Abstract:
This document discusses, among other things, a system and method of measuring and correcting for frequency offset in wideband signals of bandwidth X within a communications system. A synchronization signal is generated and transmitted, wherein generating a synchronization signal includes generating a first chirp signal that sweeps a portion of bandwidth X and generating a second chirp signal to sweep approximately the same portion of bandwidth X but in the opposite direction. The synchronization signal is received at a receiver. The receiver then detects a first offset as a function of the first chirp signal and a second offset as a function of the second chirp signal and calculates the frequency offset as a function of the first and second offsets.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This patent document pertains generally to data communications, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a system and method for obtaining frequency and time synchronization in wideband communication systems. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In a chirp-modulated communication system the offset of the carrier frequencies between the transmitter and receiver appears as a time offset at the receiver. Current chirp-modulated communication systems do not attempt to determine the actual frequency offset, and, therefore, the symbol timing at the receiver may be misaligned with the received data. This produces a non-optimal partial correlation or intersymbol interference (ISI) that degrades the sensitivity of the receiver. Additionally, if the receiver has no knowledge of the frequency offset it must track the signal based upon the demodulated data in order to maintain synchronization. However, if the frequency offset is known at the receiver, it can use a much more robust means of tracking the signal. If the symbol clock and carrier frequency are derived from the same oscillator at the transmitter and receiver, the frequency offset is proportional to the time drift. Thus, the frequency offset information can be used to track the incoming signal. This method of tracking is much more robust in high interference or low signal to noise ratio environments. 
     What is needed is a system and method for reducing ISI and enhancing receiver performance in a communication system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals describe substantially similar components throughout the several views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes represent different instances of substantially similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a communication system according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a frequency domain representation of the transmitted and received synchronization signals; 
         FIG. 3  depicts the intersymbol interference that occurs due to the frequency offset of the received signal; and 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a synchronization signal formed by concatenating to the sync preamble an unmodulated sequence of chirps that are frequency swept in a direction opposite to the chirps that are part of the sync preamble. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     As noted above, current chirp-modulated communication systems do not measure and attempt to remove the frequency offset of the received signal prior to the correlation with the expected chirp waveform. Without reducing the frequency offset, the time offset error induced by the frequency offset may significantly degrade the performance of the receiver. In addition, with a known frequency offset at the receiver a more robust time tracking algorithm can be employed. 
     A system and method for reducing the effects of frequency offset in spread spectrum and other wideband signals is shown in  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 1 , system  100  includes a transmitter  102  and a receiver  120 . Transmitter  102  includes a data source  104 , a chirp generator  106 , a combiner  108  and a transmit circuit  110 . Data source  104  generates a stream of data. Chirp generator  106  generates a chirp signal that is combined with the stream of data from data source  104  using combiner  108  in a manner known in the art. 
     A frequency domain representation of a chirp signal transmitted by transmitter  102  is shown as transmit signal  140  in  FIG. 2 . In one embodiment, the chirp signal used in transmitter  102  is a complex sinusoid that rapidly sweeps across the frequency bandwidth of the signal. In one such embodiment, each frequency is occupied for only a single chirp sample. 
     At receiver  120 , the received signal  150  may be shifted in frequency due to the offset between the transmitter  102 &#39;s local oscillator and the local oscillator in receiver  120 , as well as any Doppler effects. The correlation of received signal  150  with the transmitted chirp is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Despite the presence of a large frequency offset, the received signal is perfectly correlated to the transmitted signal. Note that the received signal&#39;s higher frequency components will alias and correlate with the transmitted signal. Also note that a positive frequency offset has translated into a time offset. 
     If the chirps are modulated with information data, there will be intersymbol interference (ISI) introduced due to the misalignment of the receive chirp correlations with respect to the actual symbol boundaries. This is due to the property of the chirp waveform of translating a frequency offset into an apparent time offset. This phenomenon is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     It should be noted that, if a SAW filter is used to perform the chirp correlation instead of a digital FFT method, the ISI would not occur but there would still be a degradation due to an incomplete correlation. This is what is meant by the term “partial correlation”. 
     In one embodiment, transmitter  102  transmits an unmodulated sequence of chirps as a synchronization preamble. As noted in “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AND DETECTING SPREAD SPECTRUM SIGNALS,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/764,597, filed herewith, the description of which is incorporated within by reference, it is possible to achieve coherent detection of a signal beyond the system&#39;s coherency bandwidth through the use of chirp modulation for a data-unmodulated sync or preamble. 
     In order to reduce receiver degradations due to inaccurate symbol timing, the frequency offset must be removed from the received signal. The chirp modulation, however, effectively hides the underlying frequency offset, making it difficult to distinguish the true timing offset from the time offset produced by the frequency offset. System  100  provides a means of determining the frequency offset, and, therefore, the time offset. It does this by transmitting an unmodulated sequence of chirps frequency swept in the opposite direction as those used in the sync preamble. This approach is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an unmodulated sequence of chirps frequency swept in the opposite direction as those used in the synchronization preamble. At the receiver, a positive frequency offset results in an early timing offset with positively swept chirps and a late timing offset with negatively swept chirps. The true timing offset is halfway between these two offsets. Likewise, the frequency offset is calculated based upon the difference between the positively and negatively swept chirps. The optimum symbol timing at the receiver can be maintained throughout the transmitted data duration by tracking the time offset based upon the calculated frequency offset and the phase estimates from the demodulator. 
     In one embodiment, frequency offset is reduced through the use of an NCO (Numerically Controlled Oscillator). The elimination of the frequency offset also results in the elimination of the ISI induced by the frequency offset. 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , receiver  120  includes a receiver circuit  122 , a digital correlator  124 , a chirp generator  126 , a complex conjugate calculator  128 , a demodulator  130  and a Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO)  132 . Complex conjugate calculator  128  calculates the complex conjugate of a chirp signal generated by chirp generator  126 . Digital correlator and offset correction  124  takes the complex conjugate of the chirp signal generated by chirp generator  126  and uses it to detect the transmitted synchronization signal. This transmission can be initial signaling for packet-based data transmissions or for access channels. 
     In the embodiment shown NCO  132  eliminates the frequency offset detected by receiver  120 . The elimination of the frequency offset also results in the elimination of the ISI induced by the frequency offset. 
     Current chirp-modulated communication systems do not attempt to determine the actual frequency offset, and, therefore, the symbol timing at the receiver may be misaligned with the received data. This produces a non-optimal partial correlation or intersymbol interference (IS) that degrades the sensitivity of the receiver. The above described system and method eliminates this partial correlation or ISI by providing a method for measuring the frequency offset of the received chirp-modulated signal. 
     It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. 
     The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), which requires that it allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment.