Yaning Zou

Digital Compensation of I/Q Imbalance Effects in Space-Time Coded Transmit Diversity Systems

Space-time coded wireless transmission techniques with multiple transmit and receive antennas can provide considerable increases in both the link quality as well as link capacity when compared to ordinary single-antenna techniques. However, multiantenna transmission basically calls for multiple parallel radio implementations, and the resulting link performance is found to be very sensitive to the possible nonidealities of the individual analog radio front-ends. One important practical example is the so-called I/Q imbalance problem related to the amplitude and phase matching of the I/Q branches of the transmitters and receivers. In this paper, we analyze the I/Q imbalance effects in space-time coded transmit diversity system context, in terms of the resulting signal-to-interference ratio as a function of the imbalance properties, assuming the individual transmitter and receiver analog front-ends are based on the so-called direct-conversion radio architecture. The obtained results indicate that the I/Q imbalance effect is fundamentally more challenging in the multiantenna context compared to traditional single-antenna systems. In addition, two digital compensation methods are proposed for combating the resulting signal distortion on the receiver side. The first approach is based on algebraic properties of the derived signal models combined with proper pilot data, while the second one is blind, stemming from the blind signal separation principles. The resulting link-level performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated using extensive computer simulations. Based on the obtained results, the I/Q imbalance effects can be efficiently compensated using the proposed techniques, the resulting link performance being practically identical to that of the ideal perfectly matched reference case. Furthermore, the proposed methods are also shown to correct for channel estimation errors, in addition to I/Q impairments, and are also reasonably robust against residual carrier offsets.

Analysis and compensation of transmitter and receiver I/Q imbalances in space-time coded multiantenna OFDM systems

The combination of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques has been widely considered as the most promising approach for building future wireless transmission systems. The use of multiple antennas poses then big restrictions on the size and cost of individual radio transmitters and receivers, to keep the overall transceiver implementation feasible. This results in various imperfections in the analog radio front ends. One good example is the so-called I/Q imbalance problem related to the amplitude and phase matching of the transceiver I and Q chains. This paper studies the performance of space-time coded (STC) multiantenna OFDM systems under I/Q imbalance, covering both the transmitter and the receiver sides of the link. The challenging case of frequency-selective I/Q imbalances is assumed, being an essential ingredient in future wideband wireless systems. As a practical example, the Alamouti space-time coded OFDM system with two transmit and M receive antennas is examined in detail and a closed-form solution for the resulting signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) at the detector input due to I/Q imbalance is derived. This offers a valuable analytical tool for assessing the I/Q imbalance effects in any STC-OFDM system, without lengthy data or system simulations. In addition, the impact of I/Q imbalances on the channel estimation in the STC-OFDM context is also analyzed analytically. Furthermore, based on the derived signal models, a practical pilot-based I/Q imbalance compensation scheme is also proposed, being able to jointly mitigate the effects of frequency-selective I/Q imbalances as well as channel estimation errors. The performance of the compensator is analyzed using extensive computer simulations, and it is shown to virtually reach the perfectly matched reference system performance with low pilot overhead.

Smart Front-End Signal Processing for Advanced Wireless Receivers

One of the key trends in the design of radio receivers and other wireless devices is to shift more and more of the transceiver functionalities to digital signal processing (DSP). At the same time, the demands on the remaining analog circuits are greatly increased, especially with lower power supplies and nanoscale technology effects such as variability. With the terminal users requesting high radio performance and data rates, and low power consumption on one hand, and terminal flexibility and reduced implementation costs on the other hand, the requirements for these remaining analog front-end stages become extremely challenging to meet. As a result, one interesting idea is to complement analog radio-frequency (RF) circuits with smart signal-processing algorithms to digitally enhanced RF circuits. In this paper, we focus on developing and demonstrating novel signal-processing techniques intended for the analog and digital front-ends of future low-power, flexible radios. One key aspect in the work is power-efficient digital front-end design with great flexibility for digital selectivity filtering and sample rate alteration. Another key ingredient is the analysis and mitigation of different analog RF impairments, with special emphasis on I/Q imbalance effects and second-order intermodulation (IM2) distortion in wideband multicarrier or multichannel radio receivers. The approach used in this work generally draws from the practical system performance specifications. Overall, our results clearly indicate that the proposed compensation techniques can be used to suppress I/Q imbalance and IM2 distortion effects in receiver front-end sections under realistic signaling assumptions. The adaptivity and flexibility offered by the overall digital front-end design greatly reduces the power consumption of the radio.

