Application Focus: SCA-Based Software Defined Radio

Reduce Your Risk. Build a Better Radio from the Very Start.

Software Defined Radios built on the Software Communications Architecture (SCA) rely heavily on careful selection and assignment of computing resources to waveforms and radio functionality. Credible performance modeling is critical to meeting customer requirements successfully and economically. Using FORESIGHT for performance modeling can enable your project teams to:

Strengthen proposals by including credible system models and simulation results.
Successfully design to highly constrained platforms (size, weight, power, and processor bandwidth) while achieving latency, throughput, QoS and jitter requirements.
Predict, verify and track system-level requirements compliance throughout the design cycle.
Predict waveform performance on different candidate platforms.
Provide access to performance models of the radio and its components in the earliest stages of your project, before prototype availability.
Build models that constitute a "contract" between sub-contractor, integrator, and customer describing the interfaces and behavior of each component in the performance domain.
Evaluate the impact of changes to the requirements or design of any component across all radio configurations.
Determine and clearly communicate component-level performance requirements

Address the issues that matter:

Save time and money by reducing expensive iterations in the development cycle that can stem from misunderstandings about requirements or inadequate design.

Example: Foresight performance modeling can enable you to estimate memory and processor throughput requirements adequately. Early in a project, you can be assured that you have enough processing power in the system architecture to handle very complex waveforms (such as WNW), security requirements, and overhead due to the SCA operating environment. Your team can thus avoid the very long radio startup times, poor waveform performance (long latency, lower than expected throughput, dropped packets, etc.) and marked re-design costs that would be involved to correct them. Plus, maintain unified development of your waveforms and platforms.
Reduce risk by testing your system before you build it.

Example: The risk of failure in the field is a serious concern that affects not only the vendor but national security. Before the design is "hard", the system must be exercised and stressed to ensure that it will meet the demands of the deployed environment (whether in battle or a cellular network) given the constraints found there. Performance modeling and simulation with FORESIGHT is your best way to confidence and compliance.

Schedule and budget risks are also a serious concern for SCA-based radio project teams. New and un-proven technologies permeate the JTRS spectrum. Network-centric warfare with MANET and other very demanding networking technologies place huge demands on radio resources. Model-driven design coupled with simulation remains the only way of determining whether a design is workable before committing to implementation. Foresight has a proven track record in helping identify and resolve performance issues early in the design cycle.

The capabilities you need:

Rapidly construct platform and waveform models using Foresight's model editor.
- Construct behavior using expressive and natural Data Flow Diagrams, State Transition Diagrams, and procedural code.
- Use Hierarchy in Data Flow Diagrams and State Transition Diagrams to manage complexity.
- Link in implementation or other models as available using Foresight's interfaces.
- Link model with DOORS requirements database for requirements traceability.
- Debug model using Foresight's built-in model debugging features.
Simulate many different configurations of system including:
- Alternative component to resource mappings.
- Alternative parameterizations (processor speed, throughput, memory requirements, error rates, etc.).
- Alternative component selection in either waveform or platform.
- Single or multiple instances of one or more waveforms.
- Different environmental configurations.

Connect:

Foresight can create models that meet the requirements of the government's "Simulation Based Acquisition" thrust.
Foresight can be interfaced with models developed in C, C++, VHDL, Verilog, and MATLAB.
Foresight can be interfaced with HLA simulations.

A methodology with a track record:

The Foresight tools and methodology apply equally well to embedded systems or distributed systems. Foresight is currently in use for performance modeling on a number of JTRS-related programs, Future Combat Systems, Space Communications, aircraft, missile, and space programs. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are all Foresight users.