Advanced Techniques for High-Throughput Cellular Communications

The next generation wireless communication systems require ubiquitous high-throughput mobile connectivity under a range of challenging network settings (urban versus rural, high device density, mobility, etc). To improve the performance of the system, the physical layer design is of great importance. The previous research on improving the physical layer properties includes: a) highly directional transmissions that can enhance the throughput and spatial reuse; b) enhanced MIMO that can eliminate contention, enabling linear increase of capacity with number of antennas; c) mmWave technologies which operate on GHz bandwidth to over substantially higher throughput; d) better cooperative spectrum sharing with cognitive radios; e) better multiple access method which can mitigate multiuser interference and allow more multi-users. This dissertation addresses several techniques in the physical layer design of the next generation wireless communication systems. In chapter two, an orthogonal frequency division with code division multiple access (OFDM-CDMA) systems is proposed and a polyphase code is used to improve multiple access performance and make the OFDM signal satisfy the peak to average ratio (PAPR) constraint. Chapter three studies the I/Q imbalance for direct down converter. For wideband transmitter and receiver that use direct conversion for I/Q sampling, the I/Q imbalance becomes a critical issue. With higher I/Q imbalance, there will be higher degradation in quadrature amplitude modulation, which degrades the throughput tremendously. Chapter four investigate a problem of spectrum sharing for cognitive wideband communication. An energy-efficient sub-Nyquist sampling algorithm is developed for optimal sampling and spectrum sensing. In chapter ve, we study the channel estimation of millimeter wave full-dimensional MIMO communication. The problem is formulated as an atomic-norm minimization problem and algorithms are derived for the channel estimation in different situations. In this thesis, mathematical optimization is applied as the main approach to analyze and solve the problems in the physical layer of wireless communication so that the high-throughput is achieved. The algorithms are derived along with the theoretical analysis, which are validated with numerical results

Generalized discrete Fourier transform with non-linear phase : theory and design

Constant modulus transforms like discrete Fourier transform (DFT), Walsh transform, and Gold codes have been successfully used over several decades in various engineering applications, including discrete multi-tone (DMT), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and code division multiple access (CDMA) communications systems. Among these popular transforms, DFT is a linear phase transform and widely used in multicarrier communications due to its performance and fast algorithms. In this thesis, a theoretical framework for Generalized DFT (GDFT) with nonlinear phase exploiting the phase space is developed. It is shown that GDFT offers sizable correlation improvements over DFT, Walsh, and Gold codes. Brute force search algorithm is employed to obtain orthogonal GDFT code sets with improved correlations. Design examples and simulation results on several channel types presented in the thesis show that the proposed GDFT codes, with better auto and cross-correlation properties than DFT, lead to better bit-error-rate performance in all multi-carrier and multi-user communications scenarios investigated. It is also highlighted how known constant modulus code families such as Walsh, Walsh-like and other codes are special solutions of the GDFT framework. In addition to theoretical framework, practical design methods with computationally efficient implementations of GDFT as enhancements to DFT are presented in the thesis. The main advantage of the proposed method is its ability to design a wide selection of constant modulus orthogonal code sets based on the desired performance metrics mimicking the engineering .specs of interest. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a leading candidate to be adopted for high speed 4G wireless communications standards due to its high spectral efficiency, strong resistance to multipath fading and ease of implementation with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithms. However, the main disadvantage of an OFDM based communications technique is of its high PAPR at the RF stage of a transmitter. PAPR dominates the power (battery) efficiency of the radio transceiver. Among the PAPR reduction methods proposed in the literature, Selected Mapping (SLM) method has been successfully used in OFDM communications. In this thesis, an SLM method employing GDFT with closed form phase functions rather than fixed DFT for PAPR reduction is introduced. The performance improvements of GDFT based SLM PAPR reduction for various OFDM communications scenarios including the WiMAX standard based system are evaluated by simulations. Moreover, an efficient implementation of GDFT based SLM method reducing computational cost of multiple transform operations is forwarded. Performance simulation results show that power efficiency of non-linear RF amplifier in an OFDM system employing proposed method significantly improved

