Cascaded Deep Neural Network Based Adaptive Precoding for Distributed Massive MIMO Systems

In time-division duplex (TDD) distributed large-scale multiple input multiple output (DM-MIMO) systems, the traditional downlink channel precoding method is used to resist inter-user interference (IUI). However, when the Channel State Information (CSI) is incomplete, the performance loss is serious, not only the bit error rate is high, but also the complexity of the traditional precoding algorithm is high. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes an adaptive precoding framework based on deep learning (DL) for joint training and split application deployment. First, we train a channel emulator deep neural network (CE-DNN) to learn and simulate the transmission process of the wireless communication channel. Then, we concatenate an untrained precoding DNN (P-DNN) with a trained CE-DNN and retrain the cascaded neural network to converge. The last step is to obtain the P-DNN, namely the adaptive precoding network, by dismantling the joint trained network. Simulation results show that, when CSI is imperfect, the proposed method is compared with Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP) and block diagonalization (BD) precoding. The proposed method has a lower mean square error (MSE) and higher spectrum efficiency, as well as a bit error rate (BER) performance close to the THP. The source codes and the neural network codes are available on request

Multi-Antenna Techniques for Next Generation Cellular Communications

Future cellular communications are expected to offer substantial improvements for the pre- existing mobile services with higher data rates and lower latency as well as pioneer new types of applications that must comply with strict demands from a wider range of user types. All of these tasks require utmost efficiency in the use of spectral resources. Deploying multiple antennas introduces an additional signal dimension to wireless data transmissions, which provides a significant alternative solution against the plateauing capacity issue of the limited available spectrum. Multi-antenna techniques and the associated key enabling technologies possess unquestionable potential to play a key role in the evolution of next generation cellular systems. Spectral efficiency can be improved on downlink by concurrently serving multiple users with high-rate data connections on shared resources. In this thesis optimized multi-user multi-input multi-output (MIMO) transmissions are investigated on downlink from both filter design and resource allocation/assignment points of view. Regarding filter design, a joint baseband processing method is proposed specifically for high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions, where the necessary signaling overhead can be compensated for. Regarding resource scheduling, greedy- and genetic-based algorithms are proposed that demand lower complexity with large number of resource blocks relative to prior implementations. Channel estimation techniques are investigated for massive MIMO technology. In case of channel reciprocity, this thesis proposes an overhead reduction scheme for the signaling of user channel state information (CSI) feedback during a relative antenna calibration. In addition, a multi-cell coordination method is proposed for subspace-based blind estimators on uplink, which can be implicitly translated to downlink CSI in the presence of ideal reciprocity. Regarding non-reciprocal channels, a novel estimation technique is proposed based on reconstructing full downlink CSI from a select number of dominant propagation paths. The proposed method offers drastic compressions in user feedback reports and requires much simpler downlink training processes. Full-duplex technology can provide up to twice the spectral efficiency of conventional resource divisions. This thesis considers a full-duplex two-hop link with a MIMO relay and investigates mitigation techniques against the inherent loop-interference. Spatial-domain suppression schemes are developed for the optimization of full-duplex MIMO relaying in a coverage extension scenario on downlink. The proposed methods are demonstrated to generate data rates that closely approximate their global bounds

Widely linear precoding for large-scale MIMO with IQI: Algorithms and performance analysis

In this paper, we study widely linear precoding techniques to mitigate in-phase/quadrature-phase (IQ) imbalance (IQI) in the downlink of large-scale multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) systems. We adopt a real-valued signal model, which considers the IQI at the transmitter, and then develop widely linear zero-forcing (WL-ZF), widely linear matched filter, widely linear minimum mean-squared error, and widely linear block-diagonalization (WL-BD) type precoding algorithms for both single- and multiple-antenna users. We also present a performance analysis of WL-ZF and WL-BD. It is proved that without IQI, WL-ZF has exactly the same multiplexing gain and power offset as ZF, while when IQI exists, WL-ZF achieves the same multiplexing gain as ZF with ideal IQ branches, but with a minor power loss, which is related to the system scale and the IQ parameters. We also compare the performance of WL-BD with BD. The analysis shows that with ideal IQ branches, WL-BD has the same data rate as BD, while when IQI exists, WL-BD achieves the same multiplexing gain as BD without IQ imbalance. Numerical results verify the analysis and show that the proposed widely linear type precoding methods significantly outperform their conventional counterparts with IQI and approach those with ideal IQ branches

