Cyclic Prefix: Motivation (1)

y Recall: Multipath Fading and Delay Spread

Cyclic Prefix: Motivation (2)

y OFDM uses large symbol duration Ts

y compared to the duration of the impulse response max of the channel

y to reduce the amount of ISI

y Q: Can we eliminate the multipath (ISI) problem?

y To reduce the ISI, add guard interval larger than that of the estimated

delay spread.
y If the guard interval is left empty, the orthogonality of the sub-carriers
no longer holds, i.e., ICI (inter-channel interference) still exists.
y To prevent both the ISI as well as the ICI, OFDM symbol is cyclically
extended into the guard interval.

Cyclic Prefix

Recall: Convolution
[]

N-1
N

c Flip
d Shift
e Multiply (pointwise)
f Add

[]
v-1
v

[] = [0 ]
m
[1 ]
m

x  h n  x  m h  n  m

[ ]
m
[ 1 ]
m
[ ]

m
[ +  1 ]

Circular Convolution

(Regular Convolution)
[]

[]

v-1
v

[]

v-1
v

N-1
N

N-1
N

[]

[] = [0 ]

[] = [0 ]

m
[1 ]

[1 ]

m
[ ]

[ ]

[ 1 ]

[ 1 ]

Replicate x (now it looks periodic)

Then, perform the usual convolution
only on n = 0 to N-1
7

[ ]
m
[ +  1 ]
m

Circular Convolution: Examples 1

Find

1

2 3   4 5 6

1

2 3

1

2 3 0 0

4

5 6

4

5 6 0 0

Discussion
y Regular convolution of an N1point vector and an N2point

vector gives (N1+N2-1)-point vector.

y Circular convolution is perform between two equal-length
vectors. The results also has the same length.
y Circular convolution can be used to find the regular
convolution by zero-padding.
y Zero-pad the vectors so that their length is N1+N2-1.
y Example:

1

2 3 0 0

4

5 6 0 0  1 2 3  4 5 6

y In modern OFDM, we want to perform circular convolution

via regular convolution.

9

Circular Convolution in Communication

y We want the receiver to obtain the circular convolution of the

signal (channel input) and the channel.

y Q: Why?
y A:
y CTFT: convolution in time domain corresponds to

multiplication in frequency domain.

y This fact does not hold for DFT.

y DFT: circular convolution in (discrete) time domain corresponds

to multiplication in (discrete) frequency domain.

y We want to have multiplication in frequency domain.
y So, we want circular convolution and not the regular convolution.

y Problem: Real channel does regular convolution.

y Solution: With cyclic prefix, regular convolution can be used to

create circular convolution.

10

Lets look closer at how

we carry out the circular
convolution operation.
Recall that we replicate
the x and then perform the
regular convolution (for N
points)

Example 2
1

2 3 1 2

3

2 1 0 0  ?

Solution:

1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2
0

2 1  1 2   2  3  2  2  6  2

0 0 1 2

0 0 1

0 0

2 3

1 2 3

1
11

11  2  2  1 3  1  4  3  8

0 1 2 3

2 3 1 2

11   2  2  3  3  1  4  9  6

 2 1  3  2  1 3  2  6  3  7

3

3 1  1 2  2  3  3  2  6  11

2 1 0 0  8 2 6 7 11
Goal: Get these numbers using regular convolution

Observation: We dont need

to replicate the x indefinitely.
Furthermore, when h is
shorter than x, we dont even
need a full replica.

Example 2
1

2 3 1 2

3

2 1 0 0  ?

Not needed in the calculation

1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2
0

2  1  1 2   2  3  2  2  6  2

0 0 1 2

0 0 1

0 0

2 3

1 2 3

1
12

1 1  2  2  1 3  1  4  3  8

0 1 2 3

2 3 1 2

1 1   2  2  3  3  1  4  9  6

 2 1  3  2  1 3  2  6  3  7

3

3  1  1 2  2  3  3  2  6  11

2 1 0 0  8 2 6 7 11

Try this: use only the necessary part

of the replica and then convolute
(regular convolution)
with the channel.

Example 2
1

2 1 2 3 1 2 * 3 2 1  ?
Copy the last  samples of the symbols at the beginning of the symbol.
This partial replica is called the cyclic prefix.

