A scalable rapid prototyping system for real-time MIMO OFDM transmissions

In this contribution a scalable rapid prototyping system is presented. This rapid prototyping system allows for implementing and testing transmitter and receiver in real-time on DSPs (digital signal processors) and FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays). Additionally, an implementation of the I-METRA channel model in separate DSP/FPGA boards can be used for emulating a MIMO propagation channel. The real-time capability of the rapid prototyping system is shown at the example of a WLAN (wireless local area network) 802.11n implementation. A throughput increase in comparison to 802.11a is achieved by incorporating MIMO (multiple input multiple output) techniques into the system. By the use of Generic C as rapid prototyping tool, a fast and efficient implementation of the MIMO receiver was achieved. During the implementation process, Generic C allowed for a steady co-verification of the written code with the Matlab Simulink model.