5G MassiveMIMO Testbed

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Home Innovations White Paper

5G Massive MIMO Testbed: From Theory


to Reality
Updated Mar 5, 2019


Overview
Massive MIMO is an exciting area of 5G wireless research. For next-generation wireless data
networks, it promises significant gains that offer the ability to accommodate more users at
higher data rates with better reliability while consuming less power. Using the NI Massive
MIMO Software Architecture, researchers can build Massive MIMO testbeds to rapidly
prototype large-scale antenna systems using award-winning LabVIEW system design
software and state-of-the-art NI USRP™ RIO software defined radios (SDRs). With a
simplified design flow for creating FPGA-based logic and streamlined deployment for high-
performance processing, researchers in this field can meet the demands of prototyping these
highly complex systems with a unified hardware and software design flow.

Contents
 Introduction
 The MIMO Prototyping System
 MIMO Prototyping System Hardware
 LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite
 The LabVIEW Communications MIMO Application Framework
 Additional Resources
 Bibliography

Introduction
With the race to 5G now underway, the wireless research community has embarked on a
journey to create the technologies of tomorrow that will deliver unprecedented improvements
in network throughput and capacity, enhancements in spectral efficiency, reduced end-to-end
latency, and increased reliability and more. These improvements are driven by key
performance requirements defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as
Figure 1 [1] below summarizes. As shown, the improvements in performance for IMT-2020
(5G) over IMT-Advanced are significant with a 20X improvement in peak data rate from 1
Gb/s to 20 Gb/s. Similarly, the user experienced data rate increases 10X from 10 Mb/s to 100
Mb/s and latency is reduced by a factor of 10 from 10 ms down to 1 ms.  

Figure 1. Enhancements of Key Performance Requirements From IMT-Advanced to IMT-


2020 [1]

With data rates many times higher than modern-day wireless communication systems, 5G
will launch a whole host of new applications and services that will provide consumers with
multimedia experiences never before made possible, including ultra-high definition 4K, 8K,
and 3D video streaming. Very low latency and ultra-high reliable 5G networks will also
enable new mission-critical applications such as traffic safety and control of critical
infrastructure and industry processes that require much lower latency compared to modern-
day mobile communication systems. Improvements in spectral efficiency from 1X to 3X will
also be critical to serve the foreseen explosion of not just consumer electronics but also the
many sensors, rendering devices, and actuators associated with the Internet of Things (IoT).
Given the limited availability of spectrum and the projected massive number of IoT devices
to come online, 5G networks will have to make far more efficient use of spectrum than that of
wireless networks today.

Identified as a key candidate technology in achieving greater spectral efficiency is massive


MIMO [2], [3], [4]. Massive MIMO or some times referred to as Large Scale MIMO, is a
form of multi-user MIMO in which the number of antennas at the base station is much larger
than the number of mobile stations per signaling resource.  The large number of base station
antennas relative to the number of mobile stations results in a channel response that is quasi-
orthogonal and has the potential to yield huge gains in spectral efficiency. Such conditions
would enable many more devices to be served with the same frequency and time resources
within a given cell compared to modern-day 4G systems. Figure 2 below shows a comparison
of a typical 4G MIMO cell to that of a 5G massive MIMO cell that is equipped with many
more base station antennas [5]. The 5G massive MIMO base station equipped with many
more antennas would be able to serve far more devices as envisioned by the 5G IoT use case
and others.

Figure 2. Evolution of Multiantenna Technology From 4G MIMO to 5G Massive MIMO [5]

Although promising in theory, massive MIMO has yet to be tested in large-scale field trials to
prove its viability for widespread commercial deployment. However, progress has been made
with recent findings by Bristol and Lund universities, which show that huge gains in spectral
efficiency are achievable in real-time, over-the-air trials [6], [7]. Using the MIMO
Prototyping System shown below in Figure 3, researchers at the Universities of Bristol and
Lund achieved a record breaking spectral efficiency of 145.6 bits/s/Hz with 128 antennas at
the base station and 22 single antenna mobile stations over a 20 MHz radio channel which
amounts to a 22x increase in spectral efficiency over today’s existing 4G networks. 

 
Figure 3. Bristol and Lund universities used the MIMO Prototyping System for massive
MIMO research and prototyping.

Although the achievements of the universities have taken massive MIMO one step closer to
reality by proving that huge gains in spectral efficiency are indeed attainable in not just
computer-based simulations but also in real-world, over-the-air trails, there is still much to be
done and many more problems to be solved before commercial massive MIMO networks are
rolled out. A few outstanding problems still yet to be solved include the following:

 Mobility—Will massive MIMO work under rapidly changing channel conditions as


mobile terminals move at high speed?
 Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD)—Much of present-day massive MIMO
research makes use of time division duplexing (TDD) transmission modes and
channel reciprocity to overcome problems related to limitations in the number of pilot
sequences for the massive number of base station antennas. However, many of today's
global cellular bands are allocated strictly for FDD. Therefore, it is yet to be seen if
massive MIMO will receive widespread adoption.
 Multicell operation and cell-edge performance—Will massive MIMO still work
when users are located at the edge of adjacent cells? As limited pilot sequences are
reused across adjacent massive MIMO base stations, cell-edge users will be at risk of
contaminating the pilots of neighboring cells. It is still unknown how well massive
MIMO will perform as users move closer to the edge of neighboring cells.
 Other open research areas—In addition to the research problems listed above, there
are still many more which include the following:
o Distributed massive MIMO
o Optimization of CSI feedback
o Hybrid beamforming
o MAC layer control

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The MIMO Prototyping System


As described above, the need for prototyping Massive MIMO and other technologies is
absolutely critical to realizing the 5G vision and to meeting the key performance
requirements on spectral efficiency.  Prototype systems which run in real-time and
transmit/receive actual RF signals under real-world channel conditions must be created as
computer based simulations alone are unable to fully capture the complexities of the many
unanswered problems which prevent Massive MIMO from becoming a commercially viable
technology.  For example, in order to fully understand the propagation characteristics of the
Massive MIMO channel, researchers must also understand the effects of RF circuit
imperfections and other hardware limitations of multi-channel systems which affect the
synchronization and coherency of signals at base band.  Real-time processing limitations
throughout all layers of the communication system from PHY to Application must also be
well understood and accounted for, in order to ensure seamless, high-quality, and highly-
reliable services can be delivered to users. 

Although necessary, prototyping real-time wireless communication systems has traditionally


presented a number of challenges that have largely limited the speed at which proof of
concepts (PoCs) can be developed. The process of taking concepts that have been modeled in
desktop simulations to a working prototype that processes data at rates in excess of 1 Gb/s
has traditionally required large engineering teams with highly specialized skills in RF and
baseband hardware development, driver development, real-time embedded software
programming, digital circuit design, signal processing, and so on. The problem is further
compounded as the tools required to create such systems span across many different vendors
that further require highly specialized skills not only in developing hardware or software but
also in using a given vendor's tool.

In light of these challenges, National Instruments offers a complete prototyping solution for
multi-user MIMO research, including Massive MIMO.  The National Instruments MIMO
Prototyping System includes everything required to get a real-time, over-the-air multi-user
MIMO system up and running immediately out of the box without the development of any
additional code [6]. Shown below in Figure 4 are the three main components to the MIMO
Prototyping System including (1) state-of-the-art SDR hardware, (2) a single unified software
design environment, and (3) real-time FPGA IP as part of a MIMO software reference
design.  Together, the three components of the MIMO Prototyping System significantly
reduce the challenges in prototyping real-time wireless communication systems compared to
traditional prototyping methods to accelerate the development of next generation
communication systems.
Figure 4. The MIMO Prototyping System is a complete multiuser MIMO prototyping
solution including hardware, software, and IP.

