Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Receiver Research Articles

Rapid coherent acquisition for PN sequence using optimum search algorithm

An optimum search algorithm for the coherent acquisition in direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) receivers is proposed and analyzed in this paper. The system consists of two major parts: a phase region estimator and a phase alignment detector. We use an auxiliary sequence to correlate the incoming signal in the phase region estimator. Since the cross-correlation value between the auxiliary sequence and the incoming PN signal has linear magnitude, and can provide the direction for the phase updating, an optimum search algorithm, try and error method, can be adopted to obtain the phase region information of the incoming signal. The mean acquisition time is derived through the signal flow graph theory. The time is compared with that of the conventional serial search scheme, and the results show that the proposed scheme can achieve coarse acquisition significantly faster than the conventional scheme.

DS-CDMA Receiver Based on a Five-Port Technology

High data rates, low-power consumption, and low complexity will be the most important parameters in the design of the next-generation mobile terminals. In this paper we are introducing a new paradigm in the design of direct sequence spread spectrum receiver by combining analog and digital signal processing. The main difference with respect to the conventional all-digital receiver design approach is that the proposed mixed analog/digital processing results in a symbol rate sampling rather than the high-rate subchip sampling. Analog signal despreading is the key part of the proposed receiver solution, which is based on a five-port device, a passive RF square-law-type device. It is used to perform two important tasks at the same time, namely, the direct conversion and analog despreading. To achieve lower complexity, the proposed receiver uses rectangular instead of pulse-matched despreading at the cost of only a small performance degradation. Also, we propose a new noncoherent pseudonoise (PN) code tracking scheme based on error signal generated through the L1 norm. This results in comparable or even better PN code tracking performance than L2 norm circuitry, using less complex hardware. Further, we explore how this technology can be applied in the design of DS-CDMA RAKE receiver for mobile terminals. Depending on how the pilot signal is multiplexed, we propose two types of RAKE receivers. It is shown that under Rayleigh fading channel such receiver structures offer robustness and high performance, while maintaining the low complexity achievable through the five-port device.

Performance analysis of the RAKE receiver in the presence of multipath delay estimation errors and Rician fading channels

We derive here a novel unified framework for computing the average bit-error-ratio (BER) of a direct-sequence spread spectrum receiver using maximum ratio combiner (MRC), in the presence of code synchronization errors and multipath Rayleigh or Rician fading channels. Traditionally, for single-user systems, the signal-to-noise ratio at the output of MRC is modeled as a quadratic form in complex Gaussian variables. We show that this model does not hold when delay errors are present and we propose an improved generic model incorporating the multipath delay estimation errors. We also discuss the case when the RAKE receiver is employed in the presence of multiple users. Based on our theoretical model, BER can be easily derived in a semi-analytical fashion, for any type of pulse shaping and any spacing between multipaths. Very fast results can be obtained for high spreading factors, when inter-chip (ICI) and inter-symbol interference (ISI) may be neglected. These results also give the lower bounds on BER for low spreading factors. Theoretical BER curves with QPSK modulation are validated by link level simulations for different downlink Rayleigh and Rician fading channels. Moreover, we discuss the impact of the delay error distribution on BER and we emphasize some practical applications of our generic technique. Copyright © 2003 AEI.

Differentially coherent PN code acquisition with full-period correlation in chip-synchronous DS/SS receivers

Differentially coherent detection techniques for PN code acquisition in direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS/SS) receivers are designed and analyzed in this letter. The full-period cross correlation (FPC) can be modeled as deterministic for certain types of PN sequences whose autocorrelation functions have ideal shapes the same as those of maximum length shift registration (MLSR) sequences. This model is exploited here to simplify the design and performance evaluation of the proposed detection techniques. Such techniques can be confidently employed as alternatives to noncoherent detectors because of their attractive improvements in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and, thus, are very suitable for commercial code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems, which often operate in severely noisy environments. The results of statistical analyses show that the proposed techniques can provide rapid acquisition and improved performance in SNR.

