This paper proposes a deterministic pilot pattern placement optimization scheme based on the quantum genetic algorithm (QGA) which aims to improve the performance of sparse channel estimation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. By minimizing the mutual incoherence property (MIP) of the sensing matrix, the pilot pattern placement optimization is modeled as the solution of a combinatorial optimization problem. QGA is used to solve the optimization problem and generate optimized pilot pattern that can effectively avoid local optima traps. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can generate a sensing matrix with a smaller MIP than a random search or the genetic algorithm (GA), and the optimized pilot pattern performs well for sparse channel estimation in OFDM systems.

A general method for generating multiple two-dimensional frequency-hopping pilot signals with limited mutual interference, for propagation channel estimation in time and frequency with equidistant sampling, is presented. Each pilot signal uses a different generic frequency-hopping pilot pattern that is repeated in frequency domain, with repetition period equal to the desired sampling interval in frequency domain. Some interesting special cases of the general construction are considered as well. The practical applicability and usefulness of the proposed solution are demonstrated by the numerical evaluation of a set of frequency-hopping pilot patterns in a typical multi-cell scenario of the future evolved third generation cellular systems.

In this letter, we focus on rearranged pilot patterns for channel estimation in a mobile communication system using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). The conventional pilot patterns for channel estimation in OFDM systems do not have robust characteristics in time-varying channels. In order to overcome this weakness of the conventional pilot patterns, we propose the pilot patterns with robust mobility for OFDM systems, which can achieve a good error performance in time-varying multi-path fading channels. Simulation results show that the bit error rate (BER) performances of the proposed pilot patterns are better than those of the conventional pilot patterns in fast time-varying fading channels under the same pilot density and data rate.