Software defined radio implementation of a QPSK modulator/demodulator in an extensive hardware platform based on FPGAs Xilinx ZYNQ

Abstract

Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology enables wireless devices deployment with support to multiple interfaces in modulation formats and it has gained importance due to the current wireless standards proliferation. In order to activate these functionalities it is necessary to apply SDR inside a reconfigurable hardware such as the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). In this study, design procedures developments are presented resulting in a Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulator/demodulator based on a hardware architecture of the Xilinx FPGA Zynq family. Also in the modem's conception it was employed the Xilinx Vivado-tool combined with Matlab, Simulink and development with ISE/EDK apparatuses. As for the reconfigurable hardware platform applied to this, it was utilized the ZedBoard along with the Analog Devices FMCCOMMS1 radio module. In addition, it is noteworthy to indicate that the entire software-hardware solution was initially carried out through a simulation that achieved the system scheme, including the hardware platform, before any hard implementation of the QPSK modem itself. The central goal in this investigation is to fully demonstrate how to construct a feasible radio system through software as close to the state of the art as possible.