Detection and Suppression of Impulsive Noise in OFDM Receiver

In recent years, the use of wireless systems in industrial applications has experienced spectacular growth. Unfortunately, industrial environments often present impulsive noise which degrades the reliability of wireless systems. OFDM is an enhanced technology used in industrial communication to monitor the work and movement of employees using high quality video. However, OFDM is sensitive to high amplitude impulsive noise because the noise energy spreads among all OFDM sub-carriers. This paper proposes a receiver structure consisting of two stages: a detector stage combining Fisher’s Quadratic discriminant and Gaussian Hypothesis techniques, and a suppression stage optimized by setting well defined thresholds. The receiver structure has been tested by simulations and measurements providing an increment in the probability of detection and improving the system performance.