We propose a linear mean square error channel estimator that exploits the joint space-time-frequency (STF) correlations of the wireless fading channel for applications in multiple-antenna orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems. Our work generalizes existing channel estimators to the full dimensions including transmit spatial, receive spatial, time, and frequency. This allows versatile applications of our STF channel estimator to any fading environment, ranging from spatially-uncorrelated slow-varying frequency-flat channels to spatially-correlated fast-varying frequency-selective channels. / The proposed STF channel estimator reduces to a time-frequency (TF) channel estimator when no spatial correlations exist. In another perspective, the lower-dimension TF channel estimator can be viewed as an STF channel estimator with spatial correlation mismatch for space-time-frequency selective channels. / Computer simulations were performed to study the mean-square-error (MSE) behavior with different pilot parameters. We then evaluate the suitability of our STF channel estimator on a space-frequency block coded OFDM system. Bit error rate (BER) performance degradation, with respect to perfect coherent detection, is limited to less than 2 dB at a BER of 10-5 in the modified 3GPP fast-fading suburban macro environment. Modifications to the 3GPP channel involves reducing the base station angle spread to imitate a high transmit spatial correlation scenario to emphasize the benefit of exploiting spatial correlation in our STF channel estimator.

With the rapid adoption and development of new standards, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology is becoming a necessity in current wireless systems. One problem posed by using multiple antennas at a transmitter or receiver is the undesirable effect of signal correlation between closely-spaced radiating elements. This thesis presents the concept, design, and evaluation of a hemispherical lens antenna for use in MIMO systems. A high-permittivity dielectric material allows radiating elements to be placed in close proximity with reduced spatial correlation effects. An intermediate matching layer and a hemispherical lens design facilitate the preservation of the pattern characteristics in the transition between the dielectric and free-space. The antenna was simulated against benchmark antenna arrays in free-space and showed a 35%-70% improvement in channel capacity in multipath-rich environments, showing strength as a candidate for further development in MIMO applications.

Recent research results have shown that the MIMO wireless communication architecture is a promising approach to achieve high bandwidth efficiencies. MIMO wireless channels can be simply defined as a link for which both the transmitting and receiving ends are equipped with multiple antenna elements. Adaptive modulation and power allocation could be used to further improve the performance of MIMO systems. This thesis focuses on developing a fast and high performance power allocation algorithm. Three power allocation algorithms are proposed in this thesis and their performances are compared in various system sizes and transceiver architectures. Among the three algorithms proposed in this thesis, the fast algorithm may be considered as the best power allocation algorithm since the performance of the fast algorithm is almost as good as the fullsearch (optimal)algorithm and the mean processing time is considerably less than the fullsearch algorithm. The fast algorithm achieves about 97.6% agreement with the optimal throughput on average. In addition, the time taken to find the power scaling factors using the fullsearch algorithm is about 2300 times longer than the processing time of the fast algorithm in a 6 x 6 system when the SNR is 20dB. As an extension to the power allocation process, excess power allocation methods are introduced. Excess power is the unused power during the power allocation process. The power allocation algorithm allocates power to each received SNR to maximize the throughput of the system whereas the excesspower allocation distributes the excess power to each SNR to improve both the instantaneous and temporal behavior of the system. Five different excess power allocation methods are proposed in this thesis. These methods were simulated in the Rayleigh fading channel with different Doppler frequencies, fD = 10Hz,50Hz and 100Hz, where the ACF of the channel coefficients are given by the Jakes' model. The equal BER improvement method showed a slightly better performance than the other methods. The equal BER improvement method enables the system to maintain the power scaling factors without sacrificing QoS for 19.6 ms on average when the maximum Doppler shift is 10Hz.

No description available.

In Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) broadcast channels, the multi-antenna basestation transmits information to multiple non-cooperative mobile users simultaneously. Among various transmission schemes, zero-forcing beamforming (ZFBF) and random unitary beamforming (RUB) are of particular interest due to their low implementation complexity and ability to explore the multiplexing gain provided by multiple transmit antennas. To investigate the effects of multiuser diversity on sum-rate performance, previous studies of beamforming schemes in multiuser MIMO systems usually employ asymptotical analysis. In this work, while assuming channel gain follows Rayleigh flat fading, we study the sum-rate performance of ZFBF and RUB through exact mathematic analysis. For this purpose, we derive the statistics of selected users's effective channel gain, which enable us to calculate the sum rate accurately and efficiently. With derived sum-rate expressions, we evaluate and compare the sum-rate performance of MIMO broadcast channels with RUB and dual-transmit-antenna ZFBF. In addition, we apply this analytical method to study strategies that mitigate multiuser interference for RUB-based multiuser MIMO systems. The strategies we consider in the thesis include • Reducing the number of served users at a time. We present a new user scheduling scheme, which imposes a threshold On user's SINR for feedback load reduction and only activates those beams that are requested by feedback users. • Exploiting receive diversity. When receivers use more than one antennas, we evaluate the sum-rate performance gain offered by selection combining (SC) and optimum combining (OC) schemes, respectively. In addition to beamforming techniques, we study the symbol error rate (SER) performance of MIMO broadcast channels with vector perturbation (VP) precoding and quantized channel feedback. Based. on the established equivalent relations in terms of minimum mean square error (MMSE) and SER between quantized and perfect channel feedback cases, we investigate the tradeoff between feedback load and achievable diversity gain. / Graduate

When antennas are placed closely spaced together, the mutual coupling and spatial correlation effects undermine the advantages provided by multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) antennas. In this thesis, we compare and analyze the performance of digital beamforming, fixed radio frequency (RF) beamforming and element based patterning with closely spaced antenna systems. In the case where only one RF-chain is available, we have demonstrated performance improvements using RF beamforming-based MIMO processing instead of element-based MIMO processing with closely spaced metamaterial antennas. The result indicates that even without mutual coupling, antenna based MIMO processing is greatly impacted when moving from rich to correlated scattering environments. In the second half of the thesis, we investigate the switch and examine receiver combining (SEC) technique. We derive the switching rate of SEC and show that even though it has the same outage probability as traditional selection combining, it has a significantly lower switching rate.

In this thesis, the 2×2 MIMO performance of several low mutual coupling antennas has been investigated in indoor and hallway scenarios. Three compact antennas intended for mobile applications with low mutual coupling between the input ports are presented in this thesis. To gauge the performances of the three designed antennas, two reference antennas are also used. Channel capacity measurements were conducted in Bahen Center Antenna Lab room 8175 and the Bahen Center 8th floor hallway by using the five antennas as receivers. The antenna spatial location, orientation, line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight situation and richness of multipath effect were considered in the measurements. By averaging the results, it is found that in an indoor environment, low mutual coupling antennas can outperform the reference high mutual coupling antennas especially in higher SNR scenarios. In the hallway environment, low mutual coupling antennas always outperform the reference high mutual coupling antennas due to pattern diversity.

When antennas are placed closely spaced together, the mutual coupling and spatial correlation effects undermine the advantages provided by multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) antennas. In this thesis, we compare and analyze the performance of digital beamforming, fixed radio frequency (RF) beamforming and element based patterning with closely spaced antenna systems. In the case where only one RF-chain is available, we have demonstrated performance improvements using RF beamforming-based MIMO processing instead of element-based MIMO processing with closely spaced metamaterial antennas. The result indicates that even without mutual coupling, antenna based MIMO processing is greatly impacted when moving from rich to correlated scattering environments. In the second half of the thesis, we investigate the switch and examine receiver combining (SEC) technique. We derive the switching rate of SEC and show that even though it has the same outage probability as traditional selection combining, it has a significantly lower switching rate.

In this thesis, the 2×2 MIMO performance of several low mutual coupling antennas has been investigated in indoor and hallway scenarios. Three compact antennas intended for mobile applications with low mutual coupling between the input ports are presented in this thesis. To gauge the performances of the three designed antennas, two reference antennas are also used. Channel capacity measurements were conducted in Bahen Center Antenna Lab room 8175 and the Bahen Center 8th floor hallway by using the five antennas as receivers. The antenna spatial location, orientation, line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight situation and richness of multipath effect were considered in the measurements. By averaging the results, it is found that in an indoor environment, low mutual coupling antennas can outperform the reference high mutual coupling antennas especially in higher SNR scenarios. In the hallway environment, low mutual coupling antennas always outperform the reference high mutual coupling antennas due to pattern diversity.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-42). / viii, 42 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm