Synchronization by pilot signal

In this paper, we propose a novel approach for code acquisition in the code-division multiple access (CDMA) communication system. The essential assumption is that the pilot signal of the desired user is available. If the codes are exactly orthogonal, the method can be derived from an optimization criterion. Using the pilot signal, the performance can be greatly improved without increasing computational complexity. Simulations show that our method clearly outperforms minimum variance method, eigenvector-based MUSIC, and matched filter.