Parallel MIMO Channel Measurement Architecture

Optimal methods of developing Multiple-Input Multiple- Output (MIMO) systems have been an active area of interest in recent communications research. This technology enables wireless communication systems to achieve higher data rates with good bit error rate (BER) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance, but at the expense of added system complexity due to the circuitry and algorithms that must be implemented to facilitate communication among multiple transmitters and receivers over wireless channels. The goal of this project is to develop and investigate the architecture of a MIMO radio frequency (RF) antenna testbed for parallel channel impulse response measurements using four transmitters and four receivers, with central control and signal processing to be carried out using two Altera Stratix II field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).