Efficient Fast-Convolution-Based Waveform Processing for 5G Physical Layer

This paper investigates the application of fast-convolution (FC) filtering schemes for flexible and effective waveform generation and processing in the fifth generation (5G) systems. FC-based filtering is presented as a generic multimode waveform processing engine while, following the progress of 5G new radio standardization in the Third-Generation Partnership Project, the main focus is on efficient generation and processing of subband-filtered cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) signals. First, a matrix model for analyzing FC filter processing responses is presented and used for designing optimized multiplexing of filtered groups of CP-OFDM physical resource blocks (PRBs) in a spectrally well-localized manner, i.e., with narrow guardbands. Subband filtering is able to suppress interference leakage between adjacent subbands, thus supporting independent waveform parametrization and different numerologies for different groups of PRBs, as well as asynchronous multiuser operation in uplink. These are central ingredients in the 5G waveform developments, particularly at sub-6-GHz bands. The FC filter optimization criterion is passband error vector magnitude minimization subject to a given subband band-limitation constraint. Optimized designs with different guardband widths, PRB group sizes, and essential design parameters are compared in terms of interference levels and implementation complexity. Finally, extensive coded 5G radio link simulation results are presented to compare the proposed approach with other subband-filtered CP-OFDM schemes and time-domain windowing methods, considering cases with different numerologies or asynchronous transmissions in adjacent subbands. Also the feasibility of using independent transmitter and receiver processing for CP-OFDM spectrum control is demonstrated

Pilot based MMSE Channel Estimation for Spatial Modulated OFDM Systems

Due to the multifold growth in demands of multimedia services and mobile data, the request for increased channel capacity in mobile and wireless communication has been quickly increasing. Developing a wireless system with more spectral efficiency under varying channel condition is a key challenge to provide more bit rates with limited spectrum. Multiple Input Multiple Output(MIMO) system with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) gives higher gain by using the direct and the reflected signals, thus facilitating the transmission at high data rate. An integration of Spatial Modulation (SM) with OFDM (SM OFDM) is a newly evolved transmission technique and has been suggested as a replacement for MIMO -OFDM transmission. In practical scenarios, channel estimation is significant for detecting transmitted data coherently. This paper proposes pilot based, Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) channel estimation for the SM OFDM communication system. We have focused on analyzing Symbol Error Rate (SER) and Mean Square error (MSE) under Rayleigh channel employing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specified Vehicular model of Pilot based MMSE channel estimator using windowed Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and MMSE weighting function. Simulation output shows that proposed estimator’s SER performance lies close to that of  the MMSE optimal estimator in minimizing aliasing error and suppressing channel noise by using frequency domain data windowing and time domain weighting function. Usage of the Hanning window eliminates error floor and has a compact side lobe level compared to Hamming window and Rectangular window. Hanning window has a larger MSE at low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) values and decreases with high SNR values. It is concluded that data windowing technique can minimize the side lobe level and accordingly minimize channel estimation error when interpolation is done. MMSE weighting suppresses channel noise and improves estimation performance. Since Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform(IDFT)/DFT transforms can be implemented with fast algorithms Inverse Fast Fourier Transform( IFFT)/Fast Fourier Transform(FFT) computational complexity can be remarkably reduced

Generalized Fast-Convolution-based Filtered-OFDM: Techniques and Application to 5G New Radio

This paper proposes a generalized model and methods for fast-convolution (FC)-based waveform generation and processing with specific applications to fifth generation new radio (5G-NR). Following the progress of 5G-NR standardization in 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), the main focus is on subband-filtered cyclic prefix (CP) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) processing with specific emphasis on spectrally well localized transmitter processing. Subband filtering is able to suppress the interference leakage between adjacent subbands, thus supporting different numerologies for so-called bandwidth parts as well as asynchronous multiple access. The proposed generalized FC scheme effectively combines overlapped block processing with time- and frequency-domain windowing to provide highly selective subband filtering with very low intrinsic interference level. Jointly optimized multi-window designs with different allocation sizes and design parameters are compared in terms of interference levels and implementation complexity. The proposed methods are shown to clearly outperform the existing state-of-the-art windowing and filtering-based methods.Comment: To appear in IEEE Transactions on Signal Processin

Analysis of Candidate Waveforms for 5G Cellular Systems

Choice of a suitable waveform is a key factor in the design of 5G physical layer. New waveform/s must be capable of supporting a greater density of users, higher data throughput and should provide more efficient utilization of available spectrum to support 5G vision of “everything everywhere and always connected” with “perception of infinite capacity”. Although orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been adopted as the transmission waveform in wired and wireless systems for years, it has several limitations that make it unsuitable for use in future 5G air interface. In this chapter, we investigate and analyse alternative waveforms that are promising candidate solutions to address the challenges of diverse applications and scenarios in 5G

Nopeaan konvolutioon perustuva suodatettu OFDM ja ikkunoitu OFDM aaltomuotojen suorituskykyvertailussa 5G fyysiselle kerrokselle

