x, 120 leaves : diags., tables ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.1978) from the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, University of Adelaide

116 leaves : diags., tables ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.1978) from the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, University of Adelaide

Thesis (M.Eng.Sc. 1979) from the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Adelaide.

This research addresses the performance degradation in receivers due to poor selectivity. Poor selectivity is expected to be a primary limitation on the performance of Dynamic-Spectrum-Access (DSA) and millimeter wave (mmWave) technologies. Both DSA and mmWave are highly desired technologies because they can address the spectrum-deficit problem that is currently challenging the wireless industry. Accordingly, addressing poor receiver selectivity is necessary to expedite the adoption of these technologies into the main street of wireless. This research develops two receiver design concepts to enhance the performance of poorly-selective receivers. The first concept is called cognitive RF front-end control (CogRF). CogRF operates by cognitively controlling the local-oscillator and sampling frequencies in receivers. This research shows that CogRF can fulfil the objective of pre-selectors by minimizing the effects of weak and moderately-powered neighboring-channel signals on the desired signal. This research shows that CogRF can be an alternative to high-performance pre-selectors, and hence, CogRF is a viable architecture to implement reliable DSA and mmWave receivers. The theoretical design and hardware implementation of a cognitive engine and a spectrum sensor of CogRF are reported in this dissertation. Measurement results show that CogRF significantly reduces the rate of communication outage due to interference from neighboring-channel signals in poorly-selective receivers. The results also indicate that CogRF can enable a poorly-selective receiver to behave like a highly-selective receiver. The second receiver design concept addresses very strong neighboring-channel signals. The performance of poorly selective receivers can easily suffer due to a strong, unfiltered neighboring-channel signal. A strong neighboring-channel signal is likely for a DSA radio that is operating in military radar bands. Traditionally, strong neighboring signals are addressed using an Automatic-Gain-Control (AGC) that attempt to accommodate the strong received signal into the dynamic range of the receiver. However, this technique potentially desensitizes the receiver because it sacrifices the Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) of the desired signal. This research proposes the use of auxiliary-receive path to address strong neighboring-channel signals with minimal penalty on the SNR of the desired signal. Through simulation based analysis, and hardware-based measurement, this research shows that the proposed technique can provide significant improvement in the neighboring-channel-interference handling capability of the receiver. / Ph. D.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis was to investigate the use of behavioral level models in receiver simulations using the capabilities of Agilent's Advanced Design System. Behavioral level modeling has become increasingly attractive because it offers faster and easier results for system level simulations. The work in this thesis focused strongly on nonlinear measurements to characterize the various nonlinear phenomena that are present in amplifiers and mixers. Measurement automation software was developed to automate the process. An error correction technique was also developed to increase the accuracy of spectrum analyzer measurements. The measured data was used to implement the behavioral level amplifier and mixer models in ADS. The accuracy of the models was compared to measured data and the different available models were compared. Finally the models were combined to realize different receivers and were used to do typical receiver tests. These test include gain and gain compression, two-tone intermodulation and spurious responses. The results are compared to measured data to test the accuracy and usefulness of the models and simulation techniques. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis was om stelsel-vlak gedrags-modelle te ondersoek soos hulle in Agilent se Advanced Design System (ADS) aangebied word. Die modellering van die stelselvlak-gedrag van komponente en stelsels is aantreklik aangesien dit 'n hoë vlak beskrywing van komplekse kommunikasie stelsels moontlik maak. Akkurate stelsel-vlak simulasies sal lei tot vinnige ontwikkeling en evaluasie van nuwe sisteme. Die resultate wat verkry word is egter afhanklik van die beskikbaarheid van akkurate stelsel-vlak gedragsmodelle Die tesis het baie sterk op metings staat gemaak om die nie-liniêre gedrag van versterkers en mengers te karakteriseer. Meet sagteware is ontwikkel om die verskillende metings te automatiseer. Fout korreksie vir spetrum-analiseerder-metings is ook ontwikkel. Die gemete data is gebruik om die nie-liniêre gedrags-modelle in ADS te implementer. Die modelle is in simulasies gebruik en die akuraatheid van die simulasies is teen gemete data getoets. Die finale deel van die tesis gebruik die modelle om tipiese ontvanger karakteristieke te voorspel. Die volgende toetse is gedoen: aanwins en kompressie, twee-toon intermodulasie en hoer orde meng produkte. Die resultate van die toetse is met gemete data vergelyk om die akuraatehied en bruikbaarheid van die verskillende modelle te vergelyk.

