Near-Optimal Interference Exploitation 1-Bit Massive MIMO Precoding via Partial Branch-and-Bound

In this paper, we focus on 1-bit precoding for large-scale antenna systems in the downlink based on the concept of constructive interference (CI). By formulating the optimization problem that aims to maximize the CI effect subject to the 1-bit constraint on the transmit signals, we mathematically prove that, when relaxing the 1-bit constraint, the majority of the obtained transmit signals already satisfy the 1-bit constraint. Based on this important observation, we propose a 1-bit precoding method via a partial branch-and-bound (P-BB) approach, where the BB procedure is only performed for the entries that do not comply with the 1-bit constraint. The proposed P-BB enables the use of the BB framework in large-scale antenna scenarios, which was not applicable due to its prohibitive complexity. Numerical results demonstrate a near-optimal error rate performance for the proposed 1-bit precoding algorithm.Comment: accepted by IEEE ICASSP202

Interference Exploitation via Symbol-Level Precoding: Overview, State-of-the-Art and Future Directions

Interference is traditionally viewed as a performance limiting factor in wireless communication systems, which is to be minimized or mitigated. Nevertheless, a recent line of work has shown that by manipulating the interfering signals such that they add up constructively at the receiver side, known interference can be made beneficial and further improve the system performance in a variety of wireless scenarios, achieved by symbol-level precoding (SLP). This paper aims to provide a tutorial on interference exploitation techniques from the perspective of precoding design in a multi-antenna wireless communication system, by beginning with the classification of constructive interference (CI) and destructive interference (DI). The definition for CI is presented and the corresponding mathematical characterization is formulated for popular modulation types, based on which optimization-based precoding techniques are discussed. In addition, the extension of CI precoding to other application scenarios as well as for hardware efficiency is also described. Proof-of-concept testbeds are demonstrated for the potential practical implementation of CI precoding, and finally a list of open problems and practical challenges are presented to inspire and motivate further research directions in this area

Spatial Multiplexing for MIMO/Massive MIMO

In this chapter, we will discuss how to achieve spatial multiplexing in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications through precoding design, for both traditional small-scale MIMO systems and massive MIMO systems. The mathematical description for MIMO communications will first be introduced, based on which we discuss both block-level precoding and the emerging symbol-level precoding techniques. We begin with simple and closed-form block-level precoders such as maximum ratio transmission (MRT), zero-forcing (ZF), and regularized ZF (RZF), followed by the classic symbol-level precoding schemes such as Tomlinson-Harashima precoder (THP) and vector perturbation (VP) precoder. Subsequently, we introduce optimization-based precoding solutions, including power minimization, SINR balancing, symbol-level interference exploitation, etc. We extend our discussion to massive MIMO systems and particularly focus on precoding designs for hardware-efficient massive MIMO systems, such as hybrid analog-digital precoding, low-bit precoding, nonlinearity-aware precoding, etc

A Unified Framework for Precoding and Pilot Design for FDD Symbol-Level Precoding

Large-scale antenna array techniques are key enablers for modern wireless communication systems. Channel state information (CSI) is indispensable for large-scale multi-antenna systems, but is challenging to obtain. To tackle this issue, in this paper we propose a unified precoding and pilot design frame-work, that allows minimal and precoding-sensitive modified CSI (mCSI) to be collected. This results in a significant reduction in the CSI overheads and complexity compared to classical physical CSI (pCSI) estimation. Based on this unified framework, we further propose an intelligent pilot (IP) approach that senses and selects the mCSI to be collected. The IP approach utilizes a compressive sensing formulation to attach sensing and selection of significant mCSI to precoding optimization. We apply the above techniques to the multi-user frequency division duplexing (FDD) downlink as an example. Our study shows that the advantages of the IP approach are three-fold. First, in contrast to the pCSI, precoding-sensitive information is only captured, which reduces the training and feedback overheads. Second, the precoders are optimized directly based on the mCSI, which avoids recovering the pCSI of high-dimension. Third, since the mCSI of reduced dimension is utilized, the scale of the problem to optimize the precoder is also reduced and thus it is much easier to solve