Application of End-to-End Deep Learning in Wireless Communications Systems

Deep learning is a potential paradigm changer for the design of wireless communications systems (WCS), from conventional handcrafted schemes based on sophisticated mathematical models with assumptions to autonomous schemes based on the end-to-end deep learning using a large number of data. In this article, we present a basic concept of the deep learning and its application to WCS by investigating the resource allocation (RA) scheme based on a deep neural network (DNN) where multiple goals with various constraints can be satisfied through the end-to-end deep learning. Especially, the optimality and feasibility of the DNN based RA are verified through simulation. Then, we discuss the technical challenges regarding the application of deep learning in WCS.Comment: This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publicatio

Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access: Common Myths and Critical Questions

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has received tremendous attention for the design of radio access techniques for fifth generation (5G) wireless networks and beyond. The basic concept behind NOMA is to serve more than one user in the same resource block, e.g., a time slot, subcarrier, spreading code, or space. With this, NOMA promotes massive connectivity, lowers latency, improves user fairness and spectral efficiency, and increases reliability compared to orthogonal multiple access (OMA) techniques. While NOMA has gained significant attention from the communications community, it has also been subject to several widespread misunderstandings, such as $``\textit{NOMA is based on allocating higher power to users with worse channel conditions. As such, cell-edge users receive more power in NOMA and due to this biased power allocation toward cell-edge users inter-cell interference is more severe in NOMA compared to OMA. NOMA also compromises security for spectral efficiency.}''$ The above statements are actually false, and this paper aims at identifying such common myths about NOMA and clarifying why they are not true. We also pose critical questions that are important for the effective adoption of NOMA in 5G and beyond and identify promising research directions for NOMA, which will require intense investigation in the future.Comment: To appear in the IEEE Wireless Communication

An Enhanced SCMA Detector Enabled by Deep Neural Network

In this paper, we propose a learning approach for sparse code multiple access (SCMA) signal detection by using a deep neural network via unfolding the procedure of message passing algorithm (MPA). The MPA can be converted to a sparsely connected neural network if we treat the weights as the parameters of a neural network. The neural network can be trained off-line and then deployed for online detection. By further refining the network weights corresponding to the edges of a factor graph, the proposed method achieves a better performance. Moreover, the deep neural network based detection is a computationally efficient since highly paralleled computations in the network are enabled in emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips

Cascade-Net: a New Deep Learning Architecture for OFDM Detection

In this paper, we consider using deep neural network for OFDM symbol detection and demonstrate its performance advantages in combating large Doppler Shift. In particular, a new architecture named Cascade-Net is proposed for detection, where deep neural network is cascading with a zero-forcing preprocessor to prevent the network stucking in a saddle point or a local minimum point. In addition, we propose a sliding detection approach in order to detect OFDM symbols with large number of subcarriers. We evaluate this new architecture, as well as the sliding algorithm, using the Rayleigh channel with large Doppler spread, which could degrade detection performance in an OFDM system and is especially severe for high frequency band and mmWave communications. The numerical results of OFDM detection in SISO scenario show that cascade-net can achieve better performance than zero-forcing method while providing robustness against ill conditioned channels. We also show the better performance of the sliding cascade network (SCN) compared to sliding zero-forcing detector through numerical simulation.Comment: 5 pages,5 figure

Decision Directed Channel Estimation Based on Deep Neural Network k-step Predictor for MIMO Communications in 5G

We consider the use of deep neural network (DNN) to develop a decision-directed (DD)-channel estimation (CE) algorithm for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-space-time block coded systems in highly dynamic vehicular environments. We propose the use of DNN for k-step channel prediction for space-time block code (STBC)s, and show that deep learning (DL)-based DD-CE can removes the need for Doppler spread estimation in fast time-varying quasi stationary channels, where the Doppler spread varies from one packet to another. Doppler spread estimation in this kind of vehicular channels is remarkably challenging and requires a large number of pilots and preambles, leading to lower power and spectral efficiency. We train two DNNs which learn real and imaginary parts of the MIMO fading channels over a wide range of Doppler spreads. We demonstrate that by those DNNs, DD-CE can be realized with only rough priori knowledge about Doppler spread range. For the proposed DD-CE algorithm, we also analytically derive the maximum likelihood (ML) decoding algorithm for STBC transmission. The proposed DL-based DD-CE is a promising solution for reliable communication over the vehicular MIMO fading channels without accurate mathematical models. This is because DNN can intelligently learn the statistics of the fading channels. Our simulation results show that the proposed DL-based DD-CE algorithm exhibits lower propagation error compared to existing DD-CE algorithms while the latters require perfect knowledge of the Doppler rate

