The number of studies on adaptive antennas has greately increased in resent years in Japan. Most of these studies have sought to enhance the capacity and suppress multipath signals in wireless mobile communications. Adaptive antennas are expected to play an important role in future mobile radio systems. In this paper, we review the history and trends of adaptive antenna studies in Japan. We describe typical adaptive processing algorithms and contributions by Japanese researchers. We then introduce some applications of adaptive antennas for mobile communications. Furthermore, we discuss multi-dimensional signal processing, which is an extended version of the adaptive antenna.

Optimum antenna sub-set selection in MIMO systems is an attractive cost reducing technique. In this paper we develop an optimal antenna sub-set selection technique to be used in conjunction with space-time block codes over a MIMO link to optimize link error performance over a fading channel. We study the case when antenna sub-set selection is applied either at the transmitter or the receiver. We provide analytical results for substantial improvement in average SNR and outage capacity when antenna sub-set selection is used. Simulation results that verify our analytical prediction are also presented.

In this paper, we present a new transmit diversity scheme with power control by using two transmit antennas in which the power control unit is added to adaptively suit the channel fading variation. Compared to the transmit diversity scheme (STD, one space time coding scheme) proposed by Alamouti and the traditional maximal ratio combining (MRC) diversity scheme employed at the receiver, simulation results indicate that the new scheme has considerable performance gain. We also discuss the effects of the imperfect channel parameter estimation on the performance of the system. Simulation results show that the new system is more robust to the estimation error of channel fading parameters than the STD. As the signal to noise ratio is relatively high, the diversity scheme with power control is more sensitive to the channel estimation error compared to the MRC. But when the channel estimation accuracy is relatively high, the diversity scheme with power control still has better performance than the ideal MRC as the BER is about 1 10^-3.

This paper proposes a novel adaptive array configuration that reduces high-power co-channel interference (CCI) by utilizing the difference in arrival times between CCI and the desired signal in asynchronous TDD systems. The proposed adaptive array extracts only the CCI and employs pre-null steering for only the CCI by utilizing the fact that only the CCI arrives during the guard time in asynchronous TDD systems. Since the proposed adaptive array enables us to apply the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) algorithm through synchronization with the desired signal using the output signal obtained by pre-null steering, high quality transmission can be achieved even in the presence of high-power CCI. Moreover, based on measurements using a fading simulator and field data, an adaptive array testbed exemplifying the proposed configuration is presented to show the reduction in the high-power CCI.

In SDMA, a spatial domain interference canceller applying a multistage processing concept to the MMSE multibeam adaptive array has an attractive feature. Weak power signals strongly interfered can be detected in the succeeded stages after removing other strong power signals which are already detected. This idea can be enhanced to the reference timing estimation required in the MMSE algorithm. In this paper, the spatial domain interference canceller introducing multistage timing estimation is proposed and its performance is evaluated by computer simulations. The results show that the timing estimation performance highly improved.

The worldwide availability of the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands has prompted the proposal of several communication systems for indoor application at the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Although adaptive array antennas have been thoroughly investigated for various outdoor scenarios, their application to indoor communications has been overlooked. Experimental results indicating that conventional array antenna techniques exhibit poor performance when implemented indoors have recently been published. An important peculiarity of the indoor channel is the coexistence of both near-field and far-field propagating waves. Therefore, algorithms that can indifferently cope with both near-field and far-field wavefronts for source location and beamforming are desirable. In this paper, the following are presented. First, a mathematical analysis of the performance of array antennas in the indoor environment is taken up. Second, a new, simple, cost-effective and statistically coherent scheme, the Adaptive Sampling algorithm, is proposed for location estimation of sources anywhere from near field to far field. It is shown that the proposed algorithm achieves ubiquitous source location, allowing for symmetric uplink/downlink beamforming with seamless performance. Finally, the performance of the proposed Adaptively Sampled Array Antenna is performance analyzed via computer simulations under the specifications of the IEEE802.11b DS Wireless Local Area Network (W-LAN).

