Pilot-Based LMMSE Channel Estimation for OFDM Systems With Power–Delay Profile Approximation

In linear-minimum-mean-square-error (LMMSE) channel estimation for multicarrier systems, one needs to know the channel correlation function. This poses a problem for systems with a small number of pilots operating in time-varying channels. We propose to approximate the channel power–delay profile (PDP) with a shape that can completely be described in two parameters, namely, the mean delay and the root-mean-square (RMS) delay spread. Furthermore, we develop a simple technique to estimate these delay parameters. The approximate PDP is then used to generate the LMMSE filter coefficients for data-subcarrier channel estimation. Mathematical expressions are derived that can be used to predict the accuracy of the various estimates, and they are verified by simulation. The proposed technique is applicable to both point-to-point communication and multiaccess communication where different users may experience different channel conditions. As a practical application, we also specialize the proposed technique to Mobile WiMAX signals and investigate the resulting performance.