1 2 1 2 3 1 2
1 2 3

1 2  2  3  2  6  8

1 2 3

11  2  2  1 3  1  4  3  8

1 2 3

2  1  1  2   2  3  2  2  6  2

1 2

2 3

1  1   2  2  3  3  1  4  9  6

 2  1  3  2  1  3  2  6  3  7

1 2 3
1 2 3
1 2 3
13

1 3  3

3  1  1  2  2  3  3  2  6  11
11  2  2  1  4  5
2 1  2

Junk!

Example 2
y We now know that

1

2 1 2 3 1 2 * 3 2 1  3 8 8 2 6 7 11 5 2

Cyclic Prefix

1

2 3 1 2

3

2 1 0 0

y Similarly, you may check that

2

1 2 1 3 2 1 * 3 2 1   6 1 6 8 5 11 4 0 1

Cyclic Prefix

14

2

1 3 2 1

3

2 1 0 0

Example 3
y We know, from Example 2, that
[ 1 2 1 -2

1 2] * [3 2 1] = [ 3

8 8 -2

7 11 5 2]

And that
[-2 1 2

1 -3 -2 1] * [3 2 1] = [-6 -1 6

8 -5 -11 -4 0 1]

y Check that
[ 1 2 1 -2 3
= [ 3 8 8 -2 6

0 0 0

0] * [3 2 1]

7 11

2 0 0

0 0 0]

1 2 1 -3

-2

and

15

[ 0 0 0

0 0

0 -2

1] * [3 2 1]

= [ 0 0 0

0 0

0 -6 -1 6 8 -5 -11 -4 0 1]

Example 4
y We know that
[ 1 2 1 -2
[-2 1 2

1 2] * [3 2 1] = [ 3

8 8 -2

1 -3 -2 1] * [3 2 1] = [-6 -1 6

7 11 5 2]

8 -5 -11 -4 0 1]

y Using Example 3, we have

16

[ 1 2 1 -2 3

2 -2

1 2 1 -3

-2

1] * [3 2 1]

[ 1 2 1 -2 3
+[ 0 0 0 0 0

1
0

2 0
0 -2

0 0 0 0
1 2 1 -3

0
-2

0]
1]

[ 3 8 8 -2 6
+[ 0 0 0 0 0

7 11 5 2 0 0 0
0 0 0 0]
0 0 -6 -1 6 8 -5 -11 -4 0 1]

[ 3 8 8 -2 6

7 11 -1

* [3 2 1]

1 6 8 -5 -11 -4 0 1]

Putting results together

y Suppose x(1) = [1 -2 3 1 2] and x(2) = [2 1 -3 -2 1]

y Suppose h = [3 2 1]
y At the receiver, we want to get
y [1 -2 3 1 2]

* [3 2 1 0 0] = [8 -2 6 7 11]
y [2 1 -3 -2 1] * [3 2 1 0 0] = [6 8 -5 -11 -4]
y We transmit [ 1 2 1 -2 3 1 2 -2 1 2 1 -3 -2

1].

Cyclic prefix

Cyclic prefix
y At the receiver, we get

[ 1 2 1 -2 3
= [ 3 8 8 -2 6

2 -2

7 11 -1

1 2 1 -3

-2

1] * [3 2 1]

1 6 8 -5 -11 -4 0 1]

Junk! To be thrown away by the receiver.

17

Circular Convolution: Key Properties

y Consider an N-point signal x[n]
y Cyclic Prefix (CP) insertion: If x[n] is extended by

copying the last  samples of the symbols at the beginning of

the symbol:
 x  n,
0  n  N 1
x  n  
 x  n  N , v  n  1

y Key Property 1:

h

x n   h * x  n for
f 0  n  N 1

y Key Property 2:

h
18

FFT
x n 
Hk X k

OFDM with CP for Channel w/ Memory

y We want to send N samples S0, S1, , SN-1 across noisy

channel with memory.

IFFT
y First apply IFFT: Sk 
 s  n
y Then, add cyclic prefix
 s  N  ,
s  s

, s  N  1, s 0,

y This is inputted to the channel.

, s  N  1

y The output is
y  n   p  N  ,

, p  N  1, r 0,

y Remove cyclic prefix to get r  n  h  n

FFT
y Then apply FFT: r  n  Rk

19

, r  N  1

s  n   w n 

y By circular convolution property of DFT, Rk  H k Sk  Wk

No ICI!

OFDM System Design: CP

y A good ratio between the CP interval and symbol duration

should be found, so that all multipaths are resolved and not

significant amount of energy is lost due to CP.
y As a thumb rule, the CP interval must be two to four times
larger than the root mean square (RMS) delay spread.

20