Multiuser Precoding for Sum-Rate Maximization in Relay-Aided mmWave Communications

Relay-aided transmission is envisioned as a key strategy to combat severe path loss and link blockages emerging as unique challenges in millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. This work considers a relay-aided multiuser mmWave communications scenario aiming at maximizing the sum rate through optimal transmit and relay precoder design. We propose a novel joint precoder design strategy, which exploits weighted minimum mean-square error (WMMSE) using its equivalency to sum-rate maximization. We obtain closed form expressions of transmit and relay precoders, and propose to compute them through alternating-optimization iterations without having to resort to complicated numerical optimization techniques. Numerical results verify the superiority of the proposed precoding strategy as compared to conventional precoding schemes

Learning Based Hybrid Beamforming Design for Full-Duplex Millimeter Wave Systems

Millimeter Wave (mmWave) communications with full-duplex (FD) have the potential of increasing the spectral efficiency, relative to those with half-duplex. However, the residual self-interference (SI) from FD and high pathloss inherent to mmWave signals may degrade the system performance. Meanwhile, hybrid beamforming (HBF) is an efficient technology to enhance the channel gain and mitigate interference with reasonable complexity. However, conventional HBF approaches for FD mmWave systems are based on optimization processes, which are either too complex or strongly rely on the quality of channel state information (CSI). We propose two learning schemes to design HBF for FD mmWave systems, i.e., extreme learning machine based HBF (ELM-HBF) and convolutional neural networks based HBF (CNN-HBF). Specifically, we first propose an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) based algorithm to achieve SI cancellation beamforming, and then use a majorization-minimization (MM) based algorithm for joint transmitting and receiving HBF optimization. To train the learning networks, we simulate noisy channels as input, and select the hybrid beamformers calculated by proposed algorithms as targets. Results show that both learning based schemes can provide more robust HBF performance and achieve at least 22.1% higher spectral efficiency compared to orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithms. Besides, the online prediction time of proposed learning based schemes is almost 20 times faster than the OMP scheme. Furthermore, the training time of ELM-HBF is about 600 times faster than that of CNN-HBF with 64 transmitting and receiving antennas.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Millimeter-Wave Full-Duplex UAV Relay: Joint Positioning, Beamforming, and Power Control

In this paper, a full-duplex unmanned aerial vehicle (FD-UAV) relay is employed to increase the communication capacity of millimeter-wave (mmWave) networks. Large antenna arrays are equipped at the source node (SN), destination node (DN), and FD-UAV relay to overcome the high path loss of mmWave channels and to help mitigate the self-interference at the FD-UAV relay. Specifically, we formulate a problem for maximization of the achievable rate from the SN to the DN, where the UAV position, analog beamforming, and power control are jointly optimized. Since the problem is highly non-convex and involves high-dimensional, highly coupled variable vectors, we first obtain the conditional optimal position of the FD-UAV relay for maximization of an approximate upper bound on the achievable rate in closed form, under the assumption of a line-of-sight (LoS) environment and ideal beamforming. Then, the UAV is deployed to the position which is closest to the conditional optimal position and yields LoS paths for both air-to-ground links. Subsequently, we propose an alternating interference suppression (AIS) algorithm for the joint design of the beamforming vectors and the power control variables. In each iteration, the beamforming vectors are optimized for maximization of the beamforming gains of the target signals and the successive reduction of the interference, where the optimal power control variables are obtained in closed form. Our simulation results confirm the superiority of the proposed positioning, beamforming, and power control method compared to three benchmark schemes. Furthermore, our results show that the proposed solution closely approaches a performance upper bound for mmWave FD-UAV systems.Comment: This paper has been accepted by IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, special issue on Multiple Antenna Technologies for Beyond 5