Synopsis

Project title: Design and Simulation of Orthogonal Frequency Division

Multiplexing (OFDM) Signaling.

Introduction: This project will focus on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

(OFDM) research and simulation. OFDM is especially suitable for high-speed
communication due to its resistance to ISI. As communication systems increase their
information transfer speed, the time for each transmission necessarily becomes shorter.
Since the delay time caused by multi-path remains constant, ISI becomes a limitation in
high-data-rate communication .OFDM avoids this problem by sending many low speed
transmissions simultaneously.

Approach: A MATLAB program has been written to investigate Orthogonal Frequency

Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems. This program is valuable for
future researchers simulating systems that are too theoretically complex to analyze.
Single-carrier QAM and multi-carrier OFDM are compared to demonstrate the strength
of OFDM in multi-path channels.

I. Software Simulation

The software simulation portion of our senior project will take place completely within
MATLAB and System View. Both are excellent tools for communication applications
and these programs have many built-in functions useful for our project. MATLAB will
allow us to import a file (such as a .wav file), modify it, and transmit it using OFDM
modulation. Once again using MATLAB, we will be able to demodulate the signal and
recover the original file. An advantage of using MATLAB is that we can easily tap into
any portion of the modulating or demodulating scheme and observe what is happening to
our data. We should even be able to listen to the OFDM signal through a set of speakers.
MATLAB is both a powerful and flexible tool.

II. Hardware Work

The hardware portion of this project will be more difficult than the software simulation
portion. It will accomplish the same goals as the software simulation. However a DSP
board will replace the MATLAB simulation. Using hardware implementation, some sort
of sound signal will be called into the system, be modified and transmitted using OFDM
modulation. The demodulation portion of the hardware implementation may not get
completed due to time constraints. However, the OFDM signal can be heard after
modulation and if time permits the user will be able to listen to both the input and output
of the entire system before and after transmission.

III. Experimentation

The initial task in this project is to become familiar with the OFDM technique of
encoding. Existing MATLAB code will be used to better understand the encoding and
decoding process. Later new MATLAB code may be written to accomplish the same
goals possibly in a different fashion. After all of the software simulation is complete, only
then will the hardware implementation be explored. This project will prove to be very
complex and equally challenging.

Significance: With the rapid growth of digital communication in recent years, the need
for high-speed data transmission has increased. New multicarrier modulation techniques
such as OFDM are currently being implemented to keep up with the demand for more
communication capacity.

Multicarrier communication systems “were first conceived and implemented in the

1960s, but it was not until their all-digital implementation with the FFT that their
attractive features were unraveled and sparked widespread interest for adoption in various
single-user and multiple access (MA) communication standards”. The processing power
of modern digital signal processors has increased to a point where OFDM has become
feasible and economical.

Summary of advantages

• Can easily adapt to severe channel conditions without complex equalization.

• Robust against narrow-band co-channel interference.

• Robust against inter-symbol-interference (ISI) and fading caused by multipath

propagation.

• High spectral efficiency as compared to conventional modulation schemes, spread

spectrum, etc.

• Efficient implementation using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).

• Low sensitivity to time synchronization errors.

• Tuned sub-channel receiver filters are not required (unlike conventional FDM).

• Facilitates Single Frequency Networks (SFNs), i.e. transmitter macro diversity.

Team members:

1. RAVINDAR SINGH NEGI (GL)

2. SHRUTI MISHRA
3. ROHIT GUPTA
4. ABHAY VAID