UNIVERSIT`
A DI PISA
DIPARTIMENTO DI INGEGNERIA DELL’INFORMAZIONE
Dottorato di Ricerca in Ingegneria dell’Informazione
Activity Report by the Student Carmine VITIELLO - XXIX cycle of the
PhD Program
Tutor(s): Prof. Marco Luise
1. Research Activity
First Year
The first year activity of the PhD is focused on three main different topics: development of Software-Define Radio (SDR) waveforms for Testing & Evaluation, Network Coding and the development of a tool for the analysis of GALILEO signal.
The first topic concerned the activity conducted on the project LANCERS, about the creation of a dedicated Test & Evaluation laboratory on SDR technologies at the CSSN ITE, an Italian Navy research center in Leghorn. The project started with the study of SDR technologies, both hardware platforms and development tools. In order to equip the laboratory, some Ettus USRP models and a low-cost SDR receiver Realtek rtl2832u have been selected because they are currently being used for the prototyping of several military waveforms. Second, they are low-cost platforms that can be easily procured. Third, they can rely on a wide community of developers and researchers. Concerning development tools, the software architecture called Software Communication Architecture (SCA) has been selected. This architecture, introduced by Joint Tactical Radio Center (JTNC), is the standard de facto for military SDR. OSSIE and RedHawk from Virginia Tech Labs are the SCA-compliant development tools selected for simplifying the creation of the waveforms and their components, without take care about the interactions with the CORBA middleware and just using some APIs for controlling the hardware platform. In this way, several C/C++ components have been implemented, both for the real-time execution and for simulation purposes. The following analog and digital waveforms have been implemented:
1. STANAG 4285 and 4593;
2. MILSTD-188110 A and B;
3. VHF ICAO and IMM;
4. AM and FM broadcasting.
The developed waveform have been used as benchmark for Test & Evaluation activities of several SDR platforms and relative software.
The second activity was a further extension of the master thesis, realized in collaboration with the CTTC of Barcelona, within the european project Newcom #. It was about the development and the performance analysis of the Physical-Layer Network Coding (PLNC) technique with a non-binary joint decoding in a basic Two-Way Relay Channel (TWRC) scenario. Employing a typical complete-decode-and-forward strat-egy at the relay, we proved the efficiency of the non-binary joint decoding compared with the separate decoding with interference cancellation strategy. The decoding has been applied to an off-the-shelf 3GPP
Turbo code. The performance in terms of BER have been evaluated with several combinations of code rate, channel model and SNR.
The third activity was related to the development of an automatic report generator tool, which is able to process and analyze data coming from several GALILEO receiver placed in different European Space Agency (ESA) centers. This software is based on Matlab and its report generator tool and it compares the receiver performance, highlighting some malfunctions. This activity was included in the ESA Project GNSS-SIS SW tool and it also covered part of the second year of PhD.
Second Year
The second year activity of the PhD is focused on three main different subjects: the study and development of a new wireless physical layer waveform for 5G, the study and implementation of the physical cryptogra-phy technique, such as the Direction Modulation (DM), and the development of a tool for the analysis of GALILEO signal, already described in the first year activity.
