This paper presents an overview of the theory and currently known techniques for multi-cell MIMO (multiple input multiple output) cooperation in wireless networks. In dense networks where interference emerges as the key capacity-limiting factor, multi-cell cooperation can dramatically improve the system performance. Remarkably, such techniques literally exploit inter-cell interference by allowing the user data to be jointly processed by several interfering base stations, thus mimicking the benefits of a large virtual MIMO array. Multi-cell MIMO cooperation concepts are examined from different perspectives, including an examination of the fundamental information-theoretic limits, a review of the coding and signal processing algorithmic developments, and, going beyond that, consideration of very practical issues related to scalability and system-level integration. A few promising and quite fundamental research avenues are also suggested.

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Multi-Cell MIMO Cooperative Networks: A New Look at Interference

It is now well known that employing channel adaptive signaling in wireless communication systems can yield large improvements in almost any performance metric. Unfortunately, many kinds of channel adaptive techniques have been deemed impractical in the past because of the problem of obtaining channel knowledge at the transmitter. The transmitter in many systems (such as those using frequency division duplexing) can not leverage techniques such as training to obtain channel state information. Over the last few years, research has repeatedly shown that allowing the receiver to send a small number of information bits about the channel conditions to the transmitter can allow near optimal channel adaptation. These practical systems, which are commonly referred to as limited or finite-rate feedback systems, supply benefits nearly identical to unrealizable perfect transmitter channel knowledge systems when they are judiciously designed. In this tutorial, we provide a broad look at the field of limited feedback wireless communications. We review work in systems using various combinations of single antenna, multiple antenna, narrowband, broadband, single-user, and multiuser technology. We also provide a synopsis of the role of limited feedback in the standardization of next generation wireless systems.

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An overview of limited feedback in wireless communication systems

Massive multiple-input multiple-output MIMO is one of themost promising technologies for the next generation of wirelesscommunication networks because it has the potential to providegame-changing improvements in spectral efficiency SE and energyefficiency EE. This monograph summarizes many years ofresearch insights in a clear and self-contained way and providesthe reader with the necessary knowledge and mathematical toolsto carry out independent research in this area. Starting froma rigorous definition of Massive MIMO, the monograph coversthe important aspects of channel estimation, SE, EE, hardwareefficiency HE, and various practical deployment considerations.From the beginning, a very general, yet tractable, canonical systemmodel with spatial channel correlation is introduced. This modelis used to realistically assess the SE and EE, and is later extendedto also include the impact of hardware impairments. Owing tothis rigorous modeling approach, a lot of classic "wisdom" aboutMassive MIMO, based on too simplistic system models, is shownto be questionable.

https://www.nowpublishers.com/article/DownloadSummary/SIG-093

Massive MIMO Networks: Spectral, Energy, and Hardware Efficiency

This paper considers a multi-cell multiple antenna system with precoding used at the base stations for downlink transmission. Channel state information (CSI) is essential for precoding at the base stations. An effective technique for obtaining this CSI is time-division duplex (TDD) operation where uplink training in conjunction with reciprocity simultaneously provides the base stations with downlink as well as uplink channel estimates. This paper mathematically characterizes the impact that uplink training has on the performance of such multi-cell multiple antenna systems. When non-orthogonal training sequences are used for uplink training, the paper shows that the precoding matrix used by the base station in one cell becomes corrupted by the channel between that base station and the users in other cells in an undesirable manner. This paper analyzes this fundamental problem of pilot contamination in multi-cell systems. Furthermore, it develops a new multi-cell MMSE-based precoding method that mitigates this problem. In addition to being linear, this precoding method has a simple closed-form expression that results from an intuitive optimization. Numerical results show significant performance gains compared to certain popular single-cell precoding methods.

/pdf/pilot-contamination-and-precoding-in-multi-cell-tdd-systems-326zvjyo0u.pdf

Pilot Contamination and Precoding in Multi-Cell TDD Systems

This paper considers a multi-cell multiple antenna system with precoding used at the base stations for downlink transmission. For precoding at the base stations, channel state information (CSI) is essential at the base stations. A popular technique for obtaining this CSI in time division duplex (TDD) systems is uplink training by utilizing the reciprocity of the wireless medium. This paper mathematically characterizes the impact that uplink training has on the performance of such multi-cell multiple antenna systems. When non-orthogonal training sequences are used for uplink training, the paper shows that the precoding matrix used by the base station in one cell becomes corrupted by the channel between that base station and the users in other cells in an undesirable manner. This paper analyzes this fundamental problem of pilot contamination in multi-cell systems. Furthermore, it develops a new multi-cell MMSE-based precoding method that mitigate this problem. In addition to being a linear precoding method, this precoding method has a simple closed-form expression that results from an intuitive optimization problem formulation. Numerical results show significant performance gains compared to certain popular single-cell precoding methods.

