Development Of A DSP & FPGA Based Real Time MIMO Prototyping Testbed

Multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) technology provides significant advantages in system capacity without the increase in transmitting power or spectrum. Therefore it has been accepted as one of the most promising physical layer schemes in the next generation wireless communication system.The advances in theoretical analysis of MIMO system are evaluated often based on computer simulations or channel simulation model,so a flexible and modular MIMO hardware platform is required where the practical performance of MIMO algorithm can be tested under real channel conditions.Recent years,the number of experimental test platforms keeps increasing.Most of the existing platforms are operated in off-line mode,which have high flexibility, good network sharing ability and low development time,but have low real time nature and can be only used for the validation of theory.The programmable hardware based on DSP has a part real time performance,and the testbed based on ASIC has a high real time performance but needs long development time.In this paper we describe a multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) communication testbed,in which real-time signal processing is achieved with the help of Sundance's digital signal processing platform including TI DSP modules,XINLINX FPGA modules and A/D & D/A modules.As an advanced wireless communication system,the presented MIMO testbed not only provides a real communication link for theoretical researchers to evaluate the key techniques and design their algorithms,but also achieves a comprehensive,open and systemic application testbed with short development time and flexible reconfiguaration.The MIMO testbed using DSP and FPGA performs rapidly prototyping and evaluating over realistic wireless channels in a full real-time operation.In this system a real wireless communication channel is achieved which overcame the restriction of wireless channel simulation model.The real time operation of the whole system satisfies a systemic validation to reduce the risk of the anticipated future product,and fulfill the rapid transform from the experimental testbed to the final product.For the whole system the modularized design makes researchers easy to re-develop it according to the user-defined requirement.This thesis focuses on the design and the development of real time MIMO testbed with DSP board to process the baseband signal and FPGA board to do intermediate frequency(IF) operation。Because the system is designed modularized and tasks are completely independent each other,it is easy for users to develop them in parallel.All we need to know only are the expected inputs and what output ports generate.We can devote much more time and efforts to create our algorithms.The work has been done in my thesis are:1.Based on the development of multiple input multiple output testbed,analyze the key techniques of MIMO and the foreground of this product.2.Introduce the summary of hardware framework.Analyze the characteristics of every module and the working method of the system.And give some advices during the hardware design of this product.3.Combined with Diamond,a multi-DSP real-time operation system,outline the system software flow,detail the algorithms design and the communication between modules.