This paper proposes a beam and null simultaneous steering Space-Time Equalizer (S/T-Equalizer). The proposed S/T-Equalizer performs separated S/T-signal processing in order to reduce computational complexity to a practical level. For spatial signal processing, a new Adaptive Array Antenna algorithm is used that combines the beam and null steering concepts. For temporal signal processing, a conventional delayed decision feedback sequence estimation equalizer may be used. The proposed S/T-Equalizer was prototyped, and a series of field tests was conducted using a 5 GHz frequency band to evaluate transmission performances of the proposed system. Results show that the proposed S/T-Equalizer can reduce inter-symbol interference effects while maintaining reasonable signal strength, thereby improving BER performance.

Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) is a method that has been widely known as blind adaptive beamforming because it requires no knowledge about the signal except that the transmitted signal waveform has a constant envelope. Although CMA has the merit of this blind operation, it possesses problems in its convergence property. In this paper, problems that are inherent to this algorithm is resolved using a combination of CMA and another major adaptive algorithm SMI (Sample Matrix Inversion). The idea is to use SMI to determine the initial weights for CMA operation. Although the benefit of CMA being a blind algorithm is not fully taken advantage of, good aspects of both SMI and CMA can be introduced. By using this approach, two major problems in convergence properties of CMA can be solved. One of these problems is the reliability and this relates to the convergence performance in certain cases. When the interfering signal is stronger than the desired signal, the algorithm tends to come up with the wrong solution by capturing the interfering signal which has the stronger power. Also, the convergence time of this algorithm is slow, limiting its application in dynamic environment, although the slow convergence time of CMA has been studied previously and several methods have been proposed to overcome this defect. Using the proposed method, the deterioration due to both of these problems can be mitigated. Simulation results are shown to confirm the theory. Furthermore, evaluations are done concerning the fading characteristics. It is also confirmed from the simulation that the tracking performance of this method can be regarded as sufficient in personal mobile communication.

Space division multiple access (SDMA) is an attractive technique to increase the channel capacity of wireless communication systems. In this paper, we first propose a new process to accomplish SDMA using an adaptive array at a base station receiver of broadband fixed wireless access (FWA) systems. Unlike other methods, the proposed process does not need highly accurate direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation and is suitable to Directionally Constrained Minimization of Power (DCMP) algorithm in order to serve multiple fixed terminals. A newly modified DCMP with phase only control is proposed as well. The algorithm to control phase weights, uses only the array output power and does not require the complex baseband signals from individual array elements. The pattern measurement results in an anechoic chamber show that the proposed algorithm can direct a null to an interference while maintaining the gain to the desired signal.

Recently the effect of the angular spread caused by locally scattered signals in the vicinity of the mobile has received considerable attention. This paper proposes the Extended Array Mode Vector (EAMV) which represents the Instantaneous Angular Spread (IAS) as well as the Instantaneous Direction Of Arrival (IDOA) of the received signal at the Base Station (BS). Using the EAMV, MUSIC algorithm is generalized in order that it is possible to estimate both the IDOA and the IAS. In computer simulations, the estimates of the IDOA and the IAS in the fading situation are evaluated. The results show that the estimates for small angular spread agree well with the given values and demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach.

Conventional adaptive array antenna processing must access signals on all of the array antenna elements. However, because the low-cost electronically steerable passive array radiator (ESPAR) antenna only has a single-port output, all of the signals on the antenna elements cannot be observed. In this paper, a technique for adaptively controlling the loaded reactances on the passive radiators, thus forming both beam and nulls, is presented for the ESPAR antenna. The adaptive algorithm is based on the steepest gradient theory, where the reactances are sequentially perturbed to determine the gradient vector. Simulations show that the ESPAR antenna can be adaptive. The statistical performance of the output SIR of the ESPAR antenna is also given.

In this paper, we report on our recent work in designing and developing an optical waveguide and optical integrated circuit for optical BFN in adaptive multibeam array antenna. We introduce a new integrated Ti:LiNbO₃ waveguide and prove that it is able to yield large birefringence and birefringence dispersion. We present a new technique using a microwave-modulated optical wave to measure the birefringence in integrated Ti:LiNbO₃ optical waveguides. The measuring results show that the new waveguide has a birefringence of 0.08 and birefringence dispersion of 0.05 µm^-1 at optical wavelength of 1.55 µm. When the new Ti:LiNbO₃ is applied to form a integrated optical waveguide array in optical beamforming network, it is shown that microwave phase shifts within the range of [-180, +180] is achieved by tuning the optical wavelength 10 nm around 1.55 µm.

