To increase the spectral utilization efficiency of a wireless link, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems can be employed to transmit several data streams in parallel at the same time and on the same frequency but from different transmit antennas. However, at the receiver side multi-stream detection is needed. In this paper, ordered successive MMSE detection (OSD) is considered as a low-complexity detection scheme. OSD's main computational cost lies in computing the nulling weights that correspond to each stage of successive detection. In this paper, we develop an efficient semi-adaptive approach to generate MMSE weights. This semi-adaptive approach efficiently combines two approaches: channel estimates-based direct matrix inversion weights generation (direct approach) and Recursive Least Squares (RLS) algorithm-based weights generation (adaptive approach). Although the direct approach alone performs better than the adaptive approach, it is more complex for updating weights within the tracking mode. On the other hand, the adaptive approach alone is less complex in updating weights within the tracking mode, but converges slowly within the training mode. Our combined semi-adaptive approach effectively offsets these disadvantages. We demonstrate, through computer simulations, that the semi-adaptive approach can achieve the BER of the direct approach in slow time-varying MIMO channels, while its computational complexity is less than or comparable to that of the adaptive approach.

Cooperative relaying (CR) is a promising technique to provide spatial diversity by combining multiple signals from source and relay stations. In the present paper, the impact and use of the asymmetric property in bi-directional CR under asymmetric traffic conditions are discussed assuming that CR involves one communication pair and one relay station in a time division duplex (TDD) system. The asymmetric property means that the average communication quality differs for each transmission direction because of the difference in signal power between the combined signals for each direction. First, numerical results show the asymmetric property of bi-directional CR. Next, in order to evaluate the impact of the asymmetric property, the optimal relay position and resource allocation are compared to those in simple multi-hop relaying, which does not have the asymmetric property. Numerical results show that, in order to maximize the overall quality of bi-directional communication, the optimal relay position in CR depends on the offered traffic ratio, which is defined as the traffic ratio of each transmission direction, while the offered traffic ratio does not affect the optimal relay position in multi-hop relaying. Finally, the asymmetric property is used to enhance the overall quality. Specifically, a high overall quality can be achieved by, for example, opportunistically switching to the transmission direction with higher quality. Under asymmetric traffic conditions, weighted proportionally fair scheduling (WPFS), which is proposed in the context of downlink scheduling in a cellular network, is applied to transmission direction switching. Numerical results reveal that WPFS provides a high overall quality and that the quality ratio is similar to the offered traffic ratio.

A new dynamic channel allocation algorithm which is integrated with transmitting power control is proposed. By introducing a new threshold, referred to as TPC threshold (Transmitting Power Control threshold), which is added some margin to the threshold of channel allocation, the subsequent transmitting power control can be performed effectively. This DCA algorithm can achieve a cellular system with both high traffic capacity and high service quality such as interference frequency performance simultaneously. The computer simulation shows that this DCA algorithm improves blocking probability performance 4 times better than that of DECT system at 14 Erlang, while keeping the same interference frequency and forced termination performances.

Reliable detection of other radio systems is crucial for systems that share the same frequency band. In wireless communication channels, there is uncertainty in the received signal level due to multipath fading and shadowing. Cooperative sensing techniques in which radio stations share their sensing information can improve the detection probability of other systems. In this paper, a new cooperative sensing scheme that reduces the false detection probability while maintaining the outage probability of other systems is investigated. In the proposed system, sensing information is collected using multi-hop transmission from all sensing stations that detect other systems, and transmission decisions are based on the received sensing information. The proposed system also controls the transmit power based on the received CINRs from the sensing stations. Simulation results reveal that the proposed system can reduce the outage probability of other systems, or improve its link success probability.

