CDMA

Introduction Spread Spectrum Transmission and Reception DS-SS CDMA capacity

 based on the use of modulation technique known as spread spectrum

CDMA

Users separated both by time and frequency Send at a different frequency at each time slot (frequency hopping) Or, convert a single bit to a code (direct sequence) receiver can decipher bit by inverse process

 Pros
hard to spy immune from narrowband noise no need for all stations to synchronize no hard limit on capacity of a cell all cells can use all frequencies Cons implementation complexity need for power control

to avoid capture

need for a large contiguous frequency band (for direct sequence) problems installing in the field

 The message signal is spread over a wide band by multiplying it with a noise-like or pseudo-random spreading signal.

To demodulate the signal the receiver crosscorrelates the received signal with an exact replica of the spreading function. The cross-correlation produces a maximum only when the codes are matched.

Spread Spectrum - illustrated

Power Density

Conventional Transmission

PDi

same total power

Spread Spectrum Transmission

PDSS Bi

f BSS

There are several ways of implementing a CDMA system direct sequence spread spectrum frequency hopped spread spectrum

frequency hopped spread spectrum It is a digital comm. technique in which the carrier frequency is varied in a pseudo random fashion within a wideband channel Multiple access is supported as carrier frequencies of multiple users do not collide (can be done by design) Eg: Bluetooth direct sequence spread spectrum Signal is generated by multiplying the data with a pseudo random sequence so that the resultant rate (chip rate) is high, resulting in a wideband signal Multiple access is supported as random sequences of multiple users have low correlation so that interference due to other signals are reduced Eg: IS- 95,cdma 2000

Direct sequence spread spectrum

Bandwidth Effects of the Spreading Operation

SS modulation is applied on top of a conventional modulation such as BPSK or direct conversion.

All other signals not receiving the SS code will stay as they are, unspread.

Bandwidth Effects of the Despreading Operation

An SS demodulation has been made on top of the normal demodulation operations above.

Signals added during the transmission (such as an interferer or jammer) will be spread during the despreading operation!

Capacity of spread spectrum systems determined by estimating the max. number of users that can access the channel simultaneously without exceeding the specified carrier-to-interference noise ratio at the receiver demodulator. Resistance to interference can be increased by coding the information with a suitable FEC coding technique, giving improved capacity. Interference margin of a spread spectrum signal is given by M = Gp - L Co / Io Substituting for Gp and rearranging, the maximal interference, Iim , at the receiver input as Iim = (Ci + M + L ) dB

maximum number of users that can share the channel 10 log in = Iim dB Where in = interfering power (in watts) from each active user. Assuming for simplicity equal power from each source 10 log (nin) = M + L + Ci 10 log(n) = M + L (note : 10 log in = Ci) = Gp (Co / Io)

Spread spectrum systems have an inherent capability to accommodate traffic growth without any change to the network configuration, provided that the system design has been dimensioned for this growth at the outset. A user can access the channel without any delay the grade of service in a spread spectrum system is always good.

Direct sequence spread spectrum The information stream m1(t) at a bit rate of b1 bits/s is modulated and the modulated signal s1(t) multiplied by a spreading function g1(t). The spreading function g1(t) is a pseudo-random code with a bit rate Bs significantly larger than the information bit rate. Other users in the network transmit on the same channel but each user has a unique code. Thus the received signal may be given as Rx (t) = C1 (t) + C2 (t) + .C n (t) + n (t) Where Cn (t) is the received signal from the nth transmitter n (t) is the system noise. The processing gain of the spread spectrum signal can be approximated by Gp = (Co / No ) / (Ci / Ni) Where Ci,Co are the i/p and o/p signals of the correlator Ni = I (f) Bc I (f) = noise power spectral density Bc = occupied channel bandwidth No = I(f)Bm Bm = occupied message bandwidth.

Substituting for Ni and No and assuming Ci = Co, the processing gain is given by Gp = Bc / Bm Note that Bc = 2Rc (channel bit rate), assuming Bm =2Rm (message bit rate). Then, Gp = Rc / Rm The processing gain is reduced because of losses in the correlation process caused by factors such as imperfect cross-correlation. The tolerance of a spread spectrum signal to interference is given in terms of an interference margin (Mi). Mi = Gp L ( Co / No) Where Gp = processing gain L = implementation loss Co/ No = desired carrier-to-noise ratio at the correlator o/p

Comparison SDMA/TDMA/FDMA/CDMA
Approach Idea SDMA
segment space into cells/sectors

TDMA
segment sending time into disjoint time slots, demand driven or fixed patterns all terminals are active for short periods of time on the same frequency synchronization in the time domain

FDMA
segment the frequency band into disjoint sub bands

CDMA
spread the spectrum using orthogonal codes

Terminals Signal separation

only one terminal can be active in one cell/one sector cell structure, directed antennas

every terminal has its own frequency, uninterrupted filtering in the frequency domain

all terminals can be active at the same place at the same moment, uninterrupted code plus special receivers

Advantages Disadvantages
Comment

very simple, increases capacity per km

inflexible, antennas typically fixed

established, fully digital, flexible

guard space needed (multipath propagation), synchronization difficult standard in fixed networks, together with FDMA/SDMA used in many mobile networks

simple, establish ed, robust

inflexible, frequencies are a scarce resource

flexible, less frequency planning needed, soft handover complex receivers, needs more complicated power control for senders

only in combination with TDMA, FDMA or CDMA useful

typically combined with TDMA (frequency hopping patterns) and SDMA (frequency reuse)

still faces some problems, higher complexity, lowered expectations; will be integrated with TDMA/FDMA