A frame synchronization method for adaptive array antennas in digital mobile communications

This paper proposes a frame synchronization method for an adaptive array antenna (AAA) used in digital mobile communications. The proposed scheme, which is based on the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), calculates error signals by subtracting a training sequence convolved with an estimated channel impulse response from the AAA outputs and searches for the timing that minimizes the mean squared errors. Because the proposed scheme can effectively exploit delayed paths of the desired signal, it can improve the synchronization performance on frequency-selective fading channels. Computer simulations show that the proposed scheme can operate properly even in interference-rich fading environments and that it can significantly improve the synchronization performance.