Artificial neural networks for location estimation and co-cannel interference suppression in cellular networks

This thesis reports on the application of artificial neural networks to two important problems encountered in cellular communications, namely, location estimation and co-channel interference suppression. The prediction of a mobile location using propagation path loss (signal strength) is a very difficult and complex task. Several techniques have been proposed recently mostly based on linearized, geometrical and maximum likelihood methods. An alternative approach based on artificial neural networks is proposed in this thesis which offers the advantages of increased flexibility to adapt to different environments and high speed parallel processing. Location estimation provides users of cellular telephones with information about their location. Some of the existing location estimation techniques such as those used in GPS satellite navigation systems require non-standard features, either from the cellular phone or the cellular network. However, it is possible to use the existing GSM technology for location estimation by taking advantage of the signals transmitted between the phone and the network. This thesis proposes the application of neural networks to predict the location coordinates from signal strength data. New multi-layered perceptron and radial basis function based neural networks are employed for the prediction of mobile locations using signal strength measurements in a simulated COST-231 metropolitan environment. In addition, initial preliminary results using limited available real signal-strength measurements in a metropolitan environment are also reported comparing the performance of the neural predictors with a conventional linear technique. The results indicate that the neural predictors can be trained to provide a near perfect mapping using signal strength measurements from two or more base stations. The second application of neural networks addressed in this thesis, is concerned with adaptive equalization, which is known to be an important technique for combating distortion and Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) in digital communication channels. However, many communication systems are also impaired by what is known as co-channel interference (CCI). Many digital communications systems such as digital cellular radio (DCR) and dual polarized micro-wave radio, for example, employ frequency re-usage and often exhibit performance limitation due to co-channel interference. The degradation in performance due to CCI is more severe than due to ISI. Therefore, simple and effective interference suppression techniques are required to mitigate the interference for a high-quality signal reception. The current work briefly reviews the application of neural network based non-linear adaptive equalizers to the problem of combating co-channel interference, without a priori knowledge of the channel or co-channel orders. A realistic co-channel system is used as a case study to demonstrate the superior equalization capability of the functional-link neural network based Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) compared to other conventional linear and neural network based non-linear adaptive equalizers.This project was funded by Solectron (Scotland) Ltd

Indoor Radio Measurement and Planning for UMTS/HSPDA with Antennas

Over the last decade, mobile communication networks have evolved tremendously with a key focus on providing high speed data services in addition to voice. The third generation of mobile networks in the form of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is already offering revolutionary mobile broadband experience to its users by deploying High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) as its packet-data technology. With data speeds up to 14.4 Mbps and ubiquitous mobility, HSDPA is anticipated to become a preferred broadband access medium for end-users via mobile phones, laptops etc. While majority of these end-users are located indoors most of the time, approximately 70-80% of the HSDPA traffic is estimated to originate from inside buildings. Thus for network operators, indoor coverage has become a necessity for technical and business reasons. Macro-cellular (outdoor) to indoor coverage is a natural inexpensive way of providing network coverage inside the buildings. However, it does not guarantee sufficient link quality required for optimal HSDPA operation. On the contrary, deploying a dedicated indoor system may be far too expensive from an operator\u27s point of view. In this thesis, the concept is laid for the understanding of indoor radio wave propagation in a campus building environment which could be used to plan and improve outdoor-to-indoor UMTS/HSDPA radio propagation performance. It will be shown that indoor range performance depends not only on the transmit power of an indoor antenna, but also on the product\u27s response to multipath and obstructions in the environment along the radio propagation path. An extensive measurement campaign will be executed in different indoor environments analogous to easy, medium and hard radio conditions. The effects of walls, ceilings, doors and other obstacles on measurement results would be observed. Chapter one gives a brief introduction to the evolution of UMTS and HSDPA. It goes on to talk about radio wave propagation and some important properties of antennas which must be considered when choosing an antenna for indoor radio propagation. The challenges of in-building network coverage and also the objectives of this thesis are also mentioned in this chapter. The evolution and standardization, network architecture, radio features and most importantly, the radio resource management features of UMTS/HSDPA are given in chapter two. In this chapter, the reason why Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) was specified and selected for 3G (UMTS) systems would be seen. The architecture of the radio access network, interfaces with the radio access network between base stations and radio network controllers (RNC), and the interface between the radio access network and the core network are also described in this chapter. The main features of HSDPA are mentioned at the end of the chapter. In chapter three the principles of the WCDMA air interface, including spreading, Rake reception, signal fading, power control and handovers are introduced. The different types and characteristics of the propagation environments and how they influence radio wave propagation are mentioned. UMTS transport, logical and physical channels are also mentioned, highlighting their significance and relationship in and with the network. Radio network planning for UMTS is discussed in chapter four. The outdoor planning process which includes dimensioning, detailed planning, optimization and monitoring is outlined. Indoor radio planning with distributed antenna systems (DAS), which is the idea and motivation behind this thesis work, is also discussed. The various antennas considered and the antenna that was selected for this thesis experiment was discussed in chapter five. The antenna radiation pattern, directivity, gain and input impedance were the properties of the antenna that were taken into consideration. The importance of the choice of the antenna for any particular type of indoor environment is also mentioned. In chapter six, the design and fabrication of the monopole antennas used for the experimental measurement is mentioned. The procedure for measurement and the equipment used are also discussed. The results gotten from the experiment are finally analyzed and discussed. In this chapter the effect of walls, floors, doors, ceilings and other obstacles on radio wave propagation will be seen. Finally, chapter seven concludes this thesis work and gives some directions for future work

