Robust header compression over IEEE 802 networks

Tese de mestrado. Redes e Serviços de Comunicação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, INESC Porto. 200

Medium Access Control Layer Implementation on Field Programmable Gate Array Board for Wireless Networks

Triple play services are playing an important role in modern telecommunications systems. Nowadays, more researchers are engaged in investigating the most efficient approaches to integrate these services at a reduced level of operation costs. Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) boards have been found as the most suitable platform to test new protocols as they offer high levels of flexibility and customization. This thesis focuses on implementing a framework for the Triple Play Time Division Multiple Access (TP-TDMA) protocol using the Xilinx FPGA Virtex-5 board. This flexible framework design offers network systems engineers a reconfigiirable platform for triple-play systems development. In this work, MicorBlaze is used to perform memory and connectivity tests aiming to ensure the establishment of the connectivity as well as board’s processor stability. Two different approaches are followed to achieve TP-TDMA implementa­tion: systematic and conceptual. In the systematic approach, a bottom-to-top design is chosen where four subsystems are built with various components. Each component is then tested individually to investigate its response. On the other hand, the concep­tual approach is designed with only two components, in which one of them is created with the help of Xilinx Integrated Software Environment (ISE) Core Generator. The system is integrated and then tested to check its overall response. In summary, the work of this thesis is divided into three sections. The first section presents a testing method for Virtex-5 board using MicroBlaze soft processor. The following two sections concentrate on implementing the TP-TDMA protocol on the board by using two design approaches: one based on designing each component from scratch, while the other one focuses more on the system’s broader picture

Comparison of Wireless Shielding Solutions

Security and interfering networks are challenges in wireless networks today. A security technique concerning shielding wireless signal using signal reducing or canceling material can be used to solve some of these issues. This technique however, is regarded as expensive and hard to implement. To look into these claim, several types of shielding solution were tested and compared in regard to efficiency, cost and implementation. Testing of the solution was done using a test box with the solutions applied to the interior. As a result of the study it was found that affordable shielding solutions with decent attenuation and uncomplicated implementation exists. For higher attenuation performance more expensive materials, installed by professionals, are needed

Assessment and Real Time Implementation of Wireless Communications Systems and Applications in Transportation Systems

