Improved TDOA For CDMA By Error

Pattern Detection And Correction.

S.R.Praveen Kumar
R.Anusha Rajagopalan
III Year Electronics and Communication Engineering,
KCG College Of Technology, Chennai

Abstract: The need for Position Locators for cell And the intersection of the two hyperbolas results in the
phones has been stressed in the recent past. Though position location estimate of the source. This method is also
E911 and position location service has been sometimes called a hyperbolic position location method.
implemented in GSM, it has still remained a dream
in CDMA, as gross errors were produced during
implementation. This paper discusses about using
TDOA as a PL technique stating the advantages it
enjoys with CDMA. It was found that whenever
error occurred they occurred in amounts larger than
the total expected value of time difference. This error
was found to follow a particular pattern. As another
step towards the increasing the accuracy we have
suggested a correction procedure and discussed its
impact on the calculation.

I. Introduction

A. Introduction and Motivation : The use of Position Fig. 1 Hyperbola drawn based on delay estimate
Locators are stressed from the recent past. After the between two base stations.
FCC ruling that E911 must be made mandatory for
every cell phone operator, its pace of research has been
in leaps and bounces. In this advent, as yet another step
towards improved calculation we have tried to provide
some error correcting procedures. These procedures
spring from the fact that errors when they occur, occur
more than the actual expected value, and quite
interestingly seem to follow a pattern in a overwhelming
majority of cases. Thus the pattern being know Error
Correction can be easily.

B. Time Difference Of Technique-TDOA:

TDOA techniques are based on estimating the
difference in the arrival times of the signal from the
source to multiple receivers. This is usually
accomplished by taking a snapshot of the signal at a
synchronized time period at multiple receivers. The
cross-correlation of the two versions of the signal at
pairs of base stations is done and the peak of the cross- Fig 2. Location estimate got at intersection of three
correlation output gives the time difference for the hyperbolas ( 3 dimensional estimate )
signal arrival at those two base stations. A particular
value of the time difference estimate defines a
hyperbola between the two receivers on which the
mobile may exist. If this procedure is done again with
another receiver in combination with any of the
previously used receivers, another hyperbola is defined 1
 II. CDMA For TDOA . If we use only the earliest arriving signal components for
cross-correlation, we can minimize the timing errors due
C. CDMA- An Overview : Code Division Multiple Access. to multiple signal reflections. Hence, CDMA is most
In the mid-l980s, several researchers saw the suitable here as it not only resolves but takes advantage of
potential for a technology primarily used in military different multi-path components by employing a rake
applications to also be used for cellular receiver on both links.
communications. This technology, spread spectrum
communications, which involve transforming E. Disadvantages in CDMA: The single biggest problem
narrowband information to a wideband, signal for that the TDOA method faces in CDMA is the power
transmission, was seen as a mean of addressing control operation of the IS-95 standard. To achieve
potential capacity limitations of TDMA systems maximum capacity, it is crucial for the CDMA systems
(which result from the fact that the number of users on that all the signals must be received at approximately the
any single frequency is restricted by the number of same power levels Hence the IS-95 standard uses open
available time slots). A spread spectrum system loop and closed loop power control mechanisms to keep
operates by transforming the narrowband information of the power levels from the mobiles constant at the base
an individual user into wideband information by using station. In practice the power levels are distributed with a
high frequency codes, each unique for that particular variance of 1 to 2 dB around the desired mean Hence,
user. By assigning different users unique codes, a when a mobile is closer to its controlling base station, it
transmits at a lower transmit power than a mobile farther
multiple-access system is possible, Le., code division
away from the base station. As a result, for the mobile that
multiple access (CDMA). Moreover, in a CDMA is closer to the base station, its signal is received at a very
system, frequency reuse limitations seen in FDMA and low power at the other two base stations participating in
TDMA systems are not quite so critical, as multiple the TDOA PL. This happens because of the simultaneous
mobile stations and base stations can occupy the same effects of increased path loss and reduced transmit power.
frequencies at once. Hence, the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) at the other base
Qualcomm Incorporated in San Diego, stations drops rapidly as the mobile comes closer to its
California, developed the first CDMA cellular system home cell site. This results in poor PL accuracy when the
for widespread deployment in the early 1990s, mobile is close to the controlling base station. Another
culminating with the standardization of Qualcomm's problem that the TDOA method faces in CDMA systems
CDMA solution by the Telecommunications Industry is that the signals of all users are spectrally and temporally
Association (TIA) in 1992. overlapping.
Hence, it is not possible to use directly
generalized or cyclic cross-correlation techniques to find
the desired user's peak at the Cross-correlation output
D. Advantages for TDOA in CDMA: The most among the peaks of other users.
obvious advantage of CDMA for TDOA techniques is that
CDMA Interim Standard-95 (IS-95) is a wideband system F. What we can do we can undo :: Shown below is a
when compared with other standards like Advanced functional diagram explaining the basic principle of how
Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), IS-136 or Global System CDMA works.. Here a simple 2 message case is
for Mobile communications (GSM). This is because a key considered. Suppose the messages are m1(t) and m2(t),
limitation of conventional cross-correlation is that the time
with one bit interval Tb, they are product multiplied with
resolution of the TDOA estimate, in the presence of multi-
orthogonal codes. (Codes when cross correlated among
path, is limited to approximately 1/B, where B is the
them would yield zero), then added and sent to the
bandwidth of the received signal. For example, when
receiving a 1 MHz signal, the time delays can only be antennae for transmission. And Tc is the chip interval of
resolved to within 1s or within 300 meters. In this respect, the running orthogonal code, where Tc << Tb as for
IS-95 is the most well suited standard among all the the condition for spreading the message into wideband.
standards in use nowadays, as it is the most wideband of The received code A is product multiplied by appropriate
all. However, the accuracy can be further increased by orthogonal code. The integrator adds up the signal
increasing the sampling rate of the incoming signal. This power over one bit interval Tb of the base-band
happens because as the sampling rate increases, the message. If the output of the integrator is greater than
quantization error in timing estimates decreases, which 0, then the decision is a 1; if the integrator output is
results in more accurate TDOA measurements. Another less than 0, then the decision is a -1.
advantage of CDMA standard is its inherent multi-path
rejection capability. For any PL system to be practical, it
must be able to resolve different multi-path components

