International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / Space agencies are under pressure to utilize better bandwidth-efficient communication methods due to the actual allocated frequency bands becoming more congested. Budget reductions is another problem that the space agencies must deal with. This budget constraint results in simpler spacecraft carrying less communication capabilities and also the reduction in staff to capture data in the earth stations. It is then imperative that the most bandwidth efficient communication methods be utilized. This paper gives the results of a computer simulation study on 8 Level Phase Shift Keying (8PSK) modulation with respect to bandwidth, power efficiency, spurious emissions, interference susceptibility and the non-constant envelope effect through a non-linear channel. The simulations were performed on a Signal Processing Worksystem (SPW: software installed on a SUN SPARC 10 Unix Station and Hewlett Packard Model 715/100 Unix Station). This work was conducted at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in the Center for Space Telemetry and Telecommunications Systems in the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 21, 2002 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / This paper investigates the spectral properties and the bit error rate (BER) performance of enhanced FQPSK (EFQPSK) and constrained envelope modulation (CEM) techniques. Both the techniques are found to provide good spectral efficiencies. The EFQPSK signals are found to generate spectral lines for unbalanced data. An analytical spectral study for the spectral lines is presented. While the performance of CEM techniques has been presented in [6] for an ideal nonlinear amplifier, we present results for more realistic amplifiers with AM/AM and AM/PM effects. It is shown that such an amplifier generates spectral regrowth and a predistorter is required to reduce the adverse effects. A BER performance study with/without channel coding is also presented for the two techniques.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 23-26, 2000 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / Shaped BPSK (SBPSK) and Shaped Offset QPSK (SOQPSK), as defined in various MIL standards, are widely employed on SATCOM links because they offer an attractive combination of good spectral efficiency, constant envelope characteristics, and interoperability with legacy equipments. More recently, numerous terrestrial applications of OQPSK and similar waveforms (Feher-patented FQPSK) have been proposed. The present paper describes a simple non-proprietary modification of the MIL-STD SOQPSK waveform which offers spectral containment and detection efficiency comparable to or better than FQPSK-B (Revision A1), while preserving a constant envelope characteristic and backward compatibility with existing equipment.

In this thesis, the author presents and analyzes two 4-dimensional Constant Envelope Quadrature-Quadrature Phase Shift Keying constellations. Optimal demodulators for the two constellations are presented, and one of them was designed and implemented by the author. In addition, a novel expanded 16-dimensional CEQ2PSK constellation that doubles the number of points without decreasing the distance between points or increasing the peak energy is generated by concatenating the aforementioned constellations with a particular method and restrictions. This original 16-dimensional set of symbols is set-partitioned and used in a multidimensional Trellis-Coded Modulation scheme along with a convolutional encoder of rate 2/3. Effective gain of 2.67 dB over uncoded CEQ2PSK constellation with low complexity is achieved theoretically. A coding gain of 2.4 dB with 8 dB SNR is obtained by using Monte Carlo simulations. The TCM systems and demodulators were tested under an Additive White Gaussian Noise channel by using Matlab's Simulink block diagrams.

It has been well reported that the use of multidimensional constellation signals can help to reduce the bit error rate in Additive Gaussian channels by using the hyperspace geometry more efficiently. Similarly, in fading channels, dimensionality provides an inherent signal space diversity (distinct components between two constellations points), so the amplitude degradation of the signal are combated significantly better. Moreover, the set of n-dimensional signals also provides great compatibility with various Trellis Coded modulation schemes: N-dimensional signaling joined with a convolutional encoder uses fewer redundant bits for each 2D signaling interval, and increases intra-subset minimum squared Euclidean distance (MSED) to approach the ultimate capacity limit predicted by Shannon's theory. The multidimensional signals perform better for the same complexity than two-dimensional schemes. The inherent constellation expansion penalty factor paid for using classical mapping structures can be decreased by enlarging the constellation's dimension. In this thesis, a multidimensional signal set construction paradigm that completely avoids the constellation expansion penalty is used in Band-limited channels and in fading channels. As such, theoretical work on performance analysis and computer simulations for Quadrature-Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (Q2PSK), Constant Envelope (CE) Q2PSK, and trellis-coded 16D CEQ2PSK in ideal band-limited channels of various bandwidths is presented along with a novel discussion on visualization techniques for 4D Quadrature-Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (Q2PSK), Saha's Constant Envelope (CE) Q2PSK, and Cartwright's CEQ2PSK in ideal band-limited channels. Furthermore, a metric designed to be used in fading channels, with Hamming Distance (HD) as a primary concern and Euclidean distance (ED) as secondary is also introduced. Simulation results show that the 16D TCM CEQ2PSK system performs well in channels with AWGN and fading, even with the simplest convolutional encoder tested; achievable coding gains using 16-D CEQ2PSK Expanded TCM schemes under various conditions are finally reported.