Programa Oficial de Doutoramento en Tecnoloxías da Información e das Comunicacións en Redes Móbiles. 5029V01[Resumo] Os sistemas de comunicación sen fíos de cuarta e quinta xeración (4G e 5G) utilizan unha capa física (PHY) baseada en modulacións multiportadora para a transmisión de datos cun gran ancho de banda. Este tipo de modulacións proporcionan unha alta eficiencia espectral á vez que permiten corrixir de forma sinxela os efectos da canle radio. Estes sistemas utilizan OFDMA como mecanismo para a repartición dos recursos radio dispoñibles entre os diferentes usuarios. Este repartimento realízase asignando un subconxunto de subportadoras a cada usuario nun instante de tempo determinado. Isto aporta unha gran flexibilidade ó sistema que lle permite adaptarse tanto ós requisitos de calidade de servizo dos usuarios como ó estado da canle radio. A capa de acceso ó medio (MAC) destes sistemas encárgase de configurar os diversos parámetros proporcionados pola capa física OFDMA, ademais de xestionar os diversos fluxos de información de cada usuario, transformando os paquetes de capas superiores en paquetes da capa física. Neste traballo estúdase o deseño e implementación das capas MAC e PHY de sistemas de comunicación 4G ademais da súa aplicabilidade en sistemas de transporte ferroviarios. Por unha parte, abórdase o deseño e implementación en tempo real do estándar WiMAX. Estúdanse os mecanismos necesarios para establecer comunicacións bidireccionais entre unha estación base e múltiples dispositivos móbiles. Ademais, estúdase como realizar esta implementación nunha arquitectura hardware baseada en DSPs e FPGAs, na que se implementan as capas MAC e PHY. Dado que esta arquitectura ten uns recursos computacionais limitados, tamén se estudan as necesidades de cada módulo do sistema para poder garantir o funcionamento en tempo real do sistema completo. Por outra parte, tamén se estuda a aplicabilidade dos sistemas 4G a sistemas de transporte públicos. Os sistemas de comunicacións e sinalización son unha parte vital para os sistemas de transporte ferroviario e metro. As comunicacións sen fíos utilizadas por estes sistemas deben ser robustas e proporcionar unha alta fiabilidade para permitir a supervisión, control e seguridade do tráfico ferroviario. Para levar a cabo esta avaliación de viabilidade realízanse simulacións de redes de comunicacións LTE en contornos de transporte ferroviarios, comprobando o cumprimento dos requisitos de fiabilidade e seguridade. Realízanse diferentes simulacións do sistema de comunicacións para poder ser avaliadas e seleccionar a configuración e arquitectura do sistema máis axeitada en función do escenario considerado. Tamén se efectúan simulacións de redes baseadas en Wi-Fi, dado que é a solución máis utilizada nos metros, para confrontar os resultados cos obtidos para LTE. Para que os resultados das simulacións sexan realistas débense empregar modelos de propagación radio axeitados. Nas simulacións utilízanse tanto modelos deterministas como modelos baseados nos resultados de campañas de medida realizadas nestes escenarios. Nas simulacións empréganse os diferentes fluxos de información destes escenarios para comprobar que se cumpren os requisitos de calidade de servicio (QoS). Por exemplo, os fluxos críticos para o control ferroviario, como European Train Control System (ETCS) ou Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), necesitan unha alta fiabilidade e un retardo mínimo nas comunicacións para garantir o correcto funcionamento do sistema.[Resumen] Los sistemas de comunicación inalámbricos de cuarta y quinta generación (4G y 5G) utilizan una capa física (PHY) basada en modulaciones multiportadora para la transmisión de datos con un gran ancho de banda. Este tipo de modulaciones han demostrado tener una alta eficiencia espectral a la vez que permiten corregir de forma sencilla los efectos del canal radio. Estos sistemas utilizan OFDMA como mecanismo para el reparto de los recursos radio disponibles entre los diferentes usuarios. Este reparto se realiza asignando un subconjunto de subportadoras a cada usuario en un instante de tiempo determinado. Esto aporta una gran flexibilidad al sistema que le permite adaptarse tanto a los requisitos de calidad de servicio de los usuarios como al estado del canal radio. La capa de acceso al medio (MAC) de estos sistemas se encarga de configurar los diversos parámetros proporcionados por la capa física OFDMA, además de gestionar los diversos flujos de información de cada usuario, transformando los paquetes de capas superiores en paquetes de la capa física. En este trabajo se estudia el diseño e implementación de las capas MAC y PHY de sistemas de comunicación 4G además de su aplicabilidad en sistemas de transporte ferroviarios. Por una parte, se aborda el diseño e implementación en tiempo real del estándar WiMAX. Se estudian los mecanismos necesarios para establecer comunicaciones bidireccionales entre una estación base y múltiples dispositivos móviles. Además, se estudia cómo realizar esta implementación en una arquitectura hardware