Improved Channel Estimation Based on Parametric Channel Approximation Modeling for OFDM Systems

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) together with high order modulation scheme requires accurate channel estimation to perform coherent demodulation. In this paper, improved channel estimation methods based on a parametric channel approximation model are proposed for the OFDM system using pilot subcarriers. This channel model is called fraction taps channel approximation (FTCA) model, which is defined as a finite impulse response (FIR) on some definitive delay taps that have a fraction tap delay spacing relative to the sampling interval. Then, based on the FTCA channel model, the minimum mean square error (MMSE) and least square (LS) estimators are derived. Simulations over non-sample-spaced channels prove that the use of the FTCA channel model can effectively eliminate the problem of multi-path delay estimation and reduce the signal subspace dimension of the channel correlation matrix, where the full-rank estimators using pilot subcarriers can be adopted, and consequently, improve the channel estimation performance.