Multicodes for improved range resolution in radar

Third generation (3G) wireless systems are required to support a variety of communication services like voice, image, motion picture transmission, etc, each of which requires different transmission rates. Multi-code modulation has been introduced therefore as a means of supporting multi-rate services and operating in multi-cell environments [8, 9, 10]. This multi-rate multi-function capability may be used in Radar related applications, too. For example, a single transmitted waveform consisting of two orthogonal codes can be used to simultaneously track a target and obtain high range resolution. Tracking requires low bandwidth and high resolution needs a high bandwidth signal. Orthogonal codes like Walsh codes can be used to provide multiple rates if the codes are chosen from the same matrix, because certain Walsh codes of the same length have very different bandwidths. Therefore, as an extension to its use in communication, multi-codes can be used to enable multi-function operations in a Radar system. The first criterion for choosing a Radar waveform, whether single or multi-code, is its resolving capability in range and Doppler. A measure of range resolution or sensitivity to delay commonly used in Radar literature is the Peak to Sidelobe Level Ratio (PSLR) of the code\u27s autocorrelation function. The multi-codes proposed in this work are found to have better (lower) PSLRs than existing radar codes when the number of simultaneously transmitted codes is large. In the special case of using an entire set of orthogonal codes of any length, the resulting multi-code consists of just a single pulse of thickness equal to the chip width of the code used. This pulse will have a \u27perfect\u27 autocorrelation function with only a single peak at the main lobe and zero sidelobes. This gives the ideal PSLR for radar purposes. An important aspect of using multi-codes in Radar is the need for multiple transmitters to avoid the high peak factor that would result if only a single antenna 15 used. This requires the Radar system to have multiple transmitters as in phased array radar. The best example is a multi-function digital array radar that transmits a unique orthogonal code from each of its antenna elements as described by Rabideau and Parker in [13]. The system described in this publication makes use of the array mode of operation of the Radar to transmit orthogonal codes from each antenna element which are then phased and combined at the receiver. The phase (or angle) of the signal at each receive antenna element can be used to better resolve targets that are spatially separated. This thesis introduces the concept of multicodes in Radar. Further, the advantages of using multiple coded waveforms over the known Radar polyphase codes are demonstrated by simulations

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationWireless communications pervade all avenues of modern life. The rapid expansion of wireless services has increased the need for transmission schemes that are more spectrally efficient. Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) systems attempt to address this need by building a network where the spectrum is used opportunistically by all users based on local and regional measurements of its availability. One of the principal requirements in DSA systems is to initialize and maintain a control channel to link the nodes together. This should be done even before a complete spectral usage map is available. Additionally, with more users accessing the spectrum, it is important to maintain a stable link in the presence of significant interference in emergency first-responders, rescue, and defense applications. In this thesis, a new multicarrier spread spectrum (MC-SS) technique based on filter banks is presented. The new technique is called filter bank multicarrier spread spectrum (FB-MC-SS). A detailed theory of the underlying properties of this signal are given, with emphasis on the properties that lend themselves to synchronization at the receiver. Proposed algorithms for synchronization, channel estimation, and detection are implemented on a software-defined radio platform to complete an FB-MC-SS transceiver and to prove the practicality of the technique. FB-MC-SS is shown through physical experimentation to be significantly more robust to partial band interference compared to direct sequence spread spectrum. With a higher power interfering signal occupying 90% of its band, FB-MC-SS maintains a low bit error rate. Under the same interference conditions, DS-SS fails completely. This experimentation leads to a theoretical analysis that shows in a frequency selective channel with additive white noise, the FB-MC-SS system has performance that equals that obtained by a DS-SS system employing an optimal rake receiver. This thesis contains a detailed chapter on implementation and design, including lessons learned while prototyping the system. This is to assist future system designers to quickly gain proficiency in further development of this technology

Spectral efficiency improvement of low peak-to-average power ratio complete complementary code division multiple access systems