Precise and quick multi-beam forming including null control will be one of the key technologies for the future satellite communication systems utilizing SDMA (Space Division Multiple Access) and DOA (Direction of Arrival) estimation. In order to realize the precise multi-beam forming, calibration procedure is indispensable since there are several unavoidable factors that degrade the multi-beam patterns of the array. Particularly amplitude and phase imbalance between RF circuits needs to be calibrated frequently and quickly when the array system exists in changeable environment since the imbalance easily occurs due to thermal characteristics of each RF circuit. This paper proposes a simple and high-speed remote calibration scheme compensating for amplitude and phase imbalance among RF circuits of a transmitting adaptive array antenna onboard satellite. This calibration is conducted at a remote station such as a gateway station on the ground in the satellite communication system, by utilizing the received signal including the temporally multiplexed orthogonal codes transmitted from the array antenna onboard satellite. Since the calibration factors for all the antenna elements can be simultaneously obtained by the parallel digital signal processing, calibration time can be drastically reduced. The accuracy of this calibration is estimated by simulation. Simulation results show that the amplitude imbalance among RF circuits can be suppressed within the range from -0.5 dB to +0.25 dB for the initial imbalance ranging from -2 dB to +3.5 dB, phase imbalance can be suppressed within the range of -3 deg. to +3 deg. for the initial imbalance ranging from -120 or +180 deg. by this method. The amplitude and phase deviations among the elements can be suppressed within 0.36 dB and 2.5 degrees, respectively, in 80% of probability. Simulation results also show that this calibration method is valid under the relatively bad carrier-to-noise conditions such as -10 dB at the receiver. Good improvement of the multi-beam patterns by this calibration is shown under the low carrier-to-noise ratio condition.

In code division multiple access (CDMA) systems with adaptive antennas, the direction of terminals must be considered when controlling new call admission. This paper proposes a data access control algorithm based on estimated signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) at the output of adaptive antennas. The algorithm estimates SINR for new data call using a response vector of the request packet to determine acceptance or blocking of the new data call. Numerical results show that the combination of transmission technology of adaptive antennas and proposed data access control can effectively increase the capacity of CDMA systems.

This paper compares the path detection probability for Rake combining and the BER performance of packet transmission with the length of T_PKT = 10 (20) msec using the coherent adaptive antenna array diversity (CAAAD) receiver with those using a multi-beam receiver employing fixed antenna weights both with four antennas in a multipath fading channel in the W-CDMA reverse link. Laboratory experimental results elucidate that the required average received signal energy per bit-to-background noise spectrum density (E_b/N₀) at the detection probability of 90% of at least one path and of two paths for the fading maximum Doppler frequency of f_D = 5 (80) Hz using a multi-beam receiver with the number of beams equal to N_Beam = 12 was decreased by approximately 1.0 (1.0) dB and 2.0 (2.0) dB, respectively, compared to that using the CAAAD receiver with the step size of µ= 10^-2 for the average received SIR of the desired user of -12 dB in a 2-path Rayleigh fading channel with average equal power in a 5-user environment. We also found that the required average received E_b/N₀ at the average BER of 10^-3 using the multi-beam receiver was decreased by approximately 5.0 (2.5) dB compared to that of the CAAAD receiver with µ= 10^-2, and the loss of the required average received E_b/N₀ compared to that of CAAAD with sufficiently converged receiver antenna weights was approximately 2.0 (1.0) dB for T_PKT = 10 (20) msec when the average received SIR = -12 dB in a 5-user environment.

