478 research outputs found
A Tutorial on Environment-Aware Communications via Channel Knowledge Map for 6G
Sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication networks are expected to have
dense infrastructures, large-dimensional channels, cost-effective hardware,
diversified positioning methods, and enhanced intelligence. Such trends bring
both new challenges and opportunities for the practical design of 6G. On one
hand, acquiring channel state information (CSI) in real time for all wireless
links becomes quite challenging in 6G. On the other hand, there would be
numerous data sources in 6G containing high-quality location-tagged channel
data, making it possible to better learn the local wireless environment. By
exploiting such new opportunities and for tackling the CSI acquisition
challenge, there is a promising paradigm shift from the conventional
environment-unaware communications to the new environment-aware communications
based on the novel approach of channel knowledge map (CKM). This article aims
to provide a comprehensive tutorial overview on environment-aware
communications enabled by CKM to fully harness its benefits for 6G. First, the
basic concept of CKM is presented, and a comparison of CKM with various
existing channel inference techniques is discussed. Next, the main techniques
for CKM construction are discussed, including both the model-free and
model-assisted approaches. Furthermore, a general framework is presented for
the utilization of CKM to achieve environment-aware communications, followed by
some typical CKM-aided communication scenarios. Finally, important open
problems in CKM research are highlighted and potential solutions are discussed
to inspire future work
Multi-user MIMO wireless communications
Mehrantennensysteme sind auf Grund der erhöhten Bandbreiteneffizienz und
Leistung eine SchlĂĽsselkomponente von Mobilfunksystemen der Zukunft. Diese
ermöglichen das gleichzeitige Senden von mehreren, räumlich getrennten
Datenströmen zu verschiedenen Nutzern. Die zentrale Fragestellung in der Praxis
ist, ob der ursprünglich vorausgesagte Kapazitätsgewinn in realistischen
Szenarios erreicht wird und welche spezifischen Gewinne durch zusätzliche
Antennen und das Ausnutzen von Kanalkenntnis am Sender und Empfänger erzielt
werden, was andererseits einen Zuwachs an Overhead oder nötiger Rechenleistung
bedeutet.
In dieser Arbeit werden neue lineare und nicht-lineare MU-MIMO Precoding-
Verfahren vorgestellt. Der verfolgte Ansatz zur Bestimmung der Precoding-
Matrizen ist allgemein anwendbar und die entstandenen Algorithmen können zur
Optimierung von verschiedenen Kriterien mit beliebig vielen Antennen an der
Mobilstation eingesetzt werden. Das wurde durch die Berechnung der Precoding-
Matrix in zwei Schritten erreicht. Im ersten Schritt wird die Ăśberschneidung der
Zeilenräume minimiert, die durch die effektiven Kanalmatrizen verschiedener
Nutzer aufgespannt werden. Basierend auf mehreren parallelen Einzelnutzer-MIMO-
Kanälen wird im zweiten Schritt die Systemperformanz bezüglich bestimmter
Kriterien optimiert.
Aus der gängigen Literatur ist bereits bekannt, dass für Nutzer mit nur einer
Antenne das MMSE Kriterium beim precoding optimal aber nicht bei Nutzern mit
mehreren Antennen. Deshalb werden in dieser Arbeit zwei neue Mehrnutzer MIMO
Strategien vorgestellt, die vom MSE Kriterium abgeleitet sind, nämlich
sukzessives MMSE und RBD. Bei der sukzessiven Verarbeitung mit einer
entsprechenden Anpassung der Sendeleistungsverteilung kann die volle Diversität
des Systems ausgeschöpft werden. Die Kapazität nähert sich dabei der maximalen
Summenrate des Systems an. Bei gemeinsamer Verarbeitung der MIMO Kanäle wird
unabhängig vom Grad der Mehrnutzerinterferenz die maximale Diversität erreicht.
Die genannten Techniken setzen entweder eine aktuelle oder eine ĂĽber einen
längeren Zeitraum gemittelte Kanalkenntnis voraus. Aus diesem Grund müssen die
Auswirkungen von Kanal-Schätzfehlern und Einflüsse des Transceiver Front-Ends
auf die Verfahren näher untersucht werden.
Für eine weitergehende Abschätzung der Mehrantennensysteme muss die Performanz
des Gesamtsystems untersucht werden, da viele Einflüsse auf die räumliche
Signalverarbeitung bei Betrachtung eines einzelnen Links nicht erkennbar sind.
