|
 |
Communications Research
Associated Laboratories, Groups and Centers:
Center for Wireless Telecommunications
Digital Signal Processing and Communications
Lab
Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group
Current research in the communications area includes fiber
optic communications, mobile and portable radio communications,
wireless communications, digital signal processing, wideband
networks, and satellite communications.
Fiber optic communications research deals broadly with the interrelationship
between system technology, architecture, and application. Principal
applications that have been considered include high-speed digital
long-distance systems, local and wide area computer networks,
television distribution networks, and interfaces between fiber
and mobile radio systems. During this past year, research continued
on (a) system architecture and technology for wavelength-division-multiplexed
systems, (b) analysis and simulation of the combined effects
of nonlinearity and dispersion in long distance systems and optimal
signal design for such systems, (c) design and analysis of new
topologies to achieve highly survivable networks, (d) characterization
and mitigation of polarization mode dispersion effects in fiber
optic systems, and (e) application of plastic optical fiber in
automotive networks. (See Electromagnetics for additional fiber
optic research activities.)
Representative Research Projects in Communications
Representative Research Projects in Communications
Fractal Modulating Using Wavelets for Digital Communications
Systems
Selective Interference Cancellation Techniques for Enhanced Communications
Throughput
NAVCIITI Smart Antennas
Configurable and Robust Wireless Communications Nodes
Low Power and Robust Communications using hand-held Smart Antennas
for Receiving and Transmitting
An Investigation of Base Station Delivery for Cellular Applications
Reconfigurable Apertures and Space-Time Processing
Turbine Engine Control using MEMS for Reduction of High Cycle
Fatigue
Measurement and Modeling of Broadband Millimeter Wave Channels
for Fixed and Mobile Next Generation Internet
Development of Simulation and Design Tools for Wireless Research
A Collaborative Problem Solving Environment for Modeling of Broadband
Wireless Communication Systems
Research into Spatial Signal Recovery Algorithms in Support of
Spectral Spatial Interference Cancellation System
Research & Development for IMT-2000
Broadband Wireless System Design: Riverstone Park
Geographic-Engineering Tool for Wireless Evaluation of Broadband
Systems "GETWEBS"
Wireless Link for Miniaturized Robust Multichannel Telemetry
System
Monolithic/MCM Filter Development for Highly-Integrated Digital
Radios
Testbed for High-Speed End-To-End Communications in Support of
Comprehensive Emergency Management
Web-based Service for the Broadband Wireless Industry
Technical Support for "Connexion by Boeing"
Center for Wireless Telecommunications
(CWT)
www.cwt.vt.edu
CWT Affiliated ECE Faculty Members:
Charles Bostian, Director
Louis Beex
Luiz DaSilva
Nathaniel Davis IV
William Davis
Dong Ha
Scott Midkiff
Amitabh Mishra
Tim Pratt
Sanjay Raman
Warren Stutzman
Dennis Sweeney
CWT is a Technology Development Center of Virginia's Center
for Innovative Technology (CIT). Its primary goals are to help
client companies develop new products and deploy services using
wireless technology, and to provide a learning environment that
prepares graduate students for jobs in wireless telecommunications.
A university interdisciplinary research and development center,
CWT includes faculty and students from three colleges (Arts and
Sciences, Business, Engineering) and nine departments. CWT promotes
the collaboration and interaction among its associated faculty
and students so that its graduates understand both the technical
and the business aspects of the wireless industry.
Broadly, CWT develops technology and designs and builds hardware
and software for all wireless applications. It specializes in
proof-of-concept prototypes, which are fully tested and operational
pieces of equipment that are ready for production. While CWT
supports a wide range of projects, its particular areas of concentration
are radio hardware design, software for wireless networking,
and spectrum allocation. Long-term research work includes embedded
radio systems, advanced broadband wireless Internet access, and
radio spectrum auction and allocation strategies. CWT's largest
and most recent project has been its work with LMDS (Local Multipoint
Distribution Service) network development. LMDS is a new 28 GHz
allocation and the first of several broadband services to be
deployed worldwide. CWT initiated Virginia Tech's participation
in the FCC's 1998 spectrum auction, in which the university purchased
spectrum licenses for four basic trading areas.
In 1999, CWT worked with Communications Network Services (CNS),
the Virginia Tech Office of Information Systems, and Wavtrace,
now Harris Corp. of Bellevue, WA, to deploy a point-to-multipoint
network in the Blacksburg area. The network delivers two-way,
high-speed data, voice, and video traffic from a hub site on
the Virginia Tech campus to three off-campus buildings that did
not previously have high-speed connections to the on-campus broadband
network.
