This paper presents a new automatic-frequency control (AFC) configuration capable of removing wide range frequency offsets (up to about 0.625 fs, where fs is signal symbol rate). The new configuration consists of an AFC that removes frequency offsets between 0.125 fs and another AFC that detects the frequency offset range coarsely between 0.625 fs. This paper describes the principle of the new AFC configuration. The proposed AFC configuration employs four correlators to enhance the acquisition range. It also adopts the reverse modulation scheme to decrease the acquisition time. The performance of the new AFC configuration is confirmed via computer simulations. It is shown that the proposed configuration can accommodate wide range frequency offsets as well as reduce the acquisition time.

This paper introduces distributed array antenna (DAA) systems that offer high antenna gain. A DAA consists of several small antennas with improved antenna gain. This paper proposes a technique that suppresses the off-axis undesired radiation and compensates the time delay by combining signal processing with optimization of array element positioning. It suppresses the undesired radiation by compensating the delay timing with high accuracy and deliberately generating the inter-symbol interference (ISI) in side-lobe directions. Computer simulations show its effective suppression of the equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) pattern and its excellent BER performance.

This paper proposes an On-Ground Polarization-Forming (GPF) technique to realize a novel polarization-tracking-free satellite communication system whose communication satellite uses linear polarizations. In this system, mobile terminals use circular polarization to realize polarization-tracking-free and simplified terminal configuration. To output circular polarization from the satellite's horizontal and vertical polarization antennas, those output signals transmitted from the satellite are controlled by the base station using the GPF technique. We fabricate a GPF transmitter to evaluate its polarization forming performance. Measured results show that the proposed technique achieves very high cross-polarization discrimination, more than 27 dB.

We target the estimation of antenna patterns of distributed array antenna (DAA) systems for satellite communications. Measuring DAA patterns is very difficult because of the large antenna separations involved, more than several tens of wavelengths. Our goal is to elucidate the accuracy of the DAA pattern estimation method whose inputs are actual antenna pattern data and array factors by evaluating their similarity to actually measured DAA radiation patterns. Experiments on two Ku band parabolic antennas show that their patterns can be accurately estimated even if we change the conditions such as frequency, antenna arrangement and polarization. Evaluations reveal that the method has high estimation accuracy since its errors are better than 1dB. We conclude the method is useful for the accurate estimation of DAA patterns.

In multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) systems, the orthogonality among the spreading codes is destroyed because the channels exhibit frequency-selective fading and the despreading stage performs gain control; that is, inter-code interference (ICI) can significantly degrade system performance. This paper proposes an optimum spreading code assignment method that reflects our analysis of ICI for up and downlink MC-CDMA cellular systems over correlated frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels. At first, we derive theoretical expressions for the desired-to-undesired signal power ratio (DUR) as a quantitative representation of ICI; computer simulation results demonstrate the validity of the analytical results. Next, based on the ICI imbalance among code pairs, we assign specific spreading codes to users to minimize ICI (in short, to maximize the multiplexing performance); our proposed method considers the quality of service (QoS) policy of users or operators. We show that the proposed method yields better performance, in terms of DUR, than the conventional methods. The proposed method can maximize the multiplexing performance of a MC-CDMA cellular system once the channel model, spreading sequence, and combining strategy have been set. Three combining strategies are examined at the despreading stage for the uplink, equal gain combining (EGC), orthogonality restoring combining (ORC), and maximum ratio combining (MRC), while two are considered for the downlink, EGC and MRC.

A new seamless symbol rate switchable modem for multi-rate FDMA systems is proposed in this paper. In the new modem, a novel clock phase compensation algorithm makes it possible to switch the symbol rate synchronously between the transmitter and the receiver, with no degradation in BER when the symbol rate is changed. In addition, by matching the interpolation filter to the symbol rate, this modem is capable of operating at lower clock speeds, which greatly reduces the consumption power. Computer simulations confirm its fundamental performance. Simulation results show that the proposed power-efficient symbol rate switchable modem can change the symbol rate without degrading BER performance.

This paper proposes a frequency diversity transmission scheme that obtains a frequency diversity gain and does not degrade spectrum efficiency; it utilizes multiple carrier frequencies alternately, not simultaneously. This scheme improves the bit error rate (BER) of significant information bits by sacrificing that of insignificant bits in fading channels. Simulation results show that the error floor of significant information bits is reduced to less than 1/5 while that of insignificant bits is doubled. They also show that the proposed scheme improves the received 4-bit ADPCM voice signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by approximately 4 dB even when the frequency correlation is 0. 5.

This paper presents a fully digital high speed (60 Mb/s) Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK)/Offset QPSK (OQPSK) burst demodulator for radio applications, which has been implemented on a 0.5 µm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) master slice Very Large Scale Integrated circuit (VLSI). The developed demodulator VLSI eliminates analog devices such as mixers, phase-shifters and Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) for bit-timing recovery, which are used by conventional high-speed burst demodulators. In addition to the fully digital implementation, the VLSI achieves fast carrier and bit-timing acquisition in burst modes by employing a reverse-modulation carrier recovery scheme with a wave-forming filter for OQPSK operation, and a bit-timing recovery scheme with bit-timing estimation and interpolation using a pulse-shaping filter. Results of performance evaluation assuming application in Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems show that the developed VLSI achieves excellent bit-error-rate and carrier-slipping-rate performance at high speed (60 Mb/s) with short preamble words (less than 100 symbols) in low Eb/No environments.

This paper proposes a new cell station (CS) configuration for personal communication systems. The proposed CS employs a modified coherent demodulator with 4-branch maximal ratio combining diversity and a burst-by-burst automatic frequency control (AFC) to enhance the coverage. The proposed CS also employs an antenna-sharing diversity transmission to incorporate more than one transceiver block into a small unit with high power efficiency. With these techniques, the BER performance of the uplink control channel (CCH) is flattened regardless of carrier frequency errors within 12 kHz; the diversity gain of uplink traffic channel (TCH) is improved by 2 dB; the downlink transmission power is reduced by 1.9 dB.

In uplink multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA), the inter-code interference (ICI) caused by the independent and frequency-selective fading channel of each user and the inter-carrier interference caused by the asynchronous reception of each user's OFDM symbols result in multiple access interference (MAI). This paper evaluates the ICI in frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels for uplink MC-CDMA. We derive theoretical expressions for the desired-to-undesired signal power ratio (DUR) as a quantitative representation of ICI, and validate them by comparison with computer simulations using a Walsh-Hadamard (WH) code. Based on the analytical results, we obtain the optimum spreading sequence that minimizes the ICI (in short, maximizes the multiplexing performance); this sequence appears to be orthogonal. Three equalization combining methods are examined; equal gain combining (EGC), orthogonality restoring combining (ORC), and maximum ratio combining (MRC).

This paper presents a prototype group modem for a hyper-multipoint data gathering satellite communication system. It can handle arbitrarily and dynamically assigned FDMA signals by employing a novel FFT-type block demultiplexer/multiplexer. We clarify its configuration and operational principle. Experiments show that the developed modem offers excellent performance.

We observed the optically forbidden energy transfer between cubic CuCl quantum dots coupled via an optical near-field interaction using time-resolved near-field photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The energy transfer time and exciton lifetime were estimated from the rise and decay times of the PL pump-probe signal, respectively. We found that the exciton lifetime increased as the energy transfer time fell. This result strongly supports the notion that near-field interaction between QD makes the anti-parallel dipole coupling. Namely, a quantum-dots pair coupled by an optical near field has a long exciton lifetime which indicates the anti-parallel coupling of QDs forming a weakly radiative quadrupole state.

To obtain large capacity, high quality mobile satellite communication systems in the future, we must use a multi-beam that can cope with extremely high levels of frequency reuse. This paper describes a novel resource allocation algorithm for multi-beam satellite communication systems that can dynamically adapt to maximum communication capacity without compromising quality. The algorithm combines two resource allocation schemes that enable it to contend with the ever-changing user distribution and inter-beam interference conditions. The first scheme optimizes the resources amongst beams. To minimize interference, the optimal constraint conditions are clarified when all clusters share and occupy the same bandwidth completely. These constraints are used in the optimization algorithm. The second scheme manages the various required resources and adapts them to the beam gain and interference levels at various user locations within a single beam. We propose a fixed power adaptive modulation scheme to obtain stable communications. This two-layered scheme can satisfactorily allocate multi-beam satellite resources to contend with the increasing communication capacity and still improve the quality.

