Research projects
Clear majority of the research projects are carried out in collaboration with other universities and research organizations as well as with key players in the telecommunications industry. Also direct and confidential collaboration with companies through contracted research is one important component and a means to interact with the society, where the outputs of more scientific basic research are applied in commercial communications devices and networks.
Ongoing research projects
Projects carried out jointly with units from other national or foreign universities
-
Energy- and Cost-Efficiency in Wireless Access (ECEWA):
This strategic Sino-Finnish collaboration project develops new cost and energy efficient solutions to future radio access networks. The use of emerging features such as femto cells, relays, and coordinated multipoint will require changes to the ways radio access networks are planned. Energy consumption of the network equipment has become increasingly important. The industry is looking ways to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by improving the energy efficiency of the base station equipment. Energy efficiency of the networks will also impact on the way networks should be planned and operated. Saving energy also saves costs. Hence its natural to study the cost and energy efficiency jointly. The work is funded by Tekes, Ericsson, Efore and European Communications Engineering, under the Sino-Finland Alliance between Finland and China, and is carried out as a joint research initiative together with Aalto University. More information is available at the project's own web-site.
-
Research on Future Ubiquitous Services and Applications (UBISERVE):
The UBISERVE-project is a joint research effort dedicated to advance research in the field of Future Ubiquitous Services (FUS). The project will reinforce the work of Finland China ICT Alliance through constructing service enabling environments, developing test environments for FUS in real-life settings and by coordinating the information on other activities, facilities, tests and demonstrations and expertise within Finland China ICT Alliance. The project focuses on FUS building on mobile communication systems and services. The activities include living-labs based research on ubiquitous media innovation and constructive research on transmission algorithms and service overlay architectures. Furthermore, specific focus is on activities that combine the complementary expertise and capabilities of the Chinese and Finnish partners and enable joint research, testing and studies of ubiquitous services. The UBISERVE-project is implemented as parallel sub-projects of three universities: University of Jyväskylä (JYU), Aalto University (AALTO) and Tampere University of Technology (TUT).
-
Digitally-Enhanced RF for Future Radio Communications Devices:
This project studies different digitally-assisted calibration and compensation mechanisms to control the levels and impacts of radio frequency circuit imperfections in radio transmitters and receivers. Such imperfections, like oscillator phase noise, power amplifier nonlinear distortion, and mirror-frequency interference due to IQ amplitude and phase errors, are of major concent in the radio device implementations of emerging radio communications systems where typically multicarrier type waveforms with high-order subcarrier modulations (like 64QAM) are used, which are very sensitive to any interferecen and signal distortion. This work is carried out in collaboration with Johannes Kepler University (JKU), Linz, Austria, and Danube Integrated Circuit Engineering (DICE), Austria, and is funded by Austrian Competence Center in Mechatronics (ACCM).
-
ICT SHOK FI:
The ICT SHOK Future Internet program implements the mission given in the Future Internet Strategic Research Agenda: "To combine efforts of Finnish companies and academia to make a significant contribution towards developing the Future Internet technology and ecology as a platform for innovation, especially focusing on network and information governance and leveraging mobility as a key source of competitiveness and global added value". In its third phase, the program is divided into four work packages. WP 1 concentrates on the multipath paradigm, which has emerged as a key concept to improve performance and reliability of the Internet. DCE will contribute to the distributed testbed for the multipath BitTorrent application. WP 2 explores ways to improve the quality of end-to-end connectivity over the Internet, especially from the mobile communications point-of-view. WP 3 investigates new ways of information storage and delivery in the Future Internet. DCE participates in the development of a prototype of a communication layer for Internet of Things running on top of DHT algorithms. WP 6 is about Internet security. DCE participates in the activity concentrating on the understanding and designing security experience. More information is available at the project's own web-site.
