System Level Evaluation of Innovative Coded MIMO-OFDM Systems for Broadcasting Digital TV

Single-frequency networks (SFNs) for broadcasting digital TV is a topic of theoretical and practical interest for future broadcasting systems. Although progress has been made in the characterization of its description, there are still considerable gaps in its deployment with MIMO technique. The contribution of this paper is multifold. First, we investigate the possibility of applying a space-time (ST) encoder between the antennas of two sites in SFN. Then, we introduce a 3D space-time-space block code for future terrestrial digital TV in SFN architecture. The proposed 3D code is based on a double-layer structure designed for intercell and intracell space time-coded transmissions. Eventually, we propose to adapt a technique called effective exponential signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) mapping (EESM) to predict the bit error rate (BER) at the output of the channel decoder in the MIMO systems. The EESM technique as well as the simulations results will be used to doubly check the efficiency of our 3D code. This efficiency is obtained for equal and unequal received powers whatever is the location of the receiver by adequately combining ST codes. The 3D code is then a very promising candidate for SFN architecture with MIMO transmission

Performance of an Echo Canceller and Channel Estimator for On-Channel Repeaters in DVB-T/H Networks

This paper investigates the design and performance of an FIR echo canceller for on-channel repeaters in DVB-T/H network within the framework of the PLUTO project. The possible approaches for echo cancellation are briefly reviewed and the main guidelines for the design of such systems are presented. The main system parameters are discussed. The performance of an FIR echo canceller based on an open loop feedforward approach for channel estimation is tested for different radio channel conditions and for different number of taps of the FIR filter. It is shown that a minimum number of taps is recommended to achieve a certain mean rejection ratio or isolation depending on the type of channel. The expected degradation in performance due to the use of fixed point rather than floating point arithmetic in hardware implementation is presented for different number of bits. Channel estimation based on training sequences is investigated. The performance of Maximum Length Sequences and Constant Amplitude Zero Autocorrelation (CAZAC) Sequences is compared for different channels. Recommendations are given for training sequence type, length and level for DVB-T/H on-channel repeater deployment

Measurement campaign on transmit delay diversity for mobile DVB-T/H systems

This article is posted here with permission from IEEE - Copyright @ 2010 IEEEThis paper describes the work carried out by Brunel University and Broadreach Systems (UK) to quantify the advantages that can be achieved if Transmit Delay Diversity is applied to systems employing the DVB standard. The techniques investigated can be applied to standard receiver equipment without modification. An extensive and carefully planned field trial was performed during the winter of 2007/2008 in Uxbridge (UK) to validate predictions from theoretical modeling and laboratory simulations. The transmissions were performed in the 730 MHz frequency band with a DVB-T/H transmitter and a mean power of 18.4 dBW. The impact of the transmit antenna separation and the MPE-FEC was also investigated. It is shown that transmit delay diversity significantly improves the quality of reception in fast fading mobile broadcasting application

Laboratory and field trials evaluation of transmit delay Diversity applied to DVB-T/H networks

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The requirements for future DVB-T/H networks demand that broadcasters design and deploy networks that provide ubiquitous reception in challenging indoors and other obstructed situations. It is essential that such networks are designed cost-effectively and with minimized environmental impact. The use of transmit diversity techniques with multiple antennas have long been proposed to improve the performance and capacity of wireless systems. Transmit diversity exploits the scattering effect inherent in the channel by means of transmitting multiple signals in a controlled manner from spatially separated antennas, allowing independently faded signals to arrive at the receiver and improves the chances of decoding a signal of acceptable quality. Transmit diversity can complement receive diversity by adding an additional diversity gain and in situations where receiver diversity is not practical, transmit diversity alone delivers a comparable amount of diversity gain. Transmit Delay Diversity (DD) can be applied to systems employing the DVB standard without receiver equipment modifications. Although transmit DD can provide a gain in NLOS situations, it can introduce degradation in LOS situation. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effectiveness in real-word applications of novel diversity techniques for broadcast transmitter networks. Tests involved laboratory experiments using a wireless MIMO channel emulator and the deployment of a field measurement campaign dedicated to driving, indoor and rooftop reception. The relationship between the diversity gain, the propagation environment and several parameters such as the transmit antenna separation, the receiver speed and the Forward Error Correction Codes (FEC) configuration are investigated. Results includes the effect of real-word parameter usually not modeled in the software simulation analysis, such as antenna radiation patterns and mutual coupling, scattering vegetation impact, non-Gaussian noise sources and receiver implementation. Moreover, a practical analysis of the effectiveness of experimental techniques to mitigate the loss due to transmit DD loss in rooftop reception is presented. The results of this thesis confirmed, completed and extended the existing predictions with real word measurement results

