We propose a systems approach consisting of four layers in order to systematically attack the problem of minimum energy consumption electronic design of mobile platforms. The four layers are: the distributed system layer, the local integration layer, the processing layer, and the device layer.
At the distributed system layer the fundamental questions are: Who should communicate with whom and when? What information should be exchanged in real-time between mobile platforms and their commanders as well as among platforms? Given that individual platforms are mobile, how and when should they communicate so that the connectivity of the overall mobile network is maintained with minimal energy consumption? How should the distributed system be designed so that it is reliable, adaptable, deadlock-free, reconfigurable, and that it responds quickly to critical situations? The outcome will be the development of distributed and adaptive network control and resource management approaches and algorithms that achieve: high efficiency, high reliability, deadlock-free operation, high concurrency, network connectivity and reconfigurability, subject to low power and energy constraints.
At the local integration layer we address the overall design and real-time operation of an individual mobile platform, viewed as the collection of its constituent subsystems with their respective functions. We will develop a paradigm for formulating and then solving: (i) the problem of integrating all the platform subsystems into a complete design; and (ii) the problem of scheduling in real-time the required platform functions and their associated algorithms. The outcome will be a systematic procedure for platform design and operation that results in the best possible performance over a wide range of battlefield scenarios, and under the constraints on power, energy, size, weight, and reliability.
At the processing layer we will investigate different signal and information processing algorithms used in a mobile platform for their energy efficiencies. A key area of research is the incorporation of the models of physical devices into the design of algorithms. Our research in this area will focus on the implications of a low energy constraint on the mobile platform's signal processing functions including: adaptive coding and modulation for wireless transmission, efficient decoders for channel codes, data compression for voice, image and video, adaptive channel estimation, and beamforming algorithms for antenna arrays. We propose to develop a database of modules that perform these functions and incorporate the power consumption of the implementation into the modules. The database will be accessed for simulation and optimization purposes. The database will be used at the local integration layer to develop an overall optimization strategy that integrates all of the platforms functions.
At the device layer we will develop the models for devices, circuits and highly efficient antennas that will implement the algorithms developed at the processing layer. The device models will be incorporated into higher layer simulations to investigate the effect of high efficiency amplifiers, mixers and receivers on system performance and allow optimization of these elements with respect to the overall system operation. We will also develop a propagation model for characterizing the multi-path fading properties of the propagation channel.
Finally, in order to verify the methodology developed we will build a simulation demonstration of a mobile platform. Iterative optimization methods will be used to optimize the system design.