An SDR inspired design for the FPGA implementation of 802.11a baseband system

Abstract

Sofhare DeJined Radio (SDR) tecl~iiologies and concepts have become one oftlie most important topics of research particir1arl.v in comrnirnications as it aims to deliver greater plalfurni ,fle.rihirihility when cumpared with conventional radio teclinolag?r. Field Programmable Gate Array.7 (FPGA)s have been stiggested as an enabling teclmologv for the hardware platform of an SDR system althoirgli the programmahili(v offered was relatively coirrse grained in that designs could only be altered thronigh a comp1e.r set ofsofivare tools with the whole device having to he reprogrammed to change its operation. The SeIectMAP interface of the Xi1in.r Virte.r FPGA introduced a means where the confignration data applied represents on/,\> u,fraction of ajrll confignration file. However, tlie,fIeriCdih; is restricted and; in order to ina.rirnise Jlexibilh; the hardware platform ,functional objects mint relute theniselves to hoth the architecture of the device and the requirements of other objects implemented within the device. In this paper we define SDR Jirnctional objects snitable ,for implementation on an FPGA arid provide un example of applving these techniqires to the part of the N02.Ila baseband dejfnition that off;^ variable coding and modulation.