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MIMO Prototyping System Hardware


The MIMO Prototyping System includes all the necessary hardware to implement a multiuser
MIMO communication system. From the remote radio heads (RRH) to the CPU and FGPAs,
all the hardware needed to create a fully streaming, real-time, phase-coherent and time-
synchronized, multichannel system is included out of the box. By eliminating the need for
users to develop their own hardware and drivers, the MIMO Prototyping System provides
users with enormous value by also eliminating costly R&D expenses and equally costly
delays in schedule because of errors in hardware design. With reliable hardware that meets a
wide range of specifications for a number of MIMO systems, users can focus on the
development of custom application code to demonstrate the viability and value of their
technologies.

The MIMO prototyping system supports a modular architecture based upon the USRP RIO
that scales in RF channels to enable single user MIMO (SU-MIMO), multi-user MIMO (MU-
MIMO), and Massive MIMO [8]. The number of base station antennas can be configured to
support as few as 2 or as much as 128 antennas. Phase coherency and synchronization across
RF channels is enabled through a highly stable OCXO clock source that is distributed to the
various radio heads throughout the system along with high speed digital trigger signals. 
Mobile stations are also included as part of the system and can scale in the number of
antennas from 1 to 12.  Photographs of the base station and mobile station hardware are
shown below in Figure 5.
The hardware also supports a modular FPGA architecture which scales in FPGAs in order to
deliver more computational power for highly intensive signal processing tasks for real-time
applications which require high channel counts and wide bandwidths.  Up to 64 dual-channel
USRP RIO devices are used as radio heads equipped with a high-performance Xilinx Kintex-
7 FPGA which perform OFDM modulation and demodulation.  IQ samples are routed from
the radio heads through the system at high speed via low-latency PCI Express connections
and then transferred to PXIe-7976 PXI FPGA modules (also equipped with Kintex-7
FPGA’s) for centralized MIMO processing.  

A PXIe-8135 controller equipped with an Intel i7 quad-core CPU performs host-side


processing of control-related tasks including the configuration of the number of antennas and
the associated routing of IQ samples throughout the system. Scheduling of uplink/downlink
traffic on radio frames is also software configurable along with the QAM modulation order of
each mobile station. Other tasks such as the visualization of data including the uplink receive
signal spectrum and the channel estimates for each antenna is also performed on the host as a
means of monitoring the status of the system.

For more details on the MIMO Prototyping System hardware architecture including technical
specifications of individual components and their various interconnections, refer to the white
paper, Introduction to the NI MIMO Prototyping System Hardware.

 
Figure 5. MIMO Prototyping System: 128 Antenna Base Station (left and bottom right) and
Mobile Station (upper right)

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LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite


LabVIEW Communications is a complete software design environment that unifies the
development of applications that require high-speed, low-latency, real-time, embedded
processing on both microprocessor and FPGA targets such as multiuser MIMO and other
communication systems. Such heterogeneous processing architectures that consist of
embedded processors and FPGAs are common in SDR hardware architectures like that shown
below in Figure 6. Unlike traditional methods of programming such applications that require
multiple programming tools from a number of different software vendors to perform the
equivalent development for different hardware targets, LabVIEW Communications offers all
the necessary design capabilities needed to develop a fully streaming, real-time, over-the-air,
wireless communication system in a single development environment. LabVIEW
Communications greatly improves the overall development process by seamlessly integrating
the various software development tools needed to take a PC-based simulation model of a
communication system to a fully functional, real-time prototype with application executables
distributed over different hardware targets.
Whether developing a real-time MAC layer protocol that controls the scheduling of
transmissions for network users on an embedded processor or a high-throughput MIMO PHY
layer on the FPGA, LabVIEW Communications provides all the necessary tools to do so in a
single design environment. Furthermore, as all the hardware drivers for the MIMO
Prototyping System are also accessible in LabVIEW Communications through a simple and
intuitive API, hardware related tasks, such as the transfer of data between the CPU and FPGA
or control of the RF front end, can be seamlessly integrated into the execution of the various
layers throughout the communication stack.

Figure 6. A typical SDR hardware architecture consisting of CPU and FPGA processing
targets that are programmable in LabVIEW Communications.

The following summarizes a few of the software development features in LabVIEW


Communications. For additional details on these and other features and how they can be used
to accelerate the development of real-time wireless communication systems, visit the
LabVIEW Communications homepage.

