A virtual MIMO dual-hop architecture based on hybrid spatial modulation

International audienceIn this paper, we propose a novel Virtual Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (VMIMO) architecture based on the concept of Spatial Modulation (SM). Using a dual-hop and Decode-and-Forward protocol, we form a distributed system, called Dual-Hop Hybrid SM (DH-HSM). DH-HSM conveys information from a Source Node (SN) to a Destination Node (DN) via multiple Relay Nodes (RNs). The spatial position of the RNs is exploited for transferring information in addition to, or even without, a conventional symbol. In order to increase the performance of our architecture, while keeping the complexity of the RNs and DN low, we employ linear precoding using Channel State Information (CSI) at the SN. In this way, we form a Receive-Spatial Modulation (R-SM) pattern from the SN to the RNs, which is able to employ a centralized coordinated or a distributed uncoordinated detection algorithm at the RNs. In addition, we focus on the SN and propose two regularized linear precoding methods that employ realistic Imperfect Channel State Information at the Transmitter. The power of each precoder is analyzed theoretically. Using the Bit Error Rate (BER) metric, we evaluate our architecture against the following benchmark systems: 1) single relay; 2) best relay selection; 3) distributed Space Time Block Coding (STBC) VMIMO scheme; and 4) the direct communication link. We show that DH-HSM is able to achieve significant Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) gains, which can be as high as 10.5 dB for a very large scale system setup. In order to verify our simulation results, we provide an analytical framework for the evaluation of the Average Bit Error Probability (ABEP)

The Impact of CSI and Power Allocation on Relay Channel Capacity and Cooperation Strategies

Capacity gains from transmitter and receiver cooperation are compared in a relay network where the cooperating nodes are close together. Under quasi-static phase fading, when all nodes have equal average transmit power along with full channel state information (CSI), it is shown that transmitter cooperation outperforms receiver cooperation, whereas the opposite is true when power is optimally allocated among the cooperating nodes but only CSI at the receiver (CSIR) is available. When the nodes have equal power with CSIR only, cooperative schemes are shown to offer no capacity improvement over non-cooperation under the same network power constraint. When the system is under optimal power allocation with full CSI, the decode-and-forward transmitter cooperation rate is close to its cut-set capacity upper bound, and outperforms compress-and-forward receiver cooperation. Under fast Rayleigh fading in the high SNR regime, similar conclusions follow. Cooperative systems provide resilience to fading in channel magnitudes; however, capacity becomes more sensitive to power allocation, and the cooperating nodes need to be closer together for the decode-and-forward scheme to be capacity-achieving. Moreover, to realize capacity improvement, full CSI is necessary in transmitter cooperation, while in receiver cooperation optimal power allocation is essential.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication

Sum-Rate Analysis for High Altitude Platform (HAP) Drones with Tethered Balloon Relay

High altitude platform (HAP) drones can provide broadband wireless connectivity to ground users in rural areas by establishing line-of-sight (LoS) links and exploiting effective beamforming techniques. However, at high altitudes, acquiring the channel state information (CSI) for HAPs, which is a key component to perform beamforming, is challenging. In this paper, by exploiting an interference alignment (IA) technique, a novel method for achieving the maximum sum-rate in HAP-based communications without CSI is proposed. In particular, to realize IA, a multiple-antenna tethered balloon is used as a relay between multiple HAP drones and ground stations (GSs). Here, a multiple-input multiple-output X network system is considered. The capacity of the considered M*N X network with a tethered balloon relay is derived in closed-form. Simulation results corroborate the theoretical findings and show that the proposed approach yields the maximum sum-rate in multiple HAPs-GSs communications in absence of CSI. The results also show the existence of an optimal balloon's altitude for which the sum-rate is maximized.Comment: Accepted in IEEE Communications Letter

On the DMT of TDD-SIMO Systems with Channel-Dependent Reverse Channel Training

This paper investigates the Diversity-Multiplexing gain Trade-off (DMT) of a training based reciprocal Single Input Multiple Output (SIMO) system, with (i) perfect Channel State Information (CSI) at the Receiver (CSIR) and noisy CSI at the Transmitter (CSIT), and (ii) noisy CSIR and noisy CSIT. In both the cases, the CSIT is acquired through Reverse Channel Training (RCT), i.e., by sending a training sequence from the receiver to the transmitter. A channel-dependent fixed-power training scheme is proposed for acquiring CSIT, along with a forward-link data transmit power control scheme. With perfect CSIR, the proposed scheme is shown to achieve a diversity order that is quadratically increasing with the number of receive antennas. This is in contrast with conventional orthogonal RCT schemes, where the diversity order is known to saturate as the number of receive antennas is increased, for a given channel coherence time. Moreover, the proposed scheme can achieve a larger DMT compared to the orthogonal training scheme. With noisy CSIR and noisy CSIT, a three-way training scheme is proposed and its DMT performance is analyzed. It is shown that nearly the same diversity order is achievable as in the perfect CSIR case. The time-overhead in the training schemes is explicitly accounted for in this work, and the results show that the proposed channel-dependent RCT and data power control schemes offer a significant improvement in terms of the DMT, compared to channel-agnostic orthogonal RCT schemes. The outage performance of the proposed scheme is illustrated through Monte-Carlo simulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Communication