Pilot-assisted wireless transmissions: general model, design criteria, and signal processing

Pilot-assisted transmission (PAT) multiplexes the known symbols with the information bearing data. These pilot symbols and the specific multiplexing scheme are known at the receiver and can be exploited for channel estimation, receiver adaptation, and optimal decoding. Even though PAT has been used for many practical reasons, there still remains a need for an optimal design. The theory and methodology for the design of an optimal PAT have emerged, but much still remains unknown. In this article, the author has presented an overview of PAT. A general PAT model is given as well as the review of the common design criteria. The information theoretic and signal processing issues were also discussed.