Efficient use of space-time clustering for underwater acoustic communications

Underwater acoustic (UWA) communication channels are characterized by the spreading of received signals in space (direction of arrival) and in time (delay). The spread is often limited to a small number of space-time clusters. In this paper, the spacetime clustering is exploited in a proposed receiver designed for guard-free orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) with superimposed data and pilot signals. For separation of space clusters, the receiver utilizes a vertical linear array (VLA) of hydrophones, whereas for combining delay-spread signals within a space cluster, a time-domain equalizer is used. We compare a number of space-time processing techniques, including a proposed reduced-complexity spatial filter, and show that techniques exploiting the space-time clustering demonstrate an improved detection performance. The comparison is done using signals transmitted by a moving transducer, and recorded on a 14-element non-uniform VLA in sea trials at distances of 46 km and 105 km

Performance evaluation of T-transform based OFDM in underwater acoustic channels

PhD ThesisRecently there has been an increasing trend towards the implementation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based multicarrier communication systems in underwater acoustic communications. By dividing the available bandwidth into multiple sub-bands, OFDM systems enable reliable transmission over long range dispersive channels. However OFDM is prone to impairments such as severe frequency selective fading channels, motioned induced Doppler shift and high peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR). In order to fully exploit the potential of OFDM in UWA channels, those issues have received a great deal of attention in recent research. With the aim of improving OFDM's performance in UWA channels, a T-transformed based OFDM system is introduced using a low computational complexity T-transform that combines the Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT) and the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) into a single fast orthonormal unitary transform. Through real-world experiment, performance comparison between the proposed T-OFDM system and conventional OFDM system revealed that T-OFDM performs better than OFDM with high code rate in frequency selective fading channels. Furthermore, investigation of different equalizer techniques have shown that the limitation of ZF equalizers affect the T-OFDM more (one bad equalizer coefficient affects all symbols) and so developed a modified ZF equalizer with outlier detection which provides major performance gain without excessive computation load. Lastly, investigation of PAPR reduction methods delineated that T-OFDM has inherently lower PAPR and it is also far more tolerant of distortions introduced by the simple clipping method. As a result, lower PAPR can be achieved with minimal overhead and so outperforming OFDM for a given power limit at the transmitter

Space-time-frequency methods for interference-limited communication systems

textTraditionally, noise in communication systems has been modeled as an additive, white Gaussian noise process with independent, identically distributed samples. Although this model accurately reflects thermal noise present in communication system electronics, it fails to capture the statistics of interference and other sources of noise, e.g. in unlicensed communication bands. Modern communication system designers must take into account interference and non-Gaussian noise to maximize efficiencies and capacities of current and future communication networks. In this work, I develop new multi-dimensional signal processing methods to improve performance of communication systems in three applications areas: (i) underwater acoustic, (ii) powerline, and (iii) multi-antenna cellular. In underwater acoustic communications, I address impairments caused by strong, time-varying and Doppler-spread reverberations (self-interference) using adaptive space-time signal processing methods. I apply these methods to array receivers with a large number of elements. In powerline communications, I address impairments caused by non-Gaussian noise arising from devices sharing the powerline. I develop and apply a cyclic adaptive modulation and coding scheme and a factor-graph-based impulsive noise mitigation method to improve signal quality and boost link throughput and robustness. In cellular communications, I develop a low-latency, high-throughput space-time-frequency processing framework used for large scale (up to 128 antenna) MIMO. This framework is used in the world's first 100-antenna MIMO system and processes up to 492 Gbps raw baseband samples in the uplink and downlink directions. My methods prove that multi-dimensional processing methods can be applied to increase communication system performance without sacrificing real-time requirements.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

