ITC/USA 2015 Conference Proceedings / The Fifty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2015 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / The US Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) utilizes telemetry in several critical ways. Data, video, and voice from test aircraft provides YPG the information necessary to effectively execute missions. This information must be displayed real-time for efficient use of available flight time, making a robust telemetry link vital. In seeking an increased telemetry downlink capability, YPG considered three new technologies: Space Time Coding (STC), Adaptive Equalization (EQ), and Low Density Parity Check (LDPC). These technologies have shown reduced multipath and increased datalink reliability on fixed-wing aircraft; however, YPG's concern was the technology's benefits on rotary wing aircraft tested here. To assess potential benefits of these technologies, YPG conducted flight tests using representative flight profiles and vendor-supplied equipment to collect quantitative and qualitative data.

This thesis mainly focuses on the integration of Space-Time Block Coding (STBC) and Complementary Code based CDMA system. Our proposed integration systems have not only the merit of complementary code but also the extra advantage of diversity gain from STBC. Especially, when the different frequency channel gain has strong correlation, the complementary code will cancel most of interference. We also present a lot of improved structures for our proposed systems. We utilize special filters in receiver such as Zero-Forcing filter and Turbo Filter to assist complementary code in canceling interference.

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ITC/USA 2014 Conference Proceedings / The Fiftieth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 20-23, 2014 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, CA / In order to provide reliable line-of-sight communications, test aircraft typically use two transmit antennas to create top and bottom hemispherical patterns that cover the full range of possible aircraft orientations. The two transmit signals are normally generated by a single transmitter with the power being split between the two antennas. Although this configuration is straightforward and easy to implement, problems can arise due to the two signals constructively and destructively interfering with each other. This can result in the composite antenna pattern having periodic nulls with a depth and geometric spacing dependent upon the amplitude and phase differences of the two transmitted signals. This problem is usually addressed by either unevenly splitting the transmit power between the two antennas, or by using two separate transmitters at different frequencies. Unfortunately, these methods have drawbacks that require either system performance or cost trade-offs. This paper discusses the use of Space-Time Coding to eliminate this antenna interaction by transmitting modified waveforms that simultaneously allow for both full power transmission and single-channel operation. This approach effectively restores the nominal antenna performance, thereby resulting in better overall coverage and less pattern-induced dropouts. Telemetry performance results from recent flight testing are presented to validate the benefits of this approach.

In recent years, space-time block coding (STBC) has emerged as an effective transmit-diversity technique to combat the detrimental effects of channel fading. In addition to STBC, high-order modulation schemes will be used in future wireless communication systems aiming to provide ubiquitous-broadband wireless access. Hence, advanced receiver schemes are necessary to achieve high performance. In this thesis, advanced and computationally-efficient receiver schemes are investigated and developed for single-carrier space-time (ST) block-coded transmissions over frequency-selective fading (FSF) channels. First, we develop an MMSE-based turbo equalization scheme for Alamouti ST block-coded systems. A semi-analytical method to estimate the bit error rate (BER) is devised. Our results show that the proposed turbo equalization scheme offers significant performance improvements over one-pass equalization. Second, we analyze the convergence behavior of the proposed turbo equalization scheme for Alamouti ST block-coded systems using the extrinsic information transfer (EXIT)-band chart technique. Third, burst-wise (BW)-STBC is applied for uplink transmission over FSF channels in block-spread-CDMA systems with multiuser interference-free reception. The performances of different decision feedback sequence estimation (DFSE) schemes are investigated. A new scheme combining frequency-domain (FD) linear equalization and modified unwhitened-DFSE is proposed. The proposed scheme is very promising as the error-floor behavior observed in the existing unwhitened DFSE schemes is eliminated. Fourth, we develop a FD-MMSE-based turbo equalization scheme for the downlink of ST block-coded CDMA systems. We adopt BW-STBC instead of Alamouti symbol-wise (SW)-STBC considered for WCDMA systems and demonstrate its superior performance in FSF channels. Block spreading is shown to be more desirable than conventional spreading to improve performance using turbo equalization. We also devise approximate implementations (AprxImpls) that offer better trade-offs between performance and complexity. Semi-analytical upper bounds on the BER are derived. Fifth, turbo multicode detection is investigated for ST block-coded downlink transmission in DS-CDMA systems. We propose symbol-by-symbol and chip-by-chip FD-MMSE-based multicode detectors. An iterative channel estimation scheme is also proposed. The proposed turbo multicode detection scheme offers significant performance improvements compared with non-iterative multicode detection. Finally, the impact of channel estimation errors on the performance of MMSE-based turbo equalization in ST block-coded CDMA systems is investigated.

In recent years, space-time block coding (STBC) has emerged as an effective transmit-diversity technique to combat the detrimental effects of channel fading. In addition to STBC, high-order modulation schemes will be used in future wireless communication systems aiming to provide ubiquitous-broadband wireless access. Hence, advanced receiver schemes are necessary to achieve high performance. In this thesis, advanced and computationally-efficient receiver schemes are investigated and developed for single-carrier space-time (ST) block-coded transmissions over frequency-selective fading (FSF) channels. First, we develop an MMSE-based turbo equalization scheme for Alamouti ST block-coded systems. A semi-analytical method to estimate the bit error rate (BER) is devised. Our results show that the proposed turbo equalization scheme offers significant performance improvements over one-pass equalization. Second, we analyze the convergence behavior of the proposed turbo equalization scheme for Alamouti ST block-coded systems using the extrinsic information transfer (EXIT)-band chart technique. Third, burst-wise (BW)-STBC is applied for uplink transmission over FSF channels in block-spread-CDMA systems with multiuser interference-free reception. The performances of different decision feedback sequence estimation (DFSE) schemes are investigated. A new scheme combining frequency-domain (FD) linear equalization and modified unwhitened-DFSE is proposed. The proposed scheme is very promising as the error-floor behavior observed in the existing unwhitened DFSE schemes is eliminated. Fourth, we develop a FD-MMSE-based turbo equalization scheme for the downlink of ST block-coded CDMA systems. We adopt BW-STBC instead of Alamouti symbol-wise (SW)-STBC considered for WCDMA systems and demonstrate its superior performance in FSF channels. Block spreading is shown to be more desirable than conventional spreading to improve performance using turbo equalization. We also devise approximate implementations (AprxImpls) that offer better trade-offs between performance and complexity. Semi-analytical upper bounds on the BER are derived. Fifth, turbo multicode detection is investigated for ST block-coded downlink transmission in DS-CDMA systems. We propose symbol-by-symbol and chip-by-chip FD-MMSE-based multicode detectors. An iterative channel estimation scheme is also proposed. The proposed turbo multicode detection scheme offers significant performance improvements compared with non-iterative multicode detection. Finally, the impact of channel estimation errors on the performance of MMSE-based turbo equalization in ST block-coded CDMA systems is investigated.

