Generalized Synchronization Algorithms for FBMC-OQAM Systems

Synchronization is one of the critical issues for wireless communications. In this paper, we present low-complexity joint timing and carrier frequency offsets synchronization algorithms for filter-bank multicarrier with offset quadrature amplitude modulation (FBMC-OQAM) systems by exploiting two uncorrelated consecutive real training symbols based on the repeated conjugate-symmetry property. We also develop a new peak-detection algorithm and a ratio-based carrier-frequency-offset estimation without using a threshold or matched filter, which reduces the computational cost. The proposed detection algorithm shows better performance than the threshold-based detection. The proposed algorithm provides similar system performance over the burst transmission with existing schemes while reducing the computational complexity. Moreover, the proposed scheme does not require the identical sequences that are usually adopted at the existing synchronization schemes for FBMC-OQAM systems. We show that the proposed method can be adopted for the space–time block coding for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) FBMC systems while existing schemes are not applicable. Finally, we show that the proposed algorithms are generally applicable for not only in burst and continuous transmission mode but also MIMO systems through the simulation results.