Peak-driven quadratic correlation accumulation for OFDM signal time parameter estimation

Abstract

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing is fundamental in modern wireless and Low Earth Orbit satellite systems due to its high spectral efficiency and multi-path resistance. In non-cooperative contexts, precise temporal parameter estimation is critical for reliable demodulation, yet challenging under harsh channel conditions where traditional methods often fail. This paper proposes a high-accuracy, two-stage blind estimation algorithm leveraging kurtosis maximization and secondary correlation accumulation. The first stage exploits the cyclic prefix-induced non-Gaussian statistics of the received signal’s correlation sequence. By maximizing the kurtosis of this sequence through exhaustive search, the useful symbol length is accurately estimated. The second stage then utilizes this estimate to construct a periodic metric, whose autocorrelation enables coherent energy accumulation across symbols for robust total symbol length estimation, even at low Signal-to-Noise Ratios. Extensive simulations over Additive White Gaussian Noise, Rician, and Rayleigh fading channels demonstrate near-zero estimation error in AWGN scenarios and high precision under severe multipath. These findings confirm the algorithm’s effectiveness and practical suitability for advanced non-cooperative signal processing systems.