OFDM is a promising technique for high-data-rate wireless communications because it can combat inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by the dispersive fading of wireless channels. The proposed research focuses on techniques that improve the performance of OFDM-based wireless communications and its commercial and military applications. In particular, we address the following aspects of OFDM: inter-channel interference (ICI) suppression, interference suppression for clustered OFDM, clustered OFDM based anti-jamming modulation, channel estimation for MIMO-OFDM, MIMO transmission with limited feedback. For inter-channel interference suppression, a frequency domain partial response coding (PRC) scheme is proposed to mitigate ICI. We derive the near-optimal weights for PRC that is independent on the channel power spectrum. The error floor resulting from ICI can be reduced significantly using a two-tap or a three-tap PRC. Clustered OFDM is a new technique that has many advantages over traditional OFDM. In clustered OFDM systems, adaptive antenna arrays are used for interference suppression. To calculate weights for interference suppression, we propose a polynomial-based parameter estimator to combat the severe leakage of the DFT based estimator due to the small size of the cluster. An adaptive algorithm is developed to obtain optimal performance. For high data rate military communications, we propose a clustered OFDM base spread spectrum modulation to provide both anti-jamming and fading suppression capability. We analyze the performance of uncoded and coded system. Employing multiple transmit and receive antennas in OFDM systems (MIMO-OFDM) can increase the spectral efficiency and link reliability. We develop a minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) channel estimator that takes advantage of the spatial-frequency correlations in MIMO-OFDM systems to minimize the estimation error. We investigate the training sequence design and two optimal training sequence designs are given for arbitrary spatial correlations. For a MIMO system, the diversity and array gains can be obtained by exploiting channel information at the transmitter. For MIMO-OFDM systems, we propose a subspace tracking based approach that can exploit the frequency correlations of the OFDM system to reduce the feedback rate. The proposed approach does not need recalculate the precoding matrix and is robust to multiple data stream transmission.

We live in an information hungry age, we generate and process information at a rate never before recorded in the history of mankind. Today’s computing platforms are run on Gigahertz multi-core processors churning out Gigabits streams of data that need to be transmitted as quickly as possible. Often times the source and the destination are mobile which means wired connections are not a choice. This has led to an ever increasing need to develop wireless access technologies that support high throughput regardless of the transmission environment. Till date, many proprietary solutions exist that seek to bridge this gap with little or no support for interoperability. For the sheer scale of development that is required, a standard based solution is the key. The IEEE 802.1x committee oversees the development of standards for wireless systems, it formed the 802.16 working group to develop a standards-based Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) solution. One of the fruits of this effort is the 802.16e standard fondly referred to as mobile WiMAX and it is the subject of study in this thesis. This thesis seeks to analyze the transmission characteristics of two of the antenna systems defined in the standard i.e. Adaptive Beamforming Systems and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Systems. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO): utilizes multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver to provide diversity gain, multiplexing gain or both. Adaptive Antenna Systems (AAS): Adaptive array system uses an antenna array to generate in real-time radiation patterns with the main lobes and/or nulls dynamically tuned to specific directions in order to increase or suppress signal power in that direction. / Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is the acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 set of standards governing Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems. In the history of wireless systems, WiMAX is revolutionary technology as affords its users the Wi-Fi grade throughput and cellular system level of mobility. With WiMAX, broadband technology (traditionally ADSL and Fiber) goes wireless and WiMAX users can basically enjoy triple-play application, and split-second download and upload rates. WIMAX also offers full mobility much as traditional cellular systems do with features like seamless hand-over and roaming at vehicular speed; this is made possible because the system design covers the access network to core network. For the operator, WiMAX is a welcome development because it merges traditional cellular networks with broadband technology thus opening them to more business offerings and a larger client base and all this at a reduced cost of deployment. Base stations are comparatively cheaper and do not require extensive planning typical of other cellular systems thus WiMAX is aptly suited for emerging markets where infrastructure cost is a major issue; little wonder a lot of 3rd world countries have signified interest in the technology.