An investigation into the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) performance of cyclic rotation complete complementary code division multiple access (CR-CC-CDMA) has been conducted. Additionally, a novel orthogonal signalling technique, referred to as complementary rotation keying (CRK), has been developed for improving the spectral efficiency (SE) of CC-CDMA whilst maintaining a low PAPR. The CRK system is based on the concept of CR of CC codes in order to allow interoperability with CR-CC-CDMA systems. To this end, both systems employ a similar transmitter and receiver structure. The CR-CC-CDMA technique suffers from increased PAPR as SE per user is increased. The CRK system offers an improvement in SE, while maintaining the PAPR of a CC-CDMA system. The bit error rates of both systems were unaffected in a joint system, indicating complete interoperability. This allows dynamic adjustment of the PAPR and SE of any user in the system, with users being able to switch between both systems without causing multi user interference.Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Electrical, Electronic and Computer EngineeringMEn

Chip and Signature Interleaving in DS CDMA Systems

Siirretty Doriast

Design and performance of CDMA codes for multiuser communications

Walsh and Gold sequences are fixed power codes and are widely used in multiuser CDMA communications. Their popularity is due to the ease of implementation. Availability of these code sets is limited because of their generating kernels. Emerging radio applications like sensor networks or multiple service types in mobile and peer-to-peer communications networks might benefit from flexibilities in code lengths and possible allocation methodologies provided by large set of code libraries. Walsh codes are linear phase and zero mean with unique number of zero crossings for each sequence within the set. DC sequence is part of the Walsh code set. Although these features are quite beneficial for source coding applications, they are not essential for spread spectrum communications. By relaxing these unnecessary constraints, new sets of orthogonal binary user codes (Walsh-like) for different lengths are obtained with comparable BER performance to standard code sets in all channel conditions. Although fixed power codes are easier to implement, mathematically speaking, varying power codes offer lower inter- and intra-code correlations. With recent advances in RF power amplifier design, it might be possible to implement multiple level orthogonal spread spectrum codes for an efficient direct sequence CDMA system. A number of multiple level integer codes have been generated by brute force search method for different lengths to highlight possible BER performance improvement over binary codes. An analytical design method has been developed for multiple level (variable power) spread spectrum codes using Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT) technique. Eigen decomposition technique is used to generate spread spectrum basis functions that are jointly spread in time and frequency domains for a given covariance matrix or power spectral density function. Since this is a closed form solution for orthogonal code set design, many options are possible for different code lengths. Design examples and performance simulations showed that spread spectrum KLT codes outperform or closely match with the standard codes employed in present CDMA systems. Hybrid (Kronecker) codes are generated by taking Kronecker product of two spreading code families in a two-stage orthogonal transmultiplexer structure and are judiciously allocated to users such that their inter-code correlations are minimized. It is shown that, BER performance of hybrid codes with a code selection and allocation algorithm is better than the performance of standard Walsh or Gold code sets for asynchronous CDMA communications. A redundant spreading code technique is proposed utilizing multiple stage orthogonal transmultiplexer structure where each user has its own pre-multiplexer. Each data bit is redundantly spread in the pre-multiplexer stage of a user with odd number of redundancy, and at the receiver, majority logic decision is employed on the detected redundant bits to obtain overall performance improvement. Simulation results showed that redundant spreading method improves BER performance significantly at low SNR channel conditions