basada en DSPs y FPGAs, en la que se implementan las capas MAC y PHY. Dado que esta arquitectura tiene unos recursos computacionales limitados, también se estudian las necesidades de cada módulo del sistema para poder garantizar el funcionamiento en tiempo real del sistema completo. Por otra parte, también se estudia la aplicabilidad de los sistemas 4G a sistemas de transporte públicos. Los sistemas de comunicaciones y señalización son una parte vital para los sistemas de transporte ferroviario y metro. Las comunicaciones inalámbricas utilizadas por estos sistemas deben ser robustas y proporcionar una alta fiabilidad para permitir la supervisión, control y seguridad del tráfico ferroviario. Para llevar a cabo esta evaluación de viabilidad se realizan simulaciones de redes de comunicaciones LTE en entornos de transporte ferroviarios, comprobando si se cumplen los requisitos de fiabilidad y seguridad. Se realizan diferentes simulaciones del sistema de comunicaciones para poder ser evaluados y seleccionar la configuración y arquitectura del sistema más adecuada en función del escenario planteado. También se efectúan simulaciones de redes basadas en Wi-Fi, dado que es la solución más utilizada en los metros, para comparar los resultados con los obtenidos para LTE. Para que los resultados de las simulaciones sean realistas se deben utilizar modelos de propagación radio apropiados. En las simulaciones se utilizan tanto modelos deterministas como modelos basados en los resultados de campañas de medida realizadas en estos escenarios. En las simulaciones se utilizan los diferentes flujos de información de estos escenarios para comprobar que se cumplen sus requisitos de calidad de servicio. Por ejemplo, los flujos críticos para el control ferroviario, como European Train Control System (ETCS) o Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), necesitan una alta fiabilidad y un retardo bajo en las comunicaciones para garantizar el correcto funcionamiento del sistema.[Abstract] The fourth and fifth generation wireless communication systems (4G and 5G) use a physical layer (PHY) based on multicarrier modulations for data transmission using high bandwidth. This type of modulations has shown to provide high spectral efficiency while allowing low complexity radio channel equalization. These systems use OFDMA as a mechanism for distributing the available radio resources among different users. This allocation is done by assigning a subset of subcarriers to each user in a given instant of time. This provides great flexibility to the system that allows it to adapt to both the quality of service requirements of users and the radio channel state. The media access layer (MAC) of these systems is in charge of configuring the multiple OFDMA PHY layer parameters, in addition to managing the data flows of each user, transforming the higher layer packets into PHY layer packets. This work studies the design and implementation of MAC and PHY layers of 4G communication systems as well as their applicability in rail transport systems. On the one hand, the design and implementation in real time of the WiMAX standard is addressed. The required mechanisms to establish bidirectional communications between a base station and several mobile devices are also evaluated. Moreover, a MAC layer and PHY layer implementation is presented, using a hardware architecture based in DSPs and FPGAs. Since this architecture has limited computational resources, the requirements of each processing block of the system are also studied in order to guarantee the real time operation of the complete system. On the other hand, the applicability of 4G systems to public transportation systems is also studied. Communications and signaling systems are a vital part of rail and metro transport systems. The wireless communications used by these systems must be robust and provide high reliability to enable the supervision, control and safety of rail traffic. To carry out this feasibility assessment, LTE communications network simulations are performed in rail transport environments to verify that reliability and safety requirements are met. Several simulations are carried out in order to evaluate the system performance and select the most appropriate system configuration in each case. Simulations of Wi-Fi based networks are also carried out, since it is the most used solution in subways, to compare the results with those obtained for LTE. To perform the simulations correctly, appropriate radio propagation models must be used. Both deterministic models and models based on the results of measurement campaigns in these scenarios are used in the simulations. The simulations use the different information flows present in the railway transportation systems to verify that its quality of service requirements are met. For example, critical flows for railway control, such as the European Train Control System (ETCS) or Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), require high reliability and low delay communications to ensure the proper functioning of the system