Abstract Subsampling can be used in a radio receiver to perform signal downconversion and sample-and-hold operations in order to relieve the operation frequency and bandwidth requirements of the subsequent discrete-time circuitry. However, due to the inherent aliasing behaviour of wideband noise and interference in subsampling, and the difficulty of implementing appropriate bandpass anti-aliasing filtering at high frequencies, straightforward use of a low subsampling rate can result in significant degradation of the receiver dynamic range. The aim of this thesis is to investigate and implement methods for integrating filtering into high-frequency signal sampling and downconversion by subsampling to alleviate the requirements for additional front-end filters and to mitigate the effects of noise and out-of-band signal aliasing, thereby facilitating use in integrated high-quality radio receivers. The charge-domain sampling technique studied here allows simple integration of both continuous-and discrete-time filtering functions into high-frequency signal sampling. Gated current integration results in a lowpass sin(x)/x(sinc(x)) response capable of performing built-in anti-aliasing filtering in baseband signal sampling. Weighted integration of several successive current samples can be further used to obtain an embedded discrete-time finite-impulse-response (FIR) filtering response, which can be used for internal anti-aliasing and image-rejection filtering in the downconversion of bandpass signals by subsampling. The detailed analysis of elementary charge-domain sampling circuits presented here shows that the use of integrated FIR filtering with subsampling allows acceptable noise figures to be achieved and can provide effective internal anti-aliasing rejection. The new methods for increasing the selectivity of elementary charge-domain sampling circuits presented here enable the integration of advanced, digitally programmable FIR filtering functions into high-frequency signal sampling, thereby markedly relieving the requirements for additional anti-aliasing, image rejection and possibly even channel selection filters in a radio receiver. BiCMOS and CMOS IF sampler implementations are presented in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the charge-domain sampling technique for integrated anti-aliasing and image-rejection filtering in IF signal quadrature downconversion by subsampling. Circuit measurements show that this sampling technique for built-in filtering results in an accurate frequency response and allows the use of high subsampling ratios while still achieving a competitive dynamic range.

An extensive radio wave propagation measurement campaign was conducted at 1.3 GHz and 4.0 GHz inside four buildings, including a sports arena, a modern closed-plan office building, and two dissimilar, open-plan factories. Measurements were recorded at 57 locations using base station antenna heights of 1.7 meters and 4.0 meters. Results were obtained for mean and maximum excess delay, rms delay spread, time delay jitter, differential delay jitter, and path loss through analyses of impulse response estimates, which were obtained via repetitive 5 ns probing pulses. The effects of frequency, antenna height, topography (line-of-sight or obstructed direct path), and building environment on delay spread and path loss are quantified. Results indicate that, on average, the frequencies and antenna heights used in this study have minimal impact on rms delay spread and path loss. However, topography and building environment significantly affect these parameters. RMS delay spread values as high as 230 ns were observed in open plan factories. Computed path loss power law exponents are 1.84 and 2.35 for line-of-sight and obstructed topographies, respectively. A second campaign was conducted to determine the effects of antenna directivity and polarization on propagation parameters. On average, line-of-sight indoor channels offer 8 dB of cross-polarization discrimination, whereas obstructed environments offer less than 3 dB. Directional antennas provide a significant reduction in rms delay spread over omni-directional antennas. In line-of-sight environments, circular polarization provides an additional delay spread reduction. / Master of Science

The radio interface greatly affects performance of wireless communication systems. Hard-wired communication links use transmission lines to connect communication terminals. The propagation characteristics of radio frequency signals on these transmission lines are well known. In wireless communication systems, however, the transmission line with a known impulse response is replaced by a radio channel with an impulse response that is constantly changing as the users roam throughout the coverage area. The varying impulse response is due to the multiple path propagation of the signals from the transmitter to the receiver. The design of emerging small cellular (commonly known as microcellular) wireless systems is limited by the multipath propagation characteristics of the channel. Once these propagation conditions are understood, systems may be designed more efficiently in terms of cell layout, interference reduction, and system performance. This thesis presents a technique for automated propagation prediction in outdoor microcellular radio channels using ray tracing. The basic method is to integrate site-specific environmental data with a geometrical optics model to trace the propagation of energy from the transmitter to the receiver. Software written in C++ is used to automatically trace rays that are reflected, transmitted, scattered, or diffracted as they propagate through the channel. The automated software uses AutoCAD® to maintain the site-specific building data incorporated into the model. Details of the building database, propagation model, and software implementation are included in this thesis. The accuracy of the model and its software implementation is tested against wide band measurements taken on the Virginia Tech campus. Results, included here, indicate that the received signal can be accurately predicted in both line-of-sight and obstructed microcell topographies. / Master of Science