Yao Wang - US grants

EIA 0224387
Czarkowski, Dariusz
Erkip, Elza
Goodman, Davis J.
Karri, Ramesh.
Wang, Yao
Polytechnic University of New York

Title: CISE RR: Instrumentation for Research on Energy Aware Multimedia Information Terminals

This project, performing studies related to minimizing the energy consumed by mobile cellular and wireless networking hardware, builds a framework to understand, model and measure power consumption, as well as dynamic allocation of resources to affect power consumption in portable multimedia communication devices. Three platforms constitute the focus for implementing signal processing algorithms (general microprocessors, e.g., Pentium and ARM), digital signal processors (DSP), and reconfigurable hardwarefine grain field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and coarse grain Application Specific Programmable Processors (ASPP). The work considers two communications systems that will carry the majority of traffic in wireless Internets: cellular networks and wireless local area networks (WLAN). Because battery life depends not only on total energy drain but also on the voltages employed in the terminal and the temporal profile of energy consumption, the research includes experiments with lithium batteries to determine the effects on battery life of continuous discharge and pulsed discharge with various peak-to-average ratios. The results of these experiments are then merged with the results of signal processing and communications studies in an energy-management testbed that verifies predictions and demonstrates the effects of the new adaptation techniques. Hence, the following four components form the research plan:
Theoretical and simulation studies exploring power allocation among source coding, channel coding, encryption, and transmission in a multimedia, multiuser setting
Measurement and design study examining the power and energy requirements of signal processing algorithms and producing a software library of software modules, FPGA configurations, and ASPPs that can be dynamically selected by a portable device
Measurement and design study creating an intelligent power supply system that takes into account effects of battery discharge characteristics and demands of algorithms implemented on microprocessors, DSPs, FPGAs, and ASPPs.
Creation of experimental testbed running in the WLAN network from the results of the first three studies
The experimental testbed addresses three areas of research:
Power allocation among different components of the processing pipeline (source coding, channel coding, encryption, transmission);
Power and energy requirements of signal processing algorithms, producing a library of various granularity modules (software, FPGA, ASPP) to be selected dynamically; and
Power supply system that takes into account both battery characteristics and algorithms needs.
On the educational side, specific plans involve undergraduate students hands-on work, organization of workshop, and summer school. Industrial partners and international collaboration also form part of the research.

Proposal #: CNS 07-08989
PI(s): Erkip, Elza
Bertoni, Henry L.; Panwar, Shivendra S.; Wang, Yao
Institution: Polytechnic University of New York
Brooklyn, NY 11201-3840
Title: IAD: Cooperative Networking Testbed Amount Rec: $ 300,000

Project Proposed:

This project, building two complementary testbeds for cooperative networking, responds to the fading and multipath distortion, as well as interference caused by multiple users operating over a limited bandwidth, often suffered by wireless communication systems. Respectively, each testbeds will
. Use open source drivers for backward compatibility with the current WiFi technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. This approach uses a standard, non-cooperative physical layer since it is not possible to access the physical layer in commercial products.
. Be based on software defined radio, allowing maximum flexibility in the implementation of a cooperative physical layer, a cooperative medium access control (MAC) layer as well as cross-layer design.
Cooperative networking, where two or more active users in the network share their resources to jointly transmit their messages, provides resistance to fading, high throughput/low delay and reduced interference/low transmitted power. This infrastructure, leveraged in part by the WARP platform at Rice U, the ORBIT testbed at Rutgers U, and the CRAWDAD database at Dartmouth U, provides an open-access platform that will be used to build experimental deployable and scalable cooperative wireless networks, enabling current techniques to be moved beyond the current theoretical and simulation studies.
The testbeds validate the feasibility of cooperative networking, enable platforms where new algorithms can be tested, and lead to new theory founded on more realistic assumptions.

Broader Impacts: This first effort in implementing a fully cooperative network is expected to accelerate commercial developments in the field and impact current wireless standards. It facilitates a closer relationship with industry. Moreover, the infrastructure contributes to train students and service new courses.