We consider the multi-user MIMO broadcast channel with M single-antenna users and N transmit antennas under the constraint that each antenna emits signals having constant envelope (CE). The motivation for this is that CE signals facilitate the use of power-efficient RF power amplifiers. Analytical and numerical results show that, under certain mild conditions on the channel gains, for a fixed M, an array gain is achievable even under the stringent per-antenna CE constraint. Essentially, for a fixed M, at sufficiently large N the total transmitted power can be reduced with increasing N while maintaining a fixed information rate to each user. Simulations for the i.i.d. Rayleigh fading channel show that the total transmit power can be reduced linearly with increasing N (i.e., an O(N) array gain). We also propose a precoding scheme which finds near-optimal CE signals to be transmitted, and has O(MN) complexity. Also, in terms of the total transmit power required to achieve a fixed desired information sum-rate, despite the stringent per-antenna CE constraint, the proposed CE precoding scheme performs close to the sum-capacity achieving scheme for an average-only total transmit power constrained channel. / <p>Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)||ELLIIT||Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation||Center for Industrial Information Technology at ISY, Linkoping University (CENIIT)||</p>

An explosive growth in demand for broadband mobile wireless services is currently being fuelled by cellular telephone users who, encouraged by service providers, are no longer content with voice transmission only but are demanding real-time video services, including multi-user, interactive games and 'movie' programmes. As these applications develop, expectations mount in other mobile user markets, especially the public safety arena, for comparable user features but with greater emphasis on reliability and robustness of the equipment and supporting network in adverse propagation conditions, remote locations and emergencies. These applications all have in common the requirements for efficient use of wireless bandwidth and of battery power, as well as seamless operation when moving, sometimes at high vehicle speeds, from one type of environment to another in a multi-user scenario. Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed (OFDM) signals have been found to compare favourably with other modulation systems in these applications, the multi-carrier format being more tolerant of delay spread. It has been used in both code-division (MC-CDMA) and frequency-division (OFDMA) multi-user schemes, the latter having the advantage of maintaining orthogonality among users in fading-signal environments, with consequent simplification of signal processing. The major drawback of OFDM has been the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) that is characteristic of signals with multiple sub-carriers. A result of this is that the transmitter requires a linear power amplifier (PA) that generally has to be 'backed off' to accommodate the high PAPR. Additional back-off is required to achieve linearity, as well as sometimes-complex linearisation circuitry. The power usage and cost of such a transmitter is more acceptable in a base station, tending to limit the application of OFDM to downlinks. The potential application to hand-portable terminals has severe constraints of size, cost and battery life, exacerbated by the use of video-capable LCD displays, increasing motivation for the use of MIMO (multi-antenna) technology and the development of mobile ad-hoc networks, the latter being particularly applicable in the public safety arena. Previous efforts to ameliorate the PAPR problem have been principally directed at two areas, the reduction of signal PAPR, by block coding, clipping or other techniques, and methods of achieving PA linearisation with improved power efficiency. The first object of the present research was to establish, as far as practicable, the current state of the art in these areas, to set a performance baseline. The next step was to develop an improved transmitter modulation scheme that would not only be able to take advantage of any existing peak reduction methods but would transmit a signal that would be compatible with existing OFDM receivers. A novel modulation technique is now presented, termed Quadrature Phase-Time Modulation (QPTM), that has been found to meet the requirements for linearity, simplicity and low cost, whilst being able to take advantage of constant-envelope PA technology, with its attendant power efficiency. After final amplification, the signal is restored by a passive narrow-band filter to standard OFDM form, having both phase and amplitude modulation. The QPTM system of modulation relies on a dual baseband pulse-width modulation process, performed at a substantially-higher rate than the upper baseband frequency, followed by direct quadrature modulation of a carrier signal. The work undertaken has been in the nature of a feasibility study, commencing with the theoretical basis of the technique, from which a behavioural system model was designed and simulated. After the system was simulated successfully, in several forms, a model was designed for realisation with available high-frequency integrated circuits. From this design, prototypes were constructed and tested. The prototype circuit boards also included an experimental UHF Class-D PA circuit, excluding the output filter, to facilitate ongoing development of the PA and filter subsystem as a separate project. This type of PA was seen as a potential complement to the QPTM modulator, although the technology was at an early stage of development. The prototype PA has a novel push-pull arrangement of GaAs FETs that employs a broadside-coupled tapered-stripline balun instead of the usual transformer. Preliminary measurements were made on the PA using both a spectrum analyser and a newly-available 8GHz-bandwidth digital oscilloscope to confirm basic operating characteristics. The performance of the QPTM technique at frequencies needed for broadband operation is dependent on its practical implementation, which has therefore been a major focus. The inherent difficulties in realising a highly-linear 40MHz triangle-wave reference generator, with a precise ultra-high-speed comparator and modulator system, have been overcome with the chosen design techniques and attention to several critical aspects. The result has been the successful demonstration of QPTM as an efficient PA modulation technique that is equally applicable to either narrow-band, high-capacity UHF or broadband OFDM microwave systems.

abstract: This work implements three switched mode power amplifier topologies namely inverse class-D (CMCD), push-pull class-E and inverse push-pull class-E, in a GaN-on-Si process for medium power level (5-10W) femto/pico-cells base-station applications. The presented power amplifiers address practical implementation design constraints and explore the fundamental performance limitations of switched-mode power amplifiers for cellular band. The designs are analyzed and compared with respect to non-idealities like finite on-resistance, finite-Q of inductors, bond-wire effects, input signal duty cycle, and supply and component variations. These architectures are designed for non-constant envelope inputs in the form of digitally modulated signals such as RFPWM, which undergo duty cycle variation. After comparing the three topologies, this work concludes that the inverse push-pull class-E power amplifier shows lower efficiency degradation at reduced duty cycles. For GaN based discrete power amplifiers which have less drain capacitance compared to GaAs or CMOS and where the switch loss is dominated by wire-bonds, an inverse push-pull class-E gives highest output power at highest efficiency. Push-pull class-E can give efficiencies comparable to inverse push-pull class-E in presence of bondwires on tuning the Zero-Voltage Switching (ZVS) network components but at a lower output power. Current-Mode Class-D (CMCD) is affected most by the presence of bondwires and gives least output power and efficiency compared to other two topologies. For systems dominated by drain capacitance loss or which has no bondwires, the CMCD and push-pull class-E gives better output power than inverse push-pull class-E. However, CMCD is more suitable for high breakdown voltage process. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Electrical Engineering 2015