CPU Code Development

LabVIEW Communications includes software development tools to create CPU-based


applications for real-time wireless communication systems. With a real-time Linux -based
OS, LabVIEW Communications includes capabilities such as built-in constructs for
multithreading and real-time thread scheduling to help users efficiently write robust,
deterministic code to ensure time-critical operations execute consistently and reliably with no
loss of data for functions related to the MAC and other higher layers of the communications
stack. Understanding the importance of code reuse, LabVIEW Communications also supports
other programming languages including C and C++ so that users can import and reuse
existing IP.

FPGA Code Development

For FPGA-based applications that require strict timing determinism at a circuit level such as
computationally intensive digital signal processing or time-critical MAC layer operations,
LabVIEW Communications provides all the software development tools needed to create
FPGA IP for wireless communication applications. In addition to developing large complex
FPGA applications based on circuit primitives, LabVIEW Communications also includes
Xilinx IP for a number of signal-processing functions and also enables other sources of HDL
code to be imported and reused to improve productivity. LabVIEW Communications also
includes built-in cycle accurate simulation and debugging tools to eliminate errors in code
prior to lengthy compilation.

Tight Hardware and Software Integration

In addition to improving the development process of real-time wireless communication


application code for heterogeneous hardware targets, LabVIEW Communications also
simplifies the process of integrating the application code with the surrounding hardware,
ensuring both software and hardware work seamlessly together. For hardware-related
operations that are critical to the performance of MIMO systems, such as the synchronized
triggering of multiple RF channels or RF calibration to support channel reciprocity as in the
case of massive MIMO, LabVIEW Communications also provides extensive software APIs
for numerous hardware tasks related to timing and synchronization, control of RF circuits, the
streaming of data across processing targets, and many more. Moreover, as NI develops both
the hardware and software for the MIMO Prototyping System, as opposed to other systems
that combine hardware from different vendors, hardware and software integration can be
performed reliably and consistently, ensuring that the entire system behaves predictably as
expected each and every time.

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The LabVIEW Communications MIMO Application


Framework
The MIMO Application Framework is an advanced FPGA-based software reference design
built in LabVIEW Communications that pairs with the MIMO Prototyping SDR hardware to
form a complete real-time, over-the-air prototyping solution for SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO, and
Massive MIMO research and experimentation.  The MIMO Application Framework is ready-
to-run right out of the box, requiring no additional modifications or code development to get
a fully functional MIMO system up and running quickly.  Moreover, as all of the FPGA and
Host source code is shipped with the MIMO Application Framework, researchers can
completely modify the system with their own custom designs and algorithms to evaluate the
performance of their technologies under real world conditions, rather than relying on desktop
simulations which make use of incomplete and highly-abstracted assumptions that lead to
inaccurate results.

By providing an advanced starting point for building custom designs, researchers can save
tremendous amounts of time that would have otherwise been required to develop their own
equivalent solution from scratch.  Understanding the importance of timely results under tight
budgetary constraints, the MIMO Application Framework accelerates the development
process of MIMO prototypes and PoCs by providing a software reference design that
provides an extensive baseline set of features and capabilities common to many MIMO
communication systems.  With use of these baseline set of features, researchers can focus
their time and effort on the development of new features and capabilities specific to their
research goals rather than struggling through the challenges of creating the complete system
from the ground up.  By spending less time on the development of application code,
researchers can instead focus on that which is most important – achieving results.

MIMO Application Framework Features

The MIMO Application Framework is a fully streaming, real-time, multi-FPGA


implementation of a scalable multiuser MIMO PHY layer that supports both uplink and
downlink transmission at the base station and mobile stations. Designed to be used for a
variety of MIMO-based applications, the MIMO Application Framework includes the
following features summarized in the list below:


o Supports SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO, and Massive MIMO
o 50 MHz – 6 GHz frequency coverage
o 20 MHz bandwidth TDD UL & DL
o Scalable number of base station antennas from 2 up to 128
o Scalable number of mobile station antennas up to 12 antennas
o Support for up to 12 spatial streams
o Fully reconfigurable frame structure based on LTE
o 128x12 MMSE, ZF, and MRC MIMO precoder/equalizer FPGA IP
o Supports 4 QAM, 16 QAM, 64 QAM, 256 QAM
o Channel reciprocity calibration enabling reciprocity based precoding
o AGC and open loop power control
o Over the air synchronization
o Basic MAC functionality supports packet-based user data transmission in DL
and UL to enable data streaming applications, such as video transmission.

Additional details on these features are provided in the following sections.

Single User MIMO & Multi-User MIMO

The MIMO Application Framework supports SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO, and Massive MIMO
all within a single code base.  As shown below in Figure 7, a wide range of network
configurations can be created varying in (1) the number of mobile stations and (2) the number
of antennas for all of the devices within the system, i.e. base station and mobile stations. 
From a single base station and mobile station pair for SU-MIMO experimentation to multiple
mobile stations each with varying number of antennas for MU-MIMO experimentation, the
MIMO Application Framework is unmatched in flexibility and scalability to meet the
demanding requirements of a whole host of MIMO applications including Massive MIMO.
Figure 7. Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) compared to single user MIMO (SU-MIMO).

Scalable Number of Base Station & Mobile Station Antennas

The MIMO bases station and mobile stations can be configured with a variable number of
antennas depending upon the requirements of an application.  The MIMO Application
Framework supports up to 12 spatial layers in both the uplink and downlink directions and
can be modified to support additional layers if needed.  With such capabilities, a wide range
of different MIMO configurations can be realized across all the mobile stations and base
station within a network.  A few examples of different MIMO configurations are listed below
in Table 1 to illustrate how the MIMO Application Framework can be used to conduct
experiments for SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO, and Massive MIMO.  Please note that use of the
MIMO Application Framework is not limited to just these three examples, but can be used for
many others. 

The MIMO Application Framework provides seamless control of the SDR hardware and
underlying PHY layer by allowing users to configure the number of antennas through
software without the need to change or modify the FPGA design.  This best-in-class software
experience provides users with a high degree of flexibility to simplify the overall process of
setting-up and conducting MIMO experiments.

Examples of various MIMO configurations, but not limited


to just those shown
MIMO Number of Number of
Antennas per Mobile
Configuratio Base Station Mobile
Station
n Antennas Stations
SU-MIMO Up to 128 1 Up to 12
MU-MIMO Up to 128 2 8 for MS1, 4 for MS2
Massive Up to 128 5 4 for MS1, 4 for MS2,
MIMO 2 for MS3, 1 for MS4, 1
for MS5
Table 1.  Examples of various MIMO configurations using the MIMO Application
Framework.  Note that use of the MIMO Application Framework is not limited to just these
three examples, but can be used for many others.

MIMO Precoding and Equalization

The MIMO Application Framework includes real-time FPGA IP to perform MIMO


precoding in the downlink (DL) and MIMO equalization in the uplink (UL) for matrix
dimensions of up to 128x12, where 128 corresponds to the maximum number of base station
antennas and 12 corresponds to the maximum number of spatial streams. A block diagram of
the signal processing chain for the Massive MIMO base station is shown below in Figure 8. 
The MIMO Application Framework employs a TDD frame structure in order to exploit
channel reciprocity. Channel estimates obtained in the UL are used to compute the DL
MIMO precoder prior to transmission.  Depending upon channel conditions, the precoded DL
MIMO signal is then received by each of mobile stations free of interference.  The MIMO
Application Framework includes the following three built-in MIMO equalizer options that
are also software selectable:  minimum mean square error (MMSE), zero forcing (ZF), and
maximal ratio combining (MRC).

Figure 8.  Block diagram of the Massive MIMO base station signal processing chain.

Channel Reciprocity Calibration

To make use of channel reciprocity, a number of conditions must be met, including the
accurate estimation of the UL channel response, excluding contributions from the RF
circuitry for each of the antenna channels at the base station and mobile stations. To this end,
the MIMO Application Framework includes automated routines to perform the calibration of
the various base station RF front ends whereby the frequency response of each RF chain is
estimated in both the UL and DL direction. Estimates of the RF front ends are then applied to
the UL channel estimation process to ensure accurate measure of just the over-the-air channel
is achieved.

