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On the use of an algebraic language interface for waveform definition

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Abstract

We discuss implementation aspects of a software-defined radio system that allows the user to define waveforms using an algebraic language interface, currently as an extension to C++. Current software-defined radio systems provide waveform definitions through a combination of a graphical interface, markup language, interpreted script, and compiled code. Regardless of the methods used, the actual executed code generates each waveform via a series of graph-style connections: instantiating blocks and then explicitly connecting ports between blocks. We propose a system that allows the definition of waveforms using a novel text-based algebraic language interface similar to that found in MathWorks MATLAB or GNU Octave. Our system simplifies the waveform programming abstraction by using implicit graph-style connections; it makes extensive use of C++ templates and operator overloading to allow this high-level abstraction. Our interface is solely an abstraction layer providing an alternative means for coding waveforms in comparison to current techniques, and hence has no more overhead than current techniques. Example code is provided to compare and contrast various methods of waveform definition.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported in part by NIJ Grant 2006-IJ-CX-K034 and an NVIDIA Professor Partnership Award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    Michael Dickens & J. Nicholas Laneman

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  1. Michael Dickens
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  2. J. Nicholas Laneman
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Correspondence to Michael Dickens.

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Dickens, M., Laneman, J.N. On the use of an algebraic language interface for waveform definition. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 73, 613–625 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-012-9921-9

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