Acesso banda larga sem fios em ambientes heterogéneos de próxima geração

Doutoramento em Engenharia InformáticaO acesso ubíquo à Internet é um dos principais desafios para os operadores de telecomunicações na próxima década. O número de utilizadores da Internet está a crescer exponencialmente e o paradigma de acesso "always connected, anytime, anywhere" é um requisito fundamental para as redes móveis de próxima geração. A tecnologia WiMAX, juntamente com o LTE, foi recentemente reconhecida pelo ITU como uma das tecnologias de acesso compatíveis com os requisitos do 4G. Ainda assim, esta tecnologia de acesso não está completamente preparada para ambientes de próxima geração, principalmente devido à falta de mecanismos de cross-layer para integração de QoS e mobilidade. Adicionalmente, para além das tecnologias WiMAX e LTE, as tecnologias de acesso rádio UMTS/HSPA e Wi-Fi continuarão a ter um impacto significativo nas comunicações móveis durante os próximos anos. Deste modo, é fundamental garantir a coexistência das várias tecnologias de acesso rádio em termos de QoS e mobilidade, permitindo assim a entrega de serviços multimédia de tempo real em redes móveis. Para garantir a entrega de serviços multimédia a utilizadores WiMAX, esta Tese propõe um gestor cross-layer WiMAX integrado com uma arquitectura de QoS fim-a-fim. A arquitectura apresentada permite o controlo de QoS e a comunicação bidireccional entre o sistema WiMAX e as entidades das camadas superiores. Para além disso, o gestor de cross-layer proposto é estendido com eventos e comandos genéricos e independentes da tecnologia para optimizar os procedimentos de mobilidade em ambientes WiMAX. Foram realizados testes para avaliar o desempenho dos procedimentos de QoS e mobilidade da arquitectura WiMAX definida, demonstrando que esta é perfeitamente capaz de entregar serviços de tempo real sem introduzir custos excessivos na rede. No seguimento das extensões de QoS e mobilidade apresentadas para a tecnologia WiMAX, o âmbito desta Tese foi alargado para ambientes de acesso sem-fios heterogéneos. Neste sentido, é proposta uma arquitectura de mobilidade transparente com suporte de QoS para redes de acesso multitecnologia. A arquitectura apresentada integra uma versão estendida do IEEE 802.21 com suporte de QoS, bem como um gestor de mobilidade avançado integrado com os protocolos de gestão de mobilidade do nível IP. Finalmente, para completar o trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito desta Tese, é proposta uma extensão aos procedimentos de decisão de mobilidade em ambientes heterogéneos para incorporar a informação de contexto da rede e do terminal. Para validar e avaliar as optimizações propostas, foram desenvolvidos testes de desempenho num demonstrador inter-tecnologia, composta pelas redes de acesso WiMAX, Wi-Fi e UMTS/HSPA.Ubiquitous Internet access is one of the main challenges for the telecommunications industry in the next decade. The number of users accessing the Internet is growing exponentially and the network access paradigm of “always connected, anytime, anywhere” is a central requirement for the so-called Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN). WiMAX, together with LTE, was recently recognized by ITU as one of the compliant access technologies for 4G. Nevertheless, WiMAX is not yet fully prepared for next generation environments, mainly due to the lack of QoS and mobility crosslayer procedures to support real-time multimedia services delivery. Furthermore, besides the 4G compliant WiMAX and LTE radio access technologies, UMTS/HSPA and Wi-Fi will also have a significant impact in the mobile communications during the next years. Therefore, it is fundamental to ensure the coexistence of multiple radio access technologies in what QoS and mobility procedures are concerned, thereby allowing the delivery of real-time services in mobile networks. In order to provide the WiMAX mobile users with the demanded multimedia services, it is proposed in this Thesis a WiMAX cross-layer manager integrated in an end-to-end all-IP QoS enabled architecture. The presented framework enables the QoS control and bidirectional communication between WiMAX and the upper layer network entities. Furthermore, the proposed cross-layer framework is extended with media independent events and commands to optimize the mobility procedures in WiMAX environments. Tests were made to evaluate the QoS and mobility performance of the defined architecture, demonstrating that it is perfectly capable of handling and supporting real time services without introducing an excessive cost in the network. Following the QoS and mobility extensions provided for WiMAX, the scope of this Thesis is broaden and a seamless mobility architecture with QoS support in heterogeneous wireless access environments is proposed. The presented architecture integrates an extended version of the IEEE 802.21 framework with QoS support, as well as an advanced mobility manager integrated with the IP level mobility management protocols. Finally, to complete the work within the framework of this Thesis, it is proposed an extension to the handover decisionmaking processes in heterogeneous access environments through the integration of context information from both the network entities and the enduser. Performance tests were developed in a real testbed to validate the proposed optimizations in an inter-technology handover scenario involving WiMAX, Wi-Fi and UMTS/HSPA

Distributed network for measuring climatic parameters in heterogeneous environments: Application in a greenhouse

En los países mediterráneos del sur de Europa, las condiciones climáticas suelen ser favorables para el cultivo de hortalizas de invernadero, pero no siempre para los trabajadores. El objetivo de este estudio fue diseñar una red de estaciones meteorológicas capaces de recoger datos de parámetros ambientales relacionados con el bienestar de los trabajadores de invernaderos en el sureste de España. Los desequilibrios del ambiente térmico fueron estudiados tanto vertical como horizontalmente siguiendo la norma ISO 7726. Los resultados indican que el invernadero debe ser considerado un ambiente heterogéneo, lo que implica que, para una evaluación de las condiciones ambientales relacionadas con el estrés térmico de los trabajadores, las mediciones se deben tomar a tres alturas (tobillo, abdomen y cabeza) en el interior del invernadero

