wiki:OFDM/MIMO/Docs/PHYDetails/FrameFormat

Version 5 (modified by murphpo, 17 years ago) (diff)

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MIMO OFDM? | Documentation? | OFDM Frame Format

Overview

The frame format for the WARP MIMO OFDM core is based loosely on the frame format specified in the IEEE 802.11a wireless networking standard. The WARP MIMO OFDM core supports both single (SISO) and two antenna (MIMO) modes. The frame formats for these two modes are detailed below.

Each frame is divided into four sections:

Preamble

The preamble is a hard-coded 320-sample sequence used by the receiver for AGC, carrier frequency offset estimation and symbol timing estimation. The preamble consists of two 160-sample sections. The first is a repitition of 10 16-sample sequences, called short training symbols (STS). The second half is 2.5 repititions of a 64-sample sequence, called the long training symbol (LTS). The preamble is defined in the OFDM models's initialization script (ofdm_tx_mimo_init).

In SISO mode, the preamble is transmitted only on antenna A. In MIMO mode, the preamble is always transmitted from antenna A and optionally from antenna B. This option is controlled by the DISABLE_ANTB_PREAMBLE field in the Tx_ControlBits register.

In both modes, the preamble is scaled by a programmed constant. This scaling allows the full-scale swing of the preamble (+/-1 default) to match the swing of the IFFT output. The scaling constant is programmed via the Tx_PreambleScaling register.

Training

The OFDM core uses hard-coded training sequences for channel estimation. Each repitition of the sequence is treated as a full OFDM symbol at the receiver. The number of repititions is programmable but must be known to both the transmitter and receiver ahead of time. The training sequence is defined in the OFDM models's initialization script (ofdm_tx_mimo_init).

For SISO links, the programmed number of training symbols are inserted between the preamble and base-rate symbols. For MIMO links, the programmed number of training symbol periods are dedicated to channel estimation and are split evenly between the transmit antennas. See the SISO vs. MIMO frame format sections below for more details.

Base Rate

In order to maintain compatibility with nodes communicating over various distances (i.e. capable of communicating at various rates), the OFDM core allows a number of OFDM symbols to be modulated using a base-rate. The number of base-rate symbols and the assignment of base-rate modulation schemes to subcarriers must be known to both the transmitter and receiver ahead of time. In MIMO mode, both antennas transmit the same base-rate symbols using the same modulation schemes.

Generally, these base-rate symbols contain the packet's header, which enables every receiving node to know the packet's destination and length.

In simulation, the number of base-rate symbols is defined in the OFDM models' initialization script (ofdm_tx_mimo_init.m). In hardware, the number must be written to the NUM_BASERATE_SYMS field in the OFDM transmitter's Tx_OFDM_SymCounts register.

See Programmable Modulation Schemes for example code which illustrates how to program the base-rate modulation scheme.

Full Rate

The remaining OFDM symbols in each packet contain data modulated at the full-rate. The full-rate modulation schemes are programmable across subcarriers and antennas. In the current model, the assignment of full-rate modulation schemes to subcarriers and antennas must be known to both the transmitter and receiver ahead of time. A future version of the model will support dynamic assignments per-packet, including the full-rate modulation assignments in packet's header in the base-rate symbols.

In simulation, the number of full-rate symbols is defined in the OFDM models' initialization script (ofdm_tx_mimo_init.m). In hardware, the number must be written to the NUM_PYLD_SYMS field in the OFDM transmitter's Tx_OFDM_SymCounts register.

See Programmable Modulation Schemes for example code which illustrates how to program the full-rate modulation schemes for the two antennas.

SISO Frame Format

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MIMO Frame Format

No image "MIMO_Frame_Format.png" attached to OFDM/MIMO/Docs/Images