Multiuser MIMO-OFDM for Next-Generation Wireless Systems

This overview portrays the 40-year evolution of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) research. The amelioration of powerful multicarrier OFDM arrangements with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems has numerous benefits, which are detailed in this treatise. We continue by highlighting the limitations of conventional detection and channel estimation techniques designed for multiuser MIMO OFDM systems in the so-called rank-deficient scenarios, where the number of users supported or the number of transmit antennas employed exceeds the number of receiver antennas. This is often encountered in practice, unless we limit the number of users granted access in the base station’s or radio port’s coverage area. Following a historical perspective on the associated design problems and their state-of-the-art solutions, the second half of this treatise details a range of classic multiuser detectors (MUDs) designed for MIMO-OFDM systems and characterizes their achievable performance. A further section aims for identifying novel cutting-edge genetic algorithm (GA)-aided detector solutions, which have found numerous applications in wireless communications in recent years. In an effort to stimulate the cross pollination of ideas across the machine learning, optimization, signal processing, and wireless communications research communities, we will review the broadly applicable principles of various GA-assisted optimization techniques, which were recently proposed also for employment inmultiuser MIMO OFDM. In order to stimulate new research, we demonstrate that the family of GA-aided MUDs is capable of achieving a near-optimum performance at the cost of a significantly lower computational complexity than that imposed by their optimum maximum-likelihood (ML) MUD aided counterparts. The paper is concluded by outlining a range of future research options that may find their way into next-generation wireless systems

Near-capacity MIMOs using iterative detection

In this thesis, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) techniques designed for transmission over narrowband Rayleigh fading channels are investigated. Specifically, in order to providea diversity gain while eliminating the complexity of MIMO channel estimation, a Differential Space-Time Spreading (DSTS) scheme is designed that employs non-coherent detection. Additionally, in order to maximise the coding advantage of DSTS, it is combined with Sphere Packing (SP) modulation. The related capacity analysis shows that the DSTS-SP scheme exhibits a higher capacity than its counterpart dispensing with SP. Furthermore, in order to attain additional performance gains, the DSTS system invokes iterative detection, where the outer code is constituted by a Recursive Systematic Convolutional (RSC) code, while the inner code is a SP demapper in one of the prototype systems investigated, while the other scheme employs a Unity Rate Code (URC) as its inner code in order to eliminate the error floor exhibited by the system dispensing with URC. EXIT charts are used to analyse the convergence behaviour of the iteratively detected schemes and a novel technique is proposed for computing the maximum achievable rate of the system based on EXIT charts. Explicitly, the four-antenna-aided DSTSSP system employing no URC precoding attains a coding gain of 12 dB at a BER of 10-5 and performs within 1.82 dB from the maximum achievable rate limit. By contrast, the URC aidedprecoded system operates within 0.92 dB from the same limit.On the other hand, in order to maximise the DSTS system’s throughput, an adaptive DSTSSP scheme is proposed that exploits the advantages of differential encoding, iterative decoding as well as SP modulation. The achievable integrity and bit rate enhancements of the system are determined by the following factors: the specific MIMO configuration used for transmitting data from the four antennas, the spreading factor used and the RSC encoder’s code rate.Additionally, multi-functional MIMO techniques are designed to provide diversity gains, multiplexing gains and beamforming gains by combining the benefits of space-time codes, VBLASTand beamforming. First, a system employing Nt=4 transmit Antenna Arrays (AA) with LAA number of elements per AA and Nr=4 receive antennas is proposed, which is referred to as a Layered Steered Space-Time Code (LSSTC). Three iteratively detected near-capacity LSSTC-SP receiver structures are proposed, which differ in the number of inner iterations employed between the inner decoder and the SP demapper as well as in the choice of the outer code, which is either an RSC code or an Irregular Convolutional Code (IrCC). The three systems are capable of operating within 0.9, 0.4 and 0.6 dB from the maximum achievable rate limit of the system. A comparison between the three iteratively-detected schemes reveals that a carefully designed two-stage iterative detection scheme is capable of operating sufficiently close to capacity at a lower complexity, when compared to a three-stage system employing a RSC or a two-stage system using an IrCC as an outer code. On the other hand, in order to allow the LSSTC scheme to employ less receive antennas than transmit antennas, while still accommodating multiple users, a Layered Steered Space-Time Spreading (LSSTS) scheme is proposed that combines the benefits of space-time spreading, V-BLAST, beamforming and generalised MC DS-CDMA. Furthermore, iteratively detected LSSTS schemes are presented and an LLR post-processing technique is proposed in order to improve the attainable performance of the iteratively detected LSSTS system.Finally, a distributed turbo coding scheme is proposed that combines the benefits of turbo coding and cooperative communication, where iterative detection is employed by exchanging extrinsic information between the decoders of different single-antenna-aided users. Specifically, the effect of the errors induced in the first phase of cooperation, where the two users exchange their data, on the performance of the uplink in studied, while considering different fading channel characteristics

