Signal-perturbation-free semi-blind channel estimation for MIMO-OFDM systems

Multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) has been considered as a strong candidate for the beyond 3G (B3G) wireless communication systems, due to its high data-rate wireless transmission performance. It is well known that the advantages promised by MIMO-OFDM systems rely on the precise knowledge of the channel state information (CSI). In real wireless environments, however, the channel condition is unknown. Therefore, channel estimation is of crucial importance in MIMO-OFDM systems. Semi-blind channel estimation as a combination of the training-based or pilot-assisted method and the pure blind approach is considered to be a feasible solution for practical wireless systems due to its better estimation accuracy as well as spectral efficiency. In this thesis, we address the semi-blind channel estimation issue of MIMO-OFDM systems with an objective to develop very efficient channel estimation approaches. In the first part of the dissertation, several nulling-based semi-blind approaches are presented for the estimation of time-domain MIMO-OFDM channels. By incorporating a blind constraint that is derived from MIMO linear prediction (LP) into a training-based least-square method, a semi-blind solution for the time-domain channel estimation is first obtained. It is revealed through a perturbation analysis that the semi-blind solution is not subject to signal perturbation and therefore is superior to pure blind estimation methods. The LP-based semi-blind method is then extended for the channel estimation of MIMO-OFDM systems with pulse-shaping. By exploiting the pulse-shaping filter in the transmitter and the matched filter in the receiver, a very efficient semi-blind approach is developed for the estimation of sampling duration based multipath channels. A frequency-domain correlation matrix estimation algorithm is also presented to facilitate the computation of time-domain second-order statistics required in the LP-based method. The nulling-based semi-blind estimation issue of sparse MIMO-OFDM channels is also addressed. By disclosing and using a relationship between the positions of the most significant taps (MST) of the sparse channel and the lags of nonzero correlation matrices of the received signal, a novel estimation approach consisting of the MST detection and the sparse channel estimation, both in a semi-blind fashion, is developed. An intensive simulation study of all the proposed nulling-based methods with comparison to some existing techniques is conducted, showing a significant superiority of the new methodologies. The second part of the dissertation is dedicated to the development of two signal-perturbation-free (SPF) semi-blind channel estimation algorithms based on a novel transmit scheme that bears partial information of the second-order statistics of the transmitted signal to receiver. It is proved that the new transmit scheme can completely cancel the signal perturbation error in the noise-free case, thereby improving largely the estimation accuracy of correlation matrix for channel estimation in noisy conditions. It is also shown that the overhead caused by the transmission of the 8PF data is negligible as compared to that of regular pilot signals. By using the proposed transmit scheme, a whitening rotation (WR)-based algorithm is first developed for frequency-domain MIMO-OFDM channel estimation. It is shown through both theoretical analysis and simulation study that the new WR-based algorithm significantly outperforms the conventional WR-based method and the nulling-based semi-blind method. By using MIMO linear prediction, the new WR-based algorithm utilizing the 8PF transmit scheme is then extended for time-domain MIMO-OFDM channel estimation. Computer simulations show that the proposed signal-perturbation-free LP-based semi-blind solution performs much better than the LP semi-blind method without using the proposed transmit scheme, the LS method as well as the nulling-based semi-blind method in terms of the MSE of the channel estimate

A Semiblind Two-Way Training Method for Discriminatory Channel Estimation in MIMO Systems

Discriminatory channel estimation (DCE) is a recently developed strategy to enlarge the performance difference between a legitimate receiver (LR) and an unauthorized receiver (UR) in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless system. Specifically, it makes use of properly designed training signals to degrade channel estimation at the UR which in turn limits the UR's eavesdropping capability during data transmission. In this paper, we propose a new two-way training scheme for DCE through exploiting a whitening-rotation (WR) based semiblind method. To characterize the performance of DCE, a closed-form expression of the normalized mean squared error (NMSE) of the channel estimation is derived for both the LR and the UR. Furthermore, the developed analytical results on NMSE are utilized to perform optimal power allocation between the training signal and artificial noise (AN). The advantages of our proposed DCE scheme are two folds: 1) compared to the existing DCE scheme based on the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel estimator, the proposed scheme adopts a semiblind approach and achieves better DCE performance; 2) the proposed scheme is robust against active eavesdropping with the pilot contamination attack, whereas the existing scheme fails under such an attack.Comment: accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Communication

Semi-blind joint maximum likelihood channel estimation and data detection for MIMO systems