2
 III. The Error Pattern Detection So having more than one bit error is 0.00065% which
means we get no errors or one bit error in 99.9% cases.
F.Where can Error Occur : Errors mostly occur
due to noise that the signal encounters when it gets So the bottom line is that the snapshot formed
transmitted over the channel. In CDMA, apart from at the Home Cell is error free (in a overwhelming
having AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise), the majority of cases) and the snapshot in neighboring cells
data of the other users in the cell also are present. But will have at most one or two bit error.
applying orthogonal code technique has greatly reduced
the errors to a negligible effect. Hardware have been IV Improved TDOA Estimation:
developed to that extend that errors have been reduced
to a nil effect at least in the Home Cell of the User. G .Its Implication:
The snap shot of the desired user has to be
CDMA technique requires information form recovered first. In the process if a wrong bit decision is
all users to be at the same power level for its operation. made, then a whole portion of snap shot equal to one bit
So the user’s mobile that is near the BS of the home cell duration which has a number of chips equal to the
is notified to transmit at a lower power so as to be par spreading gain is replaced with the wrong polarity. As a
with the user who is near the border of Home Cell. This result, if such wrong replacements cause a cross-
is called .Near-Far Effect. correlation error, the wrong peak occurs exactly at
multiples of bit times away. In such case the total delay
So for such a user the snap-shot developed for time output would be larger than the expected value and
calculating time delay would be error free in Home the error would occur as multiples of bit duration. Once
Cell’s BS.. But in other BS taking part in calculation we know that the error has occurred we can apply the
would end up with errors as the power transmitted being correcting procedure discussed.
low gets lost in the noise provided by the channel. One
possible solution is that to increase the power of the H. .Formulas Used:
desired Signal Of Interest (SOI) and to apply Multiple
Access Interference (MAI) cancellation techniques. So Spreading Gain = Chipping Rate/User Data Rate
the snapshot constructed at the neighboring BS can be C=speed of light (3 x 108)
made with very low Bit Error Rate (BER). Typical BER Mcps – Million chips per second
is about 0.005% for IS-95 used by most of the operators.
3
 V References
I.Correction Procedure : In the IS-95 CDMA
[1]. T. S. Rappaport, J. H. Reed and B. D. Woerner,
system, the chip rate is 1.2288 Mcps and the spreading \Position Location Using Wireless Communications on
gain is 128, hence, the bit duration is about 104.16 µs. Highways of the Future", IEEE Communications
On the other hand the maximum possible value for a
Magazine, vol. 34, no. 10, pp. 33{41, October 1996.
TDOA measurement between any two base stations
(BS) is equal to the time it takes for the radio signal to
[2].George A. Mizusawa, \Performance of
travel between those two base stations. This TDOA
Hyperbolic Position Location Techniques for
estimate may occur when a mobile unit is very close to Code Division Multiple Access", MPRG-TR-
the controlling base station. In our case, the base 96-29, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
stations are separated by a distance of 8.66 km
24061-0350, August 1996.
(assuming a hexagonal layout with a major radius of 5
km). Hence the propagation time between any
[3] CDMA RF System Engineering, Samuel C. Yang
two BS which is also the maximum possible TDOA is
28.86 µs. This is much less than a bit duration which is [4].. R. E. Ziemer and R. L. Peterson, Digital
104.16 µs. Hence, if we find a TDOA estimate that is Communications and Spread Spectrum Systems,
higher than the maximum possible TDOA, then we can
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1985.
assume that there is an error in the TDOA estimate and
we can most probably correct it by subtracting from it
[5]. R. M. Buehrer, N. S. Correal and B. D. Woerner,
an appropriate multiple of the bit duration and thus
\Analysis of Selective Interference
reducing it to an amount within the maximum possible Cancellation for Cellular CDMA", IEEE Transactions
TDOA. on Communications, 1996.
In standard measurements the snapshot used
would be of 12 bits length. So even is more than one bit
[6]. Third-Generation CDMA Systems
for Enhanced Data Services, Giridhar Mandvam d
error occurs (though chances are very less) there would
JerseyLai
still be enough correlating bits to give the peaks.

J.. Conditions for the Application of Improved TDOA

Estimation: In summary, the
improved TDOA estimation described above is
Applicable, if the following conditions are satisfied

1. A CDMA code-on-pulse system is used.

2. Snap Shots that have been composed by respreading
the decoded data are used for cross-correlations.
3.The bit duration and the base station separations are
such that the maximum possible TDOA is less than
a bit duration.

K. Recommendations:

Position Location can be made reliable and

accurate with improved TDOA techniques. It is also
recommended that the user to transmit a little higher
Power and to use MAI techniques to avoid interference.

L.Conclusion:
It is observed that this method keeps the errors
below the required threshold in almost all cases and
gives highly consistent and better results than the
unmodified simple TDOA estimation..