Pseudo noise sequences for engineers

Pseudo random binary sequences (PRBSs), also known as pseudo noise (PN), linear feedback shift register (LFSR) sequences or maximal length binary sequences (m-sequences) are widely used in digital communications and the theory involved has been treated extensively in the literature. However, a practising engineer is interested in the fundamentals and the applications of PN sequences, and the methods of generating them with hardware. This paper presents, without the mathematical rigours, some of the interesting characteristics and the use of these characteristics in the generation and acquisition of PN sequences. The series-parallel method of generating PN sequences at high speeds with low-speed devices, which is of interest to hardware designers, is discussed. Some applications of PN sequences in communications and instrumentation are discussed.