Adaptive Communications for Next Generation Broadband Wireless Access Systems

Un dels aspectes claus en el disseny i gestió de les xarxes sense fils d'accés de banda ampla és l'ús eficient dels recursos radio. Des del punt de vista de l'operador, l'ample de banda és un bé escàs i preuat que s´ha d'explotar i gestionar de la forma més eficient possible tot garantint la qualitat del servei que es vol proporcionar. Per altra banda, des del punt de vista del usuari, la qualitat del servei ofert ha de ser comparable al de les xarxes fixes, requerint així un baix retard i una baixa pèrdua de paquets per cadascun dels fluxos de dades entre la xarxa i l'usuari. Durant els darrers anys s´han desenvolupat nombroses tècniques i algoritmes amb l'objectiu d'incrementar l'eficiència espectral. Entre aquestes tècniques destaca l'ús de múltiples antenes al transmissor i al receptor amb l'objectiu de transmetre diferents fluxos de dades simultaneament sense necessitat d'augmentar l'ample de banda. Per altra banda, la optimizació conjunta de la capa d'accés al medi i la capa física (fent ús de l'estat del canal per tal de gestionar de manera optima els recursos) també permet incrementar sensiblement l'eficiència espectral del sistema.L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és l'estudi i desenvolupament de noves tècniques d'adaptació de l'enllaç i gestió dels recursos ràdio aplicades sobre sistemes d'accés ràdio de propera generació (Beyond 3G). Els estudis realitzats parteixen de la premissa que el transmisor coneix (parcialment) l'estat del canal i que la transmissió es realitza fent servir un esquema multiportadora amb múltiples antenes al transmisor i al receptor. En aquesta tesi es presenten dues línies d'investigació, la primera per casos d'una sola antenna a cada banda de l'enllaç, i la segona en cas de múltiples antenes. En el cas d'una sola antena al transmissor i al receptor, un nou esquema d'assignació de recursos ràdio i priorització dels paquets (scheduling) és proposat i analitzat integrant totes dues funcions sobre una mateixa entitat (cross-layer). L'esquema proposat té com a principal característica la seva baixa complexitat i que permet operar amb transmissions multimedia. Alhora, posteriors millores realitzades per l'autor sobre l'esquema proposat han permès també reduir els requeriments de senyalització i combinar de forma óptima usuaris d'alta i baixa mobilitat sobre el mateix accés ràdio, millorant encara més l'eficiència espectral del sistema. En cas d'enllaços amb múltiples antenes es proposa un nou esquema que combina la selecció del conjunt optim d'antenes transmissores amb la selecció de la codificació espai- (frequència-) temps. Finalment es donen una sèrie de recomanacions per tal de combinar totes dues línies d'investigació, així con un estat de l'art de les tècniques proposades per altres autors que combinen en part la gestió dels recursos ràdio i els esquemes de transmissió amb múltiples antenes.Uno de los aspectos claves en el diseño y gestión de las redes inalámbricas de banda ancha es el uso eficiente de los recursos radio. Desde el punto de vista del operador, el ancho de banda es un bien escaso y valioso que se debe explotar y gestionar de la forma más eficiente posible sin afectar a la calidad del servicio ofrecido. Por otro lado, desde el punto de vista del usuario, la calidad del servicio ha de ser comparable al ofrecido por las redes fijas, requiriendo así un bajo retardo y una baja tasa de perdida de paquetes para cada uno de los flujos de datos entre la red y el usuario. Durante los últimos años el número de técnicas y algoritmos que tratan de incrementar la eficiencia espectral en dichas redes es bastante amplio. Entre estas técnicas destaca el uso de múltiples antenas en el transmisor y en el receptor con el objetivo de poder transmitir simultáneamente diferentes flujos de datos sin necesidad de incrementar el ancho de banda. Por otro lado, la optimización conjunta de la capa de acceso al medio y la capa física (utilizando información de estado del canal para gestionar de manera óptima los recursos) también permite incrementar sensiblemente la eficiencia espectral del sistema.El objetivo de esta tesis es el estudio y desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de adaptación del enlace y la gestión de los recursos radio, y su posterior aplicación sobre los sistemas de acceso radio de próxima generación (Beyond 3G). Los estudios realizados parten de la premisa de que el transmisor conoce (parcialmente) el estado del canal a la vez que se considera que la transmisión se realiza sobre un sistema de transmisión multiportadora con múltiple antenas en el transmisor y el receptor. La tesis se centra sobre dos líneas de investigación, la primera para casos de una única antena en cada lado del enlace, y la segunda en caso de múltiples antenas en cada lado. Para el caso de una única antena en el transmisor y en el receptor, se ha desarrollado un nuevo esquema de asignación de los recursos radio así como de priorización de los paquetes de datos (scheduling) integrando ambas funciones sobre una misma entidad (cross-layer). El esquema propuesto tiene como principal característica su bajo coste computacional a la vez que se puede aplicar en caso de transmisiones multimedia. Posteriores mejoras realizadas por el autor sobre el esquema propuesto han permitido también reducir los requisitos de señalización así como combinar de forma óptima usuarios de alta y baja movilidad. Por otro lado, en caso de enlaces con múltiples antenas en transmisión y recepción, se presenta un nuevo esquema de adaptación en el cual se combina la selección de la(s) antena(s) transmisora(s) con la selección del esquema de codificación espacio-(frecuencia-) tiempo. Para finalizar, se dan una serie de recomendaciones con el objetivo de combinar ambas líneas de investigación, así como un estado del arte de las técnicas propuestas por otros autores que combinan en parte la gestión de los recursos radio y los esquemas de transmisión con múltiples antenas.In Broadband Wireless Access systems the efficient use of the resources is crucial from many points of views. From the operator point of view, the bandwidth is a scarce, valuable, and expensive resource which must be exploited in an efficient manner while the Quality of Service (QoS) provided to the users is guaranteed. On the other hand, a tight delay and link quality constraints are imposed on each data flow hence the user experiences the same quality as in fixed networks. During the last few years many techniques have been developed in order to increase the spectral efficiency and the throughput. Among them, the use of multiple antennas at the transmitter and the receiver (exploiting spatial multiplexing) with the joint optimization of the medium access control layer and the physical layer parameters.In this Ph.D. thesis, different adaptive techniques for B3G multicarrier wireless systems are developed and proposed focusing on the SS-MC-MA and the OFDM(A) (IEEE 802.16a/e/m standards) communication schemes. The research lines emphasize into the adaptation of the transmission having (Partial) knowledge of the Channel State Information for both; single antenna and multiple antenna links. For single antenna links, the implementation of a joint resource allocation and scheduling strategy by including adaptive modulation and coding is investigated. A low complexity resource allocation and scheduling algorithm is proposed with the objective to cope with real- and/or non-real- time requirements and constraints. A special attention is also devoted in reducing the required signalling. However, for multiple antenna links, the performance of a proposed adaptive transmit antenna selection scheme jointly with space-time block coding selection is investigated and compared with conventional structures. In this research line, mainly two optimizations criteria are proposed for spatial link adaptation, one based on the minimum error rate for fixed throughput, and the second focused on the maximisation of the rate for fixed error rate. Finally, some indications are given on how to include the spatial adaptation into the investigated and proposed resource allocation and scheduling process developed for single antenna transmission

