Blind symbol synchronization based on cyclic prefix for OFDM systems

In this paper, a blind symbol synchronization algorithm is presented for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, and a new timing function based on the redundancy of the cyclic prefix (CP) is introduced. It proves that the maximum of this function necessarily points to the correct timing offset, irrespective of channel conditions when the signal-to-noise ratio is high. Using the timing function, the timing offset is estimated through a searching algorithm. Channel power profile and channel length information are unnecessary. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is robust and outperforms the existing CP-based algorithms, particularly in frequency-selective fading channels. Index Terms--Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), symbol synchronization.