Embedded SDR system design case study: An implementation perspective

Cognitive Radios (CRs) and Software Defined Radios (SDRs) have ubiquitous applications ranging from handheld to base station devices. In order to meet the computational requirements of such radios, computing heterogeneity, the mixed usage of General Purpose Processors (GPPs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), is attractive. Developing SDR and CR applications already requires a diverse set of skills, and computing heterogeneity further complicates the process. This paper presents a developmental workflow used successfully by the authors for SDR and CR application running on a platform combining DSP and GPP based processors. The paper discusses tools used to set up the platform, create compilation environment, develop code for GPP/DSP communication, integrate the DSP into GNU Radio, and use the environment to develop SDR/CR applications. It presents a case study showing how computing heterogeneity can be used to address diverse application needs.