-
ICT SHOK Cloud Software:
The ICT SHOK Cloud Software program began in 2010 and will end in 2013. The program "aims to significantly improve the competitive position of Finnish software intensive industry in global markets. According to the 2009 survey most significant factors of competitiveness are: operational efficiency, user experience, web software, open systems, security engineering and sustainable development. Cloud software ties these factors together as software increasingly moves to the web. Cloud Software program especially aims to pioneer in building new cloud business models, lean software enterprise model and open cloud software infrastructure". In the Cloud Software program DCE participates in work packages crossing research area, cloud security. So far DCE has researched, together with
other research organizations and industry partners, security and privacy aspects of cloud computing, integrating security into software development processes and specific technical topics of security in cloud computing. More information is available at the project's own web-site
-
Enabling Next GeneratIon NEtworks for broadcast Services (ENGINES):
The ENGINES project will form a task force to develop the Next Generation Broadcasting standards and their implementation for Fixed Portable, Mobile and Handheld reception. The project will work both on technical proposals for Digital Video Broadcasting project as well as on efficient usage of the latest version of the standards. The project will also generate a framework for a common lab and field infrastructure mainly for DVB but also for other standards. The project continues the work in line with previous successful Celtic projects Wing-TV (validation of DVB-H) and B21C (major contributions to DVB-T2 and DVB-SH). The second generation standard for terrestrial broadcasting DVB-T2 was submitted to ETSI in 2008, and is taken into operative use in 2010. DVB-T2 is in its first stage targeting for fixed reception. Providing the same or better capacity increase for portable, mobile and handheld broadcasts (DVB-NGH), require new technical concepts, where MIMO is the most promising approach. However, the utilization of MIMO techniques in broadcast scenarios for fixed, mobile and handheld use cases is still not well known, and clearly requires both research and system design work. This work is including channel modelling, system architecture, receiver algorithms, simulations as well as lab and field trials. The project will support the DVB-NGH work. The project will also verify the TFS parts of the DVB-T2 specification and study the use of TFS for DVB-NGH. The ENGINES project objectives are to support the DVB and European industries to keep their leadership position in broadcasting technology and standards worldwide. The project will deliver technical solutions and knowledge enabling partners and 3rd parties to provide next generation broadcasting systems. More information is available at the project's own web-site.
-
Enabling Methods for Dynamic Spectrum Access and Cognitive Radio (ENCOR):
Cognitive radio and dynamic spectrum access concepts are generally seen as next big step towards increased efficiency in radio spectrum utilization in wireless communications. In general, there are still major technical challenges to solve in e.g. implementation, communication theory and networking domains. This research initiative focuses on creating fundamental scientific understanding in these three domains, as a joint activity between Tampere University of Technology, Aalto University and Finnish telecomm industry. In terms of tools and methodologies, analytical work and algorithm derivations, combined with hardware development are used and tested in laboratory prototyping systems, in collaboration with the industrial partners (Nokia and Elektrobit). To attack this challenging research area, one key element is active collaboration between the research groups implementing the work at TUT and Aalto University, the Industrial Partners and highly-respected research groups at Princeton University, UCLA and UC Berkeley. The work at universities is funded by Tekes and universities themselves.
-
Digital Processing Algorithms for Indoor positioning Systems (ACAPO):
This research work focuses on the development of new baseband receiver algorithms for indoor positioning systems. Satellite-based navigation, Wireless LAN (WLAN) positioning, Pseudolites -based location (PL), and Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) systems are studied from the point of view of signal processing in the location-targeting receiver. A significant part is dedicated to analytical and semi-analytical studies, aiming to offer generalized models for the signal waveforms and modulations used in positioning systems nowadays and for the acquisition, tracking, and multipath mitigation blocks in a wireless location receiver.This project is focusing on the physical layer of wireless communication networks, where one of the main challenges is the development of flexible radio transceiver implementations supporting the utilization of an increasing number of radio access technologies in multi-mode terminals.
