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

Esquemas de pré-codificação IA com IB-DFE para sistemas MC-CDMA

Mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica e TelecomunicaçõesTo achieve high bit rates, needed to meet the quality of service requirements of future multimedia applications, multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) has been considered as a candidate air-interface. Interference alignment (IA) is a promising technique that allows high capacity gains in interfering channels. On the other hand, iterative block decision feedback equalization (IB-DFE) based receivers can efficiently exploit the inherent space-frequency diversity of the MIMO MC-CDMA systems. In this thesis we proposed an IA precoding at the transmitter with IB-DFE based processing at the receiver for MC-CDMA systems. The IA precoding is applied at chip level instead of the data symbols level, as in the conventional IA based systems. The receiver is designed in two steps: first the equalizers based on zero forcing (ZF) or minimum mean square error (MMSE) are used to remove the aligned users´ interference. Then and after a whitening noise process, an IB-DFE based equalizer is designed to remove both the residual inter-user aligned and inter-carrier interferences. The results have shown that the obtained performance is very close to the one obtained by the optimal matched filter, with few iterations at the receiver side.Para atingir maiores ritmos de transmissão, as futures aplicações multimédia necessitam de atingir a qualidade de serviço necessária. Para isso, o multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) tem sido apontado como um forte candidato para interface ar dos futuros sistemas celulares. O Interference Alignment (IA) ou alinhamento de interferência é uma técnica promissora que permite ter altos ganhos de capacidade em canais com interferência. Por outro lado, temos receptores baseados no conceito iterative block decision feedback equalization(IB-DFE) que conseguem tirar partido, de uma forma eficiente, da inerente diversidade espaço-frequência dos sistemas MIMO MC-CDMA. Nesta dissertação é implementada uma pré-codificação baseada no conceito de IA considerando três transmissores (ou estações base) juntamente, com um processamento IB-DFE no receptor para sistemas MC-CDMA.A pré-codificação é aplicada ao nível de chip em vez de ser aplicado ao nível dos dados. O receptor é projectado em dois passos: em primeiro lugar equalizadores baseados em ZF ou em MMSE são utilizados para remover a interferência alinhada dos restantes utilizadores. De seguida, e após aplicar um processo de branqueamento do ruído ao sinal à saída do primeiro equalizador, um segundo equalizador baseado em IB-DFE é projectado para remover a interferência inter-utilizador residual e também a interferência residual entre portadoras. Os resultados obtidos mostraram-se satisfatórios na remoção da interferência obtendo-se um desempenho muito próximo do obtido considerando um filtro adaptado

Robust massive MIMO Equilization for mmWave systems with low resolution ADCs

Leveraging the available millimeter wave spectrum will be important for 5G. In this work, we investigate the performance of digital beamforming with low resolution ADCs based on link level simulations including channel estimation, MIMO equalization and channel decoding. We consider the recently agreed 3GPP NR type 1 OFDM reference signals. The comparison shows sequential DCD outperforms MMSE-based MIMO equalization both in terms of detection performance and complexity. We also show that the DCD based algorithm is more robust to channel estimation errors. In contrast to the common believe we also show that the complexity of MMSE equalization for a massive MIMO system is not dominated by the matrix inversion but by the computation of the Gram matrix.Comment: submitted to WCNC 2018 Workshop

Técnicas de igualização adaptativas com estimativas imperfeitas do canal para os futuros sistemas 5G

Wireless communication networks have been continuously experiencing an exponential growth since their inception. The overwhelming demand for high data rates, support of a large number of users while mitigating disruptive interference are the constant research focus and it has led to the creation of new technologies and efficient techniques. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is the most common example of a technology that has come to the fore in this past decade as it provided a simple and generally ideal platform for wireless data transmission. It’s drawback of a rather high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and sensitivity to phase noise, which in turn led to the adoption of alternative techniques, such as the single carrier systems with frequency domain equalization (SC-FDE) or the multi carrier systems with code division multiple access (MC-CDMA), but the nonlinear Frequency Domain Equalizers (FDE) have been of special note due to their improved performance. From these, the Iterative Block Decision Feedback Equalizer (IB-DFE) has proven itself especially promising due to its compatibility with space diversity, MIMO systems and CDMA schemes. However, the IB-DFE requires the system to have constant knowledge of the communication channel properties, that is, to have constantly perfect Channel State Information (CSI), which is both unrealistic and impractical to implement. In this dissertation we shall design an altered IB-DFE receiver that is able to properly detect signals from SC-FDMA based transmitters, even with constantly erroneous channel states. The results shall demonstrate that the proposed equalization scheme is robust to imperfect CSI (I-CSI) situations, since its performance is constantly close to the perfect CSI case, within just a few iterations.Redes sem fios têm crescido de maneira contínua e exponencial desde a sua incepção. A tremenda exigência para altas taxas de dados e o suporte para um elevado número de utilizadores sem aumentar a interferência disruptiva originada por estes são alguns dos focos que levaram ao desenvolvimento de técnicas de compensação e novas tecnologias. “Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing” (OFDM) é um dos exemplos de tecnologias que se destacaram nesta última década, visto ter fornecido uma plataforma para transmissão de dados sem-fio eficaz e simples. O seu maior problema é a alta “peak-to-average power ratio” (PAPR) e a sua sensibilidade a ruído de fase que deram motivo à adoção de técnicas alternativas, tais como os sistemas “single carrier” com “frequency domain equalization” (SC-FDE) ou os sistemas “multi-carrier” com “code division multiple access” (MC-CDMA), mas equalizadores não lineares no domínio de frequência têm sido alvo de especial atenção devido ao seu melhor desempenho. Destes, o “iterative block decision feedback equalizer” (IB-DFE) tem-se provado especialmente promissor devido à sua compatibilidade com técnicas de diversidade no espaço, sistemas MIMO e esquemas CDMA. No entanto, IB-DFE requer que o sistema tenha constante conhecimento das propriedades dos canais usados, ou seja, necessita de ter perfeito “channel state information” (CSI) constantemente, o que é tanto irrealista como impossível de implementar. Nesta dissertação iremos projetar um recetor IB-DFE alterado de forma a conseguir detetar sinais dum transmissor baseado em tecnologia SC-FDMA, mesmo com a informação de estado de canal errada. Os resultados irão então demonstrar que o novo esquema de equalização proposto é robusto para situações de CSI imperfeito (I-CSI), visto que o seu desempenho se mantém próximo dos valores esperados para CSI perfeito, em apenas algumas iterações.Mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica e Telecomunicaçõe

Performance Analysis of a 5G Transceiver Implementation for Remote Areas Scenarios

The fifth generation of mobile communication networks will support a large set of new services and applications. One important use case is the remote area coverage for broadband Internet access. This use case ha significant social and economic impact, since a considerable percentage of the global population living in low populated area does not have Internet access and the communication infrastructure in rural areas can be used to improve agribusiness productivity. The aim of this paper is to analyze the performance of a 5G for Remote Areas transceiver, implemented on field programmable gate array based hardware for real-time processing. This transceiver employs the latest digital communication techniques, such as generalized frequency division multiplexing waveform combined with 2 by 2 multiple-input multiple-output diversity scheme and polar channel coding. The performance of the prototype is evaluated regarding its out-of-band emissions and bit error rate under AWGN channel.Comment: Presented in 2018 European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC),18-21 June, 2018, Ljubljana, Sloveni