Designing wireless protocols: methodology and applications

Communication protocols are essential components of wireless systems. Present methods for protocol design are heuristic in nature and are not suited for next generation wireless systems where time-to-market concerns require correct-the-first-time implementations. In this paper we present a new design methodology for wireless protocols based on the principle of orthogonalization of concerns. In particular, the methodology separates function and architecture design and emphasizes the use of formal models to ensure correctness and reduce design time. Protocols are described using Co-design Finite State Machines (CFSMs), a model of computation that has been introduced to allow the efficient capture of both the control and the data processing parts of the specification. Furthermore, algorithms for automatic hardware and software synthesis from CFSMs are available. This allows a fast exploration of different HW/SW partitions and the analysis of tradeoffs involved. Intercom, a wireless system supporting full-duplex voice communication among different users, is presented and the design of its protocols is described. The design methodology presented here will be used for the design of PicoRadio, a low-power and highly adaptive network of sensors.