In a CDMA non-linear interference canceller, a generated replica of an interference signal is multiplied by a positive number smaller than unity, which is called cancellation moderating factor (CMF), to prevent interference enhancement due to inaccurate replica subtraction. In this paper, two CMF controlling schemes applicable to a multistage parallel interference canceller with multi-antenna (spatial diversity) reception are proposed. They control CMF by using the mean square error of the complex channel gain or by using the ratio of the estimated power of each interference signal to remaining interference signals' power, in order to mitigate the replica subtraction error due to inaccurate channel estimation. The performance of the proposed schemes are evaluated by computer simulations assuming an asynchronous uplink single chip-rate variable spreading factor DS-CDMA system. The simulation results show that the proposed schemes with higher order diversity reception improve the bit error rate (BER) performance compared with a conventional scheme considering the tentative decision error or fixed CMF settings. Their performance improvement is by 0.1-0.9 dB in terms of the required Eb/N0 at an average BER of 10-5 over exponentially decaying 5-path Rayleigh distributed channels when the number of receiving antennas is 6.

A cooperative relaying system with transmission scheduling is investigated. Cooperative relaying is composed of multiple links because the source sends the data to more than one receiver, and the destination receives multiple data transmitted by more than one transmitter. Therefore, if the source can transmit the data when the channel gains of the links are high, it is not clear which channel gains should be high in order to achieve high spectral efficiency. In the present letter, the spectral efficiency of a cooperative relaying system is theoretically derived under the assumption that the source transmits the data only when the channel gains of links are above certain threshold values. Numerical results reveal that a high spectral efficiency can be achieved by assuring a high channel gain for the link with the highest average received power among links to the destination.

We investigate the impact of symbol rate control, modulation level control, and the number of hops on the area spectral efficiency of interference-limited multihop radio networks. By controlling symbol rate and modulation level, data rate can be adapted according to received power. In addition, varying the number of hops can control received power. First, we evaluate the achievable end-to-end throughput of multihop transmission assuming symbol rate and modulation level control. Numerical results reveal that by controlling symbol rate or using multihop transmission, the end-to-end communication range can be extended at the cost of end-to-end throughput, and this may result in lower area spectral efficiency. Next, an expression for the area spectral efficiency of multihop radio networks is derived as a function of the number of hops and the end-to-end throughput. Numerical results also reveal that the resulting area spectral efficiency depends on the specific circumstances, which, however, can be increased only by using multihop transmission.

In this paper, we evaluate the effect of space-time coded cooperative relaying technique in multihop inter-vehicle communication (IVC) networks. The IVC systems have an issue that communication links are often blocked by obstacles such as heavy vehicles. The breakage of a radio link in multihop connections may significantly decrease the system throughput in multihop IVC networks. It is demonstrated through system-level evaluations that the cooperative relaying can offer remarkable capacity enhancement by exploiting multi-route diversity and overcoming accidental link breakage resulting from frequent topological changes.

This paper proposes a novel iterative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, named as an “iterative MIMO receiver employing virtual channels with a Turbo decoder.” The proposed MIMO receiver comprises a MIMO detector with virtual channel detection and a Turbo decoder, between which signals are exchanged iteratively. This paper proposes a semi hard input soft output (SHISO) iterative decoding for the iterative MIMO receiver that achieves better performance than a soft input soft output (SISO) iterative decoding. Moreover, this paper proposes a new criterion for the MIMO detector to select the most likely virtual channel. The performance of the proposed receiver is verified in a 6×2 MIMO-OFDM system by computer simulation. The proposed receiver achieves better performance than the SISO MAP iterative receiver by 1.5dB at the bit error rate (BER) of 10-4, by optimizing the number of the Turbo iteration per the SHISO iteration. Moreover, the proposed detection criterion enables the proposed receiver to achieve a gain of 3.0dB at the BER of 10-5, compared with the SISO MAP iterative receiver with the Turbo decoder.

In the present paper, the use of a combination of channel-bonding and multi-channel techniques is proposed to improve the performance of wireless mesh networks (WMNs). It is necessary to increase the network throughput by broadening the bandwidth, and two approaches to effectively utilize the broadened bandwidth can be considered. One is the multi-channel technique, in which multiple separate frequency channels are used simultaneously for information transmission. The other is the channel-bonding technique used in IEEE 802.11n, which joins multiple frequency channels into a single broader channel. The former can reduce the channel traffic to mitigate the effect of packet collision, while the latter can increase the transmission rate. In the present paper, these two approaches are compared and their respective advantages are clarified in terms of the network throughput and delay performance assuming the same total bandwidth and a CSMA protocol. Our numerical and simulation results indicate that under low-traffic conditions, the channel-bonding technique can achieve low delay, while under traffic congestion conditions, the network performance can be improved by using multi-channel technique. Based on this result, the use of a combination of these two techniques is proposed for a WMN, and show that it is better to use a proper channel technique according to the network traffic condition. The findings of the present study also contribute to improving the performance of a multimedia network, which consists of different traffic types of applications.

In this paper, a multistage parallel interference canceller (MPIC) with multiple-beam reception for a DS-CDMA system is proposed to suppress multiple access interference (MAI) effectively. Its aim is to reduce the computational complexity of the conventional MPIC cascaded with an adaptive array antenna. It employs multiple fixed beams based on phased array and selects suitable beams to demodulate the transmitted signal of each user. Then it suppresses residual interference signals by the MPIC cascaded with multiple-beam receiver. Its bit error rate (BER) performance is evaluated by computer simulations assuming an uplink single-chip-rate multiple-spreading-factor DS-CDMA system over both exponentially decaying 5-path and equal average power 2-path Rayleigh distributed channels. When there are 16 users in an 120-sectored single cell, the proposed receiver with 6-element array antenna and 2-stage MPIC shows better or comparable BER performance compared with that of the conventional receiver. Moreover, the proposed receiver with 8 beams can reduce the number of complex multiplications to about 40% of that of the complexity-reduced conventional receiver over 5-path channels.

In the present paper, the performance of cooperative relaying networks with adaptive relaying scheme selection is analyzed. Cooperative relaying is a new technique to achieve spatial diversity gain by using neighboring stations. However, when multiple stations transmit simultaneously, the number of interference signals increases. Therefore, the introduction of cooperative relaying in radio communication systems does not always increase the network capacity due to the co-channel interference. Therefore, in order to achieve high spectral efficiency, it is necessary to select cooperative relaying or non-cooperative relaying adaptively. Assuming both centralized and decentralized adaptive controls, the spectrum efficiency is evaluated. The performance under decentralized control is evaluated using a game-theoretic approach. Simulation results show that the introduction of cooperative relaying with centralized control always increases the spectral efficiency. On the other hand, Simulation results also show that, when each source selects a relaying scheme independently and selfishly to maximize its own spectral efficiency, the introduction of the cooperative relaying may reduce the spectral efficiency due to the increase in the number of interference signals.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems can improve the spectral efficiency of a wireless link, by transmitting several data streams simultaneously from different transmit antennas. However, at the receiver, multi-stream detection is needed for extracting the transmitted data streams from the received signals. This letter considers ordered successive detection (OSD) for multi-stream detection. OSD consists of several stages, and at each stage only one data stream is chosen to be detected among the remaining streams according to a specified ordering metric. OSD has been formulated using both the zero forcing (ZF) and minimum mean square error (MMSE) criteria. This letter clarifies the reason behind the superiority of OSD using the MMSE criterion to OSD using the ZF criterion through the investigation of the relation between their ordering metrics. For uncorrelated MIMO channels, we show that both ordering metrics yield the same performance for OSD using either ZF or MMSE criterion. Accordingly, the superiority of OSD using the MMSE criterion to OSD using the ZF criterion is clarified to be a direct result of the inherent superiority of MMSE nulling to ZF nulling, and to be independent of the ordering operation. Performance comparisons of OSD and maximum likelihood detection are also given for modulation schemes of different sizes.

