Frame Synchronization Algorithm for LDPC Coded Burst Systems

We present a frame synchronization algorithm for lowdensity parity-check (LDPC) coded burst transmissions, which combines a conventional pilots-assisted frame synchronization algorithm and a code-aided algorithm based on the mean magnitude of the soft outputs from the LDPC decoder. With moderate computational complexity, the proposed algorithm is more efficient in bandwidth than conventional pilots-assisted algorithms. When compared with other code-aided algorithms, the proposed algorithm offers a better trade-off between complexity and performance. Simulation results in the case of an 8-PSK system with (1944, 972) LDPC code show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a performance equivalent to that of the perfect frame synchronization, with a bandwidth efficiency loss of 0.06 dB due to the use of pilot symbols.