Digital modulators with crest factor reduction techniques

Many of the modulation methods currently in use suffer from a high Peak-to-Average power Ratio (PAR), also known as the Crest Factor (CF). The Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) is a widespread second-generation (2G) system that uses constant envelope Gaussian minimum shift keying modulation. The advantage achieved by constant envelope modulation is the possibility of using power-efficient power amplifiers (PAs). However, it might be beneficial to combine the carriers in a digital intermediate frequency in order to reduce the number of analogue components. The drawback with this is that the signal is no more a constant envelope signal, but it has a strongly fluctuating envelope with a high CF. Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) is an enhancement to the GSM system with the primary objective of tripling the on-air data rate while meeting essentially the same bandwidth occupancy of the original GSM signal. Also in the case of EDGE, if the carriers are combined prior to amplification we would end up with the same high CF problem. Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) has been selected by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute for wideband wireless access to support third-generation (3G) services. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is commonly considered to be a technical solution for fourth-generation (4G) services. In both cases, the transmitted signal is generated by adding together a large number of statistically independent signals, which leads to a signal with a high CF. The high CF sets strict requirements for the linearity of the PA. In order to limit the adjacent channel leakage, it is desirable for the PA to operate in its linear region. High linearity requirements for the PA leads to low power efficiency and therefore to high power consumption. An alternative to the expense of a wide-dynamic-range PA is the use of deliberate clipping to digitally distort the signal so that the signal quality is still maintained at a sufficient level. As an extra advantage, the decreased CF gives rise to the possibility of utilizing the dynamic range of the digital circuitry and digital-to-analog converter efficiently. This thesis discusses digital modulator design, concentrating on CF reduction algorithms. Two modulators, one capable of generating GSM, EDGE and WCDMA signals and one a very wideband OFDM modulator for 4G, are implemented. Several CF reduction algorithms are presented in the literature. Those most essential to this thesis are studied, and their applicability for the above mentioned transmission schemes is tested. The windowing method is developed further, concentrating on the implementational issues. Also, a new method for CDMA-based systems is presented and analysed. The method presented exploits the properties of the CDMA modulation in a way that, despite the high error measured by using error vector magnitude and peak code domain error, the receiving user does not experience any error. A specialised method to compensate the sinc distortion in the OFDM system is also presented.reviewe