Signal Demodulation with Machine Learning Methods for Physical Layer Visible Light Communications: Prototype Platform, Open Dataset and Algorithms

In this paper, we investigate the design and implementation of machine learning (ML) based demodulation methods in the physical layer of visible light communication (VLC) systems. We build a flexible hardware prototype of an end-to-end VLC system, from which the received signals are collected as the real data. The dataset is available online, which contains eight types of modulated signals. Then, we propose three ML demodulators based on convolutional neural network (CNN), deep belief network (DBN), and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), respectively. Specifically, the CNN based demodulator converts the modulated signals to images and recognizes the signals by the image classification. The proposed DBN based demodulator contains three restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs) to extract the modulation features. The AdaBoost method includes a strong classifier that is constructed by the weak classifiers with the k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. These three demodulators are trained and tested by our online open dataset. Experimental results show that the demodulation accuracy of the three data-driven demodulators drops as the transmission distance increases. A higher modulation order negatively influences the accuracy for a given transmission distance. Among the three ML methods, the AdaBoost modulator achieves the best performance

Meta-learning applications for machine-type wireless communications

Abstract. Machine Type Communication (MTC) emerged as a key enabling technology for 5G wireless networks and beyond towards the 6G networks. MTC provides two service modes. Massive MTC (mMTC) provides connectivity to a huge number of users. Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) achieves stringent reliability and latency requirements to enable industrial and interactive applications. Recently, data-driven learning-based approaches have been proposed to optimize the operation of various MTC applications and allow for obtaining the desired strict performance metrics. In our work, we propose implementing meta-learning alongside other deep-learning models in MTC applications. First, we analyze the model-agnostic meta-learning algorithm (MAML) and its convergence for regression and reinforcement learning (RL) problems. Then, we discuss uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) trajectory planning as a case study in mMTC and RL, illustrating the system model and the main challenges. Hence, we propose the MAML-RL formulation to solve the UAV path learning problem. Moreover, we address the MAML-based few-pilot demodulation problem in massive IoT deployments. Finally, we extend the problem to include the interference cancellation with Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) as a paradigm shift towards non-orthogonal communication thanks to its potential to scale well in massive deployments. We propose a novel, data-driven, meta-learning-aided NOMA uplink model that minimizes the channel estimation overhead and does not require perfect channel knowledge. Unlike conventional deep learning successive interference cancellation (SICNet), Meta-Learning aided SIC (meta-SICNet) can share experiences across different devices, facilitating learning for new incoming devices while reducing training over- head. Our results show the superiority of MAML performance in addressing many problems compared to other deep learning schemes. The simulations also prove that MAML can successfully solve the few-pilot demodulation problem and achieve better performance in terms of symbol error rates (SERs) and convergence latency. Moreover, the analysis confirms that the proposed meta-SICNet outperforms classical SIC and conventional SICNet as it can achieve a lower SER with fewer pilots

Bayesian Active Meta-Learning for Reliable and Efficient AI-Based Demodulation

Two of the main principles underlying the life cycle of an artificial intelligence (AI) module in communication networks are adaptation and monitoring. Adaptation refers to the need to adjust the operation of an AI module depending on the current conditions; while monitoring requires measures of the reliability of an AI module's decisions. Classical frequentist learning methods for the design of AI modules fall short on both counts of adaptation and monitoring, catering to one-off training and providing overconfident decisions. This paper proposes a solution to address both challenges by integrating meta-learning with Bayesian learning. As a specific use case, the problems of demodulation and equalization over a fading channel based on the availability of few pilots are studied. Meta-learning processes pilot information from multiple frames in order to extract useful shared properties of effective demodulators across frames. The resulting trained demodulators are demonstrated, via experiments, to offer better calibrated soft decisions, at the computational cost of running an ensemble of networks at run time. The capacity to quantify uncertainty in the model parameter space is further leveraged by extending Bayesian meta-learning to an active setting. In it, the designer can select in a sequential fashion channel conditions under which to generate data for meta-learning from a channel simulator. Bayesian active meta-learning is seen in experiments to significantly reduce the number of frames required to obtain efficient adaptation procedure for new frames.Comment: To appear in IEEE Transactions on Signal Processin

