M-ary Chirp Modulation for Data Transmission

M-ary chirp modulations, both discontinuous- and continuous-phase, for M-ary data transmission are proposed and examined for their error rate performances in additive, white, Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. These chirp modulated signals are described and illustrated as a function of time and modulation parameters. M-ary chirp modula­ tion with discontinuous phase is first proposed and then the M-ary Continuous Phase Chirp Modulation (MCPCM) is considered. General descriptions of these modula­ tion systems are given and properties of signals representing these modulations are given and illustrated. Optimum algorithms for detection of these signals in AWGN are derived and structures of optimum receivers are identified. Using the minimum Euclidean distance criterion in signal-space; upper bounds on Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) gain relative to Multiple Phase Shift Keying (MPSK) are established for 2-. *4-, and 8-ary MCPCM systems. It is observed that the maximum likelihood coherent and non-coherent receivers for MCPCM are non-linear and require multiple-symbol observations. Since symbol error probability performance analyses of these receivers are too complex to perform, union upper bounds on their performances are derived and illustrated as a function of SNR, number of observation symbols, and modulation parameters for MCPCM. Optimum 2-, 4-, and 8-ary modulation schemes that mini­ mize union upper bound on symbol error rates have been determined and illustrated. Our results show that 2-, 4-, and 8-ary optimum coherent MCPCM systems, with 5-symbol observation length, offer 1.6 dB, 3.6 dB, and 8 dB improvements relative to 2-ary, 4-ary, and 8-ary PSK systems, respectively. Also, it is shown that opti­ mum 2-ary and 4-ary non-coherent MCPCM systems can outperform 2-ary and 4-ary coherent PSK systems, respectively

Simultaneous excitation systems for ultrasonic indoor positioning

The ultrasonic technology is a tool for indoor positioning systems (IPSs) and has been extensively used in many applications. In ultrasonic IPSs (UIPSs), the use of a chirp signal (in which the frequency varies with time) is widespread due to its capability to obtain high-range resolution through its time-frequency characteristic. It also provides an opportunity to design effective waveform diversity which has always been the key to mitigating multiple-access interference (MAI) in multi-user UIPSs. To explore this, we analyze the chirp signal from the signal design perspective, with the goal of developing a precise and efficient UIPS for multi-user environments. To achieve this, three waveform diversity design schemes are proposed in which all the benefits of the classical chirp, such as high-range resolution, are retained while all the transmitters can transmit chirp signals simultaneously. In each scheme, a linear chirp is divided into two linear sub-chirps with diverse durations and/or bandwidths. This process is optimized by selecting the concatenated sub-chirps that generate a waveform which has a high-range resolution and relatively low interference in the same scheme. Initially, the effectiveness of the proposed schemes is evaluated for five simultaneous excitation signals using several metrics and experimental results are then presented for the ultrasonic indoor positioning

Detection, Receivers, and Performance of CPFSK and CPCK

Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) is a power/bandwidth efficient signaling technique for data transmission. In this thesis, two subclasses of this modulation called Continuous Phase Frequency Shift Keying (CPFSK) and Continuous Phase Chirp Keying (CPCK) are considered and their descriptions and properties are discussed in detail and several illustrations are given. Bayesian Maximum Likelihood Ratio Test (MLRT) is designed for detection of CPFSK and CPCK in AWGN channel. Based on this test, an optimum receiver structure, that minimizes the total probability of error, is obtained. Using high- and low-SNR approximations in the Bayesian test, two receivers, whose performances are analytically easy-to-evaluate relative to the optimum receiver, are identified. Next, a Maximum Likelihood Sequence Detection (MLSD) technique for CPFSK and CPCK is considered and a simplified and easy-to-understand structure of the receiver is presented. Finally, a novel Decision Aided Receiver (DAR) for detection of CPFSK and CPCK is presented and closed-form expressions for its Bits Error Rate (BER) performance are derived. Throughout the thesis, performances of the receivers are presented in terms of probability of error as a function of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), modulation parameters and number of observation intervals of the received waveform. Analytical results wherever possible and, in general, simulation results are presented. An analysis of numerical results is given from the viewpoint of the ability of CPFSK and CPCK to operate over AWGN Channel

Constant-Envelope Multi-Level Chirp Modulation: Properties, Receivers, and Performance

Constant envelope multi-level chirp modulations, with and without memory, are considered for data transmission. Specifically, three sub-classes referred to as symbol-by-symbol multi-level chirp modulation, full-response phase-continuous multi-level chirp modulation and full-response multi-mode phase-continuous multi-level chirp modulation are considered. These modulated signals are described, illustrated, and examined for their properties. The ability of these signals to operate over AWGN is assessed using upper bounds on minimum Euclidean distance as a function of modulation parameters. Coherent and non-coherent detection of multi-level chirp signals in AWGN are considered and optimum and sub-optimum receiver structures are derived. The performance of these receivers have been assessed using upper and lower bounds as a function of SNR, modulation parameters, modulation levels, decision symbol locations, and observation length of receiver. Optimum multi-level chirp modulations have been determined using numerical minimization of symbol error rate. Closed-form expressions are derived for estimating the performance of multi-level chirp signals over several practical fading channels. Finally, spectral characteristics of digital chirp signals are presented and illustrated

Millimetre-wave radar development for high resolution detection

Automotive technology today is focusing on autonomous vehicle development. The sensors for these systems include radars due to their robustness against adverse weather conditions such as rain, fog, ash or snow. In this constant search for advancement, high resolution systems play a central role in target detection and avoidance. In this PhD project, these methods have been researched and engineered to leverage the best radar resolution for collision avoidance systems. The first part of this thesis will focus on the existing systems consisting of the state-of-the-art at the time of writing and explain what makes a high resolution radar and how it can cover the whole field of view. The second part will focus on how a non-uniform sparse radar system was simulated, developed and benchmarked for improved radar performance up to 40% better than conventional designs. The third part will focus on signal processing techniques and how these methods have achieved high resolution and detection: large virtual aperture array using Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems, beampattern multiplication to improve side-lobe levels and compressive sensing. Also, the substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) antennas which have been fabricated provide a bandwidth of 1.5GHz for the transmitter and 2GHz at the receiver. This has resulted in a range resolution of 10 cm. The four part of this thesis presents the measurements which have been carried out at the facilities within Heriot-Watt University and also at Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). The results were better than expected since a two transmitter four receiver system was able to detect targets which have been separated at 2.2◦ in angle in the horizontal plane. Also, compressive sensing was used as a high resolution method for obtaining fine target detection and in combination with the multiplication method showed improved detection performance with a 20 dB side-lobe level suppression. The measurement results from the 6-months placements are presented and compared with the state-of the art, revealing that the developed radar is comparable in performance to high-grade automotive radars developed in the industry