Emerging broadband wireless packet data networks are increasingly employing spectrally efficient modulation methods like Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) to increase the channel efficiency and maximize data throughput. Unfortunately, the performance of high level QAM modulations in the wireless channel is sensitive to channel imperfections and throughput is degraded significantly at low signal-to-noise
ratios due to bit errors and packet retransmission. To obtain a more robust physical
layer, broadband systems are employing multilevel QAM (M-QAM) to mitigate this reduction in throughput by adapting the QAM modulation level to maintain acceptable packet error rate (PER) performance in changing channel conditions.
This thesis presents an adaptive M-QAM modem hardware architecture, suitable for use as a modem core for programmable software defined radios (SDRs) and broadband wireless applications. The modem operates in burst mode, and can reliably synchronize to different QAM constellations burst-by-burst.
Two main improvements exploit commonality in the M-QAM constellations to minimize the redundant hardware required. First, the burst synchronization functions (carrier, clock, amplitude, and modulation level) operate reliably without prior knowledge of the QAM modulation level used in the burst. Second, a unique bit stuffing and shifting technique is employed which supports variable bit rate operation, while reducing the core signal processing functions to common hardware for all constellations. These features make this architecture especially attractive for implementation with Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs); both of
which are becoming popular for highly integrated, cost-effective wireless transceivers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:USASK/oai:usask.ca:etd-04292004-091055 |
| Date | 29 April 2004 |
| Creators | Aspel, Daniel T |
| Contributors | Saadat Mehr, Aryan, Kusalik, Anthony J. (Tony), Klymyshyn, David M., Dodds, David E., Chowdhury, Nurul A. |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | University of Saskatchewan Library |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-04292004-091055/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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