Soft detection and decoding in wideband CDMA systems

A major shift is taking place in the world of telecommunications towards a communications environment where a range of new data services will be available for mobile users. This shift is already visible in several areas of wireless communications, including cellular systems, wireless LANs, and satellite systems. The provision of flexible high-quality wireless data services requires a new approach on both the radio interface specification and the design and the implementation of the various transceiver algorithms. On the other hand, when the processing power available in the receivers increases, more complex receiver algorithms become feasible. The general problem addressed in this thesis is the application of soft detection and decoding algorithms in the wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) receivers, both in the base stations and in the mobile terminals, so that good performance is achieved but that the computational complexity remains acceptable. In particular, two applications of soft detection and soft decoding are studied: coded multiuser detection in the CDMA base station and improved RAKE-based reception employing soft detection in the mobile terminal. For coded multiuser detection, we propose a novel receiver structure that utilizes the decoding information for multiuser detection. We analyze the performance and derive lower bounds for the capacity of interference cancellation CDMA receivers when using channel coding to improve the reliability of tentative decisions. For soft decision and decoding techniques in the CDMA downlink, we propose a modified maximal ratio combining (MRC) scheme that is more suitable for RAKE receivers in WCDMA mobile terminals than the conventional MRC scheme. We also introduce an improved soft-output RAKE detector that is especially suitable for low spreading gains and high-order modulation schemes. Finally we analyze the gain obtained through the use of Brennan's MRC scheme and our modified MRC scheme. Throughout this thesis Bayesian networks are utilized to develop algorithms for soft detection and decoding problems. This approach originates from the initial stages of this research, where Bayesian networks and algorithms using such graphical models (e.g. the so-called sum-product algorithm) were used to identify new receiver algorithms. In the end, this viewpoint may not be easily noticeable in the final form of the algorithms, mainly because the practical efficiency considerations forced us to select simplified variants of the algorithms. However, this viewpoint is important to emphasize the underlying connection between the apparently different soft detection and decision algorithms described in this thesis.reviewe

Signal Processing and Learning for Next Generation Multiple Access in 6G

Wireless communication systems to date primarily rely on the orthogonality of resources to facilitate the design and implementation, from user access to data transmission. Emerging applications and scenarios in the sixth generation (6G) wireless systems will require massive connectivity and transmission of a deluge of data, which calls for more flexibility in the design concept that goes beyond orthogonality. Furthermore, recent advances in signal processing and learning have attracted considerable attention, as they provide promising approaches to various complex and previously intractable problems of signal processing in many fields. This article provides an overview of research efforts to date in the field of signal processing and learning for next-generation multiple access, with an emphasis on massive random access and non-orthogonal multiple access. The promising interplay with new technologies and the challenges in learning-based NGMA are discussed

Signal Processing for Compressed Sensing Multiuser Detection

The era of human based communication was longly believed to be the main driver for the development of communication systems. Already nowadays we observe that other types of communication impact the discussions of how future communication system will look like. One emerging technology in this direction is machine to machine (M2M) communication. M2M addresses the communication between autonomous entities without human interaction in mind. A very challenging aspect is the fact that M2M strongly differ from what communication system were designed for. Compared to human based communication, M2M is often characterized by small and sporadic uplink transmissions with limited data-rate constraints. While current communication systems can cope with several 100 transmissions, M2M envisions a massive number of devices that simultaneously communicate to a central base-station. Therefore, future communication systems need to be equipped with novel technologies facilitating the aggregation of massive M2M. The key design challenge lies in the efficient design of medium access technologies that allows for efficient communication with small data packets. Further, novel physical layer aspects have to be considered in order to reliable detect the massive uplink communication. Within this thesis physical layer concepts are introduced for a novel medium access technology tailored to the demands of sporadic M2M. This concept combines advances from the field of sporadic signal processing and communications. The main idea is to exploit the sporadic structure of the M2M traffic to design physical layer algorithms utilizing this side information. This concept considers that the base-station has to jointly detect the activity and the data of the M2M nodes. The whole framework of joint activity and data detection in sporadic M2M is known as Compressed Sensing Multiuser Detection (CS-MUD). This thesis introduces new physical layer concepts for CS-MUD. One important aspect is the question of how the activity detection impacts the data detection. It is shown that activity errors have a fundamentally different impact on the underlying communication system than data errors have. To address this impact, this thesis introduces new algorithms that aim at controlling or even avoiding the activity errors in a system. It is shown that a separate activity and data detection is a possible approach to control activity errors in M2M. This becomes possible by considering the activity detection task in a Bayesian framework based on soft activity information. This concept allows maintaining a constant and predictable activity error rate in a system. Beyond separate activity and data detection, the joint activity and data detection problem is addressed. Here a novel detector based on message passing is introduced. The main driver for this concept is the extrinsic information exchange between different entities being part of a graphical representation of the whole estimation problem. It can be shown that this detector is superior to state-of-the-art concepts for CS-MUD. Besides analyzing the concepts introduced simulatively, this thesis also shows an implementation of CS-MUD on a hardware demonstrator platform using the algorithms developed within this thesis. This implementation validates that the advantages of CS-MUD via over-the-air transmissions and measurements under practical constraints