Es wurde gezeigt, dass mit MIMO Precoding Strategien ein Vielfaches der
Datenrate eines Systems mit nur einer Antenne erzielt werden kann, während der
Overhead durch Pilotsymbole und Steuersignale nur geringfĂĽgig zunimmt.Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) systems are a key component of future
wireless communication systems, because of their promising improvement in terms
of performance and bandwidth efficiency. An important research topic is the
study of multi-user (MU) MIMO systems. Such systems have the potential to
combine the high throughput achievable with MIMO processing with the benefits of
space division multiple access (SDMA). The main question from a practical
standpoint is whether the initially predicted capacity gains can be obtained in
more realistic scenarios and what specific gains result from adding more
antennas and overhead or computational power to obtain channel state information
(CSI) at the transceivers.
In this thesis we introduce new linear and non-linear MU MIMO processing
techniques. The approach used for the design of the precoding matrix is general
and the resulting algorithms can address several optimization criteria with an
arbitrary number of antennas at the user terminals (UTs). This is achieved by
designing the precoding matrices in two steps. In the first step we minimize the
overlap of the row spaces spanned by the effective channel matrices of different
users. In the next step, we optimize the system performance with respect to the
specific optimization criterion assuming a set of parallel single-user MIMO
channels.
As it was previously reported in the literature, minimum mean-squared-error
(MMSE) processing is optimum for single-antenna UTs. However, MMSE suffers from
a performance loss when users are equipped with more than one antenna. The two
MU MIMO processing techniques that result from the two different MSE criteria
that are proposed in this thesis are successive MMSE and regularized block
diagonalization. By iterating the closed form solution with appropriate power
loading we are able to extract the full diversity in the system and empirically
approach the maximum sum-rate capacity in case of high multi-user interference.
Joint processing of MIMO channels yields maximum diversity regardless of the
level of multi-user interference.
As these techniques rely on the fact that there is either instantaneous or long-
term CSI available at the base station to perform precoding and decoding, it was
very important to investigate the influence of the transceiver front-end
imperfections and channel estimation errors on their performance.
For a comprehensive assessment of multi-antenna techniques, it is mandatory to
consider the performance at system level, since many effects of spatial
processing are not tractable at the link level. System level investigations have
shown that MU MIMO precoding techniques provide several times higher data rates
than single-input single-output systems with only slightly increased pilot and
control overhead
Characterization of Single- and Multi-antenna Wireless Channels
The wireless propagation channel significantly influences the received signal, so that it needs to be modeled effectively. Extensive measurements and analysis are required for investigating the validity of theoretical models and postulating new models based on measurements. Such measurements, analysis, and modeling are the topic of this thesis. The focus of the included contributions are Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) propagation channels and radio channels for sensor network applications. Paper I presents results from one of the first MIMO measurements for a double-directional characterization of the outdoor-to-indoor wireless propagation channel. Such channels are of interest for both cellular and wireless LAN applications. We discuss physical aspects of building penetration, and also provide statistics of angle and delay spreads in the channel. The paper also investigates the coupling between DOD and DOA and the two spectra are found to have non-negligible dependence. We test the applicability of three analytical channel models that make different assumptions on the coupling between DODs and DOAs. Our results indicate that analytical models, that impose fewer restrictions on the DOD to DOA coupling, should be used preferrably over models such as the Kronecker model that have more restrictive assumptions. Paper II presents a cluster-based analysis of the outdoor-to-indoor MIMO measurements analyzed in Paper I. A subset of parameters of the COST 273 channel model, a generic model for MIMO propagation channels, are characterized for the outdoor-to-indoor scenario. MPC parameters are extracted at each measured location using a high-resolution algorithm and clusters of MPCs are identified with an automated clustering approach. In particular, the adopted clustering approach requires that all MPC parameters must be similar in order for the MPCs to form a cluster. A statistical analysis of the identified clusters is performed for both the intra- and inter-cluster properties. Paper III analyzes the spatial fading distribution for a range of canonical sensor deployment scenarios. The presented results are relevant to communicating within, and between, clusters of nodes. Contrary to the widely accepted assumption in published literature that the channel is AWGN at a small-enough distance, our measurements indicate that values of the Rice factor do not, in general, increase monotonically as the Tx-Rx distance is reduced. A probability mixture model is presented, with distance dependent parameters, to account for the distance dependent variations of the Rice factor. A simulation model that includes small- and large-scale fading effects is presented. According to the modeling approach, a sensor node placed anywhere within the spatial extent of a small-scale region will experience the channel statistics applicable to that region. Paper IV presents results characterizing a radio channel for outdoor short-range sensor networks. A number of antennas are placed on the ground in an open area and time-variation of the channel is induced by a person moving in the vicinity of the nodes. The channel statistics of both the LOS path and the overall narrowband signal are non-stationary. We investigate the stationarity interval length to be used for small-scale analysis. Our analysis of the various measured links shows that the Rx signal strength is significantly influenced by a moving person only when the person blocks the LOS path. We present a generic approach for modeling the LOS blockage, and also model the time-variant Doppler spectrum of the channel's scattered components