To create a next-generation mobile satellite communication system that offers large communication capacity, the onboard antenna system must be a multi-beam system consisting of a light weight 20-m class reflector and a light weight 100-beam class antenna feed system. We clarify that the antenna gain decrease created by the reflector surface distortion expected in orbit is relatively large. This paper presents a deformed antenna pattern compensation method that minimizes circuit scale. Validity of the proposed method is confirmed by antenna pattern calculations and experiments on a fabricated array-fed reflector antenna.

Current trend in telecommunications is "broadband" and "ubiquitous." To achieve this goal, satellite communications systems are expected to play an important role in cooperation with terrestrial communications systems. Along with the advancement of optical fiber transmission systems, the role of satellite communications was dramatically changed from long distance transmission to various applications utilizing unique features of satellite communications. This paper overviews recent Japanese R&D in satellite communications.

This paper describes a novel channel allocation scheme that enables data to be collected from observation points throughout the ultra-wide area covered by a satellite communication system. Most of the earth stations in the system acquire pre-scheduled type data such as that pertaining to rainfall and temperature measurements, but a few of them acquire event-driven type data such as that pertaining to earthquakes. Therefore, the main issue pertaining to this scheme is how to effectively accommodate demand for the channels by a huge number of earth stations with limited satellite frequency bandwidth regardless of their acquired data types. To tackle this issue, we propose a channel allocation scheme built on a pre-assigned scheme to gather pre-scheduled type data but that also includes an additional procedure to gather event-driven type data reliably. Performance evaluations show that the proposed scheme achieves higher throughput and lower packet loss rate than conventional schemes.

This paper proposes a frequency asynchronous cross-polarization interference canceller for Vertical/Horizontal (V/H) polarization multiplexing satellite communications. In satellite communications, V/H polarization signals are likely to experience different frequency fluctuations, and so the cross-polarization undergoes two different frequency fluctuations. To cancel this cross-polarization interference, a new frequency asynchronous cross-polarization interference canceller that removes interference and frequency offsets is proposed. Computer simulations are carried out to evaluate its fundamental performance. The results show that the proposed canceller can remove the cross-polarization interference created by the two different frequency offsets, simultaneously.

This paper presents a novel electrical polarization forming antenna for mobile satellite communication systems using linear polarization. To electrically form the desired polarization, it is necessary to excite the two orthogonal polarization antenna planes with appropriate weights. The proposed antenna uses digitally-based polarization and calibration functions to characterize the two RF paths. The calibration techniques used are critical to accurately forming the desired polarization. Proposed calibration techniques are very simple; the feedback signal consists of just amplitude levels. The proposals are validated by polarization forming measurements conducted on a fabricated antenna.

Software defined radio (SDR) mobile terminals that can access multiple wireless communication systems are the trend of the future. An SDR wideband mobile terminal must be capable of high-speed data processing and low power consumption. We focused on reconfigurable processors with these features. To evaluate the performance of reconfigurable processors for SDR wideband mobile terminals, we developed and evaluated software that runs on a reconfigurable processor for the IEEE 802.11a wireless local area network (LAN) baseband part, which requires high-speed data processing. This paper describes the configuration of the SDR IEEE 802.11a software for the reconfigurable processor and its performance evaluation results. Moreover, we showed the requirements for applying the reconfigurable processor to SDR wideband mobile terminals, and confirmed that the reconfigurable processor could be applied to SDR mobile terminals by slight progresses.

We demonstrate a novel fiber device exhibiting magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and Faraday rotation in sharpened optical fibers coated with Fe. The degree of MCD was 0.68 in a magnetic field of 0.35 T and the Faraday rotation angle was as great as 110 degrees. Such great magneto-optical effect is due to optical near-field interactions in the sub-wavelength region, i.e., in the tip of the near-field fiber probe. These effects can be attributed to the large magnitude of the magneto optical coefficient of Fe.