In wideband direct sequence code division multiple access (W-CDMA), employing an adaptive antenna array is a very promising technique to reduce severe multiple access interference (MAI) especially from high rate users. This paper proposes a fast and accurate two-step beam tracking algorithm implemented in a pilot symbol-assisted coherent adaptive antenna array diversity (CAAAD) receiver and evaluates its performance both by computer simulation and laboratory experiments. In the proposed scheme, the receiver antenna weights are updated by using both the signal-to-interference power ratio (SIR) measurements employing multiple sets of antenna weights (MSAW) and an adaptive algorithm based on the minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion, in which other sets except for a original set of antenna weights are simply generated by a original set. Computer simulation results show that antenna weights of a four-antenna CAAAD receiver using the proposed beam tracking algorithm tracks changes in the direction of arrival (DOA) of the desired user at up to 34.3 degrees/sec, which corresponds to 215 km/h at 100 m from a base station. We also confirm based on the experiments in a radio anechoic room that the generated antenna weights track the DOA changes up to 12.3 degrees/sec.

This paper proposes a receiver antenna weight-updating algorithm using I/Q-code multiplexed pilot and decision feedback data symbols after channel decoding for both reference signal generation of the mean squared error (MSE) calculation and channel estimation (also for Rake combining) in the coherent adaptive antenna array diversity (CAAAD) receiver and investigates its performance, in order to decrease further the transmit power of a mobie station, thereby increasing system capacity in the wideband direct sequence code division multiple access (W-CDMA) reverse link. Experimental results show that the required transmit E_b/N₀ for the average BER of 10^-3 with the CAAAD receiver using pilot and decision feedback data symbols after channel decoding both for reference signal generation and for channel estimation can be decreased by approximately 0.8 dB compared to when using only pilot symbols with convolutional coding or turbo coding, when the ratio of the target E_b/I₀ for fast transmit power control of the desired to interfering users is Δ E_b/I₀ = -12 dB. The results also elucidate that the required transmit E_b/N₀ at the average BER of 10^-6 with turbo coding using the proposed decision feedback antenna weight-updating and channel estimation is smaller by approximately 0.5 dB than that using convolutional coding when the channel interleaving length is 20 msec for Δ E_b/I₀ = -12 dB.

This paper investigates the improvement of the radiation pattern design of transmitting array antenna beamforming and transmission power control (TPC) for forward link of DS-CDMA/FDD system. Optimum transmission beamforming and TPC can be derived from the information of the propagation channel for the forward link, in terms of outage probability minimization. It is assumed that the channel is static and then all mobile stations (MS's) report channel characteristics measured in the forward link to a base station (BS) that can control signal to interference plus noise ratios (SINR's) received by individual MS's using that measured information. Then, for the multi-user environment of a single cell, goal programming (GP) is applied to derive an optimum weight vector of the transmitting array antenna and optimum TPC such that outage probability can be minimized.

This paper proposes a 2.6 GHz low cost DBF array antenna system and reports its evaluation based on our experimental results. The proposed system is partially constructed by digital devices for the simplification of hardware, and employs some techniques for improving the resolution. The system is evaluated through the DOA estimation by the MUSIC algorithm inside a radio anechoic chamber. As a result, we found that the proposed system estimates the DOA with the highest accuracy at which MUSIC algorithm can perform. Moreover, this paper discusses the estimation errors. We also found that the estimation error is particularly affected from the inaccurate element interval.

Mobile communication channels always suffer serious frequency-selective fading due to multipath effect. Traditional spreading codes are characterized by the fact that their time-domain orthogonality is based on fixed chip width across a code period. They often fail to perform well under frequency-selective fading. This paper proposes a new class of CDMA codes, wavelet-packet orthogonal codes capable to retain time-domain orthogonality as well as to offer intra-code subband diversity to mitigate frequency-selective fading. The new codes are constructed by congregating several wavelets with various dilations and shifts. The combination of the wavelets in different nodes in a wavelet-packet full binary tree enables frequency diversity capability. Owing to the even code length, they can be easily used in mobile communications for multi-rate streaming and multi-code spreading. The performance study is carried out using correlation statistics distribution convolution algorithm and the results reveal that wavelet-packet codes, combined with RAKE receiver, perform better than traditional spreading codes in frequency-selective fading channels.

