Title :
A reconfiguration of mobile clustering architecture for enhanced and reliable small unit computing
Author :
Mosley, Shawn ; Jacoby, Grant A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., United States Mil. Acad., West Point, NY
Abstract :
This paper presents a distributed architectural approach to enable robust mobile computing for squad-sized elements. The architecture of each soldierpsilas computer employs an array of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) with embedded processors to function as individual nodes that collectively comprise the mobile cluster configuration each soldier wears. Each node allows hardware reconfiguration to perform specific tasks, such as GPS tracking, wireless communication and video transmission. The robustness of these multi-FPGA hardware clusters allows the mobile platform to perform all the tasks of a traditional mobile computer with two significant advantages: fewer hardware peripherals and preservation of functionality even while portions of the cluster are partially or permanently damaged.
Keywords :
Global Positioning System; field programmable gate arrays; military communication; military computing; mobile computing; reconfigurable architectures; wireless sensor networks; GPS tracking; distributed architectural approach; embedded processors; fewer hardware peripherals; field-programmable gate arrays; hardware reconfiguration; mobile cluster configuration; mobile clustering architecture; multiFPGA hardware clusters; robust mobile computing; small unit computing; squad-sized elements; video transmission; wireless communication; Computer architecture; Computer peripherals; Distributed computing; Embedded computing; Field programmable gate arrays; Global Positioning System; Hardware; Mobile computing; Robustness; Wireless communication; Mobile Cluster; Multi-FPGA; Radio; Robust;
Conference_Titel :
Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2008. CCECE 2008. Canadian Conference on
Conference_Location :
Niagara Falls, ON
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1642-4
Electronic_ISBN :
0840-7789
DOI :
10.1109/CCECE.2008.4564691