6,276 research outputs found
Channel Sounding for the Masses: Low Complexity GNU 802.11b Channel Impulse Response Estimation
New techniques in cross-layer wireless networks are building demand for
ubiquitous channel sounding, that is, the capability to measure channel impulse
response (CIR) with any standard wireless network and node. Towards that goal,
we present a software-defined IEEE 802.11b receiver and CIR estimation system
with little additional computational complexity compared to 802.11b reception
alone. The system implementation, using the universal software radio peripheral
(USRP) and GNU Radio, is described and compared to previous work. By overcoming
computational limitations and performing direct-sequence spread-spectrum
(DS-SS) matched filtering on the USRP, we enable high-quality yet inexpensive
CIR estimation. We validate the channel sounder and present a drive test
campaign which measures hundreds of channels between WiFi access points and an
in-vehicle receiver in urban and suburban areas
Cramer-Rao bounds in the estimation of time of arrival in fading channels
This paper computes the Cramer-Rao bounds for the time of arrival estimation in a multipath Rice and Rayleigh fading scenario, conditioned to the previous estimation of a set of propagation channels, since these channel estimates (correlation between received signal and the pilot sequence) are sufficient statistics in the estimation of delays. Furthermore, channel estimation is a constitutive block in receivers, so we can take advantage of this information to improve timing estimation by using time and space diversity. The received signal is modeled as coming from a scattering environment that disperses the signal both in space and time. Spatial scattering is modeled with a Gaussian distribution and temporal dispersion as an exponential random variable. The impact of the sampling rate, the roll-off factor, the spatial and temporal correlation among channel estimates, the number of channel estimates, and the use of multiple sensors in the antenna at the receiver is studied and related to the mobile subscriber positioning issue. To our knowledge, this model is the only one of its kind as a result of the relationship between the space-time diversity and the accuracy of the timing estimation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
Location-free Spectrum Cartography
Spectrum cartography constructs maps of metrics such as channel gain or
received signal power across a geographic area of interest using spatially
distributed sensor measurements. Applications of these maps include network
planning, interference coordination, power control, localization, and cognitive
radios to name a few. Since existing spectrum cartography techniques require
accurate estimates of the sensor locations, their performance is drastically
impaired by multipath affecting the positioning pilot signals, as occurs in
indoor or dense urban scenarios. To overcome such a limitation, this paper
introduces a novel paradigm for spectrum cartography, where estimation of
spectral maps relies on features of these positioning signals rather than on
location estimates. Specific learning algorithms are built upon this approach
and offer a markedly improved estimation performance than existing approaches
relying on localization, as demonstrated by simulation studies in indoor
scenarios.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, 1 table. Submitted to IEEE Transactions on
Signal Processin
Robust Positioning in the Presence of Multipath and NLOS GNSS Signals
GNSS signals can be blocked and reflected by nearby objects, such as buildings, walls, and vehicles. They can also be reflected by the ground and by water. These effects are the dominant source of GNSS positioning errors in dense urban environments, though they can have an impact almost anywhere. Non- line-of-sight (NLOS) reception occurs when the direct path from the transmitter to the receiver is blocked and signals are received only via a reflected path. Multipath interference occurs, as the name suggests, when a signal is received via multiple paths. This can be via the direct path and one or more reflected paths, or it can be via multiple reflected paths. As their error characteristics are different, NLOS and multipath interference typically require different mitigation techniques, though some techniques are applicable to both. Antenna design and advanced receiver signal processing techniques can substantially reduce multipath errors. Unless an antenna array is used, NLOS reception has to be detected using the receiver's ranging and carrier-power-to-noise-density ratio (C/N0) measurements and mitigated within the positioning algorithm. Some NLOS mitigation techniques can also be used to combat severe multipath interference. Multipath interference, but not NLOS reception, can also be mitigated by comparing or combining code and carrier measurements, comparing ranging and C/N0 measurements from signals on different frequencies, and analyzing the time evolution of the ranging and C/N0 measurements
Acoustical Ranging Techniques in Embedded Wireless Sensor Networked Devices
Location sensing provides endless opportunities for a wide range of applications in GPS-obstructed environments;
where, typically, there is a need for higher degree of accuracy. In this article, we focus on robust range
estimation, an important prerequisite for fine-grained localization. Motivated by the promise of acoustic in
delivering high ranging accuracy, we present the design, implementation and evaluation of acoustic (both
ultrasound and audible) ranging systems.We distill the limitations of acoustic ranging; and present efficient
signal designs and detection algorithms to overcome the challenges of coverage, range, accuracy/resolution,
tolerance to Doppler’s effect, and audible intensity. We evaluate our proposed techniques experimentally on
TWEET, a low-power platform purpose-built for acoustic ranging applications. Our experiments demonstrate
an operational range of 20 m (outdoor) and an average accuracy 2 cm in the ultrasound domain. Finally,
we present the design of an audible-range acoustic tracking service that encompasses the benefits of a near-inaudible
acoustic broadband chirp and approximately two times increase in Doppler tolerance to achieve better performance
Multipath Parameter Estimation from OFDM Signals in Mobile Channels
We study multipath parameter estimation from orthogonal frequency division
multiplex signals transmitted over doubly dispersive mobile radio channels. We
are interested in cases where the transmission is long enough to suffer time
selectivity, but short enough such that the time variation can be accurately
modeled as depending only on per-tap linear phase variations due to Doppler
effects. We therefore concentrate on the estimation of the complex gain, delay
and Doppler offset of each tap of the multipath channel impulse response. We
show that the frequency domain channel coefficients for an entire packet can be
expressed as the superimposition of two-dimensional complex sinusoids. The
maximum likelihood estimate requires solution of a multidimensional non-linear
least squares problem, which is computationally infeasible in practice. We
therefore propose a low complexity suboptimal solution based on iterative
successive and parallel cancellation. First, initial delay/Doppler estimates
are obtained via successive cancellation. These estimates are then refined
using an iterative parallel cancellation procedure. We demonstrate via Monte
Carlo simulations that the root mean squared error statistics of our estimator
are very close to the Cramer-Rao lower bound of a single two-dimensional
sinusoid in Gaussian noise.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (26 pages,
9 figures and 3 tables
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A Dense Reference Network for Mass-Market Centimeter-Accurate Positioning
The quality of atmospheric corrections provided
by a dense reference network for centimeter-accurate carrierphase
differential GNSS (CDGNSS) positioning is investigated.
A dense reference network (less than 20 km inter-station distance)
offers significant benefits for mass-market users, enabling lowcost
(including single-frequency) CDGNSS positioning with rapid
integer ambiguity resolution. Precise positioning on a massmarket
platform would significantly influence the world economy,
ushering in a host of consumer-focused applications such as
globally-registered augmented and virtual reality and improved
all-weather safety and efficiency for intelligent transportation
systems, applications which have so far been hampered by the
several-meter-level errors in standard GNSS positioning. This
contribution examines CDGNSS integer ambiguity resolution
performance in terms of network correction uncertainty, and
network correction uncertainty, in turn, in terms of network
density. It considers the total error in network corrections: a
sum of ionospheric, tropospheric, and reference station multipath
components. The paper’s primary goal is to identify the network
density beyond which mass-market users would see no further
significant improvement in ambiguity resolution performance. It
finishes by describing development and deployment of a low-cost
dense reference network in Austin, Texas.Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanic
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