Frequency Domain Independent Component Analysis Applied To Wireless Communications Over Frequency-selective Channels

In wireless communications, frequency-selective fading is a major source of impairment for wireless communications. In this research, a novel Frequency-Domain Independent Component Analysis (ICA-F) approach is proposed to blindly separate and deconvolve signals traveling through frequency-selective, slow fading channels. Compared with existing time-domain approaches, the ICA-F is computationally efficient and possesses fast convergence properties. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed ICA-F. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems are widely used in wireless communications nowadays. However, OFDM systems are very sensitive to Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO). Thus, an accurate CFO compensation technique is required in order to achieve acceptable performance. In this dissertation, two novel blind approaches are proposed to estimate and compensate for CFO within the range of half subcarrier spacing: a Maximum Likelihood CFO Correction approach (ML-CFOC), and a high-performance, low-computation Blind CFO Estimator (BCFOE). The Bit Error Rate (BER) improvement of the ML-CFOC is achieved at the expense of a modest increase in the computational requirements without sacrificing the system bandwidth or increasing the hardware complexity. The BCFOE outperforms the existing blind CFO estimator [25, 128], referred to as the YG-CFO estimator, in terms of BER and Mean Square Error (MSE), without increasing the computational complexity, sacrificing the system bandwidth, or increasing the hardware complexity. While both proposed techniques outperform the YG-CFO estimator, the BCFOE is better than the ML-CFOC technique. Extensive simulation results illustrate the performance of the ML-CFOC and BCFOE approaches

Cyclic Prefix-Free MC-CDMA Arrayed MIMO Communication Systems

The objective of this thesis is to investigate MC-CDMA MIMO systems where the antenna array geometry is taken into consideration. In most MC-CDMA systems, cyclic pre xes, which reduce the spectral e¢ ciency, are used. In order to improve the spectral efficiency, this research study is focused on cyclic pre x- free MC-CDMA MIMO architectures. Initially, space-time wireless channel models are developed by considering the spatio-temporal mechanisms of the radio channel, such as multipath propaga- tion. The spatio-temporal channel models are based on the concept of the array manifold vector, which enables the parametric modelling of the channel. The array manifold vector is extended to the multi-carrier space-time array (MC-STAR) manifold matrix which enables the use of spatio-temporal signal processing techniques. Based on the modelling, a new cyclic pre x-free MC- CDMA arrayed MIMO communication system is proposed and its performance is compared with a representative existing system. Furthermore, a MUSIC-type algorithm is then developed for the estimation of the channel parameters of the received signal. This proposed cyclic pre x-free MC-CDMA arrayed MIMO system is then extended to consider the effects of spatial diffusion in the wireless channel. Spatial diffusion is an important channel impairment which is often ignored and the failure to consider such effects leads to less than satisfactory performance. A subspace-based approach is proposed for the estimation of the channel parameters and spatial spread and reception of the desired signal. Finally, the problem of joint optimization of the transmit and receive beam- forming weights in the downlink of a cyclic pre x-free MC-CDMA arrayed MIMO communication system is investigated. A subcarrier-cooperative approach is used for the transmit beamforming so that there is greater flexibility in the allocation of channel symbols. The resulting optimization problem, with a per-antenna transmit power constraint, is solved by the Lagrange multiplier method and an iterative algorithm is proposed

Blind Receiver Design for OFDM Systems Over Doubly Selective Channels

We develop blind data detectors for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems over doubly selective channels by exploiting both frequency-domain and time-domain correlations of the received signal. We thus derive two blind data detectors: a time-domain data detector and a frequency-domain data detector. We also contribute a reduced complexity, suboptimal version of a time-domain data detector that performs robustly when the normalized Doppler rate is less than 3%. Our frequency-domain data detector and suboptimal time-domain data detector both result in integer least-squares (LS) problems. We propose the use of the V-BLAST detector and the sphere decoder. The time-domain data detector is not limited to the Doppler rates less than 3%, but cannot be posed as an integer LS problem. Our solution is to develop an iterative algorithm that starts from the suboptimal time-domain data detector output. We also propose channel estimation and prediction algorithms using a polynomial expansion model, and these estimators work with data detectors (decision-directed mode) to reduce the complexity. The estimators for the channel statistics and the noise variance are derived using the likelihood function for the data. Our blind data detectors are fairly robust against the parameter mismatch

