A Hybrid Selection/Equal-Gain Combining over Correlated Nakagami-m Fading Channels

A new type of hybrid selection/equal-gain combining (HS/EGC) scheme is proposed and analyzed. This scheme dynamically selects the best combination of branches by a simple test and combines them in equal-gain combining (EGC) manner. As a result, the scheme always shows better performance than conventional EGC and selection diversity (SD), and close to maximal-ratio combining (MRC). As an exemplary performance indicator, its average output SNR for dual correlated Nakagami-m fading channels is calculated and demonstrated in comparison with other diversity schemes     

Performance analysis of L-branch equal gain combiners in equally correlated Rayleigh fading channels

Theoretical performance results for L-branch (L/spl ges/3) coherent equal-gain combining (EGC) in correlated fading channels are not known. This letter develops a novel approach for performance analysis of L-branch EGC in equally correlated Rayleigh fading channels. Such channel gains can be transformed into a set of conditionally independent channel gains. The cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the EGC output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is, therefore, derived. The symbol error rate (SER) of different modulation schemes with EGC in equally correlated Rayleigh fading channels is evaluated. Numerical results that illustrate the effects of equally correlated fading on the SER performance of EGC are also provided.     

Performance limits of M-FSK with Reed-Solomon coding and diversity combining

This paper examines the asymptotic (M/spl rarr//spl infin/) performance of M-ary frequency-shift keying (M-FSK) in multi-channels, or multiple frequency-nonselective, slowly fading channels, with coding, side information, and diversity reception. In particular, Reed-Solomon (RS) coding is considered in conjunction with the ratio-threshold test (RTT), which generates side information regarding the reliability of received symbols. The asymptotic performance of orthogonal signaling in multichannels with maximal ratio combining (MRC), postdetection equal gain combining (EGC), hybrid selection combining (H-SC), and selection combining (SC) is derived for an arbitrary statistical fading model and diversity order. The derivations reveal that coherent and noncoherent implementations of diversity combining schemes yield the same performance asymptotically. In addition, the asymptotic results are evaluated assuming a Nakagami-m fading model, and the effect of fading severity, diversity order, code rate, and side information upon the performance of the various diversity combiners is investigated. The minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required to achieve arbitrarily reliable or error-free communication, as well as the associated optimal RS code rate, are determined for various cases.     

常见分集合并系统的性能分析

在移动通信中,分集技术是一种最有效的抗衰落技术。本文对3种常见的线性合并分集技术进行简要分析,给出它们的基带表示和合并器输出信噪比的概率密度函数(pdf),由此给出它们的合并增益。针对系统采用MPSK调制的情况,对瑞利衰落信道的3种合并分集系统的比特误码率(BER)性能进行理论研究,分别给出选择性合并(SC)和最大比率合并(MRC)系统的理论比特误码率表达式;对于等增益合并(EGC)分集,给出了一种近似的EGC系统的输出信噪比的pdf,由此导出EGC的一种近似的BER表达式,由蒙特卡罗仿真结果可以看出此近似的BER数值结果是准确的。数值结果显示:MRC性能最好,EGC性能稍差,而SC性能较差。文中给出的分析方法对于实际分集系统的理论研究具有普遍的指导意义。     

Error performance of transmit beamforming with delayed and limited feedback

Feedback delay can severely affect the performance of transmit beamforming (TB) and the analytical quantification of the performance degradation has attracted much research interest recently. In this letter, we study the effect of delayed and limited-rate codebook index feedback on the error rate performance of TB systems over Rayleigh fading channels. We derive closed-form expressions for the moment generating function (MGF) and the probability density function (PDF) of the receiver output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) including the effects of outdated and finite-rate feedback and further provide accurate analytical error rate expressions, which are verified by simulation results. The coding gain gap between the full-rate and limited-rate feedback and the coding gain advantage of multiple transmit antennas to the single antenna are analyzed, for limited and delayed feedback. These results are simple and concise and provide new analytical insight into the achievable diversity and combining gains and the loss caused by feedback delay for different system parameters and modulation formats.     