Retournement temporel : application aux réseaux mobiles

This thesis studies the time reversal technique to improve the energy efficiency of future mobile networks and reduce the cost of future mobile devices. Time reversal technique consists in using the time inverse of the propagation channel impulse response (between a transceiver and a receiver) as a prefilter. Such pre-filtered signal is received with a stronger power (this is spatial focusing) and with a strong main echo, relatively to secondary echoes (this is time compression). During a previous learning phase, the transceiver estimates the channel by measuring the pilot signal emitted by the receiver. Space-time focusing is obtained only at the condition that the propagation remains identical between the learning phase and the data transmission phase: this is the ‘channel reciprocity’ condition. Numerous works show that spatial focusing allows for the reduction of the required transmit power for a given target received power, on the one hand, and that time compression allow for the reduction of the required complexity at the receiver side to handle multiple echoes, on the other hand. However, studies on complexity reduction are limited to ultra wideband. Some works of this thesis (based on simulations and experimental measurements) show that, for bands which are more typical for future networks (a carrier frequency of 1GHz and a spectrum of 30 MHz to 100 MHz), thanks to time reversal, a simple receiver and a mono-carrier signal are sufficient to reach high data rates. Moreover, the channel reciprocity condition is not verified in two scenarios which are typical from mobile networks. Firstly, in most European mobile networks, the frequency division duplex mode is used. This mode implies that the transceiver and the receiver communicate on distinct carriers, and therefore through different propagation channels. Secondly, when considering a receiver on a moving connected vehicle, the transceiver and the receiver communicate one with each other at distinct instants, corresponding to distinct positions of the vehicles, and therefore through different propagation channels. Some works of this thesis propose solutions to obtain space-time focusing for these two scenarios. Finally, some works of this thesis explore the combination of time reversal with other recent signal processing techniques (spatial modulation, on the one hand, a new multi-carrier waveform, on the other hand), or new deployment scenarios (millimeter waves and large antenna arrays to interconnect the nodes of an ultra dense network) or new applications (guidance and navigation) which can be envisaged for future mobile networks.Cette thèse étudie la technique dite de ‘Retournement Temporel’ afin d’améliorer l’efficacité énergétique des futurs réseaux mobiles d’une part, et réduire le coût des futurs terminaux mobiles, d’autre part. Le retournement temporel consiste à utiliser l’inverse temporel de la réponse impulsionnelle du canal de propagation entre un émetteur et un récepteur pour préfiltrer l’émission d’un signal de données. Avantageusement, le signal ainsi préfiltré est reçu avec une puissance renforcée (c’est la focalisation spatiale) et un écho principal qui est renforcé par rapport aux échos secondaires (c’est la compression temporelle). Lors d’une étape préalable d’apprentissage, l’émetteur estime le canal en mesurant un signal pilote provenant du récepteur. La focalisation spatiotemporelle n’est obtenue qu’à condition que la propagation demeure identique entre la phase d’apprentissage et la phase de transmission de données : c’est la condition de ‘réciprocité du canal’. De nombreux travaux montrent que la focalisation spatiale permet de réduire la puissance émise nécessaire pour atteindre une puissance cible au récepteur d’une part, et que la compression temporelle permet de réduire la complexité du récepteur nécessaire pour gérer l’effet des échos multiples, d’autre part. Cependant, les études sur la réduction de la complexité du récepteur se limitent à l’ultra large bande. Des travaux de cette thèse (basés sur des simulations et des mesures expérimentales) montrent que pour des bandes de fréquences plus typiques des futurs réseaux mobiles (fréquence porteuse à 1GHz et spectre de 30 MHz à 100 MHz), grâce au retournement temporel, un récepteur simple et un signal monoporteuse suffisent pour atteindre de hauts débits. En outre, la condition de réciprocité du canal n’est pas vérifiée dans deux scénarios typiques des réseaux mobiles. Tout d’abord, dans la plupart des réseaux mobiles européens, le mode de duplex en fréquence est utilisé. Ce mode implique que l’émetteur et le récepteur communiquent l’un avec l’autre sur des fréquences porteuses distinctes, et donc à travers des canaux de propagations différents. De plus, lorsqu’on considère un récepteur sur un véhicule connecté en mouvement, l’émetteur et le récepteur communiquent l’un avec l’autre à des instants distincts, correspondants à des positions distinctes du véhicule, et donc à travers des canaux de propagations différents. Des travaux de cette thèse proposent des solutions pour obtenir la focalisation spatio-temporelle dans ces deux scenarios. Enfin, des travaux de la thèse explorent la combinaison du retournement temporel avec d’autres techniques de traitement de signal récentes (la modulation spatiale, d’une part, et une nouvelle forme d’onde multiporteuse, d’autre part), ou des scenarios de déploiement nouveaux (ondes millimétriques et très grands réseaux d’antennes pour inter-connecter les noeuds d’un réseau ultra dense) ou de nouvelles applications (guidage et navigation) envisageables pour les futurs réseaux mobiles

UNDERWATER COMMUNICATIONS WITH ACOUSTIC STEGANOGRAPHY: RECOVERY ANALYSIS AND MODELING

In the modern warfare environment, communication is a cornerstone of combat competence. However, the increasing threat of communications-denied environments highlights the need for communications systems with low probability of intercept and detection. This is doubly true in the subsurface environment, where communications and sonar systems can reveal the tactical location of platforms and capabilities, subverting their covert mission set. A steganographic communication scheme that leverages existing technologies and unexpected data carriers is a feasible means of increasing assurance of communications, even in denied environments. This research works toward a covert communication system by determining and comparing novel symbol recovery schemes to extract data from a signal transmitted under a steganographic technique and interfered with by a simulated underwater acoustic channel. We apply techniques for reliably extracting imperceptible information from unremarkable acoustic events robust to the variability of the hostile operating environment. The system is evaluated based on performance metrics, such as transmission rate and bit error rate, and we show that our scheme is sufficient to conduct covert communications through acoustic transmissions, though we do not solve the problems of synchronization or equalization.Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Harvesting time-frequency-space diversity with coded modulation for underwater acoustic communications

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-180).The goal of this thesis is to design a low-complexity, high data-rate acoustic communications system with robust performance under various channel conditions. The need for robust performance emerges because underwater acoustic (UWA) channels have time-varying statistics, thus a coded modulation scheme optimally designed for a specific channel model will be suboptimal when the channel statistics change. A robust approach should use a coded modulation scheme that provides good performance in both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channels (and, consequently in the Rice fading channel, an intermediate channel model between the latter two). Hence, high data-rate coded modulation schemes should exhibit both large free Euclidean and Hamming distances. In addition, coded modulation is regarded as a way to achieve time diversity over interleaved flat fading channels. UWA channels offer additional diversity gains in both frequency and space; therefore a system that exploits diversity in all three domains is highly desirable. Two systems with the same bit-rate and complexity but different free Euclidean and Hamming distances are designed and compared. The first system combines Trellis Coded Modulation (TCM) based on an 8-PSK signal set, symbol interleaving and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). The second system combines bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM), based on a convolutional code and a 16-QAM signal set, with OFDM.(cont.) Both systems are combined with specific space-time block codes (STBC) when two or three transmit antennas are used. Moreover, pilot-symbol-aided channel estimation is performed by using a robust 2-D Wiener filter, which copes with channel model mismatch by employing appropriate time and frequency correlation functions. The following result was obtained by testing the aforementioned systems using both simulated and experimental data from RACE '08: the BICM scheme performs better when the UWA channel exhibits limited spatial diversity. This result implies that coded modulation schemes emphasizing higher Hamming distances are preferred when there is no option for many receive/transmit hydrophones. The TCM scheme, on the other hand, becomes a better choice when the UWA channel demonstrates a high spatial diversity order. This result implies that coded modulation schemes emphasizing higher free Euclidean distances are preferred when multiple receive/transmit hydrophones are deployed.by Konstantinos Pelekanakis.Ph.D

Analysis of and techniques for adaptive equalization for underwater acoustic communication

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 2011Underwater wireless communication is quickly becoming a necessity for applications in ocean science, defense, and homeland security. Acoustics remains the only practical means of accomplishing long-range communication in the ocean. The acoustic communication channel is fraught with difficulties including limited available bandwidth, long delay-spread, time-variability, and Doppler spreading. These difficulties reduce the reliability of the communication system and make high data-rate communication challenging. Adaptive decision feedback equalization is a common method to compensate for distortions introduced by the underwater acoustic channel. Limited work has been done thus far to introduce the physics of the underwater channel into improving and better understanding the operation of a decision feedback equalizer. This thesis examines how to use physical models to improve the reliability and reduce the computational complexity of the decision feedback equalizer. The specific topics covered by this work are: how to handle channel estimation errors for the time varying channel, how to use angular constraints imposed by the environment into an array receiver, what happens when there is a mismatch between the true channel order and the estimated channel order, and why there is a performance difference between the direct adaptation and channel estimation based methods for computing the equalizer coefficients. For each of these topics, algorithms are provided that help create a more robust equalizer with lower computational complexity for the underwater channel.This work would not have been possible without support from the O ce of Naval Research, through a Special Research Award in Acoustics Graduate Fellowship (ONR Grant #N00014-09-1-0540), with additional support from ONR Grant #N00014-05- 10085 and ONR Grant #N00014-07-10184