On I/Q imbalance effects in MIMO space-time coded transmission systems

Through the introduction of multiple antennas in future wireless communications systems, the requirements for the power consumption, cost and size of individual radio front-ends become even more challenging than in the current single antenna systems. In this context, the so called direct-conversion front-end architecture is of big interest for building compact radios. One practical issue in this context is the so called I/Q imbalance problem related to the amplitude and phase matching of the I and Q branches of each analog front-end. In this paper, we analyze the I/Q imbalance effects in a multiantenna setup and show that I/Q imbalance is relatively even bigger problem in MIMO systems than in their traditional single antenna counterparts. As an example, the basic 2/spl times/1 Alamouti transmit diversity scheme is examined in detail and a closed-form solution for the resulting signal-to-interference ratio at the output of the receiver combining stage is derived as a function of imbalance properties. The obtained results indicate that I/Q imbalance can easily become a limiting factor in multiantenna systems, and should carefully be mitigated using proper analog or digital signal processing. In general, the analysis results are verified using extensive computer simulations.

Pilot-Based Compensation of Frequency-Selective I/Q Imbalances in Direct-Conversion OFDM Transmitters

This paper presents a pilot-based compensation algorithm for mitigation of frequency-selective I/Q imbalances in direct-conversion OFDM transmitters. By deploying a feedback loop from RF to baseband, together with a properly-designed pilot signal structure, the I/Q imbalance properties of the transmitter are efficiently estimated in a subcarrier-wise manner. Based on the obtained I/Q imbalance knowledge, the imbalance effects on the actual transmit waveform are then mitigated by baseband pre-distortion acting on the mirror-subcarrier signals. The compensation performance of the proposed structure is analyzed using extensive computer simulations, indicating that very high image rejection ratios can be achieved in practical system set-ups with reasonable pilot signal lengths.

Mutual Information Analysis of OFDM Radio Link Under Phase Noise, IQ Imbalance and Frequency-Selective Fading Channel

OFDM and other multicarrier waveforms are in general very sensitive to RF non-idealities, such as phase noise and IQ imbalance, of transmitting and receiving devices. Extensive work has been carried out in the open literature in analyzing the performance of OFDM radio link under such RF impairments in terms of detection error rate and mostly concentrating on one impairment at a time. However, there is only very limited work on analytical investigations of mutual information and rate loss expressions, the heart of communication theory, as functions of RF impairment levels. In this article, we derive two closed-form mutual information expressions, in the form of infinite series representation, for an arbitrary subcarrier of a general OFDM radio link impaired with transceiver phase noise and IQ imbalance in frequency-selective Rayleigh distributed block-fading radio channel, covering both uncorrelated as well as fully correlated mirror subcarrier scenarios. We also show that the mutual information saturates to a finite value due to the inherent RF impairments even in the case that the symbol-to-noise ratio approaches infinity. Extensive comparisons with results obtained from full OFDM radio link simulations are also provided to illustrate and verify the accurate match between analytical and simulated mutual information behavior.

Channel Estimation and Equalization in Multiuser Uplink OFDMA and SC-FDMA Systems Under Transmitter RF Impairments

