Lecturer: Pietro Savazzi  

Course name: Digital communications
Course code: 504998
Degree course: Electronic Engineering
Disciplinary field of science: ING-INF/03
The course relates to:
University credits: ECTS 6
Course website: http://tlclab.unipv.it/sito_tlc/downloads.do?catId=Digi
talCommunications

Specific course objectives

The corse introduces the modern techniques of digital transmission and coding of information. It provides the fundamental transmission and coding techniques used by modern telecommunication systems.

Course programme

The course is aimed at students with a basic knowledge of electrical communication and signal theory. The course introduces and analyzes the performance of transmission and coding techniques used in modern digital communication systems.

Elements of Signal Theory

• Characterization of signals in time and frequency domains
• Orthogonal signals
• Sampling theorem

Information Theory

• Entropy and information
• Channel capacity
• Fundamental theorems of Shannon

Transmission over AWGN channel

• Elements of linear digital modulations
• Digital frequency and continuous phase modulations
• Nyquist criterion for avoiding intersymbol interference (ISI)
• Shaping filters
• Optimum receivers and error probabilities

Transmission over fading channel and synchronization algorithms

• Carrier and symbol timing synchronization
• Linear filter equalization
• Maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) receiver
• Spread spectrum techniques
• Multiple access channels
• OFDM modulation
• MIMO architectures

Channel coding

• Codes for error detection and correction
• Algebraic codes
• Maximum likelihood decoding of convolutional codes
• Concatenated codes
• Capacity approaching codes (turbo and LDPC codes)
• Iterative algorithms of decoding

Design of modern digital communication systems

• Software defined radio (SDR)
• Matlab project examples

Course entry requirements

The course is aimed at students with a basic knowledge of electrical communication and signal theory

Course structure and teaching

Lectures (hours/year in lecture theatre): 45
Practical class (hours/year in lecture theatre): 0
Practicals / Workshops (hours/year in lecture theatre): 0

Suggested reading materials

J.R. Barry, E.A. Lee, D.G. Messerschmitt. Digital Communication (third edition). Springer 2004.

Testing and exams

Oral test