System Architecture Design

pSHIELDSystem Architecture DesignPU6.2.3 Functions and Services6.2.3.1 Smart SPD Driven TransmissionFigure 26 – Network of connected devices (M2M platform).Smart SPD information transmission is a feature of pSHIELD system, based on a Network Layer Service,usually called Software Defined Radio (SDR). An SDR platform will be used to provide smarttransmission. It concerns a radio communication software system, implemented on embedded devices. Itcan receive and transmit a variety of different radio waveforms, based on the software used. It can, also,be integrated easily with hardware security modules. It allows to accommodate new standards and newNetwork Layer services as they emerge upgrading the terminal software without requiring to develop anew dedicated Embedded System Device.The research activities on Network Layer functionalities of Embedded System Devices are focusing on thedevelopment of intelligent Cognitive Radio systems capable to understand and to be aware of thesurrounding environment, allowing the exploitation of all the available wireless network services by usinga single Embedded System Device. As an example, a Cognitive Radio (CR) could learn services availablein a locally accessible wireless computer network and could interact with those networks by using itspreferred protocols, so the users would not have confusion in finding the most suitable connection for, asan example, a video download or a printout. Additionally, a Cognitive Radio could select the carrierfrequency and choose the transmitted waveforms according to the perceived environment and to reach agiven goal, e.g. to avoid interference with existing wireless networks or to maximize the throughput whileguaranteeing an acceptable Quality of Service (QoS).The following picture shows the evolution of the radio network technologies for Embedded SystemDevices from traditional systems to Cognitive Radios.PUD2.3.2Issue 5 Page 93 of 122