Home > Published Issues > 2024 > Volume 19, No. 3, 2024 >
JCM 2024 Vol.19(3): 161-167
Doi: 10.12720/jcm.19.3.161-167

A Piecewise Linear Model for Passive Intermodulation Distortion

Khaled M. Gharaibeh
Department of Telecommunications Engineering, Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
Email: kmgharai@yu.edu.jo (K.M.G.)

Manuscript received October 27, 2023; revised December 4, 2023; accepted December 13, 2023; published March 26, 2024.

Abstract—Passive Intermodulation (PIM) distortion which results from passive components such as antennas, connecters, etc. poses significant challenges in wireless communications by limiting cell coverage and data rates. In Carrier Aggregated (CA) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, PIM is manifested as self-interreference when intermodulation products of the transmitted signal leak to the receiver. The primary goal of this paper is to develop a new behavioral model for passive nonlinearities enabling PIM distortion in LTE systems to be predicted. The analysis employs a Threshold-Decomposition-based Piecewise Linear (TD-PWL) model to represent a passive nonlinearity and predict PIM in CA-LTE system. Simulation results show that the proposed model accurately predicts PIM and highlight its superior numerical stability and accuracy over polynomialbased models. These results position the PWL model as a promising choice in the design of PIM cancellation schemes.


Keywords—passive intermodulation, piecewise linear model, Long Term Evolution (LTE), behavioral models, Threshold decomposition


Cite: Khaled M. Gharaibeh, “A Piecewise Linear Model for Passive Intermodulation Distortion," Journal of Communications, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 748-758, 2024.


Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.