Passive radar on moving platforms exploiting DVB-T transmitters of opportunity

The work, effort, and research put into passive radar for stationary receivers have shown significant developments and progress in recent years. The next challenge is mounting a passive radar on moving platforms for the purpose of target detection and ground imaging, e.g. for covert border control. A passive radar on a moving platform has many advantages and offers many benefits, however there is also a considerable drawback that has limited its application so far. Due to the movement the clutter returns are spread in Doppler and may overlap moving targets, which are then difficult to detect. While this problem is common for an active radar as well, with a passive radar a further problem arises: It is impossible to control the exploited time-varying waveform emitted from a telecommunication transmitter. A conventional processing approach is ineffective as the time-varying waveform leads to residuals all over the processed data. Therefore a dedicated clutter cancellation method, e.g. the displaced phase centre antenna (DPCA) approach, does not have the ability to completely remove the clutter, so that target detection is considerably limited. The aim must be therefore to overcome this limitation by exploiting a processing technique, which is able to remove these residuals in order to cope with the clutter returns thus making target detection feasible. The findings of this research and thesis show that a reciprocal filtering based stage is able to provide a time-invariant impulse response similar to the transmissions of an active radar. Due to this benefit it is possible to achieve an overall complete clutter removal together with a dedicated DPCA stage, so that moving target detection is considerably improved, making it possible in the first place. Based on mathematical analysis and on simulations it is proven, that by exploiting this processing in principle an infinite clutter cancellation can be achieved. This result shows that the reciprocal filter is an essential processing stage. Applications on real data acquired from two different measurement campaigns prove these results. By the proposed approach, the limiting factor (i.e. the time-varying waveform) for target detection is negotiated, and in principle any clutter cancellation technique known from active radar can be applied. Therefore this analysis and the results provide a substantial contribution to the passive radar research community and enables it to address the next questions

Técnicas de gestão de feixe de onda para sistemas Massive MIMO nas redes 5G NR

The use of Millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum frequencies is seen as a key enabler technology for the future wireless communication systems to overcome the bandwidth shortage of the sub 6GHz microwave spectrum band, enabling high speed data transmissions in the 5G/6G systems. Nevertheless, mmWave propagation characteristics are associated to significant free-path losses and many more attenuations that become even more harsher as the frequency increases, rendering the communication challenging at this frequencies. To overcome these distinct disadvantages, multiple antenna arrays are employed to allow beamforming techniques for the transmission of narrower concentrated beams in more precise directions and less interference levels between them, consequently improving the link budget. Thus, to constantly assure that the communication with each device is done using the beam pair that allows the best possible connectivity, a set of Beam Management control procedures is necessary to assure an efficient beamformed connection establishment and its continuous maintenance between the device and the network. This dissertation will address the description of the Initial Beam Establishment (IBE) BM procedure, focusing the selection of the most suitable transmit-receive beam pair available after completed beam sweeping techniques to measure the different power levels of the received signal. The main goal is to design a new 3GPP-standard compliant beam pair selection algorithm based on SSS angle estimation (BSAE), that makes use of multiple Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) to maximize the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) value at the receiver, through the selected beam pair. This optimization is done using the Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSSs) present in each SSB to perform channel estimation in the digital domain (comprising the effects of the analog processing). Afterwards, the combination of those estimations were used to perform the equivalent channel propagation matrix estimation without the analog processing effects. Finally, through the channel propagation matrix, the angle that maximizes the RSRP was determined to compute the most suitable beam through the aggregated response vector. The obtained results show that the proposed algorithm achieves better performance levels compared to a conventional beam pair selection algorithm. Furthermore, a comparison with an optimal case is also done, i.e., the situation where the channel is known, and the optimal beam pair angle can be determined. Therefore, the similar performance results compared to the optimal case indicates that the proposed algorithm is interesting for practical 5G mmWave mMIMO implementations, according to 3GPP-compliant standards.O uso de frequências na banda das ondas milimétricas é visto como uma tecnologia chave para os futuros sistemas de comunicação móveis, tendo em vista a ultrapassar o problema da escassez de banda a sub-6 GHz, e por permitir as elevadas taxas de dados requeridas para sistemas 5G/6G. Contudo, a propagação deste tipo de ondas está associado a perdas acentuadas em espaço livre e várias atenuações que se tornam cada vez mais significativas com o aumento do valor da frequência, impondo obstáculos à comunicação. Para ultrapassar estas adversidades, agregados constituídos por múltiplos elementos de antena são implementados por forma a permitir técnicas de formação de feixe e possibilitar a transmissão de feixes mais estreitos e altamente direcionais, diminuindo os níveis de interferência e melhorando consequentemente o link budget. Deste modo, para assegurar constantemente que a comunicação efetuada em cada dispositivo ocorre utilizando o conjunto de feixes que proporciona o melhor nível de conectividade, é então necessário um conjunto de procedimentos de controlo de gestão de feixe, assegurando um estabelecimento eficiente da comunicação e a sua contínua manutenção entre um dispositivo e a rede. Esta dissertação descreve o procedimento de gestão de feixe conhecido como estabelecimento inicial de feixe, focando o processo de seleção do melhor par de feixe de transmissão-receção disponível após o uso de técnicas de varrimento de feixe por fim a efetuar medições dos diferentes níveis de potência do sinal recebido. O principal objetivo passa pela conceção de um novo algoritmo de estabelecimento de par de feixes baseado em estimações de ângulo (BSAE), que explora o uso de múltiplos SSBs definidos pelo 3GPP, por forma a maximizar o RSRP no recetor, através do feixe selecionado. Esta otimização é feita usando os sinais de sincronização secundários (SSSs) presentes em cada SSB para efetuar uma estimação de canal no domínio digital (que contém o efeito do processamento analógico). Depois, combinando essas estimações, foi feita uma estimação da matriz do canal de propagação, sem o efeito desse processamento analógico. Finalmente, através da matriz do canal de propagação, foi determinado o ângulo que maximiza o RSRP, e calculado o feixe através do vetor de resposta do agregado. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que o algoritmo proposto atinge melhor desempenho quando comparado com o algoritmo convencional de seleção de par de feixes. Foi feita ainda uma comparação com o caso ótimo, isto é, com o caso em que se conhece completamente o canal e se obtém um ângulo ótimo. Os resultados obtidos pelo algoritmo proposto foram muito próximos do caso ótimo, pelo que é bastante interessante para sistemas práticos 5G mmWave mMIMO, que estejam de acordo com o padrão 3GPP.Mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica e Telecomunicaçõe