EARS: Energy- and Cost-Efficient Spectrum Utilization with Full-Duplex mm-wave Massive MIMO

预计第五代(5G)无线系统将极大地提高用户可用的数据速率，并极大地改善整体用户体验。大规模多输入多输出(MIMO)阵列由数百个天线单元组成，服务于许多用户，被认为是5G无线系统的基石，有望显著提高无线电频谱利用率和用户体验。与此同时，毫米波频率的使用被认为是为了在未来几年为新的服务提供额外的频谱，而小的物理天线间隔使得毫米波对大规模MIMO具有吸引力。虽然在与大规模MIMO系统的设计相关的理论概念的发展方面取得了实质性进展，但在实际设计毫米波大规模MIMO系统以及将这些系统扩展到数十个同时空间流所需的网络技术方面所做的工作很少。该方案解决了信号处理算法、网络协议和原型硬件设计方面的关键挑战，以实现具有高度空间多路复用的可扩展低延迟毫米波MIMO网络。它将提供一条将用户数据速率提高100倍的途径。通过将理论系统方面与其实际开发相结合，该提案解决了毫米波大规模MIMO技术发展的关键挑战。具体地说，本项目旨在实现：(1)适合于大规模低成本和高能效部署的毫米波海量MIMO阵列结构；(2)用于海量MIMO阵列处理的优化的可伸缩信号处理方法，包括混合波束形成、分布式信道估计和分布式波束形成；(3)适合于低延迟、低相干时间应用的媒体接入控制(MAC)技术，其利用全双工帧来实现快速的用户捕获、同步、跟踪和寻呼；(4)实用的带内全双工操作，通过天线阵设计、空间滤波、该产品包括：(1)自适应模拟和数字对消，(5)适合大量同时空间流的线性度和相位噪声的实用前端电路，以及(6)以模块化方式设计的毫米波大规模MIMO试验台，以支持信号处理和MAC技术的未来发展和性能测量。除了对参与该项目的学生进行跨学科培训外，项目成员与行业领导者的互动将极大地加速5G无线通信的渗透。

Fifth-generation (5G) wireless systems are expected to provide enormous improvements in data rates available to users, as well as much improvement overall user experience. Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) arrays consist of hundreds of antenna elements, serving many users and are considered to be a cornerstone of 5G wireless systems, and are expected to dramatically improve both the radio spectrum utilization and user experience. At the same time, the use of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies is supposed to provide additional spectrum for new services in the years to come, and small physical antenna separation makes mm-wave attractive for massive MIMO. While there has been substantial progress in the development of the theoretical concepts associated with the design of massive MIMO systems, very little work has been done to actually design a mm-wave massive MIMO system and on the network techniques needed to scale these systems to dozens of simultaneous spatial streams. This proposal addresses the key challenges in the development of signal processing algorithms, network protocols, and a prototype hardware design to enable scalable low-latency mm-wave MIMO networks with high degrees of spatial multiplexing. It will provide a path to a hundred-fold improvement in user data rates. By integrating the theoretical system aspects with its practical development, this proposal addresses critical challenges for the development of mm-wave massive MIMO technologies. In particular, this project aims to achieve: (1) a mm-wave massive MIMO array architecture suitable for low-cost and energy-efficient deployment at massive scale, (2) an optimized scalable signal processing approach to massive MIMO array processing, which includes hybrid beamforming, distributed channel estimation and distributed beamforming, (3) a medium-access control (MAC) technique suitable for low-latency, low-coherence time applications by leveraging a full-duplex frame to enable rapid user acquisition, synchronization, tracking, and paging, (4) practical in-band full-duplex operation, realized through a combination of antenna array design, spatial filtering, and adaptive analog and digital cancellation, (5) practical front-end circuits with linearity and phase noise suitable for a large number of simultaneous spatial streams, and (6) a mm-wave massive MIMO test bed designed in a modular manner to enable future development and performance measurements of signal processing and MAC techniques. In addition to cross-disciplinary training of students involved in this project, interaction of project members with industry leaders will dramatically accelerate the penetration of 5G wireless communications.