Scaling up virtual MIMO systems

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems are a mature technology that has been incorporated into current wireless broadband standards to improve the channel capacity and link reliability. Nevertheless, due to the continuous increasing demand for wireless data traffic new strategies are to be adopted. Very large MIMO antenna arrays represents a paradigm shift in terms of theory and implementation, where the use of tens or hundreds of antennas provides significant improvements in throughput and radiated energy efficiency compared to single antennas setups. Since design constraints limit the number of usable antennas, virtual systems can be seen as a promising technique due to their ability to mimic and exploit the gains of multi-antenna systems by means of wireless cooperation. Considering these arguments, in this work, energy efficient coding and network design for large virtual MIMO systems are presented. Firstly, a cooperative virtual MIMO (V-MIMO) system that uses a large multi-antenna transmitter and implements compress-and-forward (CF) relay cooperation is investigated. Since constructing a reliable codebook is the most computationally complex task performed by the relay nodes in CF cooperation, reduced complexity quantisation techniques are introduced. The analysis is focused on the block error probability (BLER) and the computational complexity for the uniform scalar quantiser (U-SQ) and the Lloyd-Max algorithm (LM-SQ). Numerical results show that the LM-SQ is simpler to design and can achieve a BLER performance comparable to the optimal vector quantiser. Furthermore, due to its low complexity, U-SQ could be consider particularly suitable for very large wireless systems. Even though very large MIMO systems enhance the spectral efficiency of wireless networks, this comes at the expense of linearly increasing the power consumption due to the use of multiple radio frequency chains to support the antennas. Thus, the energy efficiency and throughput of the cooperative V-MIMO system are analysed and the impact of the imperfect channel state information (CSI) on the system’s performance is studied. Finally, a power allocation algorithm is implemented to reduce the total power consumption. Simulation results show that wireless cooperation between users is more energy efficient than using a high modulation order transmission and that the larger the number of transmit antennas the lower the impact of the imperfect CSI on the system’s performance. Finally, the application of cooperative systems is extended to wireless self-backhauling heterogeneous networks, where the decode-and-forward (DF) protocol is employed to provide a cost-effective and reliable backhaul. The associated trade-offs for a heterogeneous network with inhomogeneous user distributions are investigated through the use of sleeping strategies. Three different policies for switching-off base stations are considered: random, load-based and greedy algorithms. The probability of coverage for the random and load-based sleeping policies is derived. Moreover, an energy efficient base station deployment and operation approach is presented. Numerical results show that the average number of base stations required to support the traffic load at peak-time can be reduced by using the greedy algorithm for base station deployment and that highly clustered networks exhibit a smaller average serving distance and thus, a better probability of coverage

On the feasibility and applications of in-band full-duplex radios for future wireless networks

Due to the continuous increase of the demands for the wireless network’s capacity, in-band full-duplex (IBFD) has recently become a key research topic due to its potential to double spectral efficiency, reduce latency, enhance emerging applications, etc., by transmitting and receiving simultaneously over the same channel. Meanwhile, many studies in the literature experimentally demonstrated the feasibility of IBFD radios, which leads to the belief that it is possible to introduce IBFD in the standard of the next-generation networks. Therefore, in this thesis, we timely study the feasibility of IBFD and investigate its advantages for emerging applications in future networks. In the first part, we investigate the interference suppression methods to maximize the IBFD gain by minimizing the effects of self-interference (SI) and co-channel interference (CCI). To this end, we first study a 3-step self-interference cancellation (SIC) scheme. We focus on the time domain-based analog canceller and nonlinear digital canceller, explaining their rationale, demonstrating their effectiveness, and finding the optimal design by minimizing the residual effects. To break the limitation of conventional electrical radio frequency (RF) cancellers, we study the photonic-assisted canceller (PAC) and propose a new design, namely a fiber array-based canceller. We propose a new low-complexity tuning algorithm for the PAC. The effectiveness of the proposed fiber array canceller is demonstrated via simulations. Furthermore, we construct a prototype of the fiber array canceller with two taps and carry out experiments in real-world environments. Results show that the 3-step cancellation scheme can bring the SI close to the receiver's noise floor. Then, we consider the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scenarios, proposing to employ hybrid RF-digital beamforming to reduce the implementation cost and studying its effects on the SIC design. Additionally, we propose a user allocation algorithm to reduce the CCI from the physical layer. A heterogeneous industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) scenario is considered, while the proposed algorithm can be generalized by modifying the parameters to fit any other network. In the second part, we study the beamforming schemes for IBFD multi-cell multi-user (IBFD-MCMU) networks. The transceiver hardware impairments (HWIs) and channel uncertainty are considered for robustness. We first enhance zero-forcing (ZF) and maximum ratio transmission and combining (MRTC) beamforming to be compatible with IBFD-MCMU networks in the presence of multi-antenna users. Then, we study beamforming for SIC, which is challenging for MCMU networks due to the limited antennas but complex interference. We propose a minimum mean-squared error (MMSE)-based scheme to enhance the SIC performance while minimizing its effects on the sum rate. Furthermore, we investigate a robust joint power allocation and beamforming (JPABF) scheme, which approaches the performance of existing optimal designs with reduced complexity. Their performance is evaluated and compared through 3GPP-based simulations. In the third part, we investigate the advantages of applying IBFD radios for physical layer security (PLS). We focus on a channel frequency response (CFR)-based secret key generation (SKG) scheme in MIMO systems. We formulate the intrinsic imperfections of IBFD radios (e.g., SIC overheads and noise due to imperfect SIC) and derive their effects on the probing errors. Then we derive closed-form expressions for the secret key capacity (SKC) of the SKG scheme in the presence of a passive eavesdropper. We analyze the asymptotic behavior of the SKC in the high-SNR regime and reveal the fundamental limits for IBFD and half-duplex (HD) radios. Based on the asymptotic SKC, numerical results illustrate that effective analog self-interference cancellation (ASIC) is the basis for IBFD to gain benefits over HD. Additionally, we investigate essential processing for the CFR-based SKG scheme and verify its effectiveness via simulations and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) test. In the fourth part, we consider a typical application of IBFD radios: integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). To provide reliable services in high-mobility scenarios, we introduce orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation and develop a novel framework for OTFS-ISAC. We give the channel representation in different domains and reveal the limitations and disadvantages of existing ISAC frameworks for OTFS waveforms and propose a novel radar sensing method, including a conventional MUSIC algorithm for angle estimation and a delay-time domain-based range and velocity estimator. Additionally, we study the communication design based on the estimated radar sensing parameters. To enable reliable IBFD radios in high-mobility scenarios, a SIC scheme compatible with OTFS and rapidly-changing channels is proposed, which is lacking in the literature. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed ISAC waveform and associated estimation algorithm can provide both reliable communications and accurate radar sensing with reduced latency, improved spectral efficiency, etc

Systèmes MIMO : conception, estimation du canal, et détection

The aim of this thesis is to investigate multiple input multiple output (MIMO) techniques from the reception algorithms, i.e., channel estimation, symbol detection, and interference suppression, to the advanced spatial modulation (SM) transmission schemes, i.e., the signal constellation design for high performance and energy efficiency. In the reception algorithms, the proposed schemes are derived based on the detection theory, i.e., maximum likelihood (ML), linear minimum mean square error (MMSE), successive interference cancellation (SIC), combining with the statistical analysis, i.e., Bayesian linear regression and Bayesian model comparison, in order to deal with the channel uncertainty, i.e., fading, correlations, thermal noise, multiple interference, and the impact of estimation errors.In the transmission schemes, the signal constellations are targeted to find a good trade off between the average transmit energy and the minimum Euclidean distance in the signal space. The proposed schemes, denoted by enhanced SM (ESM), introduce novel modulation/antenna combinations and use them as the information bits for transmission. The number of those combinations is the double or the quadruple of the number of active antenna indices (or index combinations) in conventional SM systems, and this increases the number of bits transmitted per channel use by one or two.The results of simulations show that good system performance can be achieved with the advanced MIMO techniques. Several examples are presented in this thesis to provide insights for the MIMO system designs.Cette thèse aborde plusieurs problèmes fondamentaux des systèmes de communications sans fil avec des antennes multiples, dites systèmes MIMO (multiple input, multiple output). Les contributions se situent aussi bien au niveau des algorithmes de réception qu’au niveau de la génération du signal à l’émission.La plus grande partie de la thèse est dédiée à l’étude des algorithmes de réception. Les points abordés comprennent la modélisation et l’estimation du canal, la détection robuste des symboles, et la suppression des interférences. Un nouveau modèle de canal est proposé dans le chapitre 3 en exploitant les corrélations dans les domaines temporel, fréquentiel et spatial, et en réduisant l’espace des paramètres aux termes dominants. Ce modèle est utilisé pour proposer ensuite un estimateur de canal à faible complexité et aussi un sélecteur de mots de code pour envoyer vers l’émetteur les informations sur l’état du canal. Dans le chapitre 4, la réception robuste est étudiée pour les systèmes MIMO-OFDM sans une connaissance parfaite du canal. Des récepteurs robustes sont proposés pour les cas avec ou sans connaissance statistique du canal. La conception de récepteurs pour les systèmes MIMO-OFDM en présence d’interférence est étudiée dans le chapitre 5 et des récepteurs robustes sont proposés prenant en compte séparément l’interférence causée par les ondes pilotes et celle causée par les symboles d’une part et l’asynchronisme entre le signal et l’interférence d’autre part.Dans la deuxième partie de la thèse (chapitre 6), nous abordons les modulations spatiales qui sont particulièrement adaptées aux systèmes MIMO dans lesquels le nombre de chaines d’émission est inférieur aux nombre d’antennes. Remarquant que l’efficacité spectrale de ces systèmes reste très faible par rapport à la technique de multiplexage spatiale, nous avons développé des modulations spatiales améliorées (ESM, pour Enhanced Spatial Modulation) qui augmentent substantiellement l’efficacité spectrale. Ces modulations sont basées sur l’introduction de modulations secondaires, obtenues par interpolation. La technique ESM gagne plusieurs décibels en rapport signal à bruit lorsque les constellations du signal sont choisies de façon à avoir la même efficacité spectrale que dans les modulations spatiales conventionnelles