Fine Timing and Frequency Synchronization for MIMO-OFDM: An Extreme Learning Approach

Multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) is a key technology component in the evolution towards next-generation communication in which the accuracy of timing and frequency synchronization significantly impacts the overall system performance. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme leveraging extreme learning machine (ELM) to achieve high-precision timing and frequency synchronization. Specifically, two ELMs are incorporated into a traditional MIMO-OFDM system to estimate both the residual symbol timing offset (RSTO) and the residual carrier frequency offset (RCFO). The simulation results show that the performance of an ELM-based synchronization scheme is superior to the traditional method under both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and frequency selective fading channels. Finally, the proposed method is robust in terms of choice of channel parameters (e.g., number of paths) and also in terms of "generalization ability" from a machine learning standpoint.