The planning and optimisation of DVB-H radio network

In the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) radio network planning, there are details that lack final consensus in the scientific field. The aim of this doctoral dissertation is to investigate advanced DVB-H radio network planning and optimisation. This dissertation presents the results of measurement techniques, network coverage and quality estimation, technological and economical optimisation, as well as error correction and single frequency network performance. The outcome includes proposed DVB-H radio network planning and optimisation methods that can be applied to the further investigation of detailed parameters in the radio link budget. There are also case studies that show the functionality of the presented methods with typical performance values. Based on comparative investigations, a process chart was created for DVB-H radio network planning and optimisation. The process blocks can be applied in a typical DVB-H network deployment, for the initial high-level phase as well as in the detailed network planning and optimisation phase. Using this process, the most relevant items were selected for in-depth studies. The investigations are presented in the annexed publications. The reminder was revised by comparative literature studies. The structure of the thesis follows the designed process charts. The main focus of this dissertation is the development of DVB-H radio network planning methodologies. One of the goals was to investigate the radio interface measurements, their post-processing and analysis. This can provide a guide to the selection of the appropriate values as a function of the radio channel type. An additional goal is the controlled management of over-sized single frequency network areas through the balancing of elevated SFN interference levels and related SFN gains. The development of a radio path loss simulator is the basis for these studies. The case results are presented as a function of the relevant radio parameter values, transmitter power levels and site antenna heights, both in theoretical and realistic network layouts. In addition to these topics, this document also investigates selected electro-magnetic compatibility, human exposure safety zones and radio coverage estimations. Also the balancing of technical radio parameters and network costs in order to complete the planning process steps is covered

Radio frequency channel characterization for energy harvesting in factory environments

This thesis presents ambient energy data obtained from a measurement campaign carried out at an automobile plant. At the automobile plant, ambient light, ambient temperature and ambient radio frequency were measured during the day time over two days. The measurement results showed that ambient light generated the highest DC power. For plant and operation managers at the automobile plant, the measurement data can be used in system design considerations for future energy harvesting wireless sensor nodes at the plant. In addition, wideband measurements obtained from a machine workshop are presented in this thesis. The power delay profile of the wireless channel was obtained by using a frequency domain channel sounding technique. The measurements were compared with an equivalent ray tracing model in order to validate the suitability of the commercial propagation software used in this work. Furthermore, a novel technique for mathematically recreating the time dispersion created by factory inventory in a radio frequency channel is discussed. As a wireless receiver design parameter, delay spread characterizes the amplitude and phase response of the radio channel. In wireless sensor devices, this becomes paramount, as it determines the complexity of the receiver. In reality, it is sometimes difficult to obtain full detail floor plans of factories for deterministic modelling or carry out spot measurements during building construction. As a result, radio provision may be suboptimal. The method presented in this thesis is based on 3-D fractal geometry. By employing the fractal overlaying algorithm presented, metallic objects can be placed on a floor plan so as to obtain similar radio frequency channel effects. The environment created using the fractal approach was used to estimate the amount of energy a harvesting device can accumulate in a University machine workshop space

