2,476 research outputs found
Reduced Switching Connectivity for Large Scale Antenna Selection
In this paper, we explore reduced-connectivity radio frequency (RF) switching
networks for reducing the analog hardware complexity and switching power losses
in antenna selection (AS) systems. In particular, we analyze different hardware
architectures for implementing the RF switching matrices required in AS designs
with a reduced number of RF chains. We explicitly show that fully-flexible
switching matrices, which facilitate the selection of any possible subset of
antennas and attain the maximum theoretical sum rates of AS, present numerous
drawbacks such as the introduction of significant insertion losses,
particularly pronounced in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)
systems. Since these disadvantages make fully-flexible switching suboptimal in
the energy efficiency sense, we further consider partially-connected switching
networks as an alternative switching architecture with reduced hardware
complexity, which we characterize in this work. In this context, we also
analyze the impact of reduced switching connectivity on the analog hardware and
digital signal processing of AS schemes that rely on channel power information.
Overall, the analytical and simulation results shown in this paper demonstrate
that partially-connected switching maximizes the energy efficiency of massive
MIMO systems for a reduced number of RF chains, while fully-flexible switching
offers sub-optimal energy efficiency benefits due to its significant switching
power losses.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
Separation Framework: An Enabler for Cooperative and D2D Communication for Future 5G Networks
Soaring capacity and coverage demands dictate that future cellular networks
need to soon migrate towards ultra-dense networks. However, network
densification comes with a host of challenges that include compromised energy
efficiency, complex interference management, cumbersome mobility management,
burdensome signaling overheads and higher backhaul costs. Interestingly, most
of the problems, that beleaguer network densification, stem from legacy
networks' one common feature i.e., tight coupling between the control and data
planes regardless of their degree of heterogeneity and cell density.
Consequently, in wake of 5G, control and data planes separation architecture
(SARC) has recently been conceived as a promising paradigm that has potential
to address most of aforementioned challenges. In this article, we review
various proposals that have been presented in literature so far to enable SARC.
More specifically, we analyze how and to what degree various SARC proposals
address the four main challenges in network densification namely: energy
efficiency, system level capacity maximization, interference management and
mobility management. We then focus on two salient features of future cellular
networks that have not yet been adapted in legacy networks at wide scale and
thus remain a hallmark of 5G, i.e., coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and
device-to-device (D2D) communications. After providing necessary background on
CoMP and D2D, we analyze how SARC can particularly act as a major enabler for
CoMP and D2D in context of 5G. This article thus serves as both a tutorial as
well as an up to date survey on SARC, CoMP and D2D. Most importantly, the
article provides an extensive outlook of challenges and opportunities that lie
at the crossroads of these three mutually entangled emerging technologies.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 201
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