Asymptotic BEP and SEP of Quadratic Diversity Combining Receivers in Correlated Ricean Fading, Non?Gaussian Noise, and Interference

In this paper, we study the asymptotic behavior of the bit-error probability (BEP) and the symbol-error probability (SEP) of quadratic diversity combining schemes such as coherent maximum-ratio combining (MRC), differential equal-gain combining (EGC), and noncoherent combining (NC) in correlated Ricean fading and non-Gaussian noise, which in our definition also includes interference. We provide simple and easy-to-evaluate asymptotic BEP and SEP expressions which show that at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) the performance of the considered combining schemes depends on certain moments of the noise and interference impairing the transmission. We derive general rules for calculation of these moments and we provide closed-form expressions for the moments of several practically important types of noise such as spatially dependent and spatially independent Gaussian mixture noise, correlated synchronous and asynchronous co-channel interference, and correlated Gaussian interference. From our asymptotic results we conclude that (a) the asymptotic performance loss of binary frequency-shift keying (BFSK) with NC compared to binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) with MRC is always 6 dB independent of the type of noise and the number of diversity branches, (b) the asymptotic performance loss of differential EGC compared to MRC is always 3 dB for additive white Gaussian noise but depends on the number of diversity branches and may be larger or smaller than 3 dB for other types of noise, and (c) not only fading correlation but also noise correlation negatively affects the performance of quadratic diversity combiners.     

SER and outage of threshold-based hybrid selection/maximal-ratio combining over generalized fading channels

The average symbol-error rate and outage probability of threshold-based hybrid selection/maximal-ratio combining (T-HS/MRC) in generalized fading environments are analyzed. A T-HS/MRC combiner chooses the combined branches according to a predetermined normalized threshold and the strength of the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each branch. Therefore, the number of combined branches is a random variable, rather than a fixed number, as in conventional hybrid selection/maximal-ratio combining (H-S/MRC). Using the moment generating function method, a unified analysis of T-HS/MRC over various slow and frequency-nonselective fading channels is presented. Both independent, identically distributed and independent, nonidentically distributed diversity branches are considered. The derivation allows different M-ary linear modulation schemes. The theory is illustrated using coherent M-ary phase-shift keying in Nakagami-m fading as an example. It is shown that previous published results are incorrect.     

Equal-gain and maximal-ratio combining over nonidentical Weibull fading channels

We study the performance of L-branch equal-gain combining (EGC) and maximal-ratio combining (MRC) receivers operating over nonidentical Weibull-fading channels. Closed-form expressions are derived for the moments of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output of the combiner and significant performance criteria, for both independent and correlative fading, such as average output SNR, amount of fading and spectral efficiency at the low power regime, are studied. We also evaluate the outage and the average symbol error probability (ASEP) for several coherent and noncoherent modulation schemes, using a closed-form expression for the moment-generating function (mgf) of the output SNR for MRC receivers and the Pade/spl acute/ approximation to the mgf for EGC receivers. The ASEP of dual-branch EGC and MRC receivers is also obtained in correlative fading. The proposed mathematical analysis is complimented by various numerical results, which point out the effects of fading severity and correlation on the overall system performance. Computer simulations are also performed to verify the validity and the accuracy of the proposed theoretical approach.     

A simple and general parameterization quantifying performance in fading channels

We quantify the performance of wireless transmissions over random fading channels at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The performance criteria we consider are average probability of:error and outage probability. We show that as functions of the average SNR, they can both be characterized by two parameters: the diversity and coding gains. They both exhibit identical diversity orders, but their coding gains in decibels differ by a constant. The diversity and coding gains are found to depend on the behavior of-the random SNR's probability density function only at the origin, or equivalently, on the decaying order of the corresponding moment generating function (i.e., how fast the moment generating function goes to zero as its argument goes to infinity). Diversity and coding gains for diversity combining systems are expressed in terms of the diversity branches' individual diversity and coding gains, where the branches can come from any diversity technique such as space, time, frequency, or, multipath. The proposed analysis offers a simple and unifying approach to evaluating the performance of uncoded and (possibly space-time) coded transmissions over fading channels, and the method applies to almost all digital modulation schemes, including M-ary phaseshift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, and frequency-shift keying with coherent or noncoherent detection.     

Switching Rate and Dwell Time in M-of-N Selection Diversity

Many investigations of hybrid selection (HS) diversity assume maximal ratio combining (MRC) of the selected branches. However, a coherent detector needs to dwell on the received signal for some time before it can produce accurate channel estimates for fading compensation, a requirement that appears inconsistent with the branch switching that occurs in a selection diversity receiver. Motivated by this observation, we derive in this letter analytical results on the switching rate and average dwell time of a selection diversity receiver where M out of a total of N independent branches are selected for combining. We show that the switching rate can be many times the Doppler frequency, while the average dwell time can be a small fraction of the reciprocal Doppler frequency. The brevity of the dwell times suggests difficulty in obtaining channel state information, which in turn calls into question performance analyses of idealized HS/MRC structures. Our results also suggest that HS/MRC should be frame-based, rather than continuously acting in time     

