802.11a MAC layer: firmware/hardware Co-design
Joseph Yeong, X.M. Rao, Mangalam Ramakrishnan Shajan, Q. Wang, C.Y. Lin, J.X.H. Qu · 2004
Embedded wireless communication devices nowadays are getting more and more sophisticated and running at higher speeds than ever before. In order to achieve the flexibility of design and shorten the time-to-market, a firmware/hardware co-design approach is being adopted more often. The IEEE 802.11a MAC layer design conducted at the Institute for Infocomm Research uses this concept to realize the full potential of the protocol and at the same time provide the flexibility for future upgrade. This paper explains in detail the process of firmware/hardware co-design and the rationale behind our approach.