A game-theoretic analysis is applied to the evaluation of capacity and stability of a wireless ad hoc network in which each source node independently chooses a route to the destination node so as to enhance throughput. First, the throughput of individual multihop transmission with rate adaptation is evaluated. Observations from this evaluation indicate that the optimal number of hops in terms of the achievable end-to-end throughput depends on the received signal-to-noise ratio. Next, the decentralized adaptive route selection problem in which each source node competes for resources over arbitrary topologies is defined as a game. Numerical results reveal that in some cases this game has no Nash equilibria; i.e., each rational source node cannot determine a unique route. The occurrence of such cases depends on both the transmit power and spatial arrangement of the nodes. Then, the obtained network throughput under the equilibrium conditions is compared to the capacity under centralized scheduling. Numerical results reveal that when the transmit power is low, decentralized adaptive route selection may attain throughput near the capacity.

We develop an enrichment protocol, called a 2-hop Path Selection Protocol (2PSP) for a set of nodes, in which data can be sent faster using adaptive rate control capability of IEEE 802.11a/b/g MAC protocol via a relaying concept than via a direct connection. The main objective of this protocol is to build upon opportunistic rate adaptation in order to assist a sender, a relay node, and a receiver to reach a higher rate data transmission through Medium Access Control (MAC) layer relaying. We propose a relay mechanism to further improve the performance of 2PSP protocol. In the relay mechanism, new contention window, called a Short Backoff Internal (SBI) is applied for a set of relay nodes. A potential node that succeeds as a relay is allowed to send a Ready-To-Relay (RTR) message. In this paper, two collision resolution algorithms are proposed to deal with the case when the potential relay node is more than one. Simulation results indicate that the proposed 2PSP protocol can achieve high reduction of delay and power consumption and also an improvement in the throughput compared to both Receiving-based Auto Rate (RBAR) and Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocols.

In spatial multiplexing systems using multiple antennas, the error-rate performance is heavily dependent on the residual channel estimation error. In this letter, we propose a design method that uses the genetic algorithms to optimize training sequences for accurate channel estimation.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems can realize large spectral efficiency and high performance communication links. For wideband transmissions, the combination of MIMO systems with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has recently attracted a lot of attention and it is well known as MIMO-OFDM. In MIMO-OFDM systems, the overlapped signals over each subcarrier need to be separated by the receiver. For fading coefficients based receivers, the performance of the receiver depends largely on the accuracy of the estimated channel. Especially, when the channel varies with time, accurate channel tracking is needed. Conventional optimized channel tracking has large computational complexity because large matrix inverse computation is required. In order to reduce the complexity, a simplified channel tracking scheme assuming PSK modulation has been considered. However, such a simplified scheme is found to suffer from large performance degradation when applied to multi-level QAM modulation. In this paper, we derive a new simplified but improved channel tracking scheme for MIMO-OFDM systems that can be applied to both PSK and multi-level QAM modulation. The performance and the complexity of the proposed scheme are evaluated with comparisons to conventional schemes.

In this paper, some misconceptions about "multipath propagation" are discussed for those propagation engineers, who are not familiar with the close relationship between multipath propagation and a communication system in a mobile/portable radio communication environment. It is shown that believed facts about multipath propagation are not always true. Namely, it is well-known that multipath propagation is undesirable if a conventional sample-and-decision receiver is assumed. It is not well-recognized that it can be a desirable phenomenon if a sophisticated communication system uses adaptive equalization, anti-multipath modulation, or spread spectrum communication, for example. On the other hand, it is widely accepted that root mean square (rms) multipath delay spread is a good measure of bit-error-rate performance, i.e., as rms delay spread gets larger, bit-error-rate generally gets worse. However, it is pointed out that this is not always true, especially in propagation conditions with very long-delayed multipath signals. In short, it is the purpose of this paper to show examples that the facts believed to be true sometimes turn out to be false, unless we pay attention to both aspects of propagation and system design in the field of mobile/portable radio communications. In fact, for highly efficient communication systems design, propagation, antenna and system factors should be taken into account simultaneously.