-
Hydrid Analog-Digital Signal Processing for Communications Tranceivers (HYBRA):
This project is focusing on the physical layer of wireless communication networks, where one of the main challenges is the development of flexible radio transceiver implementations supporting the utilization of an increasing number of radio access technologies in multi-mode terminals. Analog receiver front-end processing is facing new challenges and provides also new opportunities. In low-cost implementations, nano-scale VLSI processing optimized for digital circuits are to be used also for analog RF. Reduced supply voltage leads to reduced linear range of amplifiers, and there are great difficulties in implementing receivers based on the conventional superheterodyne or direct-conversion principles. However, in recent few years, it has been demonstrated that receiver structures based on sampling directly at RF frequencies are better suited to the VLSI technology trends. These so-called digital radio processor designs utilize decimating discrete-time analog processing after the sampler, yet before the actual ADC that is operating at baseband. An important aspect in recent RF sampling architectures is that certain kind of embedded filtering can be combined with the sampling process. It is clear that there are still great challenges in making such designs feasible for the recent and emerging wideband wireless standards. Also, the solutions presented so far do not answer to the needs of multi-mode radios on one hand and field-programmable radios on the other.The scope of this project proposal includes analog and digital signal processing circuits and algorithms for advanced radio receiver front-end solutions to support different radio interfaces in a flexible manner. Methodologies for flexible and optimized hybrid analog-digital signal processing solutions are the core area of this project. The main application is to optimize the overall receiver filtering chain, including the embedded filtering in sampling, decimating analog discrete-time filtering stages, and digital filtering stages after the ADC. In this development, the characteristics of charge-domain sampling and processing with nano-scale CMOS processes are taken into account.
Projects carried out with non-university partners
-
Femto trial:
Data rates of cellular networks are growing, and simultaneously greater share of users are located indoors. One solution for these growing needs of indoor coverage and capacity are small indoor base stations, femto cells. In this industry-driven project, target is to study coverage and capacity of femto cells, and also to study how deployment of femto cells affect on intra-frequency neighbours on macro and micro outdoor layer.
-
LTE and LTE-A Radio Link Analysis and Signal Processing:
The project studies the radio link performance of 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-A mobile cellular radio. The work covers the research of the impact of impairments in general RF components (mixers, data converters, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) in different transmit-receive scenarios including multiradio co-existence. Also transceiver signal processing techniques are studied which can relax the performance requirements of the RF modules. The work is done with close collaboration with the funding partner (Telecomm industry) and different standardization bodies.
-
Galileo Ready Advanced Mass Market Receiver (GRAMMAR):
This European FP7 project develops a prototype GNSS receiver, targeted at mass market applications, with the widest potential exploitation. The activities focus on: multiple-frequency low power single chip GNSS radio front end designed to address the challenge for a plurality of advanced mass-market applications, a baseband prototype implementing advanced features not currently seen in mass market receivers, prototyping advanced algorithms in FPGA to determine their suitability for mass market receivers, simulations addressing algorithms and techniques for receivers beyond the current state-of-the-art such as complexity reduced multipath mitigation, and non-line-of-sight detection and mitigation, and studying the suitability of inexpensive sensors and/or assistance from existing wireless networks for improved indoor and urban position solution robustness and availability. The TUT group focuses on baseband receiver algorithms in this project. More information is available at the project's own web-site.
-
Design and Analysis of Radio Tranceivers and Systems:
This project studies different radio resource management (RRM) mechanisms, like packet scheduling, link adaptation and HARQ, and their impact on the overall cellular system performance. Most focus is on the emerging cellular packet radio systems, like 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and IMT-Advanced. Typical performance measures are, e.g., the number of simultaneously supported VoIP calls (per cell or sector), in case of voice traffic, and throughput distribution and resource allocation fairness (per cell or sector), in case of data traffic. The work is done with close collaboration with the funding partner (Telecomm industry) and different standardization bodies.
Earlier completed research projects
Projects carried out jointly with units from other national or foreign universities
-
Advanced Techniques for RF Impairment Mitigation in Future Wireless Radio Systems (Dirty-RF):
This Dirty-RF research initiative studies radio equipment employed in future wireless radio systems, and their hardware and signal processing. Particular focus is on the impairments and nonidealities in analog/RF electronics components and modules (like amplifiers, oscillators, mixers, A/D converters, etc.) deployed in radio equipment, and how such impairments will influence emerging communication waveforms and systems (like LTE and WiMAX) that are currently under development. The project also investigates how to efficiently manage and correct the impairments using digital signal processing (DSP) in radio devices. At the waveform level, the work concentrates on broadband multi-antenna and multi-carrier techniques being the key elements in all emerging radio systems. The work is funded by Tekes, under the GIGA technology programme, and is carried out as a joint research initiative together with Aalto University. Co-operation partners are Nokia Reseach Center, Nokia Devices, Nokia-Siemens Networks, Ericsson, Elektrobit Wireless Communications and Airspan Networks. More information is available at the project's own web-site.
