Turbo Packet Combining for Broadband Space-Time BICM Hybrid-ARQ Systems with Co-Channel Interference

In this paper, efficient turbo packet combining for single carrier (SC) broadband multiple-input--multiple-output (MIMO) hybrid--automatic repeat request (ARQ) transmission with unknown co-channel interference (CCI) is studied. We propose a new frequency domain soft minimum mean square error (MMSE)-based signal level combining technique where received signals and channel frequency responses (CFR)s corresponding to all retransmissions are used to decode the data packet. We provide a recursive implementation algorithm for the introduced scheme, and show that both its computational complexity and memory requirements are quite insensitive to the ARQ delay, i.e., maximum number of ARQ rounds. Furthermore, we analyze the asymptotic performance, and show that under a sum-rank condition on the CCI MIMO ARQ channel, the proposed packet combining scheme is not interference-limited. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the gains offered by the proposed technique.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, and 2 table

Frequency Domain Hybrid-ARQ Chase Combining for Broadband MIMO CDMA Systems

In this paper, we consider high-speed wireless packet access using code division multiple access (CDMA) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). Current wireless standards, such as high speed packet access (HSPA), have adopted multi-code transmission and hybrid-automatic repeat request (ARQ) as major technologies for delivering high data rates. The key technique in hybrid-ARQ, is that erroneous data packets are kept in the receiver to detect/decode retransmitted ones. This strategy is refereed to as packet combining. In CDMA MIMO-based wireless packet access, multi-code transmission suffers from severe performance degradation due to the loss of code orthogonality caused by both interchip interference (ICI) and co-antenna interference (CAI). This limitation results in large transmission delays when an ARQ mechanism is used in the link layer. In this paper, we investigate efficient minimum mean square error (MMSE) frequency domain equalization (FDE)-based iterative (turbo) packet combining for cyclic prefix (CP)-CDMA MIMO with Chase-type ARQ. We introduce two turbo packet combining schemes: i) In the first scheme, namely "chip-level turbo packet combining", MMSE FDE and packet combining are jointly performed at the chip-level. ii) In the second scheme, namely "symbol-level turbo packet combining", chip-level MMSE FDE and despreading are separately carried out for each transmission, then packet combining is performed at the level of the soft demapper. The computational complexity and memory requirements of both techniques are quite insensitive to the ARQ delay, i.e., maximum number of ARQ rounds. The throughput is evaluated for some representative antenna configurations and load factors to show the gains offered by the proposed techniques.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (Apr 2009

Turbo Packet Combining Strategies for the MIMO-ISI ARQ Channel

This paper addresses the issue of efficient turbo packet combining techniques for coded transmission with a Chase-type automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocol operating over a multiple-input--multiple-output (MIMO) channel with intersymbol interference (ISI). First of all, we investigate the outage probability and the outage-based power loss of the MIMO-ISI ARQ channel when optimal maximum a posteriori (MAP) turbo packet combining is used at the receiver. We show that the ARQ delay (i.e., the maximum number of ARQ rounds) does not completely translate into a diversity gain. We then introduce two efficient turbo packet combining algorithms that are inspired by minimum mean square error (MMSE)-based turbo equalization techniques. Both schemes can be viewed as low-complexity versions of the optimal MAP turbo combiner. The first scheme is called signal-level turbo combining and performs packet combining and multiple transmission ISI cancellation jointly at the signal-level. The second scheme, called symbol-level turbo combining, allows ARQ rounds to be separately turbo equalized, while combining is performed at the filter output. We conduct a complexity analysis where we demonstrate that both algorithms have almost the same computational cost as the conventional log-likelihood ratio (LLR)-level combiner. Simulation results show that both proposed techniques outperform LLR-level combining, while for some representative MIMO configurations, signal-level combining has better ISI cancellation capability and achievable diversity order than that of symbol-level combining.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, and 2 table

Low-complexity iterative receiver algorithms for multiple-input multiple-output underwater wireless communications