Nykyisten mobiiliverkkojen vaatimukset kasvavat jatkuvasti, mikä johtuu pitkälti uusien mobiililaitteiden ja -palveluiden suosion kasvusta. Lisäksi matkapuhelinverkkoja on alettu käyttämään pääasiallisena internetyhteytenä, sillä nykyteknologialla on mahdollista saavuttaa kiinteään laajakaistayhteyksiin verrattavia käyttäjäkokemuksia useimmissa sovelluksissa. Nykyiset Long Term Evolution (LTE) ja LTE-Advanced ovat neljännen sukupolven (4G) teknologioita, jotka tarjoavat jo hyvin suuria tiedonsiirtonopeuksia. Tulevaisuuden palvelut vaativat kuitenkin uusia ominaisuuksia verkolta ja tämän takia uusia teknlogioita tutkitaan jatkuvasti lisää. Viidennen sukupolven (5G) teknologia pyrkii kasvattamaan tiedonsiirtonopeuksia entisestään. Lisäksi on ennustettu, että tulevaisuuden teknologiat vaativat tukea myös pienille ja viivekriittisille lähetyksille, kuten Internet of Things (IoT) ja Machineto-Machine (M2M) -tyyppisille palveluille. Tämä tarkoittaa, että verkkoon yhdistettyjen laitteiden määrä tulee kasvamaan räjähdysmäisesti. Verkossa ovat jatkossa esimerkiksi älykkäät autot, kodinkoneet, sensorit ja monet muut älykkäät laitteet, mikä vaatii mobiiliverkoilta merkittävästi suurta kapasiteettia ja joustavuutta. Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan kahden uuden aaltomuodon soveltuvuutta 5G aaltomuodoksi: ikkunoitu CP-OFDM ja nopeaan konvoluutioon perustuva suodatettu CP-OFDM. Referenssinä on käytetty LTE-tyylistä kanavasuodatettua CP-OFDM aaltomuotoa vertaillen alltomuotojen spektraalista tehokkuutta ja vuototehoa. Aaltomuotojen suorituskykyä vertaillaan lopuksi kokonaisen tietoliikennelinkin yli. Tulosten perusteella kanavan käyttötehokkuus kasvaa uusilla aaltomuodoilla niin laaja- kuin kapeakaistalähetyksissä, mahdollistaen suurempia tiedonsiirtonopeuksia samassa kanavassa. Parannusta on havaittavissa erityisesti kapeakaistaisten lähetysten vuototehossa. Tämä sallii taajudessa lähekkäin olevien eri alikantoaaltoväliä, eri mittaisia syklisiä etuliitteitä tai eri aikasynkronisuusvaatimuksia käyytävien signaalien lähettämisen samanaikaisesti, häiritsemättä merkittävästi muita lähetyksiä.The demands for modern wireless cellular networks are increasing constantly due to the introduction of new mobile devices and services. Additionally, mobile networks are being used as a primary Internet connection as the current wireless networks are able to achieve similar user experiences than with wired connections in most applications. Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced are current 4G technologies already allowing very high peak data rates. However, additional features are needed from network to satisfy traffic demands of the future and suitable technologies are in high interest in nowadays research. The fifth generation (5G) wireless system targets to increase data transmission rates further. In addition, it has been forecast that the traffic trends of the future becomes more delay-critical and small bursts communication has a bigger role. These type of services are e.g. Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. These increases dramatically the number of devices connected to Internet, for example smart cars, domestic appliances, sensors and other smart devices, which will require significantly improved capacity and flexibility from the forthcoming mobile communication networks. In this thesis, two waveform candidates for 5G are evaluated and compared: Windowed CP-OFDM and Fast Convolution based Filtered CP-OFDM. LTE-like channel filtered CP-OFDM is used as a reference in spectral efficiency, power leakage and overall link performance comparisons of the waveforms. It will be shown that the spectral utilization is improved with proposed waveforms in broadband and narrowband transmissions, which allows higher data rates inside the same bandwidth. The most significant improvement is observed in narrowband power leakage evaluations. Reduced power leakage allows to transmit several narrowband signals with different subcarrier spacings, cyclic prefix lengths, or different timing accuracy with tight frequency spacing without significant interference levels

Waveform Advancements and Synchronization Techniques for Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing

To enable a new level of connectivity among machines as well as between people and machines, future wireless applications will demand higher requirements on data rates, response time, and reliability from the communication system. This will lead to a different system design, comprising a wide range of deployment scenarios. One important aspect is the evolution of physical layer (PHY), specifically the waveform modulation. The novel generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) technique is a prominent proposal for a flexible block filtered multicarrier modulation. This thesis introduces an advanced GFDM concept that enables the emulation of other prominent waveform candidates in scenarios where they perform best. Hence, a unique modulation framework is presented that is capable of addressing a wide range of scenarios and to upgrade the PHY for 5G networks. In particular, for a subset of system parameters of the modulation framework, the problem of symbol time offset (STO) and carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation is investigated and synchronization approaches, which can operate in burst and continuous transmissions, are designed. The first part of this work presents the modulation principles of prominent 5G candidate waveforms and then focuses on the GFDM basic and advanced attributes. The GFDM concept is extended towards the use of OQAM, introducing the novel frequency-shift OQAM-GFDM, and a new low complexity model based on signal processing carried out in the time domain. A new prototype filter proposal highlights the benefits obtained in terms of a reduced out-of-band (OOB) radiation and more attractive hardware implementation cost. With proper parameterization of the advanced GFDM, the achieved gains are applicable to other filtered OFDM waveforms. In the second part, a search approach for estimating STO and CFO in GFDM is evaluated. A self-interference metric is proposed to quantify the effective SNR penalty caused by the residual time and frequency misalignment or intrinsic inter-symbol interference (ISI) and inter-carrier interference (ICI) for arbitrary pulse shape design in GFDM. In particular, the ICI can be used as a non-data aided approach for frequency estimation. Then, GFDM training sequences, defined either as an isolated preamble or embedded as a midamble or pseudo-circular pre/post-amble, are designed. Simulations show better OOB emission and good estimation results, either comparable or superior, to state-of-the-art OFDM system in wireless channels