A method for detecting the parameters of a digital modulation

for a cognitive radio receiver

Plugariu Ovidiu*

Abstract:” Cognitive Radio have become a key research area in the communications field over the past few
years as a powerful application addapted to the latest technological demands. Cognitive radios can work collaboratively
to make observations, share knowledge of the environment, and relate lessons from experience. In this project I have
studied how you can determine the modulation format using the computational method called recurrence plot analysis.”

I Cognitive Radio have become a key research area in the communications field over the past few years as a
powerful application addapted to the latest technological demands. Radio cognitive represents an evolved concept
based on the earlier software defined radios (SDR), software being the tool which gives them their enormous advantage
– “continous adaptability” [3].
The radio cognitive systems enable the use of artificial intelligence (AI) on flexible communications platforms,
such as software defined radios (SDR) to enable on-board, real-time optimization of frequency, time, power, and other
parameters. They can readapt to existing signal conditions through spectrum sensing and assignment of adequate
resources. Here is what experts say about cognitive radios : “ Making radios so smart that they can autonomously
discover how, when and where to use radio spectrum to obtain information services without having previously
programmed to do so”.
Their key characteristics are:
1. Sense the radio environment;
2. Make decisions;
3. Learn from experience to improve future decision making.
To obtain advantages given by the reconfigurability there has to be an efficient management of the entire
decision-making process. Cognitive radios achieve more efficient spectrum utilization by opportunistically finding
empty frequency bands. This new paradigm relies on the fact that a significant portion of the spectrum allocated to
lincesed services show little usage over time. This is a great advantage because the size of a frequency band is
physically determining the capacity of a radio network [3].
Cognitive radios can work collaboratively to make observations, share knowledge of the environment, and
relate lessons from experience. They can readapt their communications strategy with “friendly users” according to the
received feedback, they can switch radio bands or modulation/ demodulation protocols. This gives them great
adaptability for military applications because in this specific area friendly signals should be securely transmitted and
received whereas hostile signals must be located, identified and jammed.

II Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is an important component that improves the overall
performance of the cognitive radio.
 AMC is often a difficult task to perform when there is no apriori information about the signal, such as signal
position, power carrier frequency and timing parameters.
There are many efforts oriented to improving AMC methods because communications protocols are frequenly
performed in non-cooperative environments. Moreover, in addition to multiple- propagation there are other problems
to be solved, like the frequency-selectivity and time-varying nature of a channel, especially when no prior knowledge
of the incoming signal is available.

The design of a modulation classifier involves two steps:

1 Signal preprocessing. This stage includes the following tasks to be solved:

- noise reduction;
- estimative carrier;
- symbol period;
- signal power.

2 Proper selection of the classification algorithm. There are two ways to do this:

A. Likehood function based classification (LB)

B. Feature based classification: several features are employed/analysed and a decision is being made.

IEEE has developped a special standard for cognitive radios (IEEE 802.11k) which includes the following
characteristics:
1. The utilization of a certain frequency band;
2. Noise histogram (estimated for a noise-only situation).
3. The hidden node ratio (existence of hidden receivers)
4. Time histogram in which the environment is loaded or free.
- The non-802.11k energy levels are measured
- The non 802-11k interferences are measured
The usage of Cognitive Radio technology has an overall emprovement of the spectrum management of 15% [4].

III Recurrence Plot Analysis

A signal is a time series which can be real or complex, with noise and modulations more or less difficult to
recognize and analyse. One possible analysis can be performed using a time-frequency approach.
x(t X(f

t f
Recurrence plot analysis : helps visualizing the recurrences in a two dimensional plot, hence it provides
information about the dynamics of the system highlighting the presence of certain patterns.
This method is appropriate for computation purposes because it can analyse high-dimensional dynamical-systems.
(1
Recurrence diagram
)

I. We find the DM(distance matrix) DM є MM,M(R) DMi,j=

II. The Recurrence Matrix

RM MM,M(R) RMi,j=H( )
H[n]=the Heaviside function (1)

