MRI: Development of a mmWave Software Defined Radio Network Testbed for Hybrid Measurement and Emulation

基本上未受监管和未使用的毫米波（mmWave）频段是增加网络容量（特别是未来5G蜂窝通信标准）的新标准和协议的潜在基地。该项目构建、部署并向研究界提供毫米波软件定义无线电（SDR）网络测试平台。迫切需要灵活的硬件平台：(1)快速原型化新的毫米波系统，不仅考虑点对点部署，而且考虑新的多链路毫米波网络架构；(2)允许天线、波形和网络算法的协同设计——考虑到毫米波信道独特的传播特性，这是一项要求；(3)允许混合测量和仿真，以允许真实和虚拟节点共存，这将使新的毫米波网络架构的可扩展研究成为可能。毫米波SDR网络测试平台将是一个灵活的硬件平台，使研究人员能够快速构建新的毫米波系统原型。通过与Drexel公司的Echo Ridge动态频谱环境模拟器（DySE）信道模拟器的中频集成，以及与商业计算电磁模拟器的集成，该测试平台有望实现商用和定制天线技术的空中原型设计能力，以及通过可定制的真实和模拟节点组合来评估仿真毫米波网络。SDR测试平台将由5个通用软件无线电外设（USRP） X310 SDR组成，并通过与美国国家仪器公司合作设计和制造的定制毫米收发器进行增强。正在开发的仪器将允许新的毫米波系统的快速原型，包括点对点部署和多链路毫米波网络架构，使研究人员能够测试和验证新的算法和协议。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The largely unregulated and unused millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band is a potential home for new standards and protocols to increase network capacity (especially for a future 5G cellular communication standard). This project builds, deploys, and makes available to the research community a mmWave Software Defined Radio (SDR) network testbed. A pressing need exists for flexible hardware platforms to: (1) Rapidly prototype new mmWave systems that consider not only point to point deployments, but also new multi-link mmWave network architectures;(2) Allow for co-design of antennas, waveforms, and networking algorithms -- a requirement given the unique propagation characteristics of mmWave channel; and (3) Allow for hybrid measurement and emulation to allow real and virtual nodes to co-exist, which would enable scalable studies of new mmWave network architectures. The mmWave SDR network testbed will be a flexible hardware platform that will enable researchers to rapidly prototype new mmWave systems. Through intermediate frequency integration with the Echo Ridge Dynamic Spectrum Environment Emulator (DySE) channel emulator at Drexel and integration with commercial computational electromagnetic simulators, the testbed is expected to enable both over the air prototyping capabilities with commercial and custom antenna technologies as well as evaluation of emulated mmWave networks with customizable combinations of real and simulated nodes. The SDR testbed will consist of 5 Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) X310 SDRs, enhanced with custom built millimeter transceivers designed and built in partnership with National Instruments. The instrument being developed will permit rapid prototyping of new mmWave systems that includes point-to-point deployments and multi-link mmWave network architecture, enabling researchers to test and verify new algorithms and protocols.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.