Virtual RF Environment

Echo Ridge and partner Comsearch, propose to develop a system design for a practical, realistic and verifiable Virtual RF Environment (VRE), including simulation and prototyping of key technical facets to reduce risk. Our vision for the end state of the research is the availability of a productized VRE platform configured from COTS components, useful for lab-based developmental testing of military C3 and commercial wireless devices in a user-defined, field emulation environment. The platform will also support research-oriented testing for emerging RF technologies such as cognitive radios and advanced MIMO antennas. A key research contribution is the development of high fidelity and practical System-Under-Test to VRE interfaces. Our technical approach is to emulate a realistic RF environment in the digital domain which allows for the most flexible and realistic environment, and takes full advantage of many emerging technologies. Some innovative features of our design include: partition of real time and non-real time processing to reduce hardware platform cost and complexity, support “replay” of testing, support use of “captured RF environments” in testing, efficient implementation of RF sub-banding, means to model a wide range of antenna types including MIMO antenna systems, and means to test systems with DF/geolocation capabilities.