H[n]= H[n]=

=the Dirac impuls

This recurrence matrix has the capacity to resume in a compact form the essential characteristics of a analysed
signal; being also known as “the signal’s fingerprint”.
When we reconstruct an RP we must choose an specific threshold . In an TRP (threshold RP) the pixel laying at
(i,j) is black if the distance falls within a specific corridor or white otherwise

Structures in RP’s

• Homogenous RP’s= typical stationary systems (relaxation times are short)

• Periodic and quasi-periodic RP’s=oscillatory systems whose oscillations are not easily recognizable
• Drift RP’s= slowly varying parameters
• Abrupt RP’s= dynamics of the system are extreme

Small scale structures

• Single, isolated recurrence points= occurs if states are rare, if they persist
• A diagonal line= occurs if a segment of the trajectory runs almost in parallel to another
segment for a time;
• A vertical/horizontal line= marks a time interval in which a state does not change or
changes very slowly;
• Bowed lines= non constant slope

Properties and qualities of RP’s

The principal arguments for the utilization of RP for the characterization of signals:
- It’s not based on signal’s energy based characterization/ energetic measurements decision;
- It doesen’t need a huge number of samples;
- Visualising the signal’s trajectory in state space allow us to reveal some auto-similarities which are difficult to
observe with a second order correlation;
- The recurrence plot representation is more flexible than a frequencial approach;
- Utility for recognition and detection of deterministic signal with noise
- RPA transforms a signal (one dimension) into a picture 2D:
a. we cand analyse the signal as a picture
b. it’s a redundant picture
c. the picture depends on the characteristics of the signal
d. moreover identifying could be useful to detection, characterization or
classification
 Modulation must allow data transmission between transmitter and receiver without ambiguity. It’s a way of
protecting the signal from noise and adapting it to the transmission line. I have analysed two signals using the RPA;
first one is a sine wave (with and without noise) and the other is an FSK4 signal(with and without noise).

SINE ASK4

FSK4 WITH RECURRENCE PROCESSING NOISE FSK4 WITH RECURRENCE NOISE AND SYSTEM NOISE
FSK8 FSK8 WITH NOISE

FSK2 WITH RECURRENCE PROCESSING NOISE REMOVED

FSK 4 WITH RECURRENCE PROCESSING NOISE REMOVE

 After this filtering I obtain an image in which we have the frequencies of the initial signal in every distinct
square on the LOS(line of synchronization). The distance between two parallel lines in each square represents the
period of that specific sine wave. This is how we determine the period parameter of the signal.
Recurrence plots and their quantification are useful tools for studying and classifying dynamical processes
and their transitions even if only short non-stationary time series are available. The plots can be processed using photo-
reconstruction techniques for noise reduction and for computed analysis. The modulation format can be recognized
using pattern-search in the recurrence matrix. Recurrence plot analysis is a modern computational method which is
used successfully in areas where the quantity of the information that has to be analised is large and complex. Such an
area is the automatic modulation classification for a cognitive radio system, because it is very easy for a computer to
rapidly interpret the information from a recurrence analysis comparing it with pre-defined patterns and to take a
decision over the analysis result.
This method can be successfully used in complex system analysis like cognitive radios and it is also used in
modern physics, complex phemenomenon analysis, natotechnology, bioengineering, cardiology etc.

Bibliography:1. www.recurrence–plot.tk
2. “ A Survey of Automatic Modulation Classification Techniques:
Classical Approaches and New Trends”
Octavia A. Dobre, Ali Abdi, Yeheskel Bar-Ness and Wei Su
3. “Cognitive radio architecture” Joseph Mitola
 4. http://www.networkworld.com/news/tech/2004/0329techupdate.html
802.11k reference

Plots have been constructed with “CROSS RECURRENCE PLOT TOOLBOX 5.15” for Matlab developped by
Marwan&Kurts. Filtering algorithms are developed by the author.

* Student in the “Military Technical Academy”