A current CWT project, funded by the NSF, is called GETWEBS (Geographic-Engineering
Tool for Wireless: Evaluation of Broadband Systems). As part
of the project, a new course is offered through the departments
of Geography, ECE, and Finance, in which advanced undergraduate
and graduate students along with faculty are developing a suite
of software tools for wireless network system design and layout.
This course brings together students and faculty from engineering,
business, and the social sciences to evaluate implementation
strategies for fourth-generation wireless communications. It
will be offered for the second time during Summer, 2001.
CWT has recently worked with the Boeing Company on the policy
and regulatory aspects of its plan to offer Internet access to
commercial air travelers with Connexion by Boeing™.
CWT researchers are developing a flexible and rapidly deployable
"last mile" broadband wireless network based on, but
not limited to, LMDS technology. The goal is to provide a communications
system that can be moved into a disaster area and quickly integrated
with surviving federal, state, and local fiber networks. The
wireless network can become a common electronic meeting ground
for the disaster relief community.
In January 2001, CWT was selected by the Wireless Telecommunications
Association as a WEMMIE award winner. 'Wireless Emmys' were presented
to those providing the most advanced technologies and/or the
best broadband service to underserved communities, including
schools, colleges and remote rural areas.
The members of the Digital Signal Processing and Communications
Lab (DSPCL; pronounced "de-speckle") conduct state-of-the-art
research in signal processing and communications. The specific
research interests within DSPCL include: wavelet-based image
compression, wavelet modulation, image segmentation, engineering
education and fusion-based algorithms for improved geolocation
estimates in wireless networks. DSPCL researchers have presented
and published their work in the premier international journals
and conferences in signal processing and communications. DSPCL's
research endeavors have been financially supported by several
organizations, among them: the National Science Foundation; Nortel
Networks; and, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Former DSPCL students
are employed throughout the U.S. and Europe in information technology
industries ranging from large, international corporations to
small, start-up companies.
Mobile and Portable Radio Research
Group (MPRG)
www.mprg.org
MPRG ECE Faculty
Jeffrey Reed, Director
Theodore S. Rappaport
William H. Tranter
Brian Woerner
Associated ECE Faculty
Lynn Abbott
Annamalai Annamalai
Peter Athanas
Luiz DaSilva
David deWolf
Dong Ha
Ira Jacobs
Pushkin Kachroo
Scott Midkiff
Amitabh Mishra
Sanjay Raman
Hugh VanLandingham
 Bill
Newhall (G) tests his software radio in the MPRG laboratory.
The software-defined measurement receiver simultaneously samples
signals from four antenna elements at 1 gigasample per second
for each channel. The system is being used for wideband smart
antenna experiments and radio channel characterization.
The MPRG provides leading-edge research and state-of-the-art
educational opportunities for students in wireless communications.
Its research focuses on the creation of wireless systems that
will permit ubiquitous and instantaneous access to information
throughout our daily lives. The MPRG works to understand the
interplay between propagation, receiver design, signal processing,
networking and applications. The work has commercial applications
in the areas of cellular telephone, personal communications,
land mobile radio, wireless data networks, and high-speed data
links.
Five core faculty members, 12 associated faculty members, nine
staff members, and 40 graduate students work together to provide
a national resource for research and education in the field of
wireless communications. Since its inception in 1990, MPRG has
graduated more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students,
who are now employed in positions of leadership in the rapidly
expanding wireless communications industry.
MPRG researchers are recognized leaders in the fields of radio
wave propagation measurement and prediction, digital signal processing,
code division multiple access, software radio, and communications
system design and simulation. MPRG's 2000 research budget was
more than $2 million. Core support for MPRG is provided through
a coalition of 22 industrial affiliate companies. The MPRG also
conducts long-term research sponsored by the NSF, DARPA, the
Office of Naval Research, and several leading wireless communications
companies. The MPRG affiliates program facilitates rapid dissemination
of research results to industry. In June 2001, the 11th Symposium
on Wireless Personal Communications will attract over 200 working
engineers to Virginia Tech for continuing education and exposure
to Virginia Tech's wireless expertise.
During the past year, MPRG researchers completed a DARPA-funded
software radio project that proved the utility of reconfigurable
computing applied to software radio design. They also developed
new array processing techniques designed to reduce the size of
cellular antennas, while extending the range and increasing the
capacity of emerging 3rd Generation wireless systems. Recent
research initiatives include the creation of several test beds
for space-time signal processing. Additionally, MPRG is examining
WLAN systems and Bluetooth™ technologies and their related
interference and deployment issues.
|
