Interference scenarios and capacity performances for femtocell networks

7th International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering, ELECO 2011; Bursa; Turkey; 1 December 2011 through 4 December 2011In this paper, we present capacity performances of Femtocells considering different interference scenarios which are among femtocells and between femtocells and macrocell. The capacity performances are demonstrated for femtocells with both single and multiple transmit and receive antennas using Wireless Insite radio propagation software. © 2011 Chamber of Turkish Electric

Mutual Coupling Effects on Pattern Diversity Antennas for MIMO Femtocells

Diversity antennas play an important role in wireless communications. However, mutual coupling between multiple ports of a diversity antenna has significant effects on wireless radio links and channel capacity. In this paper, dual-port pattern diversity antennas for femtocell applications are proposed to cover GSM1800, UMTS, and WLAN frequency bands. The channel capacities of the proposed antennas and two ideal dipoles with different mutual coupling levels are investigated in an indoor environment. The relation between mutual coupling and channel capacity is observed through investigations of these antennas

Pattern Diversity Characterization of Reconfigurable Antenna Arrays for Next Generation Wireless Systems

The use of multi-antenna technology in wireless radio communications has attracted tremendous attention due to its potential to increase data rates without requiring additional bandwidth and transmission power. This has been driven by the burgeoning demand for high data rates and the need for instantaneous and ubiquitous access to information. It is therefore no surprise that current and future generation wireless standards such as LTE and WiMAX have adopted the use of adaptive multi-antenna systems also known as adaptive Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) as their de facto transmission technology. In this thesis work, we focus on the design of a smart wireless antenna system, and the study of relevant techniques that enable us to reap the benefits of their deployment in small wireless devices with MIMO capability. Specifically, we employ a new class of adaptive antenna systems known as Reconfigurable Antenna Systems (RAS) for portable devices. These antennas are capable of dynamically changing their electrical and radiation characteristics to suit the conditions of the wireless channel. The changing radiation patterns lead to pattern diversity gains that improve system performance. This is in contrast to conventional non-reconfigurable arrays which depend on signal processing techniques such as antenna grouping and beamforming to achieve performance gains. However, despite the demonstrable system-level performance benefits of RAS in adaptive MIMO, few of these antennas have been adopted and integrated in state-of-the-art wireless standards. Their usage has been partly inhibited by the prohibitive costs of implementation and operation in a real wireless infrastructure. As part of this thesis research effort we attempt to integrate these new antennas into a cost-effective real wireless MIMO testbed for use in current generation technologies. The solution integration is carried-out through the use of readily available software-defined radio frameworks. We first design, analyze and characterize the pattern diversity in RAS antenna arrays that resonate at frequencies suitable for 4G applications. We then study the benefits of pattern diversity obtained from RAS arrays over conventional space diversity approaches such as antenna grouping and beamforming. This dissertation also presents low-complexity adaptive physical layer models and algorithms to exploit the benefits of RAS array integration in MIMO wireless systems. We implement these algorithms in software-defined radio frameworks, experimentally test, and benchmark them against other established approaches in literature. And finally, integrate and test these RAS array design prototypes as part of the MIMO wireless system that leverages a state-of-the-art wireless base station and mobile terminals.Ph.D., Electrical Engineering -- Drexel University, 201

Analysis of MIMO Communications Systems Based on Experimentally Observed Channels

This thesis presents an analysis of multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) communications systems where the objective is to provide a unified solution to the problems of (i) crosstalk coupling in transmission line channels (ii) multi-path fading in the time variant high frequency wireless channel. In the case of transmission line channels, a comparative analysis is presented of the performance of MIMO communications systems based on balanced CAT 5 twisted-pair transmission lines, balanced twisted-pair telephone transmission lines scheme as well as unbalanced flat-pair transmission lines. The unbalanced flat-pair transmission lines are viewed as a model for digital subscriber lines (DSLs) which may be deemed out-of-range for high speed internet connections because of the circumstances of poor balance, high insertion losses and high degrees of crosstalk. This comparative analysis is then extended to examine effect of imperfect knowledge of the transmission line channels on MIMO communications system performance. In the case of wireless channels, an analysis is presented which investigates the effect of both the Rayleigh and Ricean channels on MIMO communications system performance. Again the analysis of the wireless channels is extended to examine the effect of imperfect knowledge of the channel on MIMO communications systems performance. All of the analyses in this work are based on experimentally observed channels. In the case of the transmission line channels, it is concluded that MIMO communications systems do offer the possibility of high speed internet connectivity on transmission lines that, hereto, would have been considered out-of-range for such services. Considering the CAT 5 transmission line channels, it is concluded that the MIMO communications system provide enhancement at frequencies above 50 MHz and therefore the possibly of extending length and coverage above the standard 100 metres is proposed. On the other hand, the improved performance of the twisted-pair telephone transmission lines is consistent over the range from 300 kHz to 100 MHz when the MIMO system is applied. For all the transmission line channels that are examined, the extent of imperfect knowledge of the channel that can be allowed while maintaining a reasonable MIMO communications system performance is indicated. In the case of the wireless channels, it is concluded that MIMO communications system performance is better in the case of Rayleigh channel than in the case of Ricean channel provided that the degree of correlation of the multi-path channel impulse response components is equivalent. Also, as the number of transmitters and receivers, N T, increases the effect of a given degree of imperfect knowledge of the wireless channel becomes more detrimental on MIMO communication system performance. This work thus indicates the extent of imperfect knowledge of the wireless channel that can be allowed while maintaining a reasonable MIMO communications system performance. The trade-off between increased capacity gain and decreased accuracy of knowledge of the channel as the dimension, N T, was increased is highlighted

A Study of the Impact of Various Geometric Factors on the Capacity of Short Range Indoor MIMO Communications Channels

MIMO antenna array systems have been proposed as a means of increasing the spectral efficiency of wireless systems. However, their performance is likely to be sub-optimal if typical uniform antenna array structures are arbitrarily positioned; as they depend on spatial multiplexing. This is particularly true for indoor environments in which transmission ranges are short resulting in a strong correlation of the main propagation paths, especially the line-of-sight components. This makes it difficult to achieve successful spatial multiplexing which depends on a decorrelated set of signal components. Thus, the physical propagation channel and geometry of the antenna arrays, especially the inter-element spacing, can determine how effectively spatial multiplexing can be realised. This thesis investigates MIMO communications channels involving a single transmitter and receiver operating in a simple indoor environment using a ray-tracing simulation model. The results and analysis provide system designers with an understanding of the limits of MIMO system performance in the context of both the geometric properties of the arrays and the propagation conditions. These results serve to explain the often contradictory results that appear in the wider literature on MIMO systems. Guidelines for the deployment of standard array structures in an indoor environment are provided. An original solution to optimising MIMO system performance by adjusting the geometry of uniform linear arrays is described. This is done using an iterative search method based on the Metropolis algorithm in which individual array elements are repositioned. It is demonstrated through computer simulation that capacity levels, similar to those predicted by the theory for ideal Rayleigh channels, are possible to achieve with realistic modifications to uniform linear arrays