Novel multiuser detection and multi-rate schemes for multi-carrier CDMA

A large variety of services is [sic] expected for wireless systems, in particular, high data rate services, such as wireless Internet access. Users with different data rates and quality of service (QoS) requirements must be accommodated. A suitable multiple access scheme is key to enabling wireless systems to support both the high data rate and the integrated multiple data rate transmissions with satisfactory performance and flexibility. A multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) scheme is a promising candidate for emerging broadband wireless systems. MC-CDMA is a hybrid of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and code division multiple access (CDMA). The most salient feature of MC-CDMA is that the rate of transmission is not limited by the wireless channel\u27s frequency-selective fading effects caused by multipath propagation. In MC-CDMA, each chip of the desired user\u27s spreading code, multiplied by the current data bit, is modulated onto a separate subcarrier. Therefore, each subcarrier has a narrow bandwidth and undergoes frequency-flat fading. Two important issues for an MC-CDMA wireless system, multiuser detection and multi-rate access, are discussed in this dissertation. Several advanced receiver structures capable of suppressing multiuser interference in an uplink MC-CDMA system, operating in a frequency-selective fading channel, are studied in this dissertation. One receiver is based on a so-called multishot structure, in which the interference introduced by the asynchronous reception of different users is successfully suppressed by a receiver based on the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) criterion with a built-in de-biasing feature. Like many other multiuser schemes, this receiver is very sensitive to a delay estimation error. A blind adaptive two-stage decorrelating receiver based on the bootstrap algorithm is developed to combat severe performance degradation due to a delay estimation error. It is observed that in the presence of a delay estimation error the blind adaptive bootstrap receiver is more near-far resistant than the MMSE receiver. Furthermore, a differential bootstrap receiver is proposed to extend the limited operating range of the two-stage bootstrap receiver which suffers from a phase ambiguity problem. Another receiver is based on a partial sampling (PS) demodulation structure, which further reduces the sensitivity to unknown user delays in an uplink scenario. Using this partial sampling structure, it is no longer necessary to synchronize the receiver with the desired user. Following the partial sampling demodulator, a minimum mean-square error combining (MMSEC) detector is applied. The partial sampling MMSEC (PS-MMSEC) receiver is shown to have strong interference suppression and timing acquisition capabilities. The complexity of this receiver can be reduced significantly, with negligible performance loss, by choosing a suitable partial sampling rate and using a structure called reduced complexity PS-MMSEC (RPS-MMSEC). The adaptive implementation of these receivers yields a superior rate of convergence and symbol error rate performance in comparison to a conventional MMSEC receiver with known timing. All the above receiver structures are for a single-rate MC-CDMA. Three novel multi-rate access schemes for multi-rate MC-CDMA, fixed spreading length (FSL), coded FSL (CFSL) and variable spreading length (VSL), have been developed. These multi-rate access schemes enable users to transmit information at different data rates in one MC-CDMA system. Hence, voice, data, image and video can be transmitted seamlessly through a wireless infrastructure. The bit error rate performance of these schemes is investigated for both low-rate and high-rate users

Development and verification of semi-blind receiver structures for broadband wireless communication systems

The increasingly high demands for high data rate wireless communication services require spectrum- and energy-efficient solutions. In this thesis, a number of energy-efficient semi-blind receiver structures are proposed to perform Doppler spread estimation, channel estimation and equalisation for broadband wireless orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. A real-time wireless communication testbed is developed to verify the proposed semi-blind receiver structures. In the first contribution, a semi-blind Doppler spread estimation and Kalman filtering based channel estimation approach is proposed for wireless OFDM systems. A short sequence of reference data is carefully designed and applied as pilot symbols for Doppler spread estimation and channel estimation initialisation of the Kalman filter. Then the estimates of inter-carrier interference (ICI) caused by Doppler spread are gathered into the equivalent channel model and compensated for through channel equalisation, which dramatically reduces the computational complexity. The simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms the conventional pilot aided Doppler spread and channel estimation schemes. In the second contribution, a semi-blind Doppler spread estimation and independent component analysis (ICA) based equalisation scheme aided by non-redundant precoding is proposed for wireless multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) OFDM systems. A number of reference data sequences are selected from a pool of orthogonal sequences for two purposes. First, the reference data sequences are superimposed in the source data sequences through non-redundant linear precoding to enable the Doppler spread estimation by minimising the sum cross-correlation between the compensated signals and the rest of the orthogonal sequences in the pool. Second, the same reference data sequences are applied to eliminate the phase and permutation ambiguity in the ICA equalised signals. Simulation results show that the proposed semi-blind MIMO OFDM system can achieve a bit error rate (BER) performance which is close to the ideal case with perfect channel state information (CSI). In the third contribution, a real-time wireless communication testbed is developed with a vector signal generator, a vector signal analyser and a pair of antennas, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed receiver structures over the air in different environments such as Reverberation chamber and office area. Measurement results show a good match with simulation results. Also, a pilot is employed for three purposes at a semi-blind receiver: time synchronisation, Doppler spread estimation and Kalman filtering initialisation, which is an extension of the work in the first contribution