize the benefits of multiple radios. Our architecture provides solutions to challenges in three key areas. The first is the construction of a split wireless router that enables modular wireless mesh routers to be constructed from commodity hardware. The second is the design of a centralized channel assignment algorithm that considers the inter-dependence between channel assignment and routing in order to create high-throughput channel-diversified routes. Third is the design and implementation of several communication protocols that are necessary to make our architecture operational. Our system is comprehensively evaluated on a 20-node multi-radio wireless testbed. Results demonstrate that our architecture makes feasible the deployment of large-scale high-capacity multi-radio mesh networks built entirely with commodity hardware. Our implementation is available to the community for research and development purposes.     

A Technical Review of SCA Based Software Defined Radios: Vision,Reality and Current Status

The SCA 2.2.2 architecture has achieved widespread adoption in the military communications market. Hundreds of thousands of SCA enabled software defined radios (SDRs) have been deployed to date, and world-wide dozens of programs are working to field more of these types of radios. The reasons for this success are the benefits enabled through adoption of the SCA: proven cost and delivery time advantages, lower logistical overhead through enhanced inter-component interoperability, simplified insertion of new communications capabilities in deployed radios, enhanced coalition interoperability through portability of waveforms and reduced development risk. As a result of this success, new countries and new organizations have begun to explore the use of the SCA, driving a second generation of SDR market adoption. Successful deployment of SCA 2.2.2 based SDRs has identified improvements to be made to advance the technology further. The Wireless Innovation Forum is working in close collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC) to evolve the SCA. The resulting SCA 4.1 specification represents the future of defense SDR technology.     

Topology control for multi-channel multi-radio wireless mesh networks using directional antennas

Directional antennas are widely used technologies for reducing signal interference and increasing spatial reuse. In this paper, we propose a topology control method for multi-channel multi-radio wireless mesh networks that use directional antennas. We are given a set of mesh routers installed in a region and some of them are gateway nodes that are connected to the Internet via wired lines. Each router has a traffic demand (Internet access traffic) generated from the end-users. The problem is how to adjust antenna orientations of radios and assign channels to them to construct a logical network topology, such that the minimum delivery ratio of traffic demands of routers is maximized. We first formulate the problem to an equivalent optimization problem with a clearer measurable metric, which is to minimize the largest interfering traffic of links in the network. We then propose a three-step solution to solve the problem. Firstly, we construct a set of routing trees, with the objective to balance the traffic among tree links. Secondly, we assign the radios of a node to the links it needs to serve, such that the total traffic load of the links that each radio serves is as balanced as possible. Thirdly, we do a fine-grained adjustment of antenna orientations and assign channels to them, such that the transmission area of each antenna will cover all the links it serves and the largest interfering traffic of links is minimized.     

基于软件无线电的WCDMA仿真平台

本文介绍了一种关于3G的仿真平台的研究、开发和验证。结合软件无线电思想,参照3GPP协议,在COSSAP软件包中搭建起一个具有通用结构的、基于第三代WCDMA、FDD方式的下行链路物理层的仿真平台,并进行了Turbo编译码、RAKE接收机等3G关键技术的研究和单路数据业务、单路话音业务及多业务复用时系统性能的仿真验证。仿真结果与相关文献拟合得较好,结果证明可以把它作为进一步研究软件无线电中关键技术的基础平台。     

A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach for Joint Channel Assignment and Multicast Routing in Multi-Radio Multi-Channel Wireless Mesh Networks

Multicast routing is an effective mechanism for delivering data to a group of receivers. Due to intrinsic property of air medium in wireless mesh networks (WMN), interference is an important issue in determining the data rate for multicast services. Interference reduction is handled by assigning multiple orthogonal channels to multiple radios in multi-radio multi-channel WMNs. Channel assignment is known to be a NP-complete problem. Most prior methods have solved multicast routing and channel assignment problems sequentially and have not considered the interplay between these two problems. Focusing on this issue, we address joint channel assignment and routing problem for multicast applications. In this paper, a novel technique based on a multi-objective genetic algorithm is proposed to build a delay constrained minimum cost multicast tree with minimum interference. We have examined the proposed algorithm on different network configurations. Experimental results demonstrate that our method finds better trees in terms of cost, delay, and interference compared to prior methods.     

Analysis and implementation of six-port software-defined radio receiver platform

With recent advances in semiconductor processing technology and the development of reconfigurable devices, high bit-rate software-defined radio (SDR) has become practical for commercial applications. This paper proposes an SDR receiver platform based on a new substrate integrated waveguide six-port structure. This SDR receiver platform operates from 22 to 26 GHz and it is designed to be robust, low cost, and suitable for different communication schemes. In this study, the receiver is demonstrated to support quadrature phase-shift keying and 16 quadrature amplitude modulation schemes. System-level simulation is made and prototype circuits are fabricated to evaluate the system performance. It is found that the combination of SDR and six-port technology can provide a great flexibility in system configuration, a significant reduction in system development cost, and also a high potential for software reuse. The proposed receiver shows a possible application of universal direct demodulator for future SDR terminals in various wireless communication systems.     

Planning the Reassignment of Frequencies in Fiber-Wireless Access Networks

FiWi architectures have been proposed as efficient solutions to provide high bandwidth and ubiquity at access network areas. In multi-radio and multi-channel FiWi scenarios an effective frequency assignment should be done to radios so that higher throughput and low delay can be obtained and the best of such architectures is achieved. However, traffic conditions change over time meaning that radio channel reconfigurations can be done to improve network performance. In this article a methodology for FiWi frequency reassignment planning is proposed, together with two algorithms, that avoids service disruption and attempts to increase throughput, reduce delay and increase the overall QoS perceived by users. Results show that the RBR algorithm is the one able to better exploit channel reconfigurations, increasing parallel transmissions and reducing time division required by nodes at the transmission area of each other.     

多部VHF/UHF频段机载通信电台同址干扰影响分析

多部甚高频/特高频(VHF/UHF)频段机载通信电台在机上同时工作时,存在严重的自扰、互扰、串扰等同址干扰电磁兼容性问题。以3部VHF/UHF频段机载通信电台同机工作为例,分析了影响其通信效果的天线安装位置、空中电磁环境特性、杂散及互调等因素,并进行了空中实际测试;对空中电磁环境特性与地面电磁环境特性进行了比对,初步验证了通信电台发射机杂散辐射射频分量等相关指标优劣的重要性以及多部电台同频段与不同频段通信时带来的二阶互调、三阶互调的影响程度,有助于指导机载通信电台的电磁兼容设计。