SDR OFDM Waveform Design for a UGV/UAV Communication Scenario

In the course of a national research project, EADS Innovation Works has developed a waveform on a self-designed hybrid Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform, consisting of an FPGA (Xilinx Virtex 5) and a GPP (Intel Atom). The waveform realizes a video link between an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and its Ground Control Station (GCS). This link is established indirectly with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) acting as a relay, in order to enable non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communication and to increase the communication range. Additionally, a direct video link from the UAV to the GCS is set up simultaneously as well as multiple low data rate control channels between the individual link partners. To cope with diverse operation areas, accompanied by a heterogeneous set of requirements, the waveform must offer outstanding adaptability and flexibility to maximize data rates in each scenario, while maintaining link robustness. The developed waveform is based on OFDM with freely customizable modulation parameters. Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is implemented on medium access layer to switch between the different users in the scenario (UGV, UAV, GCS). In this article, we give an overview of the waveform, its implementation on a hybrid platform and its validation for the intended field of application.