The main activity focused on the study of a new multicarrier modulation, called Universal Filtered MultiCarrier (UFMC), proposed as a candidate for the physical layer of the next wireless mobile generation system. It is started with my visits to Eurecom and it was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Knopp and Prof. Kaltenberger. Our goal was to develop an SDR implementation of the UFMC waveform in the uplink communication of a current 4G system in order to prove the benefits of this waveform and the coexistence with the previous generation mobile system. After a preliminary and more theoretical waveform analysis, we started to simplify the transmitter scheme without losing any waveform benefits and improving the performance in terms of computational complexity. At the receiver side, we exploited the classical LTE SC-FDMA receiver simply adding a synchronization block at the beginning of the receiver chain, allow-ing a correct decodallow-ing. After the code testallow-ing by simulations, the UFMC waveform has been ported on OpenAirInterface (OAI), an SDR framework developed at Eurecom, which comprises a highly optimized C implementation of all the elements of the 3GPP LTE Release 8.6 protocol stack plus some subset from Release 10 for both UE and eNB. The software modem can be run in simulation/emulation mode or in real-time mode together with a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) hardware target (NI USRP B2x0 o Express-MIMO2). Simulations and other tests on 10 MHz bandwidth ULSCH channel have been confirmed and highlighted the qualities of the UFMC waveform: reduction of Out-of-Band (OOB) emissions, robustness against time and frequency misalignments and increment of the spectral efficiency while the optimization of the waveform brought to improve the performance in terms of computational complexity, especially when few Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) are transmitted. Thanks by my collaboration with Eurecom and my work on OAI, University of Pisa joined into OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (OSA). This activity went on up to the end of the PhD.
The second activity concerned the project LICOLA, made for IDS -INGEGNERIA DEI SISTEMI S.p.A, about the study and implementation of the physical cryptography techniques called Direction Modulation (DM). Thanks the use of the phase shifters in each branch of a multiantenna OFDM transmitter, the DM technique enables the correct reception of the signal in a given direction, making it unintelligible in the other directions. A preliminary study enabled the use of DM techniques only in certain line-of-sight (LOS) scenarios, where fading is given by local scatterers. This technique has been applied to real-time SDR DVB-T transmitter and receiver implemented Ettus USRP, using 4 or 64 antennas at the transmitter side. From the obtained results, the applicability and the effectiveness of the DM on real scenarios of a standard wireless communication has been proved. The project finished in the middle of third year of the PhD.
of Internet of Things (IoT). These strategies lead to select the best combinations of the transmitting parameters, such as code rate, bit and power allocations over the subcarriers and subbands and number of multicarrier symbols, exploiting the qualities and the features of the UFMC waveform, joint to a Bit Interleave Code modulation.
2. Formation Activity
- Prof. A. Wallwork, Universit`a di Pisa, “English for writing and presenting scientific papers”, 20 hours - 2 credits
- Prof. C. R. Johnson, Jr., Cornell University, W. A. Sethares, University of Wisconsin, “Signal Pro-cessing in Computational Art History”, 20 hours - 5 credits
- PhD Springschool “Advanced Signal Processing Techniques for Heterogeneous Networks (ASPHEN 2014)”, 20 hours - 5 credits
- Prof. R. Leupers, Rwth Aachen University - Germany, “Design Technologies for Embedded Multi-processor Systems-On-Chip”, 20 hours - 5 credits
- Giovanni Neglia, INRIA MAESTRO Team (Models for performance analysis and control of networks), “Network Science”, 20 hours - 5 credits
- Prof. D. G. Korzun, Petrozavodsk State University - Russia, ”Smart Spaces”, 20 hours - 5 credits
- PhD Summerschool “Summerschool on Wireless and Networks 2015 – 5G Lab Germany”, 29 hours - 7 credits
- Prof. M. Luise and L. Sanguinetti, Universit`a di Pisa: “Game Theory and Optimization in Commu-nications and Networking”, 16 hours - 4 credits
- Tutorials at “Tyrrhenian International Workshop 2016”, 21 hours - 5 credits
TOTAL CREDITS: 43
3. Research Periods at Qualified Research Institutions
• Visiting PhD at Eurecom, Sophia-Antipolis, Biot, France from 13/04/2015 to 12/06/2015 supported by Newcom # Mobility Grant on “First Steps Towards 5G Modem Prototyping” under the supervision of Prof. R. Knopp and F. Kaltenberger
• Visiting PhD at Eurecom, Sophia-Antipolis, Biot, France from 30/10/2015 to 31/12/2015 supported by Newcom # Mobility Grant on “Comparison between candidate architectures for 5G Physical Layer” under the supervision of Prof. R. Knopp and F. Kaltenberger
4. Publications
International Journals
[J1 ] Arreghini, F., Vitiello, C., Luise, M., Manco A., Bacci G., Falzarano M. (2016). An Approach to T&E of Military SDR Platforms and Waveforms: the LANCERS Lab. Journal of Signal Processing Systems. (Vol. 83, pp.93-111). Springer US.