20 MHz Bandwidth TDD Frame Structure Based on LTE


The MIMO Application Framework makes use of an 3GPP LTE like TDD radio frame
structure.  The radio frame structure is completely modifiable through software, requiring no
additional changes to the FPGA design, and allows users to quickly adjust the behavior of the
system on a per mobile station basis to meet their research goals and requirements.  Such
modifications to the frame structure include the ability to change parameters such those
below.


o Designation of OFDM symbol type:  UL pilot, UL Data, DL Pilot, DL Data,
UL/DL switch guard time.
o QAM modulation order from 4 QAM to 256 QAM per spatial layer.

A diagram of the radio frame structure is shown in Figure 9, which includes information at
the frame level down to the OFDM symbol level.  Additional information on other system
parameters is also listed in Table 2.  Note the similarities to the LTE standard for the 20 MHz
transmission mode [9].

Figure 9. Application Framework TDD Signal Frame Structure

Parameter Values
Bandwidth per channel 20 MHz
Sampling rate 30.72 MS/s
FFT size 2,048
Number of used subcarrier 1,200
Number of resource blocks 100
Number of OFDM symbols per
7
slot
160 (first symbol)
CP length (samples)
144 (six following
symbols)
Frame duration 10 ms
Subframe duration 1 ms
Slot duration 0.5 ms

Table 2. MIMO Application Framework System Parameters

Automatic Gain Control & Open Loop Power Control

Understanding the importance of power control, the MIMO Application Framework includes
software routines that automatically adjust the power levels.  This includes both automatic
gain control (AGC) logic at the receivers of mobile stations and the base station, as well as
open loop power control at the mobile station uplink transmitters.  Doing so ensures signals
are received at both ends of the link at power levels which increase the likelihood of properly
being demodulated with minimal errors.  Moreover, because the process of adjusting power
levels is completely automated, users are not required to make manual adjustments to the
many RF transceivers at the mobile stations which can be a time consuming process for large
networks - enabling users to get up and running quickly, right out of the box. 

Additional Features and Sample Screenshots

A series of screen shots shown below show how users can monitor and interact with the
MIMO Application Framework through its intuitive user interface. Note that the user
interfaces for the base station and multiple antenna mobile stations are very similar as
both support multiple antennas. The examples below show screenshots for the base station
and the single-antenna mobile station.

Shown below in Figure 10 is a screenshot of the base station “UL MIMO Processor” tab of
the MIMO Application Framework. Displayed in it, are IQ plots of the uplink received signal
constellations for up to twelve spatial streams – providing users with an immediate indication
of how well the overall system is performing and a qualitative sense of the received signal-to-
noise ratio (SNR).  Additionally, shown near the top and center of Figure 10, is the measured,
aggregate uplink received signal throughput for all the mobile stations which also provides
users with a measure of how successfully data is received at the base station based upon
knowledge of the transmission rate for each mobile station.  Likewise, the downlink
transmission rate is also displayed and can be used in a similar way to assess the quality of
the transmission in the downlink direction. 
Figure 10. MIMO Application Framework Uplink Receive Constellations

Shown below in Figure 11 is a screenshot of the base station “UL Data” tab of the MIMO
Application Framework.  In it, are plots of the uplink throughput for each spatial stream as a
function of time, providing users with additional means of monitoring the performance of the
system over longer periods of time.  In this example, four spatial streams are received at the
base station wherein the uplink throughput for each of the streams is shown in different
colors.  As shown in Figure 11, the total uplink throughput for all four streams is
approximately 54.7 Mbps.  For a system with more spatial streams, additional plots of
varying colors would be overlaid on those shown. 
Figure 11. MIMO Application Framework Uplink Receive Throughput Measurements

