RF Design Magazine


Standardizing Transceiver APIs for Software Defined and Cognitive Radio
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM  By Eric Nicollet and Lee Pucker

This article introduces the key features of the transceiver API facility, underlining the main benefits of the approach, and presents the SDR Forum Transceiver Sub-system Interfaces Task Force and the associated standardization stakeholders.

Current content of the transceiver facility

The current contents of the transceiver facility are illustrated in Figure 3. This content presents capabilities that were sufficient at the time of the initial program, and acts as a starting point for follow-on development of the final transceiver facility. Features and common concepts included in the initial facility are as follows:

  • Feature “transmit” expresses the transmission capabilities of the transceiver. It specifies the interface PacketTransmit in case of packet transmission of the baseband samples, and mandates usage of a transmission channelization mask.
  • Feature “receive” expresses the reception capabilities of the transceiver. It specifies the interface PacketReceive in case of packet reception of the baseband samples, and mandates usage of a reception channelization mask.
  • Feature “HalfDuplexControl” enables control of the duplex state of the transceiver. The interface DuplexControl and associated state machine are specified in this feature.
  • Feature “FrequencyHoppingControl” enables control of the frequency hopping of the transceiver. The interfaces DwellSetting, DwellTuning and FrequencyFeeding are defined in this feature.
  • AsynchronousTxFlowControl. This feature enables an asynchronous exchange mode in transmission between a transmitting physical layer resource and the transceiver. It defines the interface flowSignalling that enables the high/low watemark information to be given by the transceiver to the transmitting software.
  • RxAdaptiveGainControl. This feature enables specification of the expected adaptive gain control behavior of the transceiver. It defines the associated classes and optional real-time control interfaces.
  • TxAdaptiveLevelControl feature enables to specify the expected adaptive level control behavior of the transceiver. It defines the associated classes and necessary real-time control interfaces.
  • Common concept “BaseBandSamples” provides for characterization of the baseband sample flow carried at the data path interface level. The concepts BBSamplesStream (stream general features), BBSamples (a buffer of consecutive samples) and BBSample (the elementary sample) are defined in this concept.
  • Common concept “ChannelMask” provides a simple and sufficient view of the expected signal channelization, using a transfer function mask (Figure 4). The structures ChannelMask, GroupDelayMask and SpectrumMask are defined in this concept.
  • Common concept “Dwell Profile” provides for characterization of frequency-hopping real-time control mechanisms (Figure 5). The classes DwellProfile, FrequencySet and LevelSet are defined in this package.

Next steps

The SDR Forum believes that the transceiver API, as the very place where software defines the radio, is of critical importance in promoting the success of next-generation radio technologies. As such, the SDR Forum Transceiver Subsystem Interface Task Force plans to aggressively work to complete the evolution of the transceiver facility and promote it for SDR Forum balloting during the 2008 calendar year. Once the balloting is completed, the transceiver API will be an approved SDR Forum specification, and available for use by the larger community. In addition, the SDR Forum plans to submit the approved transceiver facility to the OMG for follow-on standardization through its process. This will be done as a revised submission in response to the Digital IF Request for Proposal issues by the OMG's software-based communications domain task force (SBC-DTF).[5,6] The SDR Forum, in support of its members has been closely collaborating with the OMG through a joint process that is evolving the SDR Forum Smart Antenna API in a similar manner. The Transceiver Subsystem Interface Task Force will also eplore the qualification or certification of transceiver facility compliant implementations, and will discuss the addition of transceiver facility toolboxes with various tools vendors to facilitate implementation.

References

  1. “End-to-End Reconfigurability Phase II Integrated Project,” http://www.e2r2.motlabs.com/.

  2. E. Nicollet, “E2R commercial Reconfigurable Radio Equipments: from advanced research to proof-of-concept and Standardization,” SDR Forum Technical Conference, Orlando, November 2006.

  3. E. Nicollet, “The Transceiver Facility Platform Independent Model (PIM): Definition, Content And Usage,” SDR Forum Technical Conference, Orlando, November 2006.

  4. J. Miller and J. Mukerji (Editors), “MDA Guide Version 1.0,” June 2003, http://www.omg.org/docs/omg/03-06-01.pdf.

  5. OMG Software-Based Communications DTF, “Request for Proposal PIM and PSM for Digital Intermediate Frequency Interface,” OMG Document, sbc/2004-08-15, 2004.

  6. T. Demirbilek and E. Nicollet, “Joint Digital IF Initial Submission,” OMG Document, sbc/05-03-01, March 21, 2005.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Eric Nicollet is the embedded SDR architecture specialist with THALES Communications, France. He is practicing SDR-related topics for DSPs since early 1998. He is currently involved in several European initiatives and programs on SDR, in all defense (SCORED/ESSOR), safety-of-life (WINTSEC) and commercial (E2R/E3) domains. He holds an MSc from the National Superior School of Electronics and Applications, Paris.

Lee Pucker is the consulting chief executive officer of the SDR Forum. Pucker has more than 20 years of experience in wireless communications and signal-processing markets and holds a BSEE from the University of Illinois, and an MSc from The Johns Hopkins University.

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