A programmable pipelined digital differential matched filter for DSSS receiver

A programmable pipelined digital differential matched filter (PDMF) implemented for a direct sequence spread spectrum receiver is proposed in this paper. To reduce the power consumption, the PDMF architecture is based on the synchronization combined PN code phase acquisition algorithm. Compared with the conventional PN code phase acquisition algorithm, the theoretical analysis result indicates that the PDMF acquires both power efficient and preferable detection. Depending on different applications, programmability allows the PDMF to implement 3-tap, 5-tap, or 11-tap Barker codes with the same hardware but different precisions for each tap coefficient. For short tap Baker codes, the architecture could adopt more precision on each tap coefficient to resist the channel noise. Simulation results also show that there are fewer errors of high sample precision with the same tape.

A Novel Four Dimensional CDMA Modem for Wireless Multimedia Communications

A description and analysis of a four dimensional (4D) Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modem architecture, comprising a transmitter and a receiver, are presented. The DSSS modulator employs Complex Spreading Sequences (CSS). Two integrated synchronization loops are incorporated in the DSSS receiver, namely a four dimensional Decicion-Directed Costas Carrier Recovery Loop (DD-CCRL) combined with a 4D Decision-Directed Complex Delay-Locked-Loop (CDLL). These loops are analysed and the system performance in Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) verified by means of computer simulation. It is shown that the new DSSS modulation method does not suffer any losses compared to a conventional BPSK DSSS modem, whereas the multidimensional spreading technique achieves four times the data throughput rate of a BPSK DSSS system and two times the throughput of a QPSK modulation method in the same bandwidth and with identical spreading sequence lengths. The multidimensional spreading technique therefore offers extra flexibility in terms of the choice of data rate and DSSS processing gain achievable for a given DSSS transmission bandwidth without loss of performance compared to BPSK and QPSK in AWGN. Similar results are achieved in fading channels. A prototype of the new multidimensional DSSS modulation method is presently implemented with forefront Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology with a view of realising a multimedia wireless communication system for rural areas.

On the threshold setting principles in code acquisition of DS-SS signals

This paper compares the meaning of different threshold setting principles in the code acquisition process of a direct sequence (DS) spread spectrum (SS) receiver. The consideration is made mainly in one-path additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. A consideration to a fixed multipath channel is given to see its effect on the results. Also, a consideration for a certain type of fading is given in a case where the signal power is assumed to be considerably lower, i.e., faded, part of the time. For the possible performance measures of code acquisition, the main interest is in the mean acquisition time T/sub MA/. The probability of the acquisition in a given observation interval P/sub acq/ is also considered to see if different measures have different demands. A matched filter (MF) acquisition is used with and without a verification mode using an active integration. In the comparisons, fixed thresholds, thresholds based on constant false alarm rate (CFAR) criteria, and optimal thresholds in the sense to give either the minimum T/sub MA/ or the maximum P/sub acq/ are used. The results, which are obtained by using a method of selecting the maximum value at the output of the MF, are compared to the threshold cases. The results can be summarized as follows: when the performance measure is T/sub MA/, the best results are obtained by using CFAR-based threshold comparison. By a proper selection of the probability of a false alarm, the same performance is obtained as by using the optimal thresholds. When the performance measure is P/sub acq/, the maximum-selection method is the best choice.

Interference suppression for DS/CDMA

A direct-sequence spread spectrum (DS/SS) receiver for suppressing multiple-access interference in direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) communication systems is introduced. The proposed receiver does not require knowledge of other users' spreading codes, timing, or phase information. Moreover, the receiver allows the number of taps to be chosen independently of the processing gain and, hence, is easily applicable to CDMA systems employing either a small or a large processing gain. Performance analysis, including average probability of error and signal-to-noise ratio, is provided, and results are presented for systems varying from lightly loaded (for example, eight user/255 chip) to heavily loaded (for example, 50 user/200 chip). Performance results indicate that the proposed receiver outperforms the linear correlation receiver and, in many cases, it does so by a considerable margin.

Performance metrics for windows used in real-time DFT-based multiple-tone frequency excision

The capability of direct-sequence spread-spectrum receivers to reject narrowband interference can be significantly improved by eliminating narrowband energy in the received signal through a real-time discrete Fourier transform (RT-DFT) process. However, the loss in received signal strength due to this frequency excision process can be significant. In this paper, we present a theoretical framework for evaluating the performance of alternative combinations of time weighting functions (windows), fractions of overlap in overlap-and-add architectures, and frequency-domain mapping algorithms. The sensitivity loss due to time weighting is presented for variable overlaps and several different windows. A set of window metrics is defined that provides a means of calculating distortion losses for an arbitrary number of interfering tones with uniformly distributed center frequencies. Theoretical results are confirmed by simulation. These results can be used to compare sensitivities of alternative RT-DFT frequency excision direct-sequence spread-spectrum systems and to calculate the standoff range of a finite number of in-band tone emitters.

