Seamless Dynamic Runtime Reconfiguration in a Software-Defined Radio

The authors discuss implementation aspects of a software-defined radio system that allows for dynamic waveform reconfiguration during runtime without interrupting data-flow processing. Traditional software-defined radio systems execute a waveform statically, exactly as it is programmed. Reconfiguration is provided by executing a different waveform, which requires the system to stop processing data while reconfiguration occurs, and also may incur an unacceptable delay for some applications. Recent research has demonstrated basic reconfiguration by programming multiple branches into a waveform and dynamically switching between branches. This technique requires redundant resources and in general cannot be expanded to encompass all possible waveforms of interest, but, if implemented carefully, could be made to seamlessly process data.