Constructive Multiuser Interference in Symbol Level Precoding for the MISO Downlink Channel

This paper investigates the problem of interference among the simultaneous multiuser transmissions in the downlink of multiple antennas systems. Using symbol level precoding, a new approach towards the multiuser interference is discussed along this paper. The concept of exploiting the interference between the spatial multiuser transmissions by jointly utilizing the data information (DI) and channel state information (CSI), in order to design symbol-level precoders, is proposed. In this direction, the interference among the data streams is transformed under certain conditions to useful signal that can improve the signal to interference noise ratio (SINR) of the downlink transmissions. We propose a maximum ratio transmission (MRT) based algorithm that jointly exploits DI and CSI to glean the benefits from constructive multiuser interference. Subsequently, a relation between the constructive interference downlink transmission and physical layer multicasting is established. In this context, novel constructive interference precoding techniques that tackle the transmit power minimization (min power) with individual SINR constraints at each user's receivers is proposed. Furthermore, fairness through maximizing the weighted minimum SINR (max min SINR) of the users is addressed by finding the link between the min power and max min SINR problems. Moreover, heuristic precoding techniques are proposed to tackle the weighted sum rate problem. Finally, extensive numerical results show that the proposed schemes outperform other state of the art techniques.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Signal Processin

Sum Rate Maximizing Multigroup Multicast Beamforming under Per-antenna Power Constraints

A multi-antenna transmitter that conveys independent sets of common data to distinct groups of users is herein considered, a model known as physical layer multicasting to multiple co-channel groups. In the recently proposed context of per-antenna power constrained multigroup multicasting, the present work focuses on a novel system design that aims at maximizing the total achievable throughput. Towards increasing the system sum rate, the available power resources need to be allocated to well conditioned groups of users. A detailed solution to tackle the elaborate sum rate maximization multigroup multicast problem under per-antenna power constraints is therefore derived. Numerical results are presented to quantify the gains of the proposed algorithm over heuristic solutions. Besides Rayleigh faded channels, the solution is also applied to uniform linear array transmitters operating in the far field, where line-ofsight conditions are realized. In this setting, a sensitivity analysis with respect to the angular separation of co-group users is included. Finally, a simple scenario providing important intuitions for the sum rate maximizing multigroup multicast solutions is elaborated.Comment: Submitted to IEEE GlobeCom 2014, Austin, TX. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1406.7699, arXiv:1406.755

Weighted Fair Multicast Multigroup Beamforming under Per-antenna Power Constraints

A multi-antenna transmitter that conveys independent sets of common data to distinct groups of users is considered. This model is known as physical layer multicasting to multiple co-channel groups. In this context, the practical constraint of a maximum permitted power level radiated by each antenna is addressed. The per-antenna power constrained system is optimized in a maximum fairness sense with respect to predetermined quality of service weights. In other words, the worst scaled user is boosted by maximizing its weighted signal-to-interference plus noise ratio. A detailed solution to tackle the weighted max-min fair multigroup multicast problem under per-antenna power constraints is therefore derived. The implications of the novel constraints are investigated via prominent applications and paradigms. What is more, robust per-antenna constrained multigroup multicast beamforming solutions are proposed. Finally, an extensive performance evaluation quantifies the gains of the proposed algorithm over existing solutions and exhibits its accuracy over per-antenna power constrained systems.Comment: Under review in IEEE Transactions in Signal Processin

Frame Based Precoding in Satellite Communications: A Multicast Approach

In the present work, a multibeam satellite that employs aggressive frequency reuse towards increasing the offered throughput is considered. Focusing on the forward link, the goal is to employ multi-antenna signal processing techniques, namely linear precoding, to manage the inter-beam interferences. In this context, fundamental practical limitations, namely the rigid framing structure of satellite communication standards and the on-board per-antenna power constraints, are herein considered. Therefore, the concept of optimal frame based precoding under per-antenna constraints, is discussed. This consists in precoding the transmit signals without changing the underlying framing structure of the communication standard. In the present work, the connection of the frame based precoding problem with the generic signal processing problem of conveying independent sets of common data to distinct groups of users is established. This model is known as physical layer multicasting to multiple co-channel groups. Building on recent results, the weighted fair per-antenna power constrained multigroup multicast precoders are employed for frame based precoding. The throughput performance of these solutions is compared to multicast aware heuristic precoding methods over a realistic multibeam satellite scenario. Consequently, the gains of the proposed approach are quantified via extensive numerical results.Comment: Accepted for presentation at the IEEE ASMS 201

Multicast Multigroup Precoding and User Scheduling for Frame-Based Satellite Communications

The present work focuses on the forward link of a broadband multibeam satellite system that aggressively reuses the user link frequency resources. Two fundamental practical challenges, namely the need to frame multiple users per transmission and the per-antenna transmit power limitations, are addressed. To this end, the so-called frame-based precoding problem is optimally solved using the principles of physical layer multicasting to multiple co-channel groups under per-antenna constraints. In this context, a novel optimization problem that aims at maximizing the system sum rate under individual power constraints is proposed. Added to that, the formulation is further extended to include availability constraints. As a result, the high gains of the sum rate optimal design are traded off to satisfy the stringent availability requirements of satellite systems. Moreover, the throughput maximization with a granular spectral efficiency versus SINR function, is formulated and solved. Finally, a multicast-aware user scheduling policy, based on the channel state information, is developed. Thus, substantial multiuser diversity gains are gleaned. Numerical results over a realistic simulation environment exhibit as much as 30% gains over conventional systems, even for 7 users per frame, without modifying the framing structure of legacy communication standards.Comment: Accepted for publication to the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 201

Coordinated Multicasting with Opportunistic User Selection in Multicell Wireless Systems

Physical layer multicasting with opportunistic user selection (OUS) is examined for multicell multi-antenna wireless systems. By adopting a two-layer encoding scheme, a rate-adaptive channel code is applied in each fading block to enable successful decoding by a chosen subset of users (which varies over different blocks) and an application layer erasure code is employed across multiple blocks to ensure that every user is able to recover the message after decoding successfully in a sufficient number of blocks. The transmit signal and code-rate in each block determine opportunistically the subset of users that are able to successfully decode and can be chosen to maximize the long-term multicast efficiency. The employment of OUS not only helps avoid rate-limitations caused by the user with the worst channel, but also helps coordinate interference among different cells and multicast groups. In this work, efficient algorithms are proposed for the design of the transmit covariance matrices, the physical layer code-rates, and the target user subsets in each block. In the single group scenario, the system parameters are determined by maximizing the group-rate, defined as the physical layer code-rate times the fraction of users that can successfully decode in each block. In the multi-group scenario, the system parameters are determined by considering a group-rate balancing optimization problem, which is solved by a successive convex approximation (SCA) approach. To further reduce the feedback overhead, we also consider the case where only part of the users feed back their channel vectors in each block and propose a design based on the balancing of the expected group-rates. In addition to SCA, a sample average approximation technique is also introduced to handle the probabilistic terms arising in this problem. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes is demonstrated by computer simulations.Comment: Accepted by IEEE Transactions on Signal Processin