Base Vectors Linear Combination Modulation Approach for Hexagonal Signal Constellation

Abstract

A unified mathematical formula is derived for Hexagonal Signal Constellation (HSC) of arbitrary rank, which leads to several interesting theoretical and practical implications. First, we prove that given a certain normalized peak amplitude AK, the amount of available constellation points BK is previously underestimated. Second, we re-evaluate the uncoded Symbol Error Rate (SER) of HSC of arbitrary rank. Contrary to conventional beliefs, it is shown the gap in power efficiency between HSC and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is narrowed as the modulation rank increases. Third, by using the proposed formula, we have also conceived a novel modulation & demodulation approach for HSC, named Base Vectors Combination (BVC) & Base Vectors Projection (BVP), which compares favorably against traditional Quadrature (I/Q) mod & demodulators in terms of computational complexity. Simulation results are provided to validate our findings.