Recently, the remarkable capacity potential of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems was unveiled. The predicted enormous capacity gain of MIMO is nonetheless significantly limited by cochannel interference (CCI) in realistic cellular environments. The previously proposed advanced receiver technique improves the system performance at the cost of increased receiver complexity, and the achieved system capacity is still significantly away from the interference-free capacity upper bound, especially in environments with strong CCI. In this paper, base station cooperative processing is explored to address the CCI mitigation problem in downlink multicell multiuser MIMO networks, and is shown to dramatically increase the capacity with strong CCI. Both information-theoretic dirty paper coding approach and several more practical joint transmission schemes are studied with pooled and practical per-base power constraints, respectively. Besides the CCI mitigation potential, other advantages of cooperative processing including the power gain, channel rank/conditioning advantage, and macrodiversity protection are also addressed. The potential of our proposed joint transmission schemes is verified with both heuristic and realistic cellular MIMO settings.

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Cochannel interference mitigation and cooperative processing in downlink multicell multiuser MIMO networks

In a method for generating a data unit conforming to a first communication protocol, a first field and a second field to be included in a preamble of the data unit are generated. The first field includes a first set of one or more information bits that indicate a duration of the data unit and is formatted such that the first field allows a receiver device that conforms to a second communication protocol to determine the duration of the data unit. The second field includes a second set of one or more information bits that indicate to a receiver device that conforms to the first communication protocol that the data unit conforms to the first communication protocol. The first field and the second field are modulated using a modulation scheme specified for a field corresponding to the first field and the second field, respectively, by the second communication protocol.

Physical layer frame format for WLAN

In a method for generating a physical layer (PHY) data unit for transmission via a communication channel, a first set of modulation coding schemes (MCSs) and a second set of MCSs that correspond to a number of spatial streams and a number of encoders are provided. The first set of MCSs correspond to a first channel bandwidth and the second set of MCSs correspond to a second channel bandwidth, and the first set of MCSs is different than the second set of MCSs. An MCS is selected from the first set of MCSs when the PHY data unit is to be transmitted using a channel having the first channel bandwidth, and the MCS is selected from the second set of MCSs when the PHY data unit is to be transmitted using a channel having the second channel bandwidth. Information bits are encoded using the number of encoders and according to the selected MCS, and the encoded information bits are parsed into the number of spatial streams. The encoded information bits are modulated according to the MCS, and a plurality of OFDM symbols are formed based on the modulated encoded information bits.

Methods and apparatus for WLAN transmission

Cooperative transmission by base stations (BSs) can significantly improve the spectral efficiency of multiuser, multi-cell, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems. We show that contrary to what is often assumed in the literature, the multiuser interference in such systems is fundamentally asynchronous. Intuitively, perfect timing-advance mechanisms can at best only ensure that the desired signal components -but not also the interference components -are perfectly aligned at their intended mobile stations. We develop an accurate mathematical model for the asynchronicity, and show that it leads to a significant performance degradation of existing designs that ignore the asynchronicity of interference. Using three previously proposed linear preceding design methods for BS cooperation, we develop corresponding algorithms that are better at mitigating the impact of the asynchronicity of the interference. Furthermore, we also address timing-advance inaccuracies (jitter), which are inevitable in a practical system. We show that using jitter-statistics-aware precoders can mitigate the impact of these inaccuracies as well. The insights of this paper are critical for the practical implementation of BS cooperation in multiuser MIMO systems, a topic that is typically oversimplified in the literature.

Asynchronous interference mitigation in cooperative base station systems

The present disclosure includes systems, apparatuses, and techniques relating to wireless local area network devices. Systems, apparatuses, and techniques include communicating with multiple wireless communication devices to determine characteristics of spatial wireless channels, determining steering matrices based on one or more outputs of the communicating, and transmitting signals that concurrently provide data to the wireless communication devices via different spatial wireless channels. The signals can be spatially steered to the wireless communication devices based on the steering matrices.

Hongyuan Zhang

Papers

Cochannel interference mitigation and cooperative processing in downlink multicell multiuser MIMO networks

Physical layer frame format for WLAN

Methods and apparatus for WLAN transmission

Asynchronous interference mitigation in cooperative base station systems

Sounding and steering protocols for wireless communications