In recent years, space-time block coding (STBC) has emerged as an effective transmit-diversity technique to combat the detrimental effects of channel fading. In addition to STBC, high-order modulation schemes will be used in future wireless communication systems aiming to provide ubiquitous-broadband wireless access. Hence, advanced receiver schemes are necessary to achieve high performance. In this thesis, advanced and computationally-efficient receiver schemes are investigated and developed for single-carrier space-time (ST) block-coded transmissions over frequency-selective fading (FSF) channels. First, we develop an MMSE-based turbo equalization scheme for Alamouti ST block-coded systems. A semi-analytical method to estimate the bit error rate (BER) is devised. Our results show that the proposed turbo equalization scheme offers significant performance improvements over one-pass equalization. Second, we analyze the convergence behavior of the proposed turbo equalization scheme for Alamouti ST block-coded systems using the extrinsic information transfer (EXIT)-band chart technique. Third, burst-wise (BW)-STBC is applied for uplink transmission over FSF channels in block-spread-CDMA systems with multiuser interference-free reception. The performances of different decision feedback sequence estimation (DFSE) schemes are investigated. A new scheme combining frequency-domain (FD) linear equalization and modified unwhitened-DFSE is proposed. The proposed scheme is very promising as the error-floor behavior observed in the existing unwhitened DFSE schemes is eliminated. Fourth, we develop a FD-MMSE-based turbo equalization scheme for the downlink of ST block-coded CDMA systems. We adopt BW-STBC instead of Alamouti symbol-wise (SW)-STBC considered for WCDMA systems and demonstrate its superior performance in FSF channels. Block spreading is shown to be more desirable than conventional spreading to improve performance using turbo equalization. We also devise approximate implementations (AprxImpls) that offer better trade-offs between performance and complexity. Semi-analytical upper bounds on the BER are derived. Fifth, turbo multicode detection is investigated for ST block-coded downlink transmission in DS-CDMA systems. We propose symbol-by-symbol and chip-by-chip FD-MMSE-based multicode detectors. An iterative channel estimation scheme is also proposed. The proposed turbo multicode detection scheme offers significant performance improvements compared with non-iterative multicode detection. Finally, the impact of channel estimation errors on the performance of MMSE-based turbo equalization in ST block-coded CDMA systems is investigated. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems employ multiple antennas at the transmitter and the receiver. Multiple antennas provide capacity gain and/or robust performance over single antenna communications. Traditional automatic-repeat-request (ARQ) techniques developed for single-input single-output (SISO) communication systems have to be modified in order to be employed in MIMO communication systems. In this dissertation, we propose and analysis some ARQ techniques for MIMO communication systems. The basic retransmission protocols of ARQ, stop-and-wait (SW-ARQ), go-back-$N$ (GBN-ARQ), and selective repeat (SR-ARQ), designed for SISO communication systems are generalized for parallel multichannel communication systems. The generalized ARQ protocols seek to improve the channel utilization of multiple parallel channels with different transmission rates and different packet error rates. The generalized ARQ protocols are shown to improve the transmission delay as well. A type-I hybrid-ARQ error control is used to illustrate the throughput gain of employing ARQ error control into MIMO communication systems. With the channel information known at both the transmitter and the receiver, the MIMO channel is converted into a set of parallel independent subchannels. The performance of the type-I hybrid-ARQ error control is presented. Simulation results show the throughput gain of using an ARQ scheme in MIMO communication systems. When the channel state information is unknown to the transmitter, error control codes that span both space and time, so-called space-time coding, are explored in order to obtained spatial diversity. As a consequence, the coding scheme used for ARQ error control has to be designed in order to consider coding across both space and time. In this dissertation, we design a set of retransmission codes for a type-II hybrid-ARQ scheme employing the multidimensional space-time trellis code as the forward error control code. A concept of sup-optimal partitioning of the (super-)constellation is proposed. The hybrid-ARQ error control scheme, consisting of the optimal code for each transmission, outperforms the hybrid-ARQ error control scheme, consisting of the same code for all transmissions.

Aeronautical telemetry systems that transmit the same signal through multiple antennas from the flight vehicle suffer from severe link dropouts when the signals destructively interfere one with another at receiver. The underlying issue is a transmit array with element spacing far greater than the wavelength producing a transmit antenna pattern with significant and deep nulls. Recently, space-time coding techniques have been proven to resolve the issue for systems using linear modulations and shaped-offset quadrature shift keying (SOQPSK) modulation, a non-linear continuous phase modulation (CPM). This thesis examines application of space-time coding techniques to resolve the self-interference issue for another CPM modulation, the advanced range telemetry (ARTM) CPM. It is shown in this thesis among the two branches of space-time coding, space-time block coding (STBC) and space-time trellis coding (STTC), only the latter offers a solution for a full rate, low complexity, no hardware modification implementation. Various candidate STTCs are identified via simulation using the pair-wise error probability as a performance metric. One STTC is identified with trivial implementation costs and an error performance that is a function of code length.