A Localization System for Optimizing the Deployment of Small Cells in 2-Tier Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Due to the ever growing population of mobile device users and expansion on the number of devices and applications requiring data usage, there is an increasing demand for improved capacity in wireless cellular networks. Cell densification and 2-tier heterogeneous networks (HetNets) are two solutions which will assist 5G systems in meeting these growing capacity demands. Small-cell deployment over existing heterogeneous networks have been considered by researchers. Different strategies for deploying these small-cells within the existing network among which are random, cell-edge and high user concentration (HUC) have also been explored. Small cells deployed on locations of HUC offloads traffic from existing network infrastructure, ensure good Quality of Service (QoS) and balanced load in the network but there is a challenge of identifying HUC locations. There has been considerable research performed into techniques for determining user location and cell deployment. Currently localization can be achieved using time dependent methods such as Time of Arrival (ToA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA), or Global Positioning Systems (GPS). GPS based solutions provide high accuracy user positioning but suffer from concerns over user privacy, and other time dependent approaches require regular synchronization which can be difficult to achieve in practice. Alternatively, Received Signal Strength (RSS) based solutions can provide simple anonymous user data, requiring no extra hardware within the mobile handset but often rely on triangulation from adjacent Base Stations (BS). In mobile cellular networks such solutions are therefore often only applicable near the cell edge, as installing additional BS would increase the complexity and cost of a network deployment. The work presented in this thesis overcomes these limitations by providing an observer system for wireless networks that can be used to periodically monitor the cell coverage area and identify regions of high concentrations of users for possible small cell deployment in 2-tier heterogeneous networks. The observer system comprises of two collinear antennas separated by λ/2. The relative phase of each antenna was varied using a phase shifter so that the combined output of the two antennas were used to create sum and difference radiation patterns, and to steer the antenna radiation pattern creating different azimuth positions for AoA estimation. Statistical regression analysis was used to develop range estimation models based on four different environment empirical pathloss models for user range estimation. Users were located into clusters by classifying them into azimuth-range classes and counting the number of users in each class. Locations for small cell deployment were identified based on class population. BPEM, ADEM, BUEM, EARM and NLOS models were developed for more accurate range estimation. A prototype system was implemented and tested both outdoor and indoor using a network of WiFi nodes. Experimental results show close relationship with simulation and an average PER in range estimation error of 80% by applying developed error models. Based on both simulation and experiment, system showed good performance. By deploying micro-, pico-, or femto-cells in areas of higher user concentration, high data rates and good quality of service in the network can be maintained. The observer system provides the network manager with relative angle of arrival (AoA), distance estimation and relative location of user clusters within the cell. The observer system divides the cell into a series of azimuthal and range sectors, and determines which sector the users are located in. Simulation and a prototype design of the system is presented and results have shown system robustness and high accuracy for its purpose