Deep Receiver Design for Multi-carrier Waveforms Using CNNs

In this paper, a deep learning based receiver is proposed for a collection of multi-carrier wave-forms including both current and next-generation wireless communication systems. In particular, we propose to use a convolutional neural network (CNN) for jointly detection and demodulation of the received signal at the receiver in wireless environments. We compare our proposed architecture to the classical methods and demonstrate that our proposed CNN-based architecture can perform better on different multi-carrier forms including OFDM and GFDM in various simulations. Furthermore, we compare the total number of required parameters for each network for memory requirements.Comment: PrePrint for TSP Conferenc

A Deep-learning-based Joint Inference for Secure Spatial Modulation Receiver

As a green and secure wireless transmission way, secure spatial modulation (SM) is becoming a hot research area. Its basic idea is to exploit both the index of activated transmit antenna and amplitude phase modulation (APM) signal to carry messages, improve security, and save energy. In this paper, we reviewed its crucial techniques: transmit antenna selection (TAS), artificial noise (AN) projection, power allocation (PA), and joint detection at desired receiver. To achieve the optimal performance of maximum likelihood (ML) detector, a deep-neural-network (DNN) joint detector is proposed to jointly infer the index of transmit antenna and signal constellation point with a lower-complexity. Here, each layer of DNN is redesigned to optimize the joint inference performance of two distinct types of information: transmit antenna index and signal constellation point. Simulation results show that the proposed DNN method performs 3dB better than the conventional DNN structure and is close to ML detection in the low and medium signal-to-noise ratio regions in terms of the bit error rate (BER) performance, but its complexity is far lower-complexity compared to ML. Finally, three key techniques TAS, PA, and AN projection at transmitter can be combined to make SM a true secure modulation

Deep Learning-Based Decoding for Constrained Sequence Codes

Constrained sequence codes have been widely used in modern communication and data storage systems. Sequences encoded with constrained sequence codes satisfy constraints imposed by the physical channel, hence enabling efficient and reliable transmission of coded symbols. Traditional encoding and decoding of constrained sequence codes rely on table look-up, which is prone to errors that occur during transmission. In this paper, we introduce constrained sequence decoding based on deep learning. With multiple layer perception (MLP) networks and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), we are able to achieve low bit error rates that are close to maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) decoding as well as improve the system throughput. Moreover, implementation of capacity-achieving fixed-length codes, where the complexity is prohibitively high with table look-up decoding, becomes practical with deep learning-based decoding.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted by IEEE Global Communications Conference Workshop - Machine learning for communication

Building Encoder and Decoder with Deep Neural Networks: On the Way to Reality

Deep learning has been a groundbreaking technology in various fields as well as in communications systems. In spite of the notable advancements of deep neural network (DNN) based technologies in recent years, the high computational complexity has been a major obstacle to apply DNN in practical communications systems which require real-time operation. In this sense, challenges regarding practical implementation must be addressed before the proliferation of DNN-based intelligent communications becomes a reality. To the best of the authors' knowledge, for the first time, this article presents an efficient learning architecture and design strategies including link level verification through digital circuit implementations using hardware description language (HDL) to mitigate this challenge and to deduce feasibility and potential of DNN for communications systems. In particular, DNN is applied for an encoder and a decoder to enable flexible adaptation with respect to the system environments without needing any domain specific information. Extensive investigations and interdisciplinary design considerations including the DNN-based autoencoder structure, learning framework, and low-complexity digital circuit implementations for real-time operation are taken into account by the authors which ascertains the use of DNN-based communications in practice.Comment: This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publicatio

Trainable Projected Gradient Detector for Sparsely Spread Code Division Multiple Access

Sparsely spread code division multiple access (SCDMA) is a promising non-orthogonal multiple access technique for future wireless communications. In this paper, we propose a novel trainable multiuser detector called sparse trainable projected gradient (STPG) detector, which is based on the notion of deep unfolding. In the STPG detector, trainable parameters are embedded to a projected gradient descent algorithm, which can be trained by standard deep learning techniques such as back propagation and stochastic gradient descent. Advantages of the detector are its low computational cost and small number of trainable parameters, which enables us to treat massive SCDMA systems. In particular, its computational cost is smaller than a conventional belief propagation (BP) detector while the STPG detector exhibits nearly same detection performance with a BP detector. We also propose a scalable joint learning of signature sequences and the STPG detector for signature design. Numerical results show that the joint learning improves multiuser detection performance particular in the low SNR regime.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure