Frame/training sequence synchronization and DC-offset removal for (data-dependent) superimposed training based channel estimation

Over the last few years there has been growing interest in performing channel estimation via superimposed training (ST), where a training sequence is added to the information-bearing data, as opposed to being time-division multiplexed with it. Recent enhancements of ST are data-dependent ST (DDST), where an additional data-dependent training sequence is also added to the information-bearing signal, and semiblind approaches based on ST. In this paper, along with the channel estimation, we consider new algorithms for training sequence synchronization for both ST and DDST and block (or frame) synchronization (BS) for DDST (BS is not needed for ST). The synchronization algorithms are based on the structural properties of the vector containing the cyclic means of the channel output. In addition, we also consider removal of the unknown do offset that can occur due to using first-order statistics with a non-ideal radio-frequency receiver. The subsequent bit error rate (BER) simulations (after equalization) show a performance not far removed from the ideal case of exact synchronization. While this is the first synchronization algorithm for DDST, our new approach for ST gives identical results to an existing ST synchronization method but with a reduced computational burden. In addition, we also present analysis of BER simulations for time-varying channels, different modulation schemes, and traditional time-division multiplexed training. Finally, the advantage of DDST over (conventional, non semi-blind) ST will reduce as the constellation size increases, and we also show that even without a BS algorithm, DDST is still superior to conventional ST. However, iterative semiblind schemes based upon ST outperform DDST but at the expense of greater complexity.