A symbol timing synchronization method is proposed for the realization of a multi-mode and multi-service software radio receiver. The method enables an accurate search for the optimum symbol timing without any redundant hardware such as sampling rate conversion devices, when the system clock is non-integer times for the target systems' symbol rates. Accordingly, a multimode and multi-service receiver can set an arbitrary system clock for the target systems' symbol rates, and the number of A/D converters can be reduced to the minimum. Also, it may lead to a reduction of the implementation time for digital signal processing hardware, and reduce the burden on the memory in a multi-mode and multi-service software radio receiver, since no sampling rate conversion is needed. The effectiveness of the proposed method for use with a multi-mode and multi-service software radio receiver for future ITS services, which are GPS (Global Positioning System), ETC (Electric Toll Collection system), and Japanese PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) is assumed, and the supposed system is evaluated by computer simulation. The jitter performance under an AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise) environment is first simulated, and the necessary number of over-samples and observation symbols are defined by the value of jitter which gives a theoretical value of the BER, respectively. Moreover, the bit error rate performance under a fading environment condition where the attenuation of a signal level fluctuates more rapidly than in a noise environment is calculated, and it is shown that the proposed method enables an accurate search for the optimum synchronization timing caused by a cycle slip even if the signal level is quite low, and allows one handset to adopt a system clock for several systems.

A knowledge gap between network operators and system developers in Network Management System (NMS) construction has widened. This has been caused by an expansion of supported business processes and increasingly sophisticated network management functions. This gap makes system development costly and time consuming. Function development, led by operators, is a promising solution to the problems caused by the gap. This type of development should not require an operator to know how to develop NMS. Standard objects may be used to meet this requirement and save time and the cost of NMS construction. However, they are not sufficient to design functions supporting some tasks that are for providing custom services. In this paper, we propose a partial extension package, composed of several object classes. This package is attached to the standard objects to design a custom function. Information processing in a new function can be added, and easily modified, using this package. This package specifies states that invoke the information processing. It also includes objects that add new data without changing standard objects. It makes use of several design patterns in order to weaken coupling to the standard objects. We have applied this package to two programs. One plans maintenance tasks schedules, the other sets threshold values for quality of service. We made use of software metrics to measure their performance in terms of flexibility. The results show that the proposed package continues to make it possible to reuse the standard objects, and makes it easy to modify the behavior of a new function.

Stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) power systems are potential power sources for telecommunications equipment especially equipment installed outdoors. To be practical, they must have a high conversion efficiency and a long lifetime. We have proposed a stand-alone photovoltaic power system that uses electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) and lead acid batteries as power storage devices. This system smooths out the fluctuations in power generated by the PV array by using the EDLC's charge-and-discharge power; this reduces the number of battery charge-and-discharge cycles. We simulated the system's operating characteristics and evaluated the photovoltaic array mismatching loss, system conversion loss, battery contribution factor, averaged battery state-of-charging, and maximum depth-of-discharging. The results show that the system is effective at reducing the mismatching loss and battery contribution factor, so the system efficiency is expected to be improved by using high conversion efficiency DC-DC converters. Moreover the system can maintain the averaged battery state-of-charging during operation. This indicates that smaller batteries can be used. The maximum depth-of-discharging can be kept lower than in the conventional system. Consequently, the proposed system should have a longer battery lifetime.

In this paper, we propose an adaptive video frame rate control method, called AFCON, that video encoders use in conjunction with explicit rate based congestion control in the network. First, an encoder buffer constraint which guarantees the end-to-end delay of video frames is derived under the assumption of bounded network transmission delay for every frame data. AFCON is based on the constraint and consists of future channel rate prediction, frame discarding, and frame skipping. Recursive Least-Squares (RLS) is used to predict the low-frequency component of the channel rate. Frame discarding prevents the delay violation of frames due to the prediction error of the channel rate. Frame skipping adapts the encoder output rate to the channel rate while avoiding abrupt quality degradation during the congestion period. From the simulation results, it is shown that AFCON can adapt to the time-varying rate channel with less degradation in temporal resolution and in PSNR performance compared to the conventional approach.