Performance of cooperative diversity using Equal Gain Combining (EGC) over Nakagami-m fading channels

Cooperative diversity is a promising technology for future wireless networks. In this paper, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the average bit error rate (BER) and outage probability (Pout) for differential equal gain combining (EGC) in cooperative diversity networks. The considered network uses amplify-and-forward relaying over independent non-identical Nakagami-m fading channels. The performance metrics (BER and Pout) are derived using the moment generating function (MGF) method. Furthermore, we found (in terms of MGF) the SNR moments, the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and amount of fading. Numerical results show that the differential EGC can bene?t from the path-loss reduction and outperform the traditional multiple-input single output (MISO) system. Also, numerical results show that the performance of the differential EGC is comparable to the maximum ratio combining (MRC) performance.     

Diversity combining for coherent and differential M-PSK in fading and class-A impulsive noise

In this paper, optimum and suboptimum diversity combining schemes for coherent and differential M-ary phase-shift keying (M-PSK) transmission impaired by general Ricean fading and impulsive Class-A noise are derived and analyzed. The proposed suboptimum coherent combining (SCC) and suboptimum noncoherent combining (SNC) schemes yield similar performance as the corresponding optimum combining schemes but require a lower computational complexity. In addition, the novel SCC and SNC strategies achieve large performance gains over conventional maximum ratio combining (MRC) and equal gain combining (EGC), respectively. For MRC and EGC, respectively, we also provide a performance analysis for coherent and differential M-PSK transmissions over general Ricean fading channels with Class-A noise. Furthermore, tight performance upper bounds for the proposed optimum and suboptimum combining schemes are derived.     

Analytical level crossing rates and average fade durations for diversity techniques in Nakagami fading channels

The level crossing rates (LCRs) and average fade durations (AFDs) of a fading channel find diverse applications in the evaluation and design of wireless communication systems. Analytical expressions for these quantities are available in the literature for certain diversity reception techniques, but are generally limited to the Rayleigh fading channel, with few exceptions. Moreover, the methods employed are usually specific to a certain channel/diversity pair, and thus cannot be applied to all cases of interest. Using a unified methodology, we derive analytical expressions for the LCRs and AFDs for three diversity reception techniques and a general Nakagami (1960) fading channel. We provide novel analytical expressions for selection combining (SC) and equal-gain combining (EGC), and rederive in a more general manner the case of maximal-ratio combining (MRC). It is shown that our general results reduce to some specific cases previously published. These results are used to examine the effects of the diversity technique, the number of receiving branches and severity of the fading on the concerned quantities. It is observed that as the Nakagami m-parameter and the diversity order increase, the behavior of the combined received envelope for EGC follows closely the one for MRC, and distances itself from SC.     

双瑞利衰落信道下最大比合并性能研究

基于接收信噪比的统计特性,研究了双瑞利衰落条件下各分集支路衰落幅度不平衡时最大比合并MRC接收系统的差错和分集性能。采用基于矩生成函数的方法导出了涵盖多种调制方式的平均误符号率ASER的通用公式,并得到了其Chernoff一致界。仿真结果表明:双瑞利衰落下采用MRC接收技术可以大大减小传输系统的ASER且能获得与瑞利衰落时相同的渐进分集增益,但在实际可接收到的信噪比范围内可获得的分集增益与满分集增益具有明显的差距;相对于单支路接收系统,双瑞利衰落下的MRC系统可近似得到满的相对分集增益。     

Blind Ratio Combining (BRC): An Optimum Diversity Receiver for Coherent Detection With Unknown Fading Amplitudes

We present an optimum diversity receiver called blind ratio combining (BRC) that minimizes the average symbol error probability or maximizes the average output SNR, where the channels' time delays and the random phases are known, while the fading amplitudes are unknown. In contrast to previous works, where efforts were made to find a posteriori probabilities at the receiver, the BRC simply calculates the optimum weights, which depend on the channel's statistics, avoiding continuous channel estimation, and thus, it significantly reduces the system's complexity. In nonidentical multipath fading channels with power delay profile (PDP), the BRC receiver performs between maximal ratio combining (MRC) and equal gain combining (EGC), and keeps its performance comparable - and in some cases superior - to that of generalized selection combining, while for large values of the decay factor, it approaches MRC. Moreover, in the important practical case of exponential PDP - common in RAKE receivers modeling and adopted for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System spatial channel modeling by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute-3GPP - the optimum weights can be accurately approximated by simple elementary functions. Furthermore, it is proved that the utilization of these weights ensures an error performance improvement over EGC for arbitrary PDPs. The proposed BRC receiver can be efficiently applied in wireless wideband communication systems, where a large number of diversity branches exists, due to the strong multipath effects.     

Effect of noise imbalance on dual-MRC over Rayleigh fading channels

The performance analysis of dual (two-branch) maximal ratio combining (MRC) under imperfect weight, named imperfect MRC, due to the noise imbalance is derived over independent but non-identical Rayleigh fading channels. Considering the system (or channel) conditions that the noise level of each branch is different, we present the accurate performance analysis of imperfect dual MRC in terms of average combined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), outage probability and average symbol error rate for a large class of modulations in closed-form and compare them with the performance of the perfect MRC and the perfect selection combining (SC) over non-identical but independent Rayleigh fading channels based on the interesting statistical results on the combined SNR. From the performance results we provide the criterion in choosing the imperfect MRC, perfect MRC, or SC depending on the degree of the difference of the noise level between branches.     

Error probability for coherent and differential PSK over arbitraryRician fading channels with multiple cochannel interferers

This paper discusses the performance of communication systems using binary coherent and differential phase-shift keyed (PSK) modulation, in correlated Rician fading channels with diversity reception. The presence of multiple Rician-faded cochannel users, which may have arbitrary and nonidentical parameters, is modeled exactly. Exact bit error probability (BEP) expressions are derived via the moment generating functions (MGFs) of the relevant decision statistics, which are obtained through coherent detection with maximum ratio combining for coherent PSK modulation, and differential detection with equal gain combining (EGC) for differential modulation. Evaluating the exact expressions requires a complexity that is exponential in the number of interferers. To avoid this potentially time-consuming operation, we derive two low-complexity approximate methods each for coherent and differential modulation formats, which are more accurate than the traditional Gaussian approximation approach. Two new and interesting results of this analysis are: (1) unlike in the case of Rayleigh fading channels, increasing correlation between diversity branches may lead to better performance in Rician fading channels and (2) the phase distribution of the line-of-sight or static fading components of the desired user has a significant influence on the BEP performance in correlated diversity channels     

On diversity reception over fading channels with impulsive noise

In this paper, we analyze the performance of different diversity combining techniques over fading channels with impulsive noise. We use Middleton's Class A model for the noise distribution and adopt two noise models, which assume dependent and independent noise components on each branch. We systematically analyze the performance of maximum ratio combing (MRC), equal gain combining (EGC), selection combining (SC), and post-detection combining (PDC) under these impulsive noise models, and derive insightful lower and upper bounds. We show that even under impulsive noise, the diversity order is retained for each combining scheme. However, we also show that under both models, there is a fundamental tradeoff between diversity gain and coding gain. Under the independent noise model, PDC is shown to combat impulsive noise more effectively than MRC, EGC, and SC. Our simulation results also corroborate our analysis.     

Outage probability of diversity systems over generalized fading channels

Outage probability is an important performance measure of communication systems operating over fading channels. Relying on a simple and accurate algorithm for the numerical inversion of the Laplace transforms of cumulative distribution functions, we develop a moment generating function-based numerical technique for the outage probability evaluation of maximal-ratio combining (MRC) and postdetection equal-gain combining (EGC) in generalized fading channels for which the fading in each diversity path need not be independent, identically distributed, nor even distributed according to the same family of distributions. The method is then extended to coherent EGC but only for the case of Nakagami-m fading channels. The mathematical formalism is illustrated by applying the method to some selected numerical examples of interest showing the impact of the power delay profile and the fading correlation on the outage probability of MRC and EGC systems.     

Performance comparison of MRC and EGC on a MC-CDMA system with synchronization errors over fading channels

This work derives the average bit error rate (BER) of the uplink and downlink multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) systems using maximum ratio combining (MRC) and equal gain combining (EGC) with synchronization errors over fading channels. The derived equation can simultaneously incorporate the parameters of the fading channel and all of the synchronization errors, including frequency offset, carrier phase jitter, and timing jitter. Numerical results indicate that those two combining schemes on the uplink and downlink MC-CDMA systems are degraded by all of the normalized synchronization errors over 10⁻². The comparison outcomes between MRC and EGC reveal that the MRC generally outperforms EGC in the uplink MC-CDMA system. However, EGC achieves better performance when the number of users is small, the normalized synchronization errors are low and the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is high. In the downlink system, EGC mainly outperforms MRC when the SNR and the number of users are gradually increased and the normalized synchronization errors are low. Therefore, the selection of MRC or EGC depends on the SNR, the synchronization errors and the number of users in uplink and downlink MC-CDMA systems.