-
Physical Layer for Dynamic Spectrum Access and Cognitive Radio (PHYDYAS):
Physical layer best suited to the new concepts of dynamic access spectrum management and cognitive radio is needed for future efficient wireless and mobile radio networks. The requirements of high data rates and flexible spectrum allocation are met by multicarrier techniques, which can approach the theoretical capacity limits in communications. The scheme used so far, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), is a block processing technique, which lacks flexibility and has poor spectral resolution. In contrast, a filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC) technique offers high spectrum resolution and can provide independent sub-channels, while maintaining or enhancing the high data rate capability. In the project, a short term objective was to develop and demonstrate algorithms for single and multiantenna terminals, scalability and adaptivity, and multiple access. In the longer term, the impact on cognitive radio will be investigated. The success of the proposed physical layer will contribute to the dissemination and exploitation of the new radio concepts and to the advent of improved environment friendly services to the users. PHYDYAS was a STREP type project in EU FP7 programme during years 2008-10, with a strong academic participation. TUT contributed the project in the field of filter bank optimization, channel estimation, equalization and synchronization in single antenna and multiantenna configurations, as well is in spectrum sensing algorithms. TUT had a major role in defining the signal processing algorithms for the project demonstrator. More information is available at the project's own web-site.
-
Broadcast for the 21st Century (B21C):
The B21C project aims to constitute a task force, building on the works and reflections of the DVB forum, with the goal to elaborate the technical propositions for the future of Digital Video Broadcasting.
-
WING-TV:
DVB-H aims at sustaining the European leadership in telecommunications, in particular in the mobile multimedia environment: using a set of DVB Forum standards, DVB-H provides streamed IP Multimedia contents to handheld devices (such as mobile cellular phones).
Projects funded by the Academy of Finland
-
Understanding and Mitigation of Analog RF Impairments in Multiantenna Transmission Systems:
This research work focuses on developing general understanding how the quality of the used radio electronics affect the link-level performance of the emerging multiantenna (MIMO) transmission based wireless systems. Good examples of studied interference and distortion sources are e.g. oscillator phase noise, power amplifier nonlinear distortion, and mirror-frequency interference due to IQ errors. Wideband or multicarrier direct-conversion radio architecture is assumed as the starting point for building the individual radios. In general, big emphasis is on analytic work, targeting to characterize the resulting waveform and link distortion in closed-form in terms of essential signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and related performance figures. Furthermore, another big theme is to develop digital signal processing (DSP) based solutions for impairment mitigation in transmitters and receivers. In addition to pen-and-paper and simulation work, true-world radio signal laboratory measurements will also be deployed in performance and demonstration studies. The work was also partially funded by The Federation of Finnish Technology Industries.
-
Cross-Layer Performance Control and Optimization System for Wireless Networks:
In wireless networks performance degradation is caused by both incorrect reception of channel symbols at the physical layer and queuing at higher layers. The research done in this project has resulted in novel analytical methods, and they have been applied for example to model the performance of various flavors of TCP, with improved accuracy.
Projects carried out with non-university partners
-
Multicarrier Direct-Converion Receiver Study (MUDCORE):
The general scope of the project is to study radio front-end technologies and related signal processing algorithms in wideband multicarrier direct-conversion transmitter and receiver contexts, targeted mainly for base-stations of 3G and beyond, like 3GPP-LTE, cellular networks. The aim is to develop digital signal processing based techniques to compensate for some fundamental transceiver analog front-end related RF impairments, with most focus on the I/Q imbalance compensation and the resulting mirror-frequency interference issues in base-station transmitters and receivers. The main line of study is to use real-world measured transmitter and receiver front-end signals in the algorithm developments, testing, and performance evaluations to keep the research work as practically oriented as possible. The work in funded by Finnish telecomm industry.