Lecturer: Lorenzo Favalli  

Course name: Digital communications
Course code: 502887
Degree course: Ingegneria Elettronica
Disciplinary field of science: ING-INF/03
The course relates to:
University credits: CFU 6
Course website: n.d.

Specific course objectives

Introduce modern transmission techniques, allow students understand their performance and provide ability to understand their advantages and drawbacks.

Course programme

The course is intended for students who already have a basic knowledge of transmission techniques anda good knowledge of signal characterization. The cours introduces in detail modulation and coding techniques used in modern communications systems.

Review of signal characterization methods

• Signal characterization in time domain
• Statistical signal characterization
• Signal characterization using othonormal basis
• Signal characterization in frequency

Information theory

• Definition of information and how to represent it
• Entropy and information
• capacity
• Shannon theorems

Performace under AWGN noise

• Linear modulations
• Optimum receiver
• Error probability

Performance under bandwidth limitations

• InterSymbol Intereference. Nyquist criterion
• Raised cosine signal shaping.
• Partial response pulses
• Basics of linear equalization
• MLSE receiver.
• Ungerboeck metrics, iterative demodulation, Viterbi algorithm
• Error probability of an MLSE receiver

Transmission and reception in fading channels

• Fading characterization
• Performance of linear and non-linear modulations
• OFDM

Error control coding

• Error correctin and error detecting codes
• Review of block and cyclic codes.
• Convolutional codes. State diagram description, Viterbi and sequential decoding.
• Concatenated codes and interleaving
• Iterative decoding. Graph description of codes.
• Turbo codes
• LDPC

Course entry requirements

Course structure and teaching

Lectures (hours/year in lecture theatre): 42
Practical class (hours/year in lecture theatre): 6
Practicals / Workshops (hours/year in lecture theatre): 0

Suggested reading materials

Testing and exams

Colloquium