This thesis examines the high peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) problem of OFDM and other spectrally-efficient multicarrier modulation schemes, specifically their stringent requirements for highly linear, power-inefficient amplification. The thesis then presents a most intriguing answer to the PAPR-problem in the form of a constant-envelope OFDM (CE-OFDM) waveform, a waveform which employs phase modulation to transform the high-PAPR OFDM signal into a constant envelope signal, like FSK or GMSK, which can be amplified with non-linear power amplifiers at near saturation levels of efficiency. A brief analytical description of CE-OFDM and its suboptimal receiver architecture is provided in order to define and analyze the key parameters of the waveform and their performance impacts. The primary contribution of this thesis is a highly tunable software-defined radio (SDR) implementation of the waveform which enables rapid-prototyping and testing of CE-OFDM systems. The digital baseband processing of the waveform is executed on a general purpose processor (GPP) in the Linux Ubuntu 14.04 operating system, and programmed using the GNU Radio SDR software framework with a mixture of Python and C++ routines. A detailed description of the software implementation is provided, and baseband simulations of the SDR CE-OFDM receiver in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) validate the performance of the implemented signal processing. A fully-functional CE-OFDM radio system is proposed in which GPPs executing the software defined transmitter and receiver routines are interfaced with Ettus Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) transceiver front ends. A software testbench is created to enable rapid configuration and testing of the CE-OFDM waveform over all permutations of its parameters, over both simulated and physical RF channels, to draw deeper insights into the characteristics of the waveform and the necessary design considerations and improvements for further development and deployment of CE-OFDM systems. / Master of Science

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has become a very popular method for high-data-rate communication. However, it is well known that OFDM is plagued by a large peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) problem. This high PAPR results in overdesigned power amplifiers, which amongst other things leads to inefficient amplifier usage, which is undesirable. Various methods have been recommended to reduce the PAPR of an OFDM transmission; however, all these methods result in a number of drawbacks. In this thesis, a novel method called offset modulation (OM-OFDM) is proposed to control the PAPR of an OFDM signal. The proposed OM-OFDM method does not result in a number of the drawbacks being experienced by current methods in the field. The theoretical bandwidth occupancy and theoretical bit error rate (BER) expression for an OM-OFDM transmission is derived. A newly applied power performance decision metric is also introduced, which can be utilised throughout the PAPR field, in order to compare various methods. The proposed OM-OFDM method appears to be similar to a well-known constant envelope OFDM (CE-OFDM) transmission. The modulation, structural and performance differences between an OM-OFDM and a CE-OFDM method are discussed. By applying the power performance decision metric, the OM-OFDM method is shown to offer significant performance gains when compared to CE-OFDM and traditional OFDM transmissions. In addition, the OM-OFDM method is able to accurately control the PAPR of a transmission for a targeted BER. By applying the power performance decision metric and complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF), the proposed OM-OFDM method is shown to offer further performance gains when compared to existing PAPR methods, under frequency selective fading conditions. In this thesis, the OM-OFDM method has been combined with an existing active constellation extended (ACE) PAPR reduction method. To introduce a novel method called offset modulation with active constellation extension (OM-ACE), to control the PAPR of an OFDM signal. The theoretical BER expression for an OM-ACE transmission is presented and validated. Thereafter, by applying the decision metric and CCDF, the OM-ACE method is shown to offer performance improvements when compared to various PAPR methods. The use of OM-OFDM for cognitive radio applications is also investigated. Cognitive radio applications require transmissions that are easily detectable. The detection characteristics of an OM-OFDM and OFDM transmission are studied by using receiver operating characteristic curves. A derivation of a simplified theoretical closed-form expression, which relates the probability of a missed detection to the probability of a false alarm, for an unknown deterministic signal, at various signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values is derived and validated. Previous expressions have been derived, which relate the probability of a missed detection to the probability of a false alarm. However, they have not been presented in such a generic closed-form expression that can be used for any unknown deterministic signal (for instance OFDM and OM-OFDM). Thereafter, an examination of the spectrum characteristics of an OM-OFDM transmission indicates its attractive detection characteristics. The proposed OM-OFDM method is further shown to operate at a significantly lower SNR value than an OFDM transmission, while still offering better detection characteristics than that of an OFDM transmission under Rician, Rayleigh and frequency selective fading channel conditions. In addition to its attractive PAPR properties, OM-OFDM also offers good detection characteristics for cognitive radio applications. These aspects make OM-OFDM a promising candidate for future deployment. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted