II-NEW: MIMO Software Defined Communication Testbed for UWB Radio and Free Space Optics

该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助。软件定义无线电（SDR）为无线通信系统的研究和开发提供了理想的平台。虽然已经有许多成功的SDR努力，但这些平台都没有能力实现高数据速率射频超宽带（UWB）（多载波和脉冲无线电）和无线光（漫射和视线）通信系统。软件定义无线电，更广泛地？软件定义的通信？(SDC)（即，使用无线电之外的传播媒体来实现软件定义概念）可以通过多输入多输出（MIMO）信令技术来增强。 然而，到目前为止，还没有技术可以在原型硬件中演示这些系统。SDC测试平台利用模块化FPGA硬件形成可重构基带处理系统。此外，模块化收发器正在建设，以实现UWB多载波，UWB脉冲无线电，视线光学和扩散光学模态。该项目的教育部分促进本科生的技术创新和设计，并鼓励高中推广。所有级别的本科生都受益于开发或使用SDC测试平台的项目。开发的测试平台正在被纳入高中学生和教师的演示。该项目的主要贡献是实现了一个软件定义的快速原型高速无线网络的测试平台。这样一个系统的影响是巨大的，但最重要的是，这个系统使大量不同的无线架构原型。 一个项目网站可以传播有关测试平台架构的信息和来自这些原型的见解。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Software Defined Radio (SDR) offers an ideal platform for research and development with wireless communications systems. While there have been numerous successful SDR efforts, none of these platforms have the capability to implement high data rate radio frequency ultrawideband (UWB) (multicarrier and impulse radio) and wireless optical (diffuse and line-of-sight) communications systems. Software Defined Radio, and more broadly ?Software Defined Communications? (SDC) (i.e., implementing software defined concepts using propagation media beyond radio) can be enhanced by multiple input multiple output (MIMO) signaling techniques. However, until now, the technology did not exist to demonstrate these systems in prototype hardware.The SDC testbed leverages modular FPGA hardware to form a reconfigurable baseband processing system. In addition, modular transceivers are being constructed to implement UWB multicarrier, UWB impulse radio, line-of-sight optical, and diffuse optical modalities. The educational components of this project fosters technical innovation and design among undergraduate students and encourages high school outreach. Undergraduate students at all levels benefit from projects developing or using the SDC Testbed. The developed testbed is being incorporated into demonstrations for high school students and teachers. The main contribution of this project is the realization of a software defined testbed for rapidly prototyping high speed wireless networks. The impacts of such a system are vast, but most significantly, this system enables a large variety of different wireless architectures to be prototyped. A project website enables the dissemination of information about the testbed architecture and insights from these prototypes.