Abstract
Problem statement: The Software Communications Architecture (SCA) was developed to improve software reuse and interoperability in Software Defined Radios (SDR). There had been performance concerns since its conception. Arguably, the majority of the problems and inefficiencies associated with the SCA can be attributed to the assumption of modular distributed platforms relying on General Purpose Processors (GPPs) to perform all signal processing. Approach: Significant improvements in cost and power consumption can be obtained by utilizing specialized and more efficient platforms. Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) present such a platform and have been widely used in the communications industry. Improvements in development tools and middleware technology opened the possibility of fully integrating DSPs into the SCA. This approach takes advantage of the exceptional power, cost and performance characteristics of DSPs, while still enjoying the flexibility and portability of the SCA. Results: This study presents the design and implementation of an SCA Core Framework (CF) for a TI TMS320C6416 DSP. The framework is deployed on a C6416 Device Cycle Accurate Simulator and TI C6416 Development board. The SCA CF is implemented by leveraging OSSIE, an open-source implementation of the SCA, to support the DSP platform. OIS’s ORBExpress DSP and DSP/BIOS are used as the middleware and operating system, respectively. A sample waveform was developed to demonstrate the framework’s functionality. Benchmark results for the framework and sample applications are provided. Conclusion: Benchmark results show that, using OIS ORBExpress DSP ORB middleware has an impact for decreasing the Software Memory Footprint and increasing the System Performance compared with PrismTech's e*ORB middleware.
Highlights
The Software Communications Architecture (SCA) was developed by the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program of the US Department of Defense to standardize the development of Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology
Implementations of SCA SDRs have struggled to meet performance, cost, size and power requirements. Many of the these problems have their origin in the assumption of a modular and distributed platform based on General Purpose Processor (GPP) to perform all signal processing
All performance tests were carried out using the C6416 Device Cycle Accurate Simulator and the Code Composer Studio profiler
Summary
The Software Communications Architecture (SCA) was developed by the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program of the US Department of Defense to standardize the development of Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. Implementations of SCA SDRs have struggled to meet performance, cost, size and power requirements. Many of the these problems have their origin in the assumption of a modular and distributed platform based on General Purpose Processor (GPP) to perform all signal processing. In order to overcome these problems, it is necessary to make better use of specialized hardware optimized for signal processing. Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) are specialized microprocessors designed for real-time digital signal processing. DSPs have been relegated as secondary elements in the SCA, requiring a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for connectivity.
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