Abstract In this doctoral thesis, initial code synchronization (i.e., code acquisition) of a direct sequence spread spectrum (DS/SS) system is studied when a smart antenna is used in a receiver. Code synchronization means time synchronization of the used spreading code in the receiver. After an introduction to the topic, a literature review of code acquisition is presented. In addition, a review of the results in the literature under fading, data modulation, Doppler, intentional interference, multiple-access interference, other system interference, and multiple antennas is given. After that, an overview of the smart antennas, especially focusing on digital beamforming and direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithms is presented. The end part of the thesis concentrates on the author’s own research of the topic. Original articles of this article dissertation have been classified according to their contents into two groups. The first group covers DS/SS code acquisition performance in intentional interference by exploiting how well different beamforming algorithms can eliminate narrowband and wideband interfering signals in the case, where the DOA of the desired signal is known. The obtained results show that most spatial beamforming algorithms are capable of cancelling multiple different types of interfering signals if they are not arriving from the same direction as the desired signal. If angle separation between desired and interfering signals is not sufficient, then more complex methods have to be used. The second group of articles focuses on a theoretical analysis of synchronization probabilities and mean acquisition times. If the DOA of the desired signal is unknown, the whole angular uncertainty region can be divided into small angular cells using beamforming techniques, as is proposed in the literature. Then there is a two-dimensional (delay-angle) acquisition problem. In this thesis, the research work of that area is expanded to cover also advanced beamforming techniques, since they offer increased interference suppression capability. It is shown that the code acquisition performance of the delay-angle method can be improved in some cases by adding a DOA estimator into the system, because it may reduce the number of required angular cells. In addition, such a minimum mean square error (MMSE) beamforming structure is proposed, where only one period of the known pseudo noise spreading code is used as a reference signal. The method was shown to have better acquisition performance than the delay-angle method has, since MMSE beamforming does not need DOA information. However, in this thesis, such a method was not found which outperforms the rest of the methods in all scenarios. / Tiivistelmä Tässä väitöstyössä tutkitaan suorahajotushajaspektrijärjestelmän (DS/SS, direct sequence spread spectrum) koodisynkronoinnin etsintävaihetta, kun vastaanottimessa käytetään älyantennia. Koodisynkronoinnilla tarkoitetaan järjestelmän käyttämän hajotuskoodin ajastuksen synkronointia vastaanottimessa. Johdannon jälkeen esitetään kirjallisuuskatsaus koodisynkronointiin sekä tuodaan esille kirjallisuudesta löytyviä tutkimustuloksia aihepiiristä seuraavissa tilanteissa: häipyvä kanava, Doppler-ilmiö, tahallinen häirintä, monikäyttöhäiriö, muiden järjestelmien aiheuttama häiriö sekä moniantennijärjestelmät. Tämän jälkeen esitetään yleiskatsaus älyantenneihin kohdistuen erityisesti digitaalisiin keilanmuodostus- sekä suuntaestimointialgoritmeihin. Työn loppuosa keskittyy kirjoittajan omaan tutkimukseen aiheesta. Tämän nippuväitöskirjan alkuperäiset artikkelit on luokiteltu kahteen ryhmään niiden sisältöön perustuen. Ensimmäinen ryhmä käsittelee DS/SS-järjestelmän koodisynkronoinnin etsintävaiheen suorituskykyä tahallisessa häirinnässä tutkimalla, miten hyvin erilaiset keilanmuodostusalgoritmit kykenevät poistamaan kapea- ja leveäkaistaisia häirintäsignaaleja tilanteessa, jossa hyötysignaalin tulosuunta tiedetään. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että monet tilatason keilanmuodostusalgoritmit kykenevät poistamaan useita erityyppisiä häirintäsignaaleita, jos ne eivät saavu hyötysignaalin kanssa samasta suunnasta. Mikäli kulmaero hyöty- ja häirintäsignaalien välillä ei ole riittävä, joudutaan käyttämään rakenteeltaan monimutkaisempia menetelmiä. Toinen ryhmä artikkeleita keskittyy synkronointiin liittyvien todennäköisyyksien ja keskimääräisen etsintäajan teoreettiseen analyysiin. Jos hyötysignaalin tulosuunta on tuntematon, voidaan kulmaepävarmuusalue jakaa pieniin kulmasoluihin käyttäen keilanmuodostustekniikoita, kuten kirjallisuudessa esitetään. Tällöin kyseessä on kaksiulotteinen (viive-kulma) etsintäongelma. Tässä työssä kyseistä tutkimusaihetta laajennetaan koskemaan myös edistyneet keilanmuodostusmenetelmät, koska ne tarjoavat parantuneen häiriönvaimennuskyvyn. Työssä osoitetaan, että viive-kulma menetelmän suorituskykyä voidaan parantaa joissakin tilanteissa lisäämällä järjestelmään suuntaestimaattori, koska se saattaa vähentää tarvittavien kulmasolujen lukumäärää. Lisäksi tutkitaan sellaista pienimmän keskineliövirheen (MMSE, minimum mean square error) keilanmuodostusmenetelmää, jossa ainoastaan yhtä hajotuskoodin koodijaksoa käytetään opetukseen. Kyseisellä menetelmällä todettiin olevan parempi suorituskyky kuin viive-kulma etsinnällä, koska MMSE-menetelmä ei tarvitse suuntainformaatiota. Tässä työssä ei kuitenkaan löydetty yhtä sellaista menetelmää, jonka suorituskyky on muita parempi kaikissa tilanteissa.

Adaptive antenna systems (AAS's) are traditionally of interest only in radar and sonar applications. However, since the onset of the explosive growth in demand for wireless communications during the 1990's, researchers are giving increasing attention to the use of AAS technology to overcome practical challenges in providing the service. The main benefit of the technology lies in its ability to exploit the spatial domain, on top of the temporal and frequency domains, to improve on transceiver performance. This thesis presents a unified study on two classes of preprocessing techniques for uniform circular arrays (UCA's). UCA's are of interest because of their natural ability to provide a full azimuth (i.e. 360') coverage found in typical scenarios for sensor array applications, such as radar, sonar and wireless communications. The two classes of preprocessing techniques studied are the Davies transformation and the interpolated array transformations. These techniques yield a mathematically more convenient form - the Vandermonde form - for the array steering vector via a linear transformation. The Vandermonde form is useful for different applications such as direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation and optimum or minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamforming in correlated signal environment and beampattem synthesis. A novel interpolated array transformation is proposed to overcome limitations in the existing interpolated array transformations. A disadvantage of the two classes of preprocessing techniques for UCA's with omnidirectional elements is the lack of robustness in the transformed array steering vector to array imperfections under certain conditions. In order to mitigate the robustness problem, optimisation problems are formulated to modify the transformation matrices. / Suitable optimisation techniques are then applied to obtain more robust transformations. The improved transformations are shown to improve robustness but at the cost of larger transformation errors. The benefits of the robustification procedure are most apparent in DOA estimation. In addition to the algorithm level studies, the thesis also investigates the use of AAS technology with respect to two different third generation (3G) mobile communications systems: Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). EDGE, or more generally GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), is the evolution of the widely successful GSM system to provide 3G mobile services in the existing radio spectrum. It builds on the TDMA technology of GSM and relies on improved coding and higher order modulation schemes to provide packet-based services at high data rates. WCDMA, on the other hand, is based on CDMA technology and is specially designed and streamlined for 3G mobile services. For WCDMA, a single-user approach to DOA estimation which utilises the user spreading code and the pulse-shaped chip waveform is proposed. It is shown that the proposed approach produces promising performance improvements. The studies with EDGE are concerned with the evaluation of a simple AAS at the system and link levels. / Results from, the system and link level simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of AAS technology in the new mobile communications system. Finally, it is noted that the WCDMA and EDGE link level simulations employ the newly developed COST259 directional channel model, which is capable of producing accurate channel realisations of macrocell environments for the evaluation of AAS's.