An Efficient Channel Estimator for Frequency Hopping System via Propagator Method

Abstract

In this paper, the multi-path time delay estimation problem for a Slow Frequency Hopping (SFH) system using the Propagator Method (PM) is considered. Two novel techniques are proposed. The first technique is developed by applying the Propagator Method (PM) in association with the well-known MUSIC algorithm. Based on the proposed technique a highly efficient estimator has been achieved. The second technique is a simple closed-form expression which is obtained by applying PM and Eigen Value Decomposition (EVD) of the projection matrix. The proposed techniques generate estimates of the unknown parameters. Such estimates are based on the observation and/or covariance matrices. Moreover, the PM itself does not require the EVD or Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the Cross-Spectral Matrix (CSM) of received signals. As a result, a significant improvement in computational load is achieved. Computer simulations are also included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.