Andreas Lauber

Design of an embedded UWB hardware platform for navigation in GPS denied environments

Autonomy of vehicles is a widely discussed topic, increasing the need for low power, inexpensive and precise localization and navigation. Due to ongoing research and standardization in last decades, ultra-wideband (UWB) based localization technology is more and more ready for large scale usage. In this paper we propose an embedded UWB localization system, consisting of an inexpensive, low power hardware platform deploying an IEEE 802.15.4a-2011 UWB-PHY standard conform RF chip, enabling communication and localization, a software framework, and localization algorithms. The key contribution of the paper is this system concept and experimental results using a developed system in an underground parking garage. Within this system evaluation we show in an accuracy analysis an achievable positioning error of around 30 cm. Furthermore we show the useage of such an UBW localization system in an use case near scenario.

Cloud-based remote virtual prototyping platform for embedded control applications: Cloud-based infrastructure for large-scale embedded hardware-related programming laboratories

The design and test of Multi-Processor System-on-Chip (MPSoCs) including software is one of the biggest challenges in todays system design. This applies in particular when short time-to-market constraints impose serious limitations on the exploration of the design space. The use of virtual platforms can help in decreasing the development cycles. In this paper, we present a cloud-based environment allowing the design of virtual platforms and prototyping of the system including complex software with prerecorded data or testbenches. Afterwards, the created design can also be synthesized for Xilinx FPGAs. Additionally, this paper presents the use of this remote virtual prototyping environment in a hardware-related programming laboratory with more than 350 participating undergraduate students. This large number of attendees leads to a lot of issues regarding the supervisory relationship as well as providing enough hardware resources in terms of boards. Nevertheless, we want to give the students hands-on experience when programming an embedded system on an FPGA-board. The cloud-based infrastructure allows us to respond to these difficulties by implementing a Software-in-the-Loop simulation based on an instruction set simulator. Doing so the students can design and implement their codes for the targeted architecture and prototype and debug it on a virtual platform. Since the course is mandatory we expect many students with limited experience about hardware-related programming. In this paper we show that especially these students will profit from the additional possibilities which are offered by a remotely available virtual prototyping platform.