Bit-Error-Rate-Minimizing Channel Shortening Using Post-FEQ Diversity Combining and a Genetic Algorithm

In advanced wireline or wireless communication systems, i.e., DSL, IEEE 802.11a/g, HIPERLAN/2, etc., a cyclic prefix which is proportional to the channel impulse response is needed to append a multicarrier modulation (MCM) frame for operating the MCM accurately. This prefix is used to combat inter symbol interference (ISI). In some cases, the channel impulse response can be longer than the cyclic prefix (CP). One of the most useful techniques to mitigate this problem is reuse of a Channel Shortening Equalizer (CSE) as a linear preprocessor before the MCM receiver in order to shorten the effective channel length. Channel shortening filter design is a widely examined topic in the literature. Most channel shortening equalizer proposals depend on perfect channel state information (CSI). However, this information may not be available in all situations. In cases where channel state information is not needed, blind adaptive equalization techniques are appropriate. In wireline communication systems (such as DMT), the CSE design is based on maximizing the bit rate, but in wireless systems (OFDM), there is a fixed bit loading algorithm, and the performance metric is Bit Error Rate (BER) minimization. In this work, a CSE is developed for multicarrier and single-carrier cyclic prefixed (SCCP) systems which attempts to minimize the BER. To minimize the BER, a Genetic Algorithm (GA), which is an optimization method based on the principles of natural selection and genetics, is used. If the CSI is shorter than the CP, the equalization can be done by a frequency domain equalizer (FEQ), which is a bank of complex scalars. However, in the literature the adaptive FEQ design has not been well examined. The second phase of this thesis focuses on different types of algorithms for adapting the FEQ and modifying the FEQ architecture to obtain a lower BER. Simulation results show that this modified architecture yields a 20 dB improvement in BER

Nonlinear Channel Equalization Approach for Microwave Communication Systems

The theoretical principles of intersymbol interference (ISI) and channel equalization in wireless communication systems are addressed. Several conventional and well-known equalization techniques are discussed and compared such as zero forcing (ZF) and maximum likelihood (ML). The main section in this chapter is devoted to an abstract concept of equalization approach, namely, dual channel equalization (DCE). The proposed approach is flexible and can be employed and integrated with other linear and nonlinear equalization approaches. Closed expressions for the achieved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and bit error rate (BER) in the case of ZF-DCE and ML-DCE are derived. According to the obtained outcomes, the DCE demonstrates promising improvements in the equalization performance (BER reduction) in comparison with the conventional techniques

Estimation and detection techniques for doubly-selective channels in wireless communications

A fundamental problem in communications is the estimation of the channel. The signal transmitted through a communications channel undergoes distortions so that it is often received in an unrecognizable form at the receiver. The receiver must expend significant signal processing effort in order to be able to decode the transmit signal from this received signal. This signal processing requires knowledge of how the channel distorts the transmit signal, i.e. channel knowledge. To maintain a reliable link, the channel must be estimated and tracked by the receiver. The estimation of the channel at the receiver often proceeds by transmission of a signal called the 'pilot' which is known a priori to the receiver. The receiver forms its estimate of the transmitted signal based on how this known signal is distorted by the channel, i.e. it estimates the channel from the received signal and the pilot. This design of the pilot is a function of the modulation, the type of training and the channel. [Continues.

Blind adaptive equalization for QAM signals: New algorithms and FPGA implementation.

Adaptive equalizers remove signal distortion attributed to intersymbol interference in band-limited channels. The tap coefficients of adaptive equalizers are time-varying and can be adapted using several methods. When these do not include the transmission of a training sequence, it is referred to as blind equalization. The radius-adjusted approach is a method to achieve blind equalizer tap adaptation based on the equalizer output radius for quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals. Static circular contours are defined around an estimated symbol in a QAM constellation, which create regions that correspond to fixed step sizes and weighting factors. The equalizer tap adjustment consists of a linearly weighted sum of adaptation criteria that is scaled by a variable step size. This approach is the basis of two new algorithms: the radius-adjusted modified multitmodulus algorithm (RMMA) and the radius-adjusted multimodulus decision-directed algorithm (RMDA). An extension of the radius-adjusted approach is the selective update method, which is a computationally-efficient method for equalization. The selective update method employs a stop-and-go strategy based on the equalizer output radius to selectively update the equalizer tap coefficients, thereby, reducing the number of computations in steady-state operation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, page: 0401. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2006