Channel estimation and tracking for point-to-point and multiple-access MIMO communications

传统的点对点无线通信系统由单天线发射机和单天线接收机组成。在这样的系统中，发射机和接收机之间的单输入单输出（SISO）信道经受"衰落"，即信道行为随着时间以及发射机和接收机的位置而改变。 这样的信道变化会不利地影响通信的质量。 最近，多输入多输出（MIMO）技术已经被研究作为对抗衰落的有力工具。在MIMO通信系统中，发射机和接收机都配备有多个天线。通过这种方式，MIMO信道变得更加可靠，因为发射天线和接收天线之间的所有单独链路不太可能同时进入"深度衰落"。MIMO系统的这种抗衰落特性可以导致数据传输速率的增加。为了受益于MIMO系统的潜在优点，需要用于在多个天线上发送信息的复杂技术。而且，在接收机处，需要先进的方法来有效地联合收割机组合从多个天线接收的信号并检索发送的信息。为了设计有效的MIMO接收方案，需要精确了解底层MIMO信道。因此，信道估计在MIMO通信中起着重要的作用。此外，由于信道随时间变化，跟踪和预测信道行为对于可靠的MIMO通信至关重要。本项目旨在为MIMO通信开发更有效、更可靠的信道估计和跟踪方法。本研究将同时考虑点对点和多址MIMO通信方案。该研究计划旨在开发实际有用的结果，以提高加拿大无线基础设施的通信可靠性。它还将对培养高素质人才产生直接影响，这些人才将成为加拿大未来无线产业的领导者。

Traditional point-to-point wireless communication systems consist of a single-antenna transmitter and a single-antenna receiver. In such systems, the Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) channel between the transmitter and the receiver is subject to "fading", i.e. the channel behavior changes with time and with locations of the transmitter and receiver.  Such channel variations can adversely affect the quality of the communication.  Recently, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) techniques have been studied as powerful tools to combat fading. In MIMO communication systems, both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas. In this way, the MIMO channel becomes more reliable because it is very unlikely that all individual links between the transmitting and receiving antennas go into "deep fading" at the same time. This fading resistance characteristic of MIMO systems can lead to an increase in the data transfer rate. To benefit from potential advantages of MIMO systems, sophisticated techniques for transmitting the information over multiple antennas are required. Also, at the receiver, advanced methods are required to efficiently combine the received signals from multiple antennas and to retrieve the transmitted information. In order to design efficient MIMO reception schemes, one needs to have precise knowledge of the underlying MIMO channel. Hence, channel estimation plays an important role in MIMO communications. Moreover, as the channel changes with time, tracking and predicting the channel behavior is essential to reliable MIMO communication. This project aims at developing more efficient and reliable channel estimation and tracking methods for MIMO communications. This study will consider both point-to-point and multiple-access MIMO communication schemes. This research program aims at developing practically useful results that will improve the communication reliability within the Canadian wireless infrastructure. It will also have a direct impact on training highly qualified personnel who can become the leaders of Canada's future wireless industry.