Radio Communication System Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional radio communication systems face challenges in accurately estimating carrier frequency offsets in multi-path environments, leading to degraded transmission characteristics and increased estimation time, power consumption, and frame use efficiency due to the need for longer training signals and higher transmission power.

Innovation Solution

A radio communication system that transmits radio signals with frequency offsets assigned to training signals, allowing for accurate carrier frequency offset estimation with a shorter training signal length or lower transmission power by using a phase difference detection method that averages physical amounts based on phase shift amounts, even in multi-path fading environments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a longer training signal is used to accurately estimate carrier frequency offset in multi-path environments, then estimation accuracy is improved, but estimation time and frame use efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarrier frequency offset estimation accuracyVSAvoidestimation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of training signal structure by introducing frequency offset assignment to training signals. Instead of using longer training signals to improve accuracy, the system assigns specific frequency offsets to training signals and uses phase difference detection to estimate carrier frequency offset, achieving accurate estimation with shorter training signal length and reduced estimation time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If higher transmission power is used to improve carrier frequency offset estimation accuracy, then estimation precision is improved, but power consumption and transmission power requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarrier frequency offset estimation accuracyVSAvoidtransmission power
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the conventional approach of using higher transmission power to improve estimation accuracy with a signal processing approach. By assigning frequency offsets to training signals and using phase difference detection, the system achieves accurate carrier frequency offset estimation without requiring higher transmission power, thus reducing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If training signals are used to estimate carrier frequency offset, then estimation accuracy is improved, but transmission efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary training signals

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarrier frequency offset estimation accuracyVSAvoidtransmission efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the training signal into multiple parts with different frequency offsets assigned to them. This segmentation allows the receiver to use phase difference detection across these segmented signals to estimate carrier frequency offset more accurately, reducing the need for longer training sequences and improving transmission efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2270993B1Radio communication system and radio communication method
Publication Date: 2018.07.11 NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP
  • EP2270993B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2270993B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2270993B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A radio communication system includes a transmission device which transmits a plurality of radio signals, and a reception device which receives the plurality of radio signals from the transmission device and estimates, as a carrier frequency offset, a difference between a carrier frequency transmitted by the transmission device and a reference reception frequency used for reception. The system includes the transmission device which branches a first previously determined sequence of training signals, and transmits the radio signals modulated with frequencies by the carrier frequency offsets having regularity for a first sequence of a plurality of branched training signals, and the reception device which estimates the carrier frequency offset with the transmission device according to the first sequence of training signals included in the radio signals transmitted from the transmission device and phase shift amounts obtained from the first previously determined sequence of training signals.