Accurate self-synchronizing technique for measuring transmitter phase and frequency errors in TDMA digitally encoded cellular systems

Measurement of phase and frequency errors, affecting the transmitted signal in digitally encoded cellular systems, is discussed here. To this aim, a new, cost-effective technique, particularly suitable in time domain multiple access (TDMA) systems, is proposed. In contrast to other measurement methods or instruments, the proposed technique gains burst synchronization on the analyzed signal through digital signal-processing, thus avoiding the need of sophisticated and expensive analog triggering solutions. Only a general-purpose data acquisition system is, in fact, required to capture a proper time window of the transmitted signal, preliminarily down-converted to intermediate frequency. Furthermore, in the same way as other methods or instruments, phase and frequency errors are evaluated according to a standard digital signal-processing procedure, which applies both for the actual and reference phase trajectory of the transmitted signal. The technique makes both trajectories available just at the end of the aforementioned burst synchronization stage, thus also optimizing the computational burden.