International Conferences/Workshops with Peer Review
[C1 ] Vitiello C., Pfletschinger S. and Luise M. (2013, June). Decoding options for trellis codes in the two-way relay channel. 2013 IEEE 14th Workshop on Signal Processing Advances in Wireless Communications (SPAWC). (pp.380-384), IEEE
[C2 ] Pfletschinger S., Vitiello C. and Navarro M. (2014 June). Decoding options for the symmetric and asymmetric turbo-coded two-way relay channel. EuCNC 2014, European Conference on Networks and Communications, (Vol. 23 pp.26), IEEE
[C3 ] Vitiello C., Bacci G., Arreghini F. and Luise M. Low-cost fully-software waveforms for tactical communications. WinnCom Europe 2014, Wireless Innovation Forum European Conference. Wireless Innovation Forum
[C4 ] Arreghini F., Vitiello C., Luise M., Manco A., Bacci G., Falzarano M. (2014, November). An approach to T&E of military SDR platforms and waveforms: the LANCERS lab. WinnCom Europe 2014, Wireless Innovation Forum European Conference. Wireless Innovation Forum.
[C5 ] Kaltenberger F., Knopp R., Vitiello C., Danneberg M. and Festag A. (2015, October). Experimental analysis of 5G candidate waveforms and their coexistence with 4G systems. JNCW 2015, Joint NEWCOM/COST Workshop on Wireless Communications
[C6 ] Knopp R., Kaltenberger F., Vitiello C. and Luise, M. (2016, July). Universal filtered multicar-rier for machine type communications in 5G. EuCNC 2016, European Conference on Networks and Communications. IEEE
[C7 ] Del Fiorentino P., Vitiello C., Lottici V., Giannetti F. and Luise M. (2016, September). A ro-bust resource allocation algorithm for packet BIC-UFMC 5G wireless communications. EUSIPCO 2016.IEEE
[C8 ] Vitiello C., Del Fiorentino P., Debels E., Lottici V., Giannetti F., Luise M. and M. Moeneclaey M.(2016, September). Two-Step Resource Allocation for BIC-UFMC Wireless Communications ISWCS 2016, International Symposium on Wireless Communication System.IEEE
[C9 ] Del Fiorentino P., Vitiello C., Debels E., Van Hecke J., Lottici V., Giannetti F., Luise M. and M. Moeneclaey M.(2016, December). Resource allocation in short packets BIC-UFMC transmission for Internet of Things. Globecom 2016. IEEE
[C10 ] Debels E., Del Fiorentino P., Vitiello C., Van Hecke J., Giannetti F., Luise M., Lottici V. and M. Moeneclaey M.(2016, November). Adaptive modulation and coding for UFMC and BIC-OFDM systems taking CFO into account. Communications and Vehicular Technology in the Benelux (SCVT), 2016 IEEE Symposium on. IEEE
[O2 ] Deliverable 2 - Project LANCERS - Technical report
[O3 ] Deliverable D11.2 of the European project NEWCOM # - External Research Report - Fundamental issues and preliminary results of N# JRAs on opportunistic and cooperative communications
[O4 ] Deliverable D23.4 of the European project NEWCOM # - External Research Report - Final report on tools and their integration on the experimental setups
[O5 ] Deliverable D35.3 of the European project NEWCOM # - External Research Report - Report on third-year mobility and awards
[O6 ] Deliverable of the ESA Project “GNSS-SIS SW tool” - User Manual
[O7 ] Deliverable 1 - Project LICOLA - Technical report
[O8 ] Deliverable 2 - Project LICOLA - Technical report
[O9 ] Deliverable 3 - Project LICOLA - Technical report
Pisa , 09/01/2017
The student The Tutor
