An Architecture for High Data Rate Very Low Frequency Communication

Very low frequency (VLF) communication is used for long range shore-to-ship broadcasting applications. This paper proposes an architecture for high data rate VLF communication using Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) modulation and low delay parity check (LDPC) channel coding. Non-data aided techniques are designed and used for carrier phase synchronization, symbol timing recovery, and LDPC code frame synchronization. These require the estimation of the operative Eb/N0 for which a kurtosis based algorithm is used. Also, a method for modeling the probability density function of the received signal under the bit condition is presented in this regard. The modeling of atmospheric radio noise (ARN) that corrupts VLF signals is described and an algorithm for signal enhancement in the presence of ARN in given. The BER performance of the communication system is evaluated for bit rates of 400 bps, 600 bps, and 800 bps for communication bandwidth of ~200 Hz.Defence Science Journal, 2013, 63(1), pp.25-33, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.63.376

Synchronization Techniques for Burst-Mode Continuous Phase Modulation

Synchronization is a critical operation in digital communication systems, which establishes and maintains an operational link between transmitter and the receiver. As the advancement of digital modulation and coding schemes continues, the synchronization task becomes more and more challenging since the new standards require high-throughput functionality at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). In this work, we address feedforward synchronization of continuous phase modulations (CPMs) using data-aided (DA) methods, which are best suited for burst-mode communications. In our transmission model, a known training sequence is appended to the beginning of each burst, which is then affected by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), and unknown frequency, phase, and timing offsets. Based on our transmission model, we derive the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) for DA joint estimation of synchronization parameters. Using the CRB expressions, the optimum training sequence for CPM signals is proposed. It is shown that the proposed sequence minimizes the CRB for all three synchronization parameters asymptotically, and can be applied to the entire CPM family. We take advantage of the simple structure of the optimized training sequence in order to design a practical synchronization algorithm based on the maximum likelihood (ML) principles. The proposed DA algorithm jointly estimates frequency offset, carrier phase and symbol timing in a feedforward manner. The frequency offset estimate is first found by means of maximizing a one dimensional function. It is then followed by symbol timing and carrier phase estimation, which are carried out using simple closed-form expressions. We show that the proposed algorithm attains the theoretical CRBs for all synchronization parameters for moderate training sequence lengths and all SNR regions. Moreover, a frame synchronization algorithm is developed, which detects the training sequence boundaries in burst-mode CPM signals. The proposed training sequence and synchronization algorithm are extended to shaped-offset quadrature phase-shift keying (SOQPSK) modulation, which is considered for next generation aeronautical telemetry systems. Here, it is shown that the optimized training sequence outperforms the one that is defined in the draft telemetry standard as long as estimation error variances are considered. The overall bit error rate (BER) plots suggest that the optimized preamble with a shorter length can be utilized such that the performance loss is less than 0.5 dB of an ideal synchronization scenario

Communication Systems Design for Downhole Acoustic Telemetry

The goal of this dissertation is to design a reliable and efficient communication system for downhole acoustic communication. This system is expected to operate in two different modes. A broadband high data rate mode in case of transmission of an image or a video file and a narrowband low data rate mode in case of transmission of sensor readings. This communication system functions by acoustic vibration of the pipes and uses them as the channel instead of installing long cables in areas that are hard to reach. However, this channel has unique characteristics where it exhibits several passbands and stopbands across the frequency spectrum. The communication system is expected to get around those challenges in both modes of operation. In the broadband case, the system uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing to transmit data across multiple orthogonal frequencies spanning multiple passbands combined with an error-correction code to recover some of the losses caused by the channel. In the narrowband case, a short packet is transmitted at a low data rate where the signal spectrum can fit inside one passband. However, transmitting short packets induces a new synchronization problem. This dissertation investigates and explores in detail the problem of synchronization on short packets where each synchronization stage is examined. A simple algorithm that exploits the presence of error-correction codes is proposed for the frame synchronization stage and demonstrated to approach the optimal solution. Then, all synchronization stages are combined in order to study the effect of propagated errors caused by imperfect synchronization from one stage to the next and what can be done in the design of the packet and the receiver structure to mitigate those losses. The resulting synchronization procedure is applied to the pipe strings and demonstrated to achieve desirable levels of performance with the assistance of equalization at the receiver

Timing and Carrier Synchronization in Wireless Communication Systems: A Survey and Classification of Research in the Last 5 Years

Timing and carrier synchronization is a fundamental requirement for any wireless communication system to work properly. Timing synchronization is the process by which a receiver node determines the correct instants of time at which to sample the incoming signal. Carrier synchronization is the process by which a receiver adapts the frequency and phase of its local carrier oscillator with those of the received signal. In this paper, we survey the literature over the last 5 years (2010–2014) and present a comprehensive literature review and classification of the recent research progress in achieving timing and carrier synchronization in single-input single-output (SISO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), cooperative relaying, and multiuser/multicell interference networks. Considering both single-carrier and multi-carrier communication systems, we survey and categorize the timing and carrier synchronization techniques proposed for the different communication systems focusing on the system model assumptions for synchronization, the synchronization challenges, and the state-of-the-art synchronization solutions and their limitations. Finally, we envision some future research directions

Code-aided Maximum-likelihood Ambiguity Resolution Through Free-energy Minimization

International audienceIn digital communication receivers, ambiguities in terms of timing and phase need to be resolved prior to data detection. In the presence of powerful error-correcting codes, which operate in low signal to noise ratios (SNR), long training sequences are needed to achieve good performance. In this contribution, we develop a new class of code-aided ambiguity resolution algorithms, which require no training sequence and achieve good performance with reasonable complexity. In particular, we focus on algorithms that compute the maximum-likelihood (ML) solution (exactly or in good approximation) with a tractable complexity, using a factor-graph representation. The complexity of the proposed algorithm is discussed, and reduced complexity variations, including stopping criteria and sequential implementation, are developed