Semi-blind joint maximum likelihood (ML) channel estimation and data detection is proposed for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. The joint ML optimization over channel and data is decomposed into an iterative two-level optimization loop. An efficient optimization search algorithm referred to as the repeated weighted boosting search (RWBS) is employed at the upper level to identify the unknown MIMO channel while an enhanced ML sphere detector termed as the optimized hierarchy reduced search algorithm is used at the lower level to perform ML detection of the transmitted data. Only a minimum pilot overhead is required to aid the RWBS channel estimator’s initial operation,which not only speeds up convergence but also avoids ambiguities inherent in blind joint estimation of both the channel and data

Semi-blind adaptive spatial equalisation for MIMO systems with high-order QAM signalling

This contribution investigates semi-blind adaptive spatial filtering or equalisation for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems that employ high-throughput quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signalling. A minimum number of training symbols, equal to the number of receivers (we assume that the number of transmitters is no more than that of receivers), are first utilized to provide a rough least squares channel estimate of the system's MIMO channel matrix for the initialization of the spatial equalizers' weight vectors. A constant modulus algorithm aided soft decision-directed blind algorithm, originally derived for blind equalization of single-input single-output and single-input multiple-output systems employing high-order QAM signalling, is then extended to adapt the spatial equalizers for MIMO systems. This semi-blind scheme has a low computational complexity, and our simulation results demonstrate that it converges fast to the minimum mean-square-error spatial equalization solution

A novel blind channel estimation for a 2x2 MIMO system

A novel blind channel estimation method based on a simple coding scheme for a 2 by 2 multiple input multi-ple output (MIMO) system is described. The proposed algorithm is easy to implement in comparison with conventional blind estimation algorithms, as it is able to recover the channel matrix without performing sin-gular value decomposition (SVD) or eigenvalue decomposition (EVD). The block coding scheme accompa-nying the proposed estimation approach requires only a block encoder at the transmitter without the need of using the decoder at the receiver. The proposed block coding scheme offers the full coding rate and reduces the noise power to half of its original value. It eliminates the phase ambiguity using only one additional pilot sequence

Semi-blind adaptive beamforming for high-throughput quadrature amplitude modulation systems

A semi-blind adaptive beamforming scheme is proposed for wireless systems that employ high-throughput quadrature amplitude modulation signalling. A minimum number of training symbols, equal to the number of receiver antenna arrays elements, are first utilised to provide a rough initial least squares estimate of the beamformer's weight vector. A concurrent constant modulus algorithm and soft decision-directed scheme is then applied to adapt the beamformer. This semi-blind adaptive beamforming scheme is capable of converging fast to the minimum mean-square-error beamforming solution, as demonstrated in our simulation study

Hybrid solutions to instantaneous MIMO blind separation and decoding: narrowband, QAM and square cases

Future wireless communication systems are desired to support high data rates and high quality transmission when considering the growing multimedia applications. Increasing the channel throughput leads to the multiple input and multiple output and blind equalization techniques in recent years. Thereby blind MIMO equalization has attracted a great interest.Both system performance and computational complexities play important roles in real time communications. Reducing the computational load and providing accurate performances are the main challenges in present systems. In this thesis, a hybrid method which can provide an affordable complexity with good performance for Blind Equalization in large constellation MIMO systems is proposed first. Saving computational cost happens both in the signal sep- aration part and in signal detection part. First, based on Quadrature amplitude modulation signal characteristics, an efficient and simple nonlinear function for the Independent Compo- nent Analysis is introduced. Second, using the idea of the sphere decoding, we choose the soft information of channels in a sphere, and overcome the so- called curse of dimensionality of the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm and enhance the final results simultaneously. Mathematically, we demonstrate in the digital communication cases, the EM algorithm shows Newton -like convergence.Despite the widespread use of forward -error coding (FEC), most multiple input multiple output (MIMO) blind channel estimation techniques ignore its presence, and instead make the sim- plifying assumption that the transmitted symbols are uncoded. However, FEC induces code structure in the transmitted sequence that can be exploited to improve blind MIMO channel estimates. In final part of this work, we exploit the iterative channel estimation and decoding performance for blind MIMO equalization. Experiments show the improvements achievable by exploiting the existence of coding structures and that it can access the performance of a BCJR equalizer with perfect channel information in a reasonable SNR range. All results are confirmed experimentally for the example of blind equalization in block fading MIMO systems