Single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA), which is a modified form of orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), has been adopted as the uplink physical-layer radio access technique for the Third-Generation Partnership Project Long-Term Evolution (3GPP-LTE) and LTE-Advanced. Radio transceiver implementations for such OFDM-based systems with the direct-conversion architecture are desirable to enable small-size, low-cost, and low-power-consumption terminals. However, the associated circuit impairments stemming from the processing of analog radio frequency (RF) signals, such as in-phase and quadrature-phase (I/Q) imbalance and carrier frequency offset errors, can severely degrade the obtainable link performance. In this paper, we analyze the effects of these radio impairments in a multiuser SC-FDMA uplink system and present digital-signal-processing-based methods for the joint estimation and equalization of impairments and channel distortions on the receiver side with an arbitrary number of receiver antennas. For the equalization, linear equalizers such as the zero-forcing (ZF) and the minimum mean square error (MMSE) equalizers that utilize pairs of mirror subcarriers are formulated, and the MMSE equalizer is developed to effectively handle mirror subband users with different power levels. Furthermore, for reduced computational complexity, the joint channel and impairment filter responses are efficiently approximated with polynomial-based basis function models. The parameters of the basis functions are then estimated by exploiting the time-multiplexed reference symbols in the LTE uplink subframe structure. The performance of the proposed estimation and equalization methods is assessed with extensive multiuser link simulations, with both single-antenna and dual-antenna base-station receivers, and the results show that the proposed algorithms are able to significantly reduce the impact of channel distortions and radio impairments. The resulting receiver implementation with the proposed techniques enables improved uplink link performance, even when the mobile terminals fulfill their emission requirements, in terms of I/Q images, with no changes in the LTE standards frame and pilot structures.

VCO phase noise trade-offs in PLL design for DVB-T/H receivers

A linear time-invariant phase-domain phase-locked loop (PLL) model including the effects of thermal and flicker (1/f) noise sources is devised. Phase noise from the frequency dividers, loop oscillators, and oscillator buffering is modeled. Flicker noise is shown to be of major significance for the accurate characterization of DVB-T/H terminals integrated in contemporary CMOS processes. For obtaining an optimal voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in a PLL loop for DVB-T/H receivers, a phase noise trade-off for the VCO thermal and flicker noise contributions is derived. Link-level performance evaluation is carried out to validate the stipulated trade-off.

On OFDM link performance under receiver phase noise with arbitrary spectral shape

This article addresses the signal distortion caused by receiver phase noise (PN) on OFDM waveforms in direct-conversion radio receivers. A closed-form solution for the observed signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is derived, describing the level of intercarrier interference (ICI) stemming from PN. Compared to existing literature, the analysis is valid for arbitrary oscillator spectral shape, the only assumption being that reasonably small phase noise values are observed. The analysis results can be used to derive practical circuit-level oscillator design criteria in terms of the allowable PN spectral density. The applicability and validity of the derived analysis are verified with extensive computer simulations.

Multi-channel energy detection under phase noise: analysis and mitigation

For the development of highly integrated, flexible and low-cost cognitive radio (CR) devices, simple transceiver architectures, like direct-conversion receiver, are expected to be deployed and provide viable radio frequency (RF) spectrum sensing solutions for practical implementation. Yet, this can be very challenging task especially if spectrum sensing and down-conversion are conducted over multiple RF channels simultaneously for improved efficiency in channel scans. Then, the so-called dirty RF problem that degrades link performance of traditional transmission systems starts to be influential from spectrum sensing perspective as well. The unavoidable RF impairments, e.g., oscillator phase noise in direct-conversion receiver, could generate crosstalk between multiple channels that are down-converted simultaneously, and thus considerably limit the spectrum sensing capabilities. Most of the existing spectrum sensing studies in literature assume an ideal RF receiver and have not considered such practical RF hardware problem. In this article, we study the impact of oscillator phase noise on energy detection (ED) based spectrum sensing in multi-channel direct-conversion receiver scenario. With complex Gaussian primary user (PU) signal models, we first derive the detection and false alarm probabilities in closed-form expression. The analytical results, verified through extensive simulations, show that the wideband multi-channel sensing receiver is very sensitive to the neighboring channel crosstalk induced by oscillator phase noise. More specifically, it is shown that the false alarm probability of multi-channel energy detection increases significantly, compared to the ideal RF receiver case. The exact performance degradation depends on the power of neighboring channels as well as statistical characteristics of the phase noise in the deployed receiver. In order to prevent such performance degradation in spectrum identification, an enhanced energy detection technique is proposed. The proposed technique calculates the leakage power from neighboring channels for each channel and improves the sample energy statistics by subtracting this leakage power from the raw values. An analytical expression is derived for the leakage power which is shown to be a function of power spectral levels of neighboring channels and 3-dB bandwidth of phase noise process. Practical schemes for estimating these two quantities are discussed. Extensive computer simulations show that the proposed enhanced detection yields false alarm rates that are very close to those of an ideal RF receiver and hence clearly outperforms classical energy detection.