SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO

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SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO Technology Overview
ELITEX 2008 New Delhi 18th Jan 08
Simon Zachariah Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing TRIVANDRUM
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SDR - DEFINITION

• Radio that provides software control of a variety
  of modulation techniques, wideband or narrowband
  operation, communication security functions and
  waveform requirements of current and evolving
  standards over a broad frequency range.
• The radio waveform personality can be
  reconfigured through software
• Multi-band,Multi-standard,Multi-service,Multi-cha
  nnel

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SDR EXPLAINED
Software Defined Radio
Hardware Radio

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DUAL MODE RADIO
Software
GSM Chipset
CDMA chipset
Hardware
Micro controller
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RE-CONFIGURABLE RADIO
Processing Engine
FPGA
DSP
Software
FPGA
RF to Digital
Hardware
Micro controller
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SDR KEY BENEFITS

• A single Hardware for Multi-standard, multiband
  and multifunctional Wireless Systems
• Software Upgrade for add on functionalities
• Customization of a single generic hardware for
  diverse needs
• Higher levels of software reusability
• Lower costs to meet new user demands
• Lower time to market new terminals

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SDR ADVANTAGES

• Complete Base band processing digital
  Reconfigurable
• Software upgrading of commercial radios Future
  proof
• Generic hardware can be used for a variety of
  applications Inventory
• Software prototyping faster and cheaper than
  hardware
• prototyping Time to market
• Libraries of software radio components are easily
  created and shared Reuse
• Digital processing of signals is ideal,
  unencumbered by the non-linearities that plague
  analog hardware-Reliability

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SDR ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
Why SDR took so long to happen?

• ADC the single most demanding performance
• DAC similar to ADC requirements
• DDC / DUC (Digital down/up converters)
  programmable embedded DSP functionalities with
  NCO for RSP/TSP with frequency hopping capability
• FPGAs Embedded DSP functionalities
• DSP meet computational requirements of base
  band processing
• Host Processor OE, Protocol stacks, MMI, system
  controls
• Operating System S/W and F/W
• Broadband RF Front End
• Smart Antennas
• Multi-Carrier Power Amplifier (MCPA) in Base
  Stations

These enabling technologies had to mature
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SDR USER SEGMENTS

• Civil wireless
• Military
• PMR

Diverse Waveforms and Form Factors, Emerging
standards, User wish-lists often from LF to
microwave! And AM, FM . GSM . CDMA Bluetooth
and (sigh!) ends up today with WiMax. Success
lies in judicious user-segmentation and
application Power consumption is still a problem
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SDR MILITARY DRIVE

• The US DoD -Speak Easy Projects
• JTRS Waveforms and Form Factors
• The Software Communication Architecture
• H/W interoperability S/W portability Custom
  waveforms

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WAVEFORM DEFINITION

• All processes between the signal source and
  antenna
• Also referred to as Air Interface
• FM, Havequick, Link16, TETRA.. All have specific
  waveforms

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COGNITIVE RADIO

• IEEE A radio that is aware of its environment
  and internal state and alter its behaviour based
  on the information and predefined objective
• CR is designed to intelligently detect whether a
  particular segment of the radio spectrum is
  currently in use, and to jump into (and out of,
  as necessary) the temporarily-unused spectrum
  very rapidly, without interfering with the
  transmissions of other authorized users.
• CR can run on a hardware radio or SDR

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SDR HARDWARE..

• Digital Signal Processing replaces several analog
  hardware stages of traditional radios
• Analog front-end still required
• Digital-analog conversion, DAC/ADC
• RF, IF Filtering
• Mixing IF ? ? RF
• Amplification
• Antennas

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SOFTWARE RADIO

• If the Radio Space has only a few signals in
  LF/HF
• No ADC exists with the bandwidth and resolution
  required (sampling speed no of bits) to cope
  with the dynamic range
• With todays technology, how close to the antenna
  the ADC/DAC can be placed?

