System Identification Toolbox

This toolbox is a MATLAB-based software package for the estimation of dynamic systems. A wide range of standard estimation approaches are supported. These include the use of non-parametric, subspace-based and prediction-error algorithms coupled (in the latter case) with either MIMO state space or MISO polynomial model structures.

MIMO Communications Testbed

This is a hardware device designed to be used in the design and testing of wireless MIMO communications systems. It is connected to a PC via USB 2.0 or ethernet and uses an on-board FPGA to allow implementation of algorithms in logic, together with provision for multiple radio modules.

Model Predictive Control

This project is concerned with development of algorithms and hardware for high-speed model predictive control (MPC) solutions. Both linear and nonlinear MPC systems are considered.

Sub-Projects

• c4Hardware
• c4HDL

Future Wireless

Orthgonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is core to emerging and future wireless systems. Of note, 802.16, 802.20 and 3GPP LTE all depend upon OFDM. The goal of this project is to generate core expertise in this area, publish in leading conferences and journals while securing valuable IP for the project participants. Numerous ASIC prototypes will result.

Sub-Projects

• Lattice Reduction Aided MIMO Detection
• MCMC MIMO Detection
• MCMC Multi-User Detection
• Synchronisation and CFO estimation

QPC - Quadratic Programming in C

This project offers a collection of quadratic programming routines, which are written in C and callable from Matlab. These routines cover a range of problem structures from simply bounded strictly convex quadratic programmes to the more general case. Furthermore, a range of approaches are used including active-set, interior-point and a branch and bound approach.

System Identification

Theoretical and empirical study of various problems in system identification. Particular attention is paid to robust estimation of Multivariable and Nonlinear systems, and to error quantification.

Sub-Projects

• MCMC System Identification
• System Identification Toolbox

LDPC Codes

Low-density parity-check codes are a class of iterative error correction codes with capacity-approaching decoding performances. This project investigates the design and decoding of low-density parity-check codes and a related class of codes called repeat-accumulate codes.

System Analysis

Dynamical systems provide the underlying concept in most of todays control applications. The analysis of qualitative properties like stability for nonlinear dynamical systems is the aim of this project.

c4Hardware

c4Hardware is a highly flexible library of C++ classes for the emulation of hardware implementations of algorithms. It provides a high level interface to matrix, vector, and scalar operations to allow rapid application development without requiring knowledge of the underlying operations. Futhermore, it allows custom data types to be plugged-in with little change to the high level application. This allows bit-accurate modelling and analysis of algorithms under various limited precision numerical representations.

Sub-Projects

• c4HDL

c4HDL

c4HDL is a library of C++ classes that provides bit-accurate modelling of integer, floating point, and fixed point data types, for matching with HDL code. Key points include :

• Allows modelling from very small to very large numerical precision
• Models can be directly used for generating testbench data to verify the operation of HDL models of the algorithm.
• Contains and generates matching C++ and VHDL models of some arithmetic hardware components

While designed as a plug-in for c4Hardware, this library may also be used as a standalone item.