In this thesis, the process of optimizing Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio has been investigated in fast-fading environments where simulation results have shown that its performance is limited by the Probability of Reporting Errors. By proposing a transmit diversity scheme using Differential space-time block codes (D-STBC) where channel state information (CSI) is not required and regarding multiple pairs of Cognitive Radios (CR's) with single antennas as a virtual MIMO antenna arrays in multiple clusters, Differential space-time coding is applied for the purpose of decision reporting over Rayleigh channels. Both Hard and Soft combination schemes were investigated at the fusion center to reveal performance advantages for Hard combination schemes due to their minimal bandwidth requirements and simplistic implementation. The simulations results show that this optimization process achieves full transmit diversity, albeit with slight performance degradation in terms of power with improvements in performance when compared to conventional Cooperative Spectrum Sensing over non-ideal reporting channels. Further research carried out in this thesis shows performance deficits of Cooperative Spectrum Sensing due to interference on sensing channels of Cognitive Radio. Interference Alignment (IA) being a revolutionary wireless transmission strategy that reduces the impact of interference seems well suited as a strategy that can be used to optimize the performance of Cooperative Spectrum Sensing. The idea of IA is to coordinate multiple transmitters so that their mutual interference aligns at their receivers, facilitating simple interference cancellation techniques. Since its inception, research efforts have primarily been focused on verifying IA's ability to achieve the maximum degrees of freedom (an approximation of sum capacity), developing algorithms for determining alignment solutions and designing transmission strategies that relax the need for perfect alignment but yield better performance. With the increased deployment of wireless services, CR's ability to opportunistically sense and access the unused licensed frequency spectrum, without causing harmful interference to the licensed users becomes increasingly diminished, making the concept of introducing IA in CR a very attractive proposition. For a multiuser multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) overlay CR network, a space-time opportunistic IA (ST-OIA) technique has been proposed that allows spectrum sharing between a single primary user (PU) and multiple secondary users (SU) while ensuring zero interference to the PUs. With local CSI available at both the transmitters and receivers of SUs, the PU employs a space-time WF (STWF) algorithm to optimize its transmission and in the process, frees up unused eigenmodes that can be exploited by the SU. STWF achieves higher performance than other WF algorithms at low to moderate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regimes, which makes it ideal for implementation in CR networks. The SUs align their transmitted signals in such a way their interference impairs only the PU's unused eigenmodes. For the multiple SUs to further exploit the benefits of Cooperative Spectrum Sensing, it was shown in this thesis that IA would only work when a set of conditions were met. The first condition ensures that the SUs satisfy a zero interference constraint at the PU's receiver by designing their post-processing matrices such that they are orthogonal to the received signal from the PU link. The second condition ensures a zero interference constraint at both the PU and SUs receivers i.e. the constraint ensures that no interference from the SU transmitters is present at the output of the post-processing matrices of its unintended receivers. The third condition caters for the multiple SUs scenario to ensure interference from multiple SUs are aligned along unused eigenmodes. The SU system is assumed to employ a time division multiple access (TDMA) system such that the Principle of Reciprocity is employed towards optimizing the SUs transmission rates. Since aligning multiple SU transmissions at the PU is always limited by availability of spatial dimensions as well as typical user loads, the third condition proposes a user selection algorithm by the fusion centre (FC), where the SUs are grouped into clusters based on their numbers (i.e. two SUs per cluster) and their proximity to the FC, so that they can be aligned at each PU-Rx. This converts the cognitive IA problem into an unconstrained standard IA problem for a general cognitive system. Given the fact that the optimal power allocation algorithms used to optimize the SUs transmission rates turns out to be an optimal beamformer with multiple eigenbeams, this work initially proposes combining the diversity gain property of STBC, the zero-forcing function of IA and beamforming to optimize the SUs transmission rates. However, this solution requires availability of CSI, and to eliminate the need for this, this work then combines the D-STBC scheme with optimal IA precoders (consisting of beamforming and zero-forcing) to maximize the SUs data rates.