Beyond Massive MIMO : Trade-offs and Opportunities with Large Multi-Antenna Systems
After the commercial emergence of 5G, the research community is already putting its focus on proposing innovative solutions to enable the upcoming 6G. One important lesson put forth by 5G research was that scaling up the conventional multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technology by increasing the number of antennas could be extremely beneficial for effectively multiplexing data streams in the spatial domain. This idea was embodied in massive MIMO, which constitutes one of the major technical advancements included in 5G. Consequently, 6G research efforts have been largely directed towards studying ways to further scale up wireless systems, as can be seen in some of the proposed 6G enabling technologies like large intelligent surface (LIS), cell-free massive MIMO, or even reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). This thesis studies the possibilities offered by some of these technologies, as well as the trade-offs that may naturally arise when scaling up such wireless systems.An important part of this thesis deals with decentralized solutions for base station (BS) technologies including a large number of antennas. Already in the initial massive MIMO prototypes, the increased number of BS antennas led to scalability issues due to the high interconnection bandwidths required to send the received signals---as well as the channel state information (CSI)---to a central processing unit (CPU) in charge of the data processing. These issues can only be exacerbated if we consider novel system proposals like LIS, where the number of BS antennas may be increased by an order of magnitude with respect to massive MIMO, or cell-free massive MIMO, where the BS antennas may be located far from each other. We provide a number of decentralized schemes to process the received data while restricting the information that has to be shared with a CPU. We also provide a framework to study architectures with an arbitrary level of decentralization, showing that there exists a direct trade-off between the interconnection bandwidth to a CPU and the complexity of the decentralized processing required for fixed user rates.Another part of this thesis studies RIS-based solutions to enhance the multiplexing performance of wireless communication systems. RIS constitutes one of the most attractive 6G enabling technologies since it provides a cost- and energy-efficient solution to improve the wireless propagation links by generating favorable reflections. We extend the concept of RIS by considering reconfigurable surfaces (RSs) with different processing capabilities, and we show how these surfaces may be employed for achieving perfect spatial multiplexing at reduced processing complexity in general multi-antenna communication settings. We also show that these surfaces can exploit the available degrees of freedom---e.g., due to excess of BS antennas---to embed their own data into the enhanced channel
MIMO Systems
In recent years, it was realized that the MIMO communication systems seems to be inevitable in accelerated evolution of high data rates applications due to their potential to dramatically increase the spectral efficiency and simultaneously sending individual information to the corresponding users in wireless systems. This book, intends to provide highlights of the current research topics in the field of MIMO system, to offer a snapshot of the recent advances and major issues faced today by the researchers in the MIMO related areas. The book is written by specialists working in universities and research centers all over the world to cover the fundamental principles and main advanced topics on high data rates wireless communications systems over MIMO channels. Moreover, the book has the advantage of providing a collection of applications that are completely independent and self-contained; thus, the interested reader can choose any chapter and skip to another without losing continuity
IRS-aided UAV for Future Wireless Communications: A Survey and Research Opportunities
Both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and intelligent reflecting surfaces
(IRS) are gaining traction as transformative technologies for upcoming wireless
networks. The IRS-aided UAV communication, which introduces IRSs into UAV
communications, has emerged in an effort to improve the system performance
while also overcoming UAV communication constraints and issues. The purpose of
this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of IRSassisted UAV
communications. First, we provide five examples of how IRSs and UAVs can be
combined to achieve unrivaled potential in difficult situations. The
technological features of the most recent relevant researches on IRS-aided UAV
communications from the perspective of the main performance criteria, i.e.,
energy efficiency, security, spectral efficiency, etc. Additionally, previous
research studies on technology adoption as machine learning algorithms. Lastly,
some promising research directions and open challenges for IRS-aided UAV
communication are presented
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