Multi-Carrier Initial-Condition-Index-Aided DCSK Scheme: An Efficient Solution for Multipath Fading Channel

In this paper, we propose a multi-carrier initial-condition-index-aided differential chaos shift keying (MC-ICI-DCSK) scheme tailored for multipath fading channels. In the proposed scheme, the ICI bits are carried by the index of the initial condition of the chaotic sequences while the modulated bits are carried by positive/negative state of the chaotic signal. To adapt the ICI method for multipath fading channels, we design a cross-correlation-value-based detection scheme for ICI detection. In this detection scheme, multiple carriers can be combined for ICI detection. Meanwhile, ICI and modulated bit detections remain independent of each other. The theoretical bit-error-rate (BER) expression of MC-ICI-DCSK scheme is derived over multipath Rayleigh fading channels. Furthermore, the data rate, spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and complexity of the proposed scheme are analyzed. Simulation results not only verify the accuracy of the theoretical analysis, but also demonstrate the superiority of the proposed MC-ICI-DCSK scheme. Consequently, the proposed MC-ICI-DCSK can be deemed to be a promising scheme for low-power and low-cost short-range wireless communications.