Delay-Doppler Channel Estimation using Arbitrarily Modulated Data Transmissions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a data-driven delay-Doppler channel estimation method that enhances spectral efficiency by eliminating the need for pilot transmissions at every channel coherence interval.

Contribution

It proposes a novel approach to use arbitrarily modulated data for delay-Doppler channel estimation, improving spectral efficiency without frequent pilot signals.

Findings

Achieves approximately 1.8x spectral efficiency improvement over conventional methods.

Demonstrates effectiveness across various 6G modulation schemes.

Validates approach using numerical evaluation over practical channel models.

Abstract

Conventional delay-Doppler (DD) communication and sensing systems require transmitting pilot frames at every channel coherence time interval in order to keep track of channel variations at the cost of spectral efficiency. In this paper, we propose an approach to utilize data transmissions modulated using arbitrary waveforms for DD channel estimation without requiring pilot transmissions in every coherence time interval. Numerical evaluation over practical doubly-selective channel models demonstrate $\sim 1.8 \times$ improvement in spectral efficiency with our proposed data-based approach over conventional pilot-based approaches across various 6G modulation schemes.