16-10-2010, 03:35 PM
[attachment=6299]
OFDM - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex,
OFDM - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex, the modulation concept being used for many wireless and radio communications radio applications from DAB, DVB, Wi-Fi and Mobile Video.
This OFDM tutorial is split into several pages each of which addresses a different aspect of OFDM operation and technology:
[1] OFDM basics tutorial [2] OFDM synchronization
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex or OFDM is a modulation format that is finding increasing levels of use in today's radio communications scene. OFDM has been adopted in the Wi-Fi arena where the 802.11a standard uses it to provide data rates up to 54 Mbps in the 5 GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band. In addition to this the recently ratified 802.11g standard has it in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. In addition to this, it is being used for WiMAX and is also the format of choice for the next generation cellular radio communications systems including 3G LTE and UMB.
If this was not enough it is also being used for digital terrestrial television transmissions as well as DAB digital radio. A new form of broadcasting called Digital Radio Mondiale for the long medium and short wave bands is being launched and this has also adopted COFDM. Then for the future it is being proposed as the modulation technique for fourth generation cell phone systems that are in their early stages of development and OFDM is also being used for many of the proposed mobile phone video systems.
OFDM, orthogonal frequency division multiplex is a rather different format for modulation to that used for more traditional forms of transmission. It utilises many carriers together to provide many advantages over simpler modulation formats.
OFDM concept
An OFDM signal consists of a number of closely spaced modulated carriers. When modulation of any form - voice, data, etc. is applied to a carrier, then sidebands spread out either side. It is necessary for a receiver to be able to receive the whole signal to be able to successfully demodulate the data. As a result when signals are transmitted close to one another they must be spaced so that the receiver can separate them using a filter and there must be a guard band between them. This is not the case with OFDM. Although the sidebands from each carrier overlap, they can still be received without the interference that might be expected because they are orthogonal to each another. This is achieved by having the carrier spacing equal to the reciprocal of the symbol period.