Diversity scheme

In telecommunications, a diversity scheme refers to a method for improving the

reliability of a message signal by using two or more communication channels with
different characteristics. Diversity is mainly used in radio communication and is a
common technique for combatting fading and co-channel interference and avoiding
error bursts. It is based on the fact that individual channels experience fades and
interference at different, random times, i.e, they are at least partly independent.
Multiple versions of the same signal may be transmitted and/or received and
combined in the receiver. Alternatively, a redundant forward error correction code
may be added and different parts of the message transmitted over different channels.
Diversity techniques may exploit the multipath propagation, resulting in a diversity
gain, often measured in decibels.

Diversity techniques
The following classes of diversity schemes can be identified:

Time diversity: Multiple versions of the same signal are transmitted at

different time instants. Alternatively, a redundant forward error
correction code is added and the message is spread in time by means
of bit-interleaving before it is transmitted. Thus, error bursts are
avoided, which simplifies the error correction.
Terrestrial
Frequency diversity: The signal is transmitted using several
frequency channels or spread over a wide spectrum that is affected by microwave radio
frequency-selective fading. Later examples include: system with two
antenna arrays
OFDM modulation in combination with subcarrier interleaving and configured for
forward error correction space-diversity
Spread spectrum, for example frequency hopping or DS-CDMA.
Space diversity: The signal is transmitted over several different
propagation paths. In the case of wired transmission, this can be achieved by transmitting
via multiple wires. In the case of wireless transmission, it can be achieved by antenna
diversity using multiple transmitter antennas (transmit diversity) and/or multiple receiving
antennas (reception diversity). In the latter case, a diversity combining technique is applied
before further signal processing takes place. If the antennas are far apart, for example at
different cellular base station sites or WLAN access points, this is called macrodiversity or
site diversity. If the antennas are at a distance in the order of one wavelength, this is called
microdiversity. A special case is phased antenna arrays, which also can be used for
beamforming, MIMO channels and space–time coding (STC).
Polarization diversity: Multiple versions of a signal are transmitted and received via
antennas with different polarization. A diversity combining technique is applied on the
receiver side. [1]
Multiuser diversity: Multiuser diversity is obtained by opportunistic user scheduling at either
the transmitter or the receiver.[2] Opportunistic user scheduling is as follows: at any given
time, the transmitter selects the best user among candidate receivers according to the
qualities of each channel between the transmitter and each receiver. A receiver must feed
 back the channel quality information to the transmitter using limited levels of resolution, in
order for the transmitter to implement Multiuser diversity.
Cooperative diversity: Achieves antenna diversity gain by using the cooperation of
distributed antennas belonging to each node.

Combiner techniques
An important element in communication systems applying diversity schemes is the "Combiner", which
processes the redundantly received signals. Combiner technologies are traditionally classified according to
Brennan:[3]

Maximal-Ratio Combiner
Equal-Gain Combiner
Scanning/Switching Combiner
Selection Combiner

To combine parallel redundant transmitted longer signal sequences, for example network packets, the
principle of a Timing Combiner was defined in 2012.[4] Similarly working like a Selection Combiner, the
first fully received and valid data packet will be immediately further processed, whereas the later arriving
redundant packets will be immediately discarded after reception. With this approach, always the faster of
the redundant channels "wins", yielding significant performance improvements especially in wireless
applications.[4]

See also
Space–time coding (STC)
Aperture synthesis
Cooperative diversity
Channel access method
Fresnel zone
Tropospheric scatter
Cyclic delay diversity

References
1. Siamack Ghadimi (2019-04-02), Differential Cross-Polarized Wireless Communications,
Scientific Research
2. F. Foukalas and T. Khattab, "Multi-User Diversity with Optimal Power Allocation in Spectrum
Sharing under Average Interference Power Constraint (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/d
ocument/7022996)." 2014 IEEE 79th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Spring), May
2014
3. Brennan, D. G. (June 1959). "Linear Diversity Combining Techniques". Proceedings of the
IRE. 47 (6): 1075–1102. doi:10.1109/JRPROC.1959.287136 (https://doi.org/10.1109%2FJR
PROC.1959.287136). ISSN 0096-8390 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0096-8390).
S2CID 51655891 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:51655891).
4. Rentschler, M.; Laukemann, P. (September 2012). "Performance analysis of parallel
redundant WLAN". Proceedings of 2012 IEEE 17th International Conference on Emerging
Technologies & Factory Automation (ETFA 2012). pp. 1–8. doi:10.1109/ETFA.2012.6489647
 (https://doi.org/10.1109%2FETFA.2012.6489647). ISBN 978-1-4673-4737-2.
S2CID 10130152 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:10130152).

External links
Diversity reception (http://www.radioblvd.com/DiversityDD1.html) - Background information
of the development of Diversity reception devices.

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