Shown below in Figure 12 is a screenshot of the base station “UL Channel” tab of the MIMO
Application Framework.  In it, are plots which provide data on the uplink MIMO channel
impulse response for each mobile station in both the time and frequency domain - providing
users with immediate information on the propagation characteristics of the uplink channel. 
With such data, researchers can analyze the behavior of multi-user MIMO systems under
varying channel conditions and explore the effects of new algorithms to potentially improve
the system performance under such conditions. 
Figure 12. MIMO Application Framework Uplink Channel Measurements

Shown below in Figure 13 is a screenshot of the single-antenna mobile station “DL Advanced
Information” tab of the MIMO Application Framework.  In it, are plots of the received DL
signal constellation and frequency response for two mobile stations wherein the first mobile
station receives a QPSK signal and the other receives a 16 QAM signal.  Such data provides
an immediate indication on the performance of the DL precoding algorithm and its ability to
separate multiple spatial streams as the precoded signal propagates through the wireless
MIMO channel and is received at each single antenna mobile station free of interference. 
Figure 13. MIMO Application Framework Mobile Station Downlink Received
Constellations

Shown below in Figure 14 is a screenshot of the single-antenna mobile station “DL


Information” tab of the MIMO Application Framework.  In it, are plots of the DL received
signal spectrum, measured throughput, and block error rate (BLER) for two mobile stations. 
Such data provides additional means of assessing the transmission quality of the DL signal
and performance of the multi-user MIMO precoding schemes.  These performance metrics
can be used with the system as is, and can also be applied to custom modifications made to
the system’s PHY layer in order to provide users with data on how well their technology
performs under conditions that more accurately reflect real world deployments and not just
simulations.      
Figure 14. MIMO Application Framework Mobile Station Downlink Received Signal
Spectrum and Measured Throughput

Although not shown, the MIMO Application Framework also provides software user
interfaces to monitor and control other aspects of the MIMO system, including the following. 


o Frame structure configuration – Controls are available to select from a
variety of MCS levels for each mobile station. 
o Video streaming – The MIMO Application Framework also supports an
intuitive UDP interface for the streaming of video signals or other application
data to and from mobile station. 
o Data streaming diagnostics – For large antenna systems, the streaming of
data (IQ samples) from many radio heads down to a central set of FPGA’s for
MIMO processing at high rates can be very challenging.  To facilitate the
rapid diagnosis of potential problems in streaming to ensure data is transferred
and processed free of errors, the MIMO Application Framework also includes
utilities to monitor the status of the many buffers throughout the system. 

MIMO Application Framework Detailed Technical White Paper

For detailed information and technical specifications of the MIMO Application Frameworks
features, please click on the link below entitled, "MIMO Application Framework Technical
White Paper". There, you will find information on the Host and FPGA implementation of
PHY layer algorithms including MIMO decoding & precoding, channel estimation, OFDM
modulation & demodulation, and many more. Information is also available on the
implementation of the MAC layer and the interface to external applications. This document
will assist you in better understanding the system's capabilities of and the ways in which it
can be used in your research efforts.

   

Download and Evaluate the MIMO Application Framework

An evaluation version of the MIMO Application Framework is available for download at the
following website . Take a tour of the intuitive user interface and browse through the Host
and FPGA source code to learn more about the advanced real time software architecture that
makes massive MIMO possible.

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Additional Resources
Visit the following websites to learn more about NI solutions for prototyping multiuser and
massive MIMO systems.


o  Intel Massive MIMO C-RAN Proof of Concept—Learn more about how Intel
has used the MIMO Prototyping System as part of its massive MIMO C-RAN
proof of concept demonstrated at the 2016 Mobile World Congress.
o The MIMO Prototyping System—Explore the MIMO Prototyping System
hardware, software, and IP. Also find an in-depth case study on the massive
MIMO project from the universities of Bristol and Lund.
o  LabVIEW Communications Application Frameworks—Learn more about
other Application Frameworks for LTE and 802.11 prototyping.
o NI 5G Research—Read more about NI and other 5G research activities related
to mmWave, LTE & Wi-Fi coexistence, and more.
o LabVIEW Communications – Learn more about LabVIEW Communications
for prototyping wireless communication systems.

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