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SDR-HARDWARE ARCHITECHTURE
Multiband Antenna
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SDR-SOFTWARE ARCHITECHTURE

• Capable of ensuring the important SDR features
• An open architecture
• Allows third party waveform/component development
• Standardised procedure for Loading and Control of
  software modules
• Should be one relying on proven technologies
  shorter development time
• SCA from JTRS meets these criteria, natural
  choice

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SOFTWARE COMMUNICATION ARCHITECTURE-SCA

• The Software Communications Architecture (SCA) is
  a US DoD (Department of Defense)defined framework
  standard that specifies rules on how to develop,
  deploy, and configure Software Defined Radio
  (SDR).
• The main goal of the SCA is to reduce cost and
  increase interoperability in SDRs.
• SCA is being adopted worldwide as a standard for
  military radios. It is expected that future
  global programmable radios in other fields, such
  as public safety, will adopt the SCA.

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WHAT SCA CAN DO!

• SCA specifies an architecture for
• component portability,
• inter-changeability, and
• software reuse, and
• architecture scalability
• of communication platforms

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SCA ARCITECTURE
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SCA-RADIO COMPOSITION
Application Factory
Manage collection of resources to create waveform
Device manager
Keep track of HW in the system
File System Manager
Store working environment, bit images,
properties, etc.
Application
Manage waveform operation
Resources
Devices
Capabilities e.g., Start and stop, test, describe
Boot up and maintain HW
Domain Manager
Port
Keep track of whats there (installed)
Connections between resources
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DIT - SDR PROJECT WITH CDAC

• Build SDR development capability in the country
• Develop a proto type to demonstrate basic
  features of SDR
• Emphasis is to demonstrate SDR features with
  limited Features of the selected waveforms
• Separate projects under taken for digital radio
  development
• Standards Compliance is not intended
• Bring synergy among various Govt. agencies in the
  country who are involved in SDR activities
• Joint development with SAMEER
• Close interaction with WESEE, DEAL CAIR
• Close interaction with user community (Army
  Navy)

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NEED FOR INDIGENOUS SDR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

• High IPR content
• Need for indigenous base on strategic reasons
• The technology of tomorrows Wireless
• Military and Commercial interest
• Success of 3G and beyond depends heavily on SDR

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CDAC IN RETROSPECT
CDAC IS AN SDR FORUM MEMBER
CDAC TETRA PRODUCTS
Portable BS-4U
1U44.43mm
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CDAC SDR PROJECT - GENESIS

• SDR Study Report 2004
• Study Report Review 2005
• DIT Initiatives on SDR Mission Project 2005
• Joint Proposal by CDAC SAMEER 2006
• Proposal review and approval by WG Jan 2007
• Administrative approval received April
  2007

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CDAC SDR PROJECT SCOPE

• COTS Development Platform
• Own H/W Platform
• Two Reconfigurable Waveforms
• One PMR TETRA
• One Military Legacy Radio Stars V
• SCA Compliant
• More Waveforms to follow

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SDR DREAM
Dream is not what you see in sleep.It is the
thing which does not let you sleep. Dr. A P J
Kalam Today CDAC have an SDR Dream and plans
to fulfill it through a well defined SDR
technology development roadmap
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Questions?
CDAC-simon_at_cdactvm.in DIT- bmbaveja_at_mit.gov.in

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SDR-IMPORTANT REFERENCES
1. Software Defined RadioOrigins,Drivers and
International Perspectives By Tuttlebee 2.
Software Defined RadioEnabling Technologies By
Tuttlebee 3. Software Defined Radio- Selected
Readings By Mitola and Zvonar 4. Software
Defined Radio for 3G By Paul Burns 4. SDR
study Report By C-DAC (www.mit.gov.in) 5. SDR
Forum web site www.sdrforum.org
PRESENATION REFENCE INFORMATION FROM SDR FORUM
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Thank You