IBM Israel Research Seminars

In this lecture we shall outline and investigate the usage of self-normalizing structures for synchronization and SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) estimation in coherent wireless communications. The meaning of "self-normalizing" is, generally speaking, a structure whose dynamic range is inherently bounded by its mathematical characteristics. This has a profound impact on the design of the communications system and makes self-normalizing structures particularly attractive for usage in fixed-point logic within FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) and ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). Often, the reduced dynamic range of the self-normalizing structure allows the design of the overall system to be much simpler and compact. Moreover, the proposed structures are shown to have excellent performance as compared to previously available structures.

About the Speaker
Yair Linn received his B.Sc. (with honors) in computer engineering from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, in 1996. In the years 1996-2001 he was employed as an electrical engineer in the Israeli Defense Forces, where he worked with the development, implementation, and deployment of wireless communications systems. From January 2002-July 2007 he completed his Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada. His research interests include synchronization in wireless receivers, estimation of wireless channel parameters, and implementation of real-time digital signal processing algorithms in FPGAs.