A Framework for Quality of Service in Vehicle-to-Pedestrian Safety Communication

Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication has emerged as an important mechanism to improve the safety and efficiency of road traffic. V2X communication encompasses Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication. Among these types, the V2P communication efforts continue to be in the preliminary stage and lack a rounded approach towards the development of V2P systems. V2P involves communication between vehicles and a wide variety of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), such as pedestrians, bicyclists, mopeds, etc. The V2X systems were originally developed only for V2V and V2I when solely the vehicle characteristics were in focus. However, effective V2P system design needs to consider the characteristics of VRUs. The differing characteristics of VRUs have given rise to many questions while adapting to the V2V communication model for the V2P system. This dissertation addresses three aspects pertaining to the development of the V2P safety system. The first aspect involves a systematic design of a V2P system using a holistic approach. This dissertation proposes a V2P design framework based on various categories of inputs that are required for the design of an effective V2P system. This framework improves the understanding of the V2P system requirements and helps make the design process more systematic. The second aspect is the network performance of the V2X network in the presence of a large number of VRUs. This dissertation proposes MC-COCO4V2P, which is an energy-efficient pedestrian clustering mechanism for network congestion mitigation. MC-COCO4V2P improves network performance by reducing the pedestrian-generated safety messages. It also improves the battery life of the pedestrian devices in the process. The third aspect involves the reliability of communication between a pair of a vehicle and a pedestrian that are on the verge of collision. This dissertation classifies such crucial communication as the one requiring the highest priority even among the exchange of critical safety messages. It proposes a mechanism enabling the surrounding nodes to reduce the communication priority temporarily. This results in preferred medium access for the pair resulting in higher Quality-of-Service (QoS) for the crucial communication.Die Kommunikation zwischen Verkehrsteilnehmern (V2X) hat sich zu einem wichtigen Mechanismus zur Verbesserung der Sicherheit und Effizienz des Straßenverkehrs entwickelt. Obwohl die V2X-Kommunikation prinzipiell die Kommunikation zwischen Fahrzeugen (V2V), zwischen Fahrzeug und Infrastruktur (V2I) sowie zwischen Fahrzeug und Fußgänger (V2P) umfasst, sind Ansätze zur V2P-Kommunikation weiterhin in einem sehr frühen Stadium und lassen einen umfassenden Ansatz für die Entwicklung von V2P-Systemen vermissen. V2P umfasst im Detail die Kommunikation zwischen Fahrzeugen und einer Vielzahl von gefährdeten Verkehrsteilnehmern (VRUs), wie beispielsweise Fußgänger, Radfahrer oder Mopeds. V2X-Systeme wurden ursprünglich nur für V2V- und V2I-Kommunikation entwickelt, wobei ausschließlich die Fahrzeugeigenschaften im Fokus standen. Ein effektives V2P-Systemdesign muss jedoch auch die Eigenschaften von VRUs berücksichtigen, die bei der Berücksichtigung der V2P-Kommunikation in einem V2X-System viele Fragen aufwerfen. Diese Dissertation befasst sich mit drei Aspekten im Zusammenhang mit der Entwicklung eines V2P-Systems. Der erste Aspekt betrifft die systematische Konzeption eines V2P-Systems nach einem ganzheitlichen Ansatz. Diese Dissertation schlägt einen V2P-Entwurfsrahmen vor, der auf verschiedenen Eingangsgrößen basiert, die für die Entwicklung eines effektiven V2P-Systems erforderlich sind. Dieser Entwurfsrahmen verbessert das Verständnis der V2P-Systemanforderungen und trägt dazu bei, den Entwurfsprozess systematischer zu gestalten. Der zweite Aspekt betrifft die Leistung des V2X-Netzes, wenn eine große Anzahl von VRUs präsent ist. Diese Dissertation schlägt hierfür MC-COCO4V2P vor, einen energieeffizienten Clustering-Mechanismus für Fußgänger zur Eindämmung der Netzüberlastung. MC-COCO4V2P verbessert die Netzleistung, indem die Anzahl der von Fußgängern generierten Sicherheitsmeldungen reduziert wird. Damit wird zudem die Batterielebensdauer der von den Fußgängern genutzten Geräte verbessert. Der dritte Aspekt betrifft die Zuverlässigkeit der Kommunikation zwischen einem Fahrzeug und einem Fußgänger, die kurz vor einem Zusammenstoß stehen. Diese Dissertation stuft eine so wichtige Kommunikation als diejenige ein, die selbst beim Austausch anderer kritischer Sicherheitsnachrichten die höchste Priorität bekommt. Es wird ein Mechanismus vorgeschlagen, der es den umgebenden Verkehrsteilnehmern ermöglicht, ihre Kommunikationspriorität vorübergehend zu verringern. Dies führt zu einem bevorzugten Medienzugriff für die durch eine Kollision gefährdeten Verkehrsteilnehmer, was zu einer höheren Dienstgüte (QoS) für deren Kommunikation führt.Pedestrians and bicyclists, also known as Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), are one of the weakest components of Intelligent Transportation Systems from a safety perspective. However, with the advent of new communication technologies, VRU protection may no longer be dependent solely on the vehicle’s safety systems. VRUs may share their location information with the surrounding vehicles to increase awareness of their presence. Such communication among vehicles and VRUs is referred to as Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication. Although the V2P system may be built upon the existing Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication system, it has its own set of challenges, such as different VRU mobility characteristics, energy-constrained devices, and VRU density. Therefore, there needs to be a V2P system model which is adapted to the VRU characteristics. This dissertation tackles this challenge by proposing a framework that enables scalability, reliability, and energy efficiency for VRU communication