Non-coherent successive relaying and cooperation: principles, designs, and applications

Cooperative communication is capable of forming a virtual antenna array for each node (user) in a network by allowing the nodes (users) to relay the messages of others to the destination. Such a relay aided network may be viewed as a distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system relying on the spatially distributed single antennas of the cooperating mobiles, which avoids the correlation of the antenna elements routinely encountered in conventional MIMO systems and hence attains the maximum achievable diversity gain. Therefore, the family of cooperative communication techniques may be regarded as a potential solution for future wireless networks. However, constrained by the half-duplex transmit/receive mode of most practical transceivers, the cooperative networks may impose a severe 50% throughput loss. As a remedy, successive relaying can be employed, which is capable of mimicking a full-duplex relay and thereby recovering much of the 50% throughput loss. Furthermore, for the sake of bypassing power-hungry and potentially excessive-complexity channel estimation, noncoherent detection techniques may be employed for multiple-antenna aided systems, because estimating all the associated channels may become unrealistic. Explicitly, the mobile-stations acting as relays cannot be realistically expected to estimate the source-to-relay channels. In order to motivate further research on noncoherent successive relaying aided systems, a comprehensive review of its basic concepts, fundamental principles, practical transceiver designs and open challenges is provide

A Linear Multi-User Detector for STBC MC-CDMA Systems based on the Adaptive Implementation of the Minimum-Conditional Bit-Error-Rate Criterion and on Genetic Algorithm-assisted MMSE Channel Estimation

The implementation of efficient baseband receivers characterized by affordable computational load is a crucial point in the development of transmission systems exploiting diversity in different domains. In this paper, we are proposing a linear multi-user detector for MIMO MC-CDMA systems with Alamouti’s Space-Time Block Coding, inspired by the concept of Minimum Conditional Bit-Error-Rate (MCBER) and relying on Genetic-Algorithm (GA)-assisted MMSE channel estimation. The MCBER combiner has been implemented in adaptive way by using Least-Mean-Square (LMS) optimization. Firstly, we shall analyze the proposed adaptive MCBER MUD receiver with ideal knowledge of Channel Status Information (CSI). Afterwards, we shall consider the complete receiver structure, encompassing also the non-ideal GA-assisted channel estimation. Simulation results evidenced that the proposed MCBER receiver always outperforms state-of-the-art receiver schemes based on EGC and MMSE criterion exploiting the same degree of channel knowledge (i.e. ideal or estimated CSI)

Iterative Joint Channel Estimation and Multi-User Detection for Multiple-Antenna Aided OFDM Systems

Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems have recently attracted substantial research interest. However, compared to Single-Input-Single-Output (SISO) systems, channel estimation in the MIMO scenario becomes more challenging, owing to the increased number of independent transmitter-receiver links to be estimated. In the context of the Bell LAyered Space-Time architecture (BLAST) or Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) multi-user MIMO OFDM systems, none of the known channel estimation techniques allows the number of users to be higher than the number of receiver antennas, which is often referred to as a “rank-deficient” scenario, owing to the constraint imposed by the rank of the MIMO channel matrix. Against this background, in this paper we propose a new Genetic Algorithm (GA) assisted iterative Joint Channel Estimation and Multi-User Detection (GA-JCEMUD) approach for multi-user MIMO SDMA-OFDM systems, which provides an effective solution to the multi-user MIMO channel estimation problem in the above-mentioned rank-deficient scenario. Furthermore, the GAs invoked in the data detection literature can only provide a hard-decision output for the Forward Error Correction (FEC) or channel decoder, which inevitably limits the system’s achievable performance. By contrast, our proposed GA is capable of providing “soft” outputs and hence it becomes capable of achieving an improved performance with the aid of FEC decoders. A range of simulation results are provided to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme. Index Terms—Channel estimation, genetic algorithm, multiple-input-multiple-output, multi-user detection, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, space division multiple access

Scaling up MIMO: Opportunities and Challenges with Very Large Arrays

This paper surveys recent advances in the area of very large MIMO systems. With very large MIMO, we think of systems that use antenna arrays with an order of magnitude more elements than in systems being built today, say a hundred antennas or more. Very large MIMO entails an unprecedented number of antennas simultaneously serving a much smaller number of terminals. The disparity in number emerges as a desirable operating condition and a practical one as well. The number of terminals that can be simultaneously served is limited, not by the number of antennas, but rather by our inability to acquire channel-state information for an unlimited number of terminals. Larger numbers of terminals can always be accommodated by combining very large MIMO technology with conventional time- and frequency-division multiplexing via OFDM. Very large MIMO arrays is a new research field both in communication theory, propagation, and electronics and represents a paradigm shift in the way of thinking both with regards to theory, systems and implementation. The ultimate vision of very large MIMO systems is that the antenna array would consist of small active antenna units, plugged into an (optical) fieldbus.Comment: Accepted for publication in the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, October 201

Single and multi-antenna MC-DS-CDMA with joint detection for broadband block-fading channels

In the context of broadband wireless communications using code division multiple access (CDMA), the main multiple access (MA) options include single-carrier direct sequence CDMA (SC-DS-CDMA) using time-domain direct sequence spreading [1, p. 728], multicarrier CDMA (MC-CDMA) using frequency-domain spreading [2, 3] and multicarrier DS-CDMA (MC-DS-CDMA) using time-domain direct sequence spreading of the individual sub-carrier signals [4, 5]. It was shown in [6] that MC-DS-CDMA has the highest degrees of freedom in the family of CDMA schemes that can be beneficially exploited during the system design and reconfiguration procedures. An amalgam of MC-CDMA and MC-DS-CDMA known as time and frequency domain spreading (TF-domain spreading) MC-DS-CDMA was proposed in [6]. TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA has several benefits over conventional MC-DS-CDMA with regard to both capacity and performance [7]. However, in contrast to conventional MC-DS-CDMA, TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA introduces MUI, which necessitates the use of joint detection at the receiver. Recently, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) or multi-antenna TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA schemes have been proposed in the literature that e ciently exploit both the spatial and frequency diversity available in MIMO frequency-selective channels [8, 9]. Although an extensive amount of research has been done on single and multi-antenna TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA schemes that achieve both spatial and frequency diversity in frequency-selective slow fading channels [6–9], very little research considers the time-selectivity of the wireless channels encountered. Thus, the above-mentioned schemes may not be su ciently e cient, when communicating over wireless channels exhibiting both frequency-selective and time-selective fading. There are very few MC-DS-CDMA schemes in the literature that consider the time-selectivity of the wireless channels encountered. This study considers the design of single and multi-antenna TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA, for frequency-selective block-fading channels, which are capable of exploiting the full diversity available in the channel (i.e. spatial, frequency and temporal diversity), using various methods of joint detection at the receiver. It has been shown that the diversity gain in block-fading channels can be improved by coding across multiple fading blocks [10–12]. Single-antenna TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA is considered for the quasi-synchronous uplink channel, and multi-antenna TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA is considered for the synchronous downlink channel. Numerous simulated bit error rate (BER) performance curves, obtained using a triply selective MIMO channel platform, are presented in this study using optimal and sub-optimal joint detection algorithms at the receiver. In addition, this study investigates the impact of spatial correlation on the BER performance of the MC-DS-CDMA schemes considered. From these simulated results, one is able to conclude that TF-domain spreading MC-DS-CDMA designed for frequency-selective block-fading channels performs better than previously proposed schemes designed for frequency-selective slow fading channels, owing to the additional temporal diversity exploited under the block-fading assumption. AFRIKAANS : In die konteks van bre¨eband- draadlose kommunikasie deur die gebruik van kodeverdelingveelvuldige toegang (KVVT) behels die belangrikste veelvuldigetoegang- (VT) opsies enkel-draer direkte-sekwensie KVVT (ED-DS-KVVT), deur die gebruik van tyd-domein direkte sekwensie-verspreiding [1, p. 728], veelvuldigedraer-KVVT (VD-KVVT) deur die gebruik van frekwensiedomein-verspreiding [2, 3] en VD-DS- KVVT deur die gebruik van tyd-domein direkte sekwensie-verspreiding van die individuele sub-draerseine [4, 5]. Daar is in [6] aangetoon dat VD-DS-KVVT die hoogste vlakke van vryheid in die familie KVVT-skemas het wat voordelig benut kan word gedurende sisteemontwerp en rekonfigurasieprosedures. ’n Amalgaam van VD-KVVT en VD-DS-KVVT bekend as tyd-en-frekwensiedomeinverspreiding (TF-domeinverspreiding) VD-DS-KVVT is voorgestel in [6]. TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT het verskeie voordele bo konvensionele VD-DS-KVVT wat sowel kapasiteit as werkverrigting betref [7]. In teenstelling met konvensionele VD-DS-KVVT benut TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT multi-gebruiker-interferensie, wat die gebruik van gesamentlike opsporing by die ontvanger noodsaak. In die onlangse verlede is in die literatuur veelvuldige-inset-veelvuldige-uitset- (VIVU) of veelvuldige-antenna TF-omeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT-skemas voorgestel wat sowel die ruimtelike as frekwensiediversiteit wat in VIVU frekwensie-selektiewe kanale beskikbaar is, e ektief gebruik [8, 9]. Hoewel uitgebreide navorsing onderneem is oor enkel- en multi-antenna TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT-skemas wat sowel ruimtelike as frekwensie diversiteit in frekwensie-selektiewe stadig deinende kanale bereik [6–9], oorweeg baie min navorsing die tyd-selektiwiteit van die draadlose kanale wat betrokke is. Bogenoemde skemas mag dus nie e ektief genoeg wees nie wanneer kommunikasie plaasvind oor draadlose kanale wat sowel frekwensie-selektiewe as tyd-selektiewe wegsterwing toon. Baie min VD-DS-KVVT-skemas in die literatuur skenk aandag aan die tyd-selektiwiteit van die betrokke draadlose kanale. Die studie ondersoek die ontwerp van enkel- en multi-antenna TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT vir frekwensie-selektiewe blokwegsterwingkanale, wat in staat is om die volle diversiteit wat in die kanaal beskikbaar is, te benut (i.e. ruimtelike, frekwensie- en tyddiversiteit), deur die gebruik van verskeie metodes van gesamentlike opsporing by die ontvanger. Daar is aangetoon dat die diversiteitwins in blokwegsterwingkanale verbeter kan word deur kodering oor veelvuldige deinende blokke [10–12]. Enkel-antenna TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT word oorweeg vir die kwasi-sinchroniese opverbinding-kanaal, en multi-antenna TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT vir die sinchroniese afverbinding-kanaal. Talryke gesimuleerde bisfouttempo (BFT) werkverrigtingkurwes wat verkry is deur die gebruik van ’n drie-voudige selektiewe VIVU-kanaalplatform, word in hierdie studie aangebied, deur die gebruik van optimale en sub-optimale gesamentlike opsporingsalgoritmes by die ontvanger. Daarbenewens ondersoek hierdie studie die impak van ruimtelike korrelasie op die BFT-werkverrigring van die VD-DS-KVVT-skemas wat oorweeg word. Uit hierdie gesimuleerde resultate is dit moontlik om tot die gevolgtrekking te kom dat TF-domeinverspreiding VD-DS-KVVT wat ontwerp is vir frekwensie-selektiese blokwegsterwingkanale beter werkverrigting toon as vroe¨er voorgestelde skemas wat ontwerp is vir frekwensie-selektiewe stadig deinende kanale, te danke aan die ekstra tyddiversiteit wat deur die blokwegsterwing-aanname benut word. CopyrightDissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineeringunrestricte

Smart antennas: state of the art

Aim of this contribution is to illustrate the state of the art of smart antenna research from several perspectives. The bow is drawn from transmitter issues via channel measurements and modeling, receiver signal processing, network aspects, technological challenges towards first smart antenna applications and current status of standardization. Moreover, some future prospects of different disciplines in smart antenna research are given.Peer Reviewe