An FPGA receiver for CPSK spread spectrum signaling

In this paper, we present the design, implementation and testing of an M-ary direct sequence spread spectrum receiver suitable for wireless home networking applications. The receiver employs a novel code-phase-shift keying (CPSK) signaling scheme, in which each of the M signaling waveforms is derived from a different phase shift of a single pseudonoise code sequence. The receiver consists of an IF demodulator and a CPSK baseband decoder, implemented using discrete components and an FPGA (field programmable gate array) chip, respectively. A modified double-dwell serial search scheme is used for code acquisition and tracking, and the carrier-phase synchronization is solved by a Costas loop in the IF demodulator and a double threshold detection scheme in the CPSK decoder. Measurements of receiver performance are presented and compared with theoretical calculations.

A two-sensor array blind beamformer for direct sequence spread spectrum communications

We present an efficient blind beamformer dedicated to the problem of interference mitigation in direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) communication systems using a two-sensor array. A closed-form solution for the blind identification of the communication channel is derived by exploiting the temporal properties of the desired signal and the interference. The optimal beamformer is derived from the maximization of the signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR) at the output of the receiver in terms of the blindly estimated channel coefficients. Three structures of the DSSS receiver are presented. One structure consists of the blind beamformer followed by the spread spectrum demodulator. The other two structures consist of the spread spectrum demodulator followed by the blind beamformer. The performance of these structures is discussed in terms of the achieved SINR and the computational cost. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed blind beamformers in interference excision.

Rejection of multiple tone interference in DS spread-spectrum systems employing minimum redundant transversal filters

A direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) receiver using a new transversal filter structure called minimum redundant transversal filter (MRTF), for combating narrow-band interference is proposed. The signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio improvement factors are derived under the conditions of multiple tone interference. The effectiveness of the new suppression filter is examined and the results obtained reveal the fact that the MRTF structure leads to superior performance especially when the frequencies of the jamming tones are near the carrier frequency of the modulated signal.

Third-generation TDRSS-compatible direct-sequence spread-spectrum digital receiver

A digital communication receiver, called a third-generation receiver, has been developed. This receiver takes samples of the direct-sequence spread signal at a nonzero intermediate frequency (IF) instead of the zero IF (baseband), and quantizes the samples by employing a 1-b analog-to-digital (A/D) converter at the receiver front end. These 1-b samples are digitally processed for pseudonoise (PN) code, carrier, bit synchronization, and bit decision with the use of an application-specific integrated circuit. The effects of the IF sampling and 1-b A/D conversion on PN code synchronization are analyzed for a PN spread-spectrum communication system with oversampling rate, e.g., 12 samples per chip. In addition, the bit-error rate (BER) degradation due to the 1-b A/D conversion is studied by assuming perfect PN code, carrier, and bit synchronization. It is observed that the BER degradation due to the 1-b A/D is significant, e.g., 2.4 dB, when decimation is made after IF sampling such that only one sample per chip is used for bit decision. These analyzed BER results agree well with the simulated results. However, if no decimation is made and oversampling is used for bit decision, BER degradation due to 2-b A/D conversion is insignificant, e.g., 0.6 dB.

Enhancing the Signal-to-Interference Ratio in Digital Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum Receivers

Digital direct-sequence spread-spectrumreceivers are known to suffer from severe impairments indeterministic types of interference, due to inherentanalog-to-digital converter nonlinearities. In thepresent paper a noncoherent digital direct-sequencespread-spectrum receiver with an integrated adaptiveinterference reduction scheme is presented. Adaptiveinterference reduction is accomplished by exploring the nonlinearity of a 2-bit analog-to-digitalconverter with a pair of magnitude thresholds centeredaround a fixed sign threshold. The magnitude thresholdsare adjusted by means of a statistical control loop. The received signal's magnitudedistribution and zero crossings are used to estimate thecomposition of the interference. The performance of theproposed receiver in the presence of combined additive white Gaussian noise and continuous-waveinterference has been investigated and compared to thebehavior of ideal digital receivers of comparably lowcomplexity as the approach presented. The digitalreceivers studied for comparison use either single-bithard-limiters or 2-bit analog-to-digital converters withadaptive thresholds.

The performance of a direct-sequence spread-spectrum acquisition system using a linear prediction filter for narrowband interference suppression

The coarse acquisition performance of a direct sequence spread-spectrum receiver is analyzed when a linear prediction filter is used for narrowband interference suppression. We show that once an appropriate matching strategy is identified, the linear prediction filter can provide favorable performance when narrowband interference is present over a considerable range of both interference power and bandwidth. In addition, the presence of the filter dramatically improves the performance over the case where there is no filter, except when the interference bandwidth and the power are both small (i.e., when the processing gain provides sufficient interference immunity without the filter). If long spreading sequences are used with moderately sized observation windows, the acquisition performance can be severely degraded when a parallel acquisition scheme is used due to the linear predication filter. We show, however, that a slower serial receiver will provide reliable performance.

DIRECT-SEQUENCE SPREAD-SPECTRUM WITH TRANSFORM DOMAIN INTERFERENCE SUPPRESSION

The performance of a direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS-SS) receiver employing new techniques for multiple non-stationary interference suppression is presented. These techniques are based on transform domain order statistics and they selectively suppress spectral components that are sufficiently large and narrow. Other important advantages are also discussed. The bit error rate performance is determined by Monte-Carlo simulations and it is compared to the performance of fixed notch filtering and of the well-known LMS algorithm. The effect of using data windowing is examined, and results with single-tone, narrow-band, stationary, non-stationary and multiple interference are presented. A comparison of the amount of computation required by the proposed transform domain approach to that of the time-domain LMS algorithm is also presented.

Interpretation of S-Curve and Tracking Error in a Delay-Lock-Loop

The delay-lock-loop is a device used in direct-sequence spread-spectrum receivers to track the delay difference between two binary correlated waveforms. This short paper aims to clarify both the interpretation of the S-curve and the sign of the tracking error for such devices, especially those for navigation systems such as GPS.

A unified time-domain analysis of serial search with application to spread spectrum receivers

The paper presents a time-domain approach to the analysis of the code phase acquisition process in direct sequence spread spectrum receivers. This approach is suitable for a variety of search and verification/lock strategies. The time-domain approach is more direct than the unified z transform-domain approach and permits computation of the acquisition time distribution. The paper also provides equations for calculating the mean acquisition time under various search and verification/lock strategies. The usefulness of the approach is demonstrated by application to a specific nontrivial case of practical significance.

Adapted demodulation for spread-spectrum receivers which employ transform-domain interference excision

It has been shown previously that the performance of a direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS/SS) receiver which incorporates transform-domain excision of narrowband interference is improved by the use of time-weighting when the interference-to-signal power ratio (ISR) is relatively large, but is degraded by its use otherwise. The demodulator employed in this receiver is a filter which is matched to the chip sequence. While the matched filter gives minimum probability of error for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) in the absence of time-weighting and excision processing, the matched filter is suboptimal in their presence. Alternative demodulation rules which are adapted to time-weighting and excision processing are developed in the present paper. It is shown that, for the weighting functions considered, the matched filter requires as much as 3 dB more signal power than an adapted demodulator, to obtain a given probability of error. Furthermore, the performance with an adapted demodulator is generally superior to that for a receiver which does not use time-weighting when the ISR is at least moderately large, and is comparable otherwise. The potential benefit that may be derived from the use of an adapted demodulator in a CDMA network overlay is discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

An adaptive direct-sequence spread-spectrum receiver for burst type interference

The hybrid system is an extension of the state-space system model which allows for random and abrupt changes in the model parameters. In this paper we use the hybrid system to model burst type interference in a direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS/SS) communication system. The resulting optimum receiver is easily derived but too computationally complex to be practical. Two suboptimal but more practical receivers are presented. In an example, the hybrid system is used to model pulsed narrowband interference. The performance of each suboptimal receiver is evaluated using computer simulations. >