This dissertation proposes three low-complexity iterative receiver algorithms for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. First is a bidirectional soft-decision feedback Turbo equalizer (Bi-SDFE) which harvests the time-reverse diversity in severe multipath MIMO channels. The Bi-SDFE outperforms the original soft-decision feedback Turbo equalizer (SDFE) while keeping its total computational complexity similar to that of the SDFE. Second, this dissertation proposes an efficient direct adaptation Turbo equalizer for MIMO UWA communications. Benefiting from the usage of soft-decision reference symbols for parameter adaptation as well as the iterative processing inside the adaptive equalizer, the proposed algorithm is efficient in four aspects: robust performance in tough channels, high spectral efficiency with short training overhead, time efficient with fast convergence and low complexity in hardware implementation. Third, a frequency-domain soft-decision block iterative equalizer combined with iterative channel estimation is proposed for the uncoded single carrier MIMO systems with high data efficiency. All the three new algorithms are evaluated by data recorded in real world ocean experiment or pool experiment. Finally, this dissertation also compares several Turbo equalizers in single-input single-output (SISO) UWA channels. Experimental results show that the channel estimation based Turbo equalizers are robust in SISO underwater transmission under harsh channel conditions --Abstract, page iv

Turbo equalization for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems

This dissertation investigates both of the frequency domain and time domain turbo equalization with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) fading channels for radio frequency and underwater acoustic communications. First, a low complexity frequency domain turbo equalization (FDTE) is proposed for the MIMO systems with zero padding (ZP) or cyclic prefix (CP) inserted between the transmitted data blocks and its performance is tested on the real-world UWA communications experiments. Second, as high speed communication system requires efficient bandwidth usage and power consumption, CP or ZP is not transmitted as auxiliary information. An inter-block interference cancelation and CP reconstruction algorithm is developed to re-arrange the channel matrix into a block diagonal one. This improvement makes the FDTE effectively detects the continuous data stream from the high speed UWA communications and its performance has been verified by processing data collected from the UWA communications experiment. Finally, a low complexity soft interference cancelation (SIC) time domain turbo equalizer for MIMO systems with high level modulation is proposed. Compared with the conventional linear or nonlinear turbo equalizers, the proposed SIC turbo equalizer can theoretically reach the bound set up by the ideal match filter and its bit error rate (BER) performance from Monte Carlo simulation achieves a lower error floor as well as a more rapid convergence speed. --Abstract, page iv

Robust frequency-domain turbo equalization for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications

This dissertation investigates single carrier frequency-domain equalization (SC-FDE) with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels for radio frequency (RF) and underwater acoustic (UWA) wireless communications. It consists of five papers, selected from a total of 13 publications. Each paper focuses on a specific technical challenge of the SC-FDE MIMO system. The first paper proposes an improved frequency-domain channel estimation method based on interpolation to track fast time-varying fading channels using a small amount of training symbols in a large data block. The second paper addresses the carrier frequency offset (CFO) problem using a new group-wise phase estimation and compensation algorithm to combat phase distortion caused by CFOs, rather than to explicitly estimate the CFOs. The third paper incorporates layered frequency-domain equalization with the phase correction algorithm to combat the fast phase rotation in coherent communications. In the fourth paper, the frequency-domain equalization combined with the turbo principle and soft successive interference cancelation (SSIC) is proposed to further improve the bit error rate (BER) performance of UWA communications. In the fifth paper, a bandwidth-efficient SC-FDE scheme incorporating decision-directed channel estimation is proposed for UWA MIMO communication systems. The proposed algorithms are tested by extensive computer simulations and real ocean experiment data. The results demonstrate significant performance improvements in four aspects: improved channel tracking, reduced BER, reduced computational complexity, and enhanced data efficiency --Abstract, page iv

Turbo-Coded Adaptive Modulation Versus Space-Time Trellis Codes for Transmission over Dispersive Channels

Decision feedback equalizer (DFE)-aided turbocoded wideband adaptive quadrature amplitude modulation (AQAM) is proposed, which is capable of combating the temporal channel quality variation of fading channels. A procedure is suggested for determining the AQAM switching thresholds and the specific turbo-coding rates capable of maintaining the target bit-error rate while aiming for achieving a highly effective bits per symbol throughput. As a design alternative, we also employ multiple-input/multiple-output DFE-aided space–time trellis codes, which benefit from transmit diversity and hence reduce the temporal channel quality fluctuations. The performance of both systems is characterized and compared when communicating over the COST 207 typical urban wideband fading channel. It was found that the turbo-coded AQAM scheme outperforms the two-transmitter space–time trellis coded system employing two receivers; although, its performance is inferior to the space–time trellis coded arrangement employing three receivers. Index Terms—Coded adaptive modulation, dispersive channels, space–time trellis codes

Near-Instantaneously Adaptive HSDPA-Style OFDM Versus MC-CDMA Transceivers for WIFI, WIMAX, and Next-Generation Cellular Systems

Burts-by-burst (BbB) adaptive high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) style multicarrier systems are reviewed, identifying their most critical design aspects. These systems exhibit numerous attractive features, rendering them eminently eligible for employment in next-generation wireless systems. It is argued that BbB-adaptive or symbol-by-symbol adaptive orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) modems counteract the near instantaneous channel quality variations and hence attain an increased throughput or robustness in comparison to their fixed-mode counterparts. Although they act quite differently, various diversity techniques, such as Rake receivers and space-time block coding (STBC) are also capable of mitigating the channel quality variations in their effort to reduce the bit error ratio (BER), provided that the individual antenna elements experience independent fading. By contrast, in the presence of correlated fading imposed by shadowing or time-variant multiuser interference, the benefits of space-time coding erode and it is unrealistic to expect that a fixed-mode space-time coded system remains capable of maintaining a near-constant BER

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe demand for high speed communication has been increasing in the past two decades. Multicarrier communication technology has been suggested to address this demand. Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is the most widely used multicarrier technique. However, OFDM has a number of disadvantages in time-varying channels, multiple access, and cognitive radios. On the other hand, filterbank multicarrier (FBMC) communication has been suggested as an alternative to OFDM that can overcome the disadvantages of OFDM. In this dissertation, we investigate the application of filtered multitone (FMT), a subset of FBMC modulation methods, to slow fading and fast fading channels. We investigate the FMT transmitter and receiver in continuous and discrete time domains. An efficient implementation of FMT systems is derived and the conditions for perfect reconstruction in an FBMC communication system are presented. We derive equations for FMT in slow fading channels that allow evaluation of FMT when applied to mobile wireless communication systems. We consider using fractionally spaced per tone channel equalizers with different number of taps. The numerical results are presented to investigate the performance of these equalizers. The numerical results show that single-tap equalizers suffice for typical wireless channels. The equalizer design study is advanced by introducing adaptive equalizers which use channel estimation. We derive equations for a minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimator and improve the channel estimation by considering the finite duration of channel impulse response. The results of optimum equalizers (when channel is known perfectly) are compared with those of the adaptive equalizers, and it is found that a loss of 1 dB or less incurs. We also introduce a new form of FMT which is specially designed to handle doubly dispersive channels. This method is called FMT-dd (FMT for doubly dispersive channels). The proposed FMT-dd is applied to two common methods of data symbol orientation in the time-frequency space grid; namely, rectangular and hexagonal lattices. The performance of these methods along with OFDM and the conventional FMT are compared and a significant improvement in performance is observed. The FMT-dd design is applied to real-world underwater acoustic (UWA) communication channels. The experimental results from an at-sea experiment (ACOMM10) show that this new design provides a significant gain over OFDM. The feasibility of implementing a MIMO system for multicarrier UWA communication channels is studied through computer simulations. Our study emphasizes the bandwidth efficiency of multicarrier MIMO communications .We show that the value of MIMO to UWA communication is very limited