Adaptive threshold for discrete fourier transform-based channel estimation in generalized frequency division multiplexing system

Even though generalized frequency division multiplexing is an alternative waveform method expected to replace the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing in the future, its implementation must alleviate channel effects. Least-squares (LS), a low-complexity channel estimation technique, could be improved by using the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) without increasing complexity. Unlike the usage of the LS method, the DFT-based method requires the receiver to know the channel impulse response (CIR) length, which is unknown. This study introduces a simple, yet effective, CIR length estimator by utilizing LS estimation. As the cyclic prefix (CP) length is commonly set to be longer than the CIR length, it is possible to search through the first samples if CP is larger than a threshold set using the remaining samples. An adaptive scale is also designed to lower the error probability of the estimation, and a simple signal-to-interference-noise ratio estimation is also proposed by utilizing a sparse preamble to support the use of the scale. A software simulation is used to show the ability of the proposed system to estimate the CIR length. Due to shorter CIR length of rural area, the performance is slightly poorer compared to urban environment. Nevertheless, satisfactory performance is shown for both environments.