Time correlation based maximum Doppler frequency estimator for W-CDMA receiver

Channel estimation is an important technique for compensating the signal against fading effects. Optimal channel estimation requires information of the vehicle speed or the maximum Doppler frequency. We developed a time correlation based maximum Doppler frequency estimator for the optimal channel estimation. We evaluated its performance and applied it to a CDMA RAKE receiver under a multipath fading channel. The proposed scheme can accomplish the features of a wide detection range i.e., from low Doppler frequency to 380 Hz, while achieving a low mean square estimation error of 10% under a multipath environment.