Kokeellinen taajuusmuunnin DVB-T -lähettimeen

Kiinnostus digitaalisen televisiolähetteen vastaanottamiseen matkaviestimillä on lisääntynyt viime vuosina. Euroopalaista DVB-T -digitaalitelevisiostandardia viimeistellessä perustettiin ad-hoc ryhmä DVB-X tutkimaan, miten standardia voitaisiin muuttaa, jotta liikkuva vastaanotto olisi mahdollista. Samaan aikaan langattomien lähiverkkojen käyttö on lisääntynyt huomattavasti, joten viestintäviranomaiset ovat varanneet uusia taajuuskaistoja mikroaaltotaajuuksilta näiden käyttöön. Koska uuden sukupolven langattomien lähiverkkojen standardi HiperLAN/2 ja digitaalitelevisiostandardi DVB-T käyttävät samankaltaista OFDM-lähetystekniikkaa, yhdistämällä lähiverkkojen kaupalliset RF osat ja DVB-T lähete on mahdollista toteuttaa mikroaaltotaajuuksilla toimiva digitaalitelevisiolähetin. Diplomityössä esitetään ratkaisu, jossa UHF-taajuuksinen digitaalitelevisiolähete nostetaan taajuusmuuntimella 5,8 GHz ISM-kaistalle. Jotta muuntimen kriittisten osien sekä taajuusmuunnoksen ongelmat voitaisiin ratkoa, työssä esitetään lyhyt kertaus DVB-T -tekniikan tärkeimpiin alueisiin. Läpikäymällä viimeaikaisia radioaaltojen etenemismallien mittauskampanjoita alan kirjallisuudesta sekä vastaanottoalueen kartoistus, todetaan linkkibudjettilaskelmalla, että tarvittava lähetysteho on noin 10 W EIRP. Koska vastaanottoalue on kapea, lähetinantenni vahvistaa signaalia 20 dB. Tällöin DVB-T -lähettimen vaatimuksiin kuuluva lineaarinen vahvistin toteutetaan käyttämällä ylimitoitettua 1 W tehovahvistinta 10 dB alle sen maksimitehon. Työssä käsitellään myös muita tapoja linearisoida tehovahvistin, jotta backoff:n käyttö voidaan perustella. Jotta rakennetun taajuusmuuntimen suorituskykyä voitaisiin arvioida, diplomityön loppupuolella esitellään eri mittausmenetelmiä sekä VTT:n Otadigi-lähettimen signaalin voimakkuuden mittauksen tulokset. Mittaustuloksien avulla voidaan myös arvioida, millainen taajuusmuunnin on järkevä toteuttaa

Performance analysis of 4G wireless networks using system level simulator

Doutoramento em Engenharia ElectrotécnicaIn the last decade, mobile wireless communications have witnessed an explosive growth in the user’s penetration rate and their widespread deployment around the globe. In particular, a research topic of particular relevance in telecommunications nowadays is related to the design and implementation of mobile communication systems of 4th generation (4G). 4G networks will be characterized by the support of multiple radio access technologies in a core network fully compliant with the Internet Protocol (all IP paradigms). Such networks will sustain the stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements and the expected high data rates from the type of multimedia applications (i.e. YouTube and Skype) to be available in the near future. Therefore, 4G wireless communications system will be of paramount importance on the development of the information society in the near future. As 4G wireless services will continue to increase, this will put more and more pressure on the spectrum availability. There is a worldwide recognition that methods of spectrum managements have reached their limit and are no longer optimal, therefore new paradigms must be sought. Studies show that most of the assigned spectrum is under-utilized, thus the problem in most cases is inefficient spectrum management rather spectrum shortage. There are currently trends towards a more liberalized approach of spectrum management, which are tightly linked to what is commonly termed as Cognitive Radio (CR). Furthermore, conventional deployment of 4G wireless systems (one BS in cell and mobile deploy around it) are known to have problems in providing fairness (users closer to the BS are more benefited relatively to the cell edge users) and in covering some zones affected by shadowing, therefore the use of relays has been proposed as a solution. To evaluate and analyse the performances of 4G wireless systems software tools are normally used. Software tools have become more and more mature in recent years and their need to provide a high level evaluation of proposed algorithms and protocols is now more important. The system level simulation (SLS) tools provide a fundamental and flexible way to test all the envisioned algorithms and protocols under realistic conditions, without the need to deal with the problems of live networks or reduced scope prototypes. Furthermore, the tools allow network designers a rapid collection of a wide range of performance metrics that are useful for the analysis and optimization of different algorithms. This dissertation proposes the design and implementation of conventional system level simulator (SLS), which afterwards enhances for the 4G wireless technologies namely cognitive Radios (IEEE802.22) and Relays (IEEE802.16j). SLS is then used for the analysis of proposed algorithms and protocols.FC