MIMO-OFDM systems aim to improve transmission quality and/or throughput but require significant signal processing capability and flexibility at reasonable cost. This paper proposes a reconfigurable architecture and associated algorithm optimizations for these types of systems based on the IEEE 802.11n and IEEE 802.16e standards. In particular, we describe the implementation of two key computations onto this architecture, namely Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Space-Time Block Decoding (STBD). The design is post-layout using a UMC 0.18 micron technology at a clock rate of 100 MHz. Performance comparisons with other optimization methods and hardware implementations are given.

Being different from other networks, the load and direction of data traffic for wireless sensor networks are rather predictable. The relationships between nodes are cooperative rather than competitive. These features allow the design approach of a protocol stack to be able to use the cross-layer interactive way instead of a hierarchical structure. The proposed cross-layer protocol CLWSN optimizes the channel allocation in the MAC layer using the information from the routing tables, reduces the conflicting set, and improves the throughput. Simulations revealed that it outperforms SMAC and MINA in terms of delay and energy consumption.