Low Complexity Time Synchronization Algorithm for OFDM Systems with Repetitive Preambles

In this paper, a new time synchronization algorithm for OFDM systems with repetitive preamble is proposed. This algorithm makes use of coarse and fine time estimation; the fine time estimation is performed using a cross-correlation similar to previous proposals in the literature, whereas the coarse time estimation is made using a new metric and an iterative search of the last sample of the repetitive preamble. A complete analysis of the new metric is included, as well as a wide performance comparison, for multipath channel and carrier frequency offset, with the main time synchronization algorithms found in the literature. Finally, the complexity of the VLSI implementation of this proposal is discussed. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia under grants TEC2006-14204-C02-01 and TEC2008-06787.Canet Subiela, MJ.; Almenar Terre, V.; Flores Asenjo, SJ.; Valls Coquillat, J. (2012). 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ML symbol synchronization for OFDM-based WLANs in unknown frequency-selective fading channels

Based on the maximum-likelihood principle and the preamble structure of IEEE 802.11a WLAN standard, this paper proposes a new symbol synchronization algorithm for IEEE 802.11a WLANs over frequency-selective fading channels. In addition to the physical channel, the effects of filtering and unknown sampling phase offset are also considered. Loss in system performance due to synchronization error is used as a performance criterion. Computer simulations show that the proposed algorithm has comparable performances to the algorithm based on the generalized Akaike information criterion (GAIC), but the proposed algorithm exhibits reduced complexity. © 2004 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

60 GHz MAC Standardization: Progress and Way Forward

Communication at mmWave frequencies has been the focus in the recent years. In this paper, we discuss standardization efforts in 60 GHz short range communication and the progress therein. We compare the available standards in terms of network architecture, medium access control mechanisms, physical layer techniques and several other features. Comparative analysis indicates that IEEE 802.11ad is likely to lead the short-range indoor communication at 60 GHz. We bring to the fore resolved and unresolved issues pertaining to robust WLAN connectivity at 60 GHz. Further, we discuss the role of mmWave bands in 5G communication scenarios and highlight the further efforts required in terms of research and standardization

Near-Instantaneously Adaptive HSDPA-Style OFDM Versus MC-CDMA Transceivers for WIFI, WIMAX, and Next-Generation Cellular Systems

Burts-by-burst (BbB) adaptive high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) style multicarrier systems are reviewed, identifying their most critical design aspects. These systems exhibit numerous attractive features, rendering them eminently eligible for employment in next-generation wireless systems. It is argued that BbB-adaptive or symbol-by-symbol adaptive orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) modems counteract the near instantaneous channel quality variations and hence attain an increased throughput or robustness in comparison to their fixed-mode counterparts. Although they act quite differently, various diversity techniques, such as Rake receivers and space-time block coding (STBC) are also capable of mitigating the channel quality variations in their effort to reduce the bit error ratio (BER), provided that the individual antenna elements experience independent fading. By contrast, in the presence of correlated fading imposed by shadowing or time-variant multiuser interference, the benefits of space-time coding erode and it is unrealistic to expect that a fixed-mode space-time coded system remains capable of maintaining a near-constant BER

Design of multiplierless correlators for timing synchronization in IEEE 802.11a wireless LANs

Timing synchronization for IEEE 802.11a WLANs requires using a correlator to correlate the received signal with a known waveform. Straightforward implementation of this correlator results in the need to perform 320 million complex multiplications per second. This significant requirement can be eliminated by using multiplierless correlators. In this paper, multiplierless correlators are designed based on constraining the real and imaginary parts of correlator coefficients to be sums of powers of two. Sets of coefficients that yield good synchronization performance for simple A WGN channels are first identified; then their goodness for indoor communication environments is verified by simulation for multipath fading channels. Several multiplierless correlators are found. Comparison among these correlators identifies a good one that requires to perform only 26 addition/subtraction operations per correlator output while a similar synchronization performance can be maintained.published_or_final_versio

Loss Diagnosis and Indoor Position Location System based on IEEE 802.11 WLANs

Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have been widely deployed to provide short range broadband communications. Due to the fast evolvement of IEEE 802.11 based WLAN standards and various relevant applications, many research efforts have been focused on the optimization of WLAN data rate, power and channel utilization efficiency. On the other hand, many emerging applications based on WLANs have been introduced. Indoor position location (IPL) system is one of such applications which turns IEEE 802.11 from a wireless communications infrastructure into a position location network. This thesis mainly focuses on data transmission rate enhancement techniques and the development of IEEE 802.11 WLAN based IPL system with improved locationing accuracy. In IEEE 802.11 systems, rate adaptation algorithms (RAAs) are employed to improve transmission efficiency by choosing an appropriate modulation and coding scheme accord­ ing to point-to-point channel conditions. However, due to the resource-sharing nature of WLANs, co-channel interferences and frame collisions cannot be avoided, which further complicates the wireless environment and makes the RAA design a more challenging task. As WLAN performance depends on many dynamic factors such as multipath fading and co-channel interferences, differentiating the cause of performance degradation such as frame losses, which is known as loss diagnosis techniques, is essential for performance enhance­ ments of existing rate adaptation schemes. In this thesis, we propose a fast and reliable collision detection scheme for frame loss diagnosis in IEEE 802.11 WLANs. Collisions are detected by tracking changes of the signal-to-interference-and-noise-ratio (SINR) in IEEE 802.11 WLANs with a nonparametric order-based cumulative sum (CUSUM) algorithm for rapid loss diagnosis. Numerical simulations are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed collision detection scheme. The other aspect of this thesis is the investigation of an IEEE 802.11 WLAN based IPL system. WLAN based IPL systems have received increasing attentions due to their variety of potential applications. Instead of relying on dedicated locationing networks and devices, IEEE 802.11 WLAN based IPL systems utilize widely deployed IEEE 802.11 WLAN infrastructures and standardized wireless stations to determine the position of a target station in indoor environments. iii Abstract In this thesis, a WLAN protocol-based distance measurement technique is investigated, which takes advantages of existing IEEE 802.11 data/ACK frame exchange sequences. In the proposed distance measurement technique, neither dedicated hardware nor hardware modifications is required. Thus it can be easily integrated into off-the-shelf commercial, inexpensive WLAN stations for IPL system implementation. Field test results confirm the efficacy of the proposed protocol-based distance measurement technique. Furthermore, a preliminary IPL system based on the proposed method is also developed to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed technique in realistic indoor wireless environments

Design and implementation in USRP of a preamble-based synchronizer for OFDM systems

The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is one of the most widely adopted schemes in wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and LTE due to its high transmission rates, and the robustness against Intersymbol Interference (ISI). However, OFDM is highly sensitive to synchronism errors, which affects the orthogonality of the carriers. We analyzed several synchronization algorithms based on the correlation of the preamble symbols through the implementation in Software-Defined Radio (SDR) using the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP). Such an implementation was performed in three stages: frame detection, comparing the autocorrelation output and the average power of the received signal; time synchronism, where the cross-correlation based on the short and long preamble symbols was implemented; and the frequency synchronism, where the Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) added by the channel was detected and corrected. The synchronizer performance was verified through the USRP implementation. The results serve as a practical guide to selecting the optimal synchronism scheme and show the versatility of the USRP to implement digital communication systems efficiently.Comment: 6 pages, to be presented at the ANDESCON - Biannual Technical and Scientific Conference of the Andean Council of the IEEE 202