Skip to main content
EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking
Download PDF
  • Research Article
  • Open access
  • Published:

A Frame Synchronization and Frequency Offset Estimation Algorithm for OFDM System and its Analysis

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking volume 2006, Article number: 057018 (2006) Cite this article

Abstract

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a parallel transmission scheme for transmitting data at very high rates over time dispersive radio channels. In an OFDM system, frame synchronization and frequency offset estimation are extremely important for maintaining orthogonality among the subcarriers. In this paper, for a preamble having two identical halves in time, a timing metric is proposed for OFDM frame synchronization. The timing metric is analyzed and its mean values at the preamble boundary and in its neighborhood are evaluated, for AWGN and for frequency selective channels with specified mean power profile of the channel taps, and the variance expression is derived for AWGN case. Since the derivation of the variance expression for frequency selective channel case is tedious, we used simulations to estimate the same. Based on the theoretical value of the mean and estimate of the variance, we suggest a threshold for detection of the preamble boundary and evaluating the probability of false and correct detections. We also suggest a method for a threshold selection and the preamble boundary detection in practical applications. A simple and computationally efficient method for estimating fractional and integer frequency offset, using the same preamble, is also described. Simulations are used to corroborate the results of the analysis. The proposed method of frame synchronization and frequency offset estimation is applied to the downlink synchronization in OFDM mode of wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) standard IEEE 802.16-2004, and its performance is studied through simulations.

[12345678910111213141516]

References

  1. Part 16: Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems IEEE Std. 802.16, 2004

  2. Speth M, Fechtel SA, Fock G, Meyr H: Optimum receiver design for wireless broadband systems using OFDM—part 1. IEEE Transactions on Communications 1999,47(11):1668-1677. 10.1109/26.803501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Moose P: A technique for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing frequency offset correction. IEEE Transactions on Communications 1994, 42: 2908-2914. 10.1109/26.328961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Minn H, Bhargava V, Letaief K: A robust timing and frequency synchronization for OFDM systems. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications 2003, 2: 822-839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Schmidl T, Cox D: Robust frequency and timing synchronization for OFDM. IEEE Transactions on Communications 1997, 45: 1613-1621. 10.1109/26.650240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Keller T, Hanzo L: Orthogonal frequency division multiplex synchronization techniques for wireless local area networks. Proceedings of 7th IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC '96), October 1996, Taipei, Taiwan 963-967.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  7. Keller T, Piazzo L, Mandarini P, Hanzo L: Orthogonal frequency division multiplex synchronization techniques for frequency-selective fading channels. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications 2001,19(6):999-1008. 10.1109/49.926356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Haiyun T, Lau K, Brodersen R: Synchronization schemes for packet OFDM system. Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC '03), May 2003, Anchorage, Alaska, USA 5: 3346-3350.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Zhang JL, Wang MZ, Zhu WL: A novel OFDM frame synchronization scheme. Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Communications, Circuits and Systems and West Sino Expositions, July 2002, New York, NY, USA 1: 119-123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. van de Beek J-J, Sandell M, Börjesson PO: ML estimation of timing and frequency offset in multicarrier systems. In Tech. Rep. TULEA 1996:09. Lulea University of Technology, Division of Signal Processing, Lulea, Sweden; April 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  11. van de Beek J-J, Sandell M, Isaksson M, Börjesson PO: Low-complex frame synchronization in OFDM systems. Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Universal Personal Communication (ICUPC '95), November 1995, Tokyo, Japan 982-986.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  12. Muller-Weinfurtner SH: On the optimality of metrics for coarse frame synchronization. Proceedings of 9th IEEE International Symposium on Personal Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC '98), September 1998, Boston, Mass, USA 533-537.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Wu M, Zhu W-P: A preamble aided symbol and frequency synchronization scheme for OFDM systems. Proceedings of IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS '05), May 2005, Kobe, Japan 2627-2630.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Weinstein SB, Ebert PM: Data transmission by frequency division multiplexing using the discrete Fourier transform. IEEE Transactions on Communication Technology 1971,19(5):628-634. 10.1109/TCOM.1971.1090705

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. van Kempen G, van Vliet L: Mean and variance of ratio estimators used in fluorescence ratio imaging. Cytometry 2000,39(4):300-305. 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0320(20000401)39:4<300::AID-CYTO8>3.0.CO;2-O

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Erceg V, Hari KVS, Smith MS, et al.: Channel models for fixed wireless applications. Tech. Rep. IEEE 802.16a-03/01 July 2003.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hellosoft India Pvt Ltd, 82 703, Road No 12, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, AP, 500 034, India

    Ch Nanda Kishore & V Umapathi Reddy

  2. IIIT, Hyderabad, India

    V Umapathi Reddy

Authors
  1. Ch Nanda Kishore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V Umapathi Reddy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ch Nanda Kishore.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kishore, C.N., Reddy, V.U. A Frame Synchronization and Frequency Offset Estimation Algorithm for OFDM System and its Analysis. J Wireless Com Network 2006, 057018 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1155/WCN/2006/57018

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/WCN/2006/57018

Keywords