Software Defined Radio Implementation of Carrier and Timing Synchronization for Distributed Arrays

The communication range of wireless networks can be greatly improved by using distributed beamforming from a set of independent radio nodes. One of the key challenges in establishing a beamformed communication link from separate radios is achieving carrier frequency and sample timing synchronization. This paper describes an implementation that addresses both carrier frequency and sample timing synchronization simultaneously using RF signaling between designated master and slave nodes. By using a pilot signal transmitted by the master node, each slave estimates and tracks the frequency and timing offset and digitally compensates for them. A real-time implementation of the proposed system was developed in GNU Radio and tested with Ettus USRP N210 software defined radios. The measurements show that the distributed array can reach a residual frequency error of 5 Hz and a residual timing offset of 1/16 the sample duration for 70 percent of the time. This performance enables distributed beamforming for range extension applications.Comment: Submitted to 2019 IEEE Aerospace Conferenc

An adaptive protocol for distributed beamforming

We study distributed adaptive beamforming in networks of wireless nodes. In particular, we observe that for the synchronisation of carrier phases, distinct algorithmic configurations are optimal in various environmental settings and propose a protocol that utilises organic computing principles to find optimum parameters. Furthermore, we study the impact of different modulation schemes on the bit error rate of a signal sequence transmitted collaboratively by distributed devices via adaptive beamforming

Improving Bandwidth Efficiency in E-band Communication Systems

The allocation of a large amount of bandwidth by regulating bodies in the 70/80 GHz band, i.e., the E-band, has opened up new potentials and challenges for providing affordable and reliable Gigabit per second wireless point-to-point links. This article first reviews the available bandwidth and licensing regulations in the E-band. Subsequently, different propagation models, e.g., the ITU-R and Cane models, are compared against measurement results and it is concluded that to meet specific availability requirements, E-band wireless systems may need to be designed with larger fade margins compared to microwave systems. A similar comparison is carried out between measurements and models for oscillator phase noise. It is confirmed that phase noise characteristics, that are neglected by the models used for narrowband systems, need to be taken into account for the wideband systems deployed in the E-band. Next, a new multi-input multi-output (MIMO) transceiver design, termed continuous aperture phased (CAP)-MIMO, is presented. Simulations show that CAP-MIMO enables E-band systems to achieve fiber-optic like throughputs. Finally, it is argued that full-duplex relaying can be used to greatly enhance the coverage of E-band systems without sacrificing throughput, thus, facilitating their application in establishing the backhaul of heterogeneous networks.Comment: 16 pages, 6 Figures, Journal paper. IEEE Communication Magazine 201

Distributed transmit beamforming for UAV to base communications

© 2013 IEEE. Distributed transmit beamforming (DTB) is very efficient for extending the communication distance between a swarm of UAVs and the base, particularly when considering the constraints in weight and battery life for payloads on UAVs. In this paper, we review major function modules and potential solutions in realizing DTB in UAV systems, such as timing and carrier synchronization, phase drift tracking and compensation, and beamforming vector generation and updating. We then focus on beamforming vector generation and updating, and introduce a concatenated training scheme, together with a recursive channel estimation and updating algorithm. We also propose three approaches for tracking the variation of channels and updating the vectors. The effectiveness of these approaches is validated by simulation results