A model of interactive videoconference is proposed for investigating the interactivity of the videoconference. Through running a prototype videoconferencing system over ATM networks, we observed that the system stability would degrade abruptly if the interaction demand from conferees exceeds what the system control can support. By using the proposed model, we formulate the problem of achieving high interactivity and stability as maximizing interactivity by tuning system parameters subject to some stability constraints. Solving the problem is non-trivial since it involves unpredictable network delays. We thus develop practical approaches that can choose and dynamically adjust, according to the network condition, the values of system parameters to meet the stability constraints and improve the interactivity. Finally, we validate our approaches and provide guidelines on choosing the parameter values by conducting experiments and simulations.

This paper describes distributed communications based on a new paradigm of middleware platform called the typed bus (TB) platform. While traditional middleware platforms provide the same type of communication paths between distributed objects, the TB platform provides typed buses, which are communication paths differentiated according to application's communication characteristics. Each typed bus represents unique communication type and controls communications between distributed objects according to its type as a hardware system bus constrains communication between hardware components. Distributed communications are achieved via typed buses, which check if the communications are compliant with their types. In this paper we propose the architecture of the TB platform, introduce TB Type Definition Language used to specify a typed bus's type, and describe an implementation of our platform.

In this letter, we present a coarse frequency-offset synchronization technique for Eureka-147 DAB receiver. The proposed frequency-offset synchronization algorithm using two defined correlation functions is shown to have high robustness against a large range of symbol timing offset with a moderate implementational complexity.

Using moment generating function (MGF) of generalized selection combining (GSC) output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), we derive closed-form expressions for average combined SNR at the output of GSC, which optimally combines the N largest out of L available diversity signals, over Nakagami-m fading channels for N = 2, 3 and L = 4. The Nakagami-m fading statistics on each diversity branch are assumed to be independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.). The average combined SNRs at the outputs of GSC receivers are also compared with the average combined SNRs at the outputs of conventional maximal ratio combining (MRC) and selection combining (SC).

This letter shows the results of a series of link level simulations conducted to evaluate the performances of spatial and temporal equalizers (S/T-equalizers) using field measurement data. The configuration of the spatial and temporal equalizer discussed in this letter can be expressed as a cascade of an adaptive array antenna and maximum likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE): each of the adaptive array antenna elements has a fractionally spaced tapped delay line (FTDL), and the MLSE has taps covering a portion of channel delay profile. Bit error rate (BER) performances of the S/T-equalizers are presented, and performance sensitivity to symbol timing offset is investigated.

Providing results of a series of link-level simulations for a class of spatial and temporal equalizer (S/T-equalizer) is the primary objective of this letter, which is supplemental to this letter's companion article. The S/T-equalizers discussed in this letter have a configuration that can be expressed as the cascaded connection of adaptive array antenna and maximum likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE): each of the adaptive array antenna elements has a fractionally spaced tapped delay line (FTDL), and the MLSE has taps covering a portion of the channel delay profile. Both the desired and interference signals suffer from severe inter-symbol interference (ISI). A major difference of this article from its companion letter is that account is taken of the presence of co-channel interference (CCI). Bit error rate (BER) performance of the S/T-equalizer is presented as a result of the link-level simulations that use field measurement data.

A new Web cache sharing scheme is presented. Our method reduces the duplicated copies of the same objects in global shared Web caches, even though the hot working set of each local cache can be duplicated. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme outperforms existing sharing schemes.

EMI coupling paths in an electronic controller are investigated experimentally. Common-mode current measurements on the attached cable are used for diagnosing changes made to the EMI coupling path. Experiments that include shielding various portions of the PCB, and re-routing high-speed traces are conducted to characterize the coupling path. A means of identifying and characterizing EMI coupling paths in functioning hardware, and relating them to design features, is demonstrated.

In this paper, we present an image compression algorithm using two concepts, subdividing an image matrix and stratifying submatrices into FD-submatrices (feature distribution submatrices). According to the feature distribution and the view that an image can be decomposed into some feature layers, we generate a compression tree by setting up a logic process of decomposition and stratification. To get better compression ratios, the set of submatrices having one and zero as elements, including logic flag sequences is compressed by vector space theory.