Modified Symbol Timing Offset Estimation for OFDM over Frequency Selective Channels

Abstract

This paper deals with the symbol timing issue of an OFDM system in frequency selective fading scenarios. A modified symbol timing offset estimator based on an energy transition metric is proposed. This metric can also be applied to estimate the maximum channel delay spread. Benefiting from the knowledge of the maximum channel delay spread, the modified estimator shows its advantage in a relatively low SNR regime. Compared to the original, the modified algorithm is able to acquire the symbol timing correctly in a relatively low SNR region.