3G MIMO describes MIMO techniques which have been considered as 3G standard techniques.

MIMO, as the state of the art of Intelligent antenna (IA), improves the performance of radio systems by embedding electronics intelligence into the spatial processing unit. Spatial processing includes spatial precoding at the transmitter and spatial postcoding at the receiver, which are dual each other from information signal processing theoretic point of view. Intelligent antenna is technology which represents smart antenna, multiple antenna (MIMO), self-tracking directional antenna, cooperative virtual antenna and so on.

Technology

Spatial precoding of intelligent antenna includes spatial beamforming and spatial coding. In wireless communications, spatial precoding has been developing for high reliability, high rate and lower interference as shown in the following table.

Summary of 3G MIMO

The table summarizes the history of 3G MIMO techniques candidated for 3G standards. Although the table additionally contains the future part but the contents are not clearly filled out since the future is not precisely predictable.

IA in ad-hoc networking

IA technology enables client terminals which have either multiple antennas or self-tracking directional antenna to communicate each other with as high signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) as possible. Assume that there are a source terminal, a destination terminal and some candidate interference terminals. Differently from conventional approaches, an advanced IA based terminal will perform spatial precoding (spatial beamforming and/or spatial coding) not only to enhance the signal power at the destination terminal but also to diminish the interferening power at interference terminals. As a human does, the advanced IA terminal is given to know that occurring high interference to other terminals will eventually degrade the performance of the associated wireless network.

Comparisons

Intelligent antenna (IA) vs. Cognitive radio (CR)

However, it requires intelligent multiple or cooperative antenna array. On the contrary, cognitive radio (CR) allows user terminals to sense the other service usage of spectrum beans to share the spectrum among users, which is so, cognitive spectrum sharing technology. The following table compares the different points between two approach for future wireless systems: Intelligent antenna (IA) vs. Cognitive radio (CR).

Fundamental concepts and theories

• Intelligence is a property of mind that includes many related abilities.
• Cooperation is the practice of social elements working in common, instead of working individually.
• Cognition can be interpreted as understanding and responding to the world.
• Ambient intelligence (AmI) refers to artificial environments that responses to the movement of people, the paradigm of which builds upon Ubiquitous computing.
• Wireless ubiquitous computing (WUC) is post-desktop computing where information processing is integrated into anytime and anywhere human activities.
• Game theory is a mathematical theory that studies the strategic interaction between players, which are usually organized into a friend group and an enemy group.

Principal Issues of Research

The following items list the issues of the multiple antenna research aims to improve the performance of radio communications.

• Intelligent antenna
• Smart antenna
• Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)
• Beamforming
• Diversity combining
• Diversity scheme
• Space time code
• Spatial multiplexing
• Space-division multiple access (SDMA)
• Advanced MIMO communications
• Multi-user MIMO
• Precoding
• Dirty paper coding (DPC)
• Cooperative wireless communications
• Cooperative diversity

Principal Definitions

Definitions

Here are the definition of principal keywords to clarify the objective and the operations of intelligent antenna.

Reference Web Sites

The following items list the web sites related to the multiple antenna research.

• MARS, Bell Laboratories http://mars.bell-labs.com/
  • Multiple Antenna Research and Solutions (MARS) is a research group on multiple antenna and space time coding

• Lucent http://www.cdg.org/news/events/CDMASeminar/cdg_tech_forum_02/3_lucent_ia_blast_final_release.pdf
  • The goal of intelligent antennas is to achieve higher capacity noting that advanced solutions provide higher capacity than basic solutions.

• IMEC http://www.imec.be/wireless/mimo/
  • Multiple antenna systems are the key to the high-capacity wireless universe. Indeed, they allow increasing the rate, improving the robustness, or accommodating more users in the cell.

• Georgia Institute of Technology http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~mai/tutorial_sa_def.htm
  • A smart antenna is an array of antenna elements connected to a digital signal processor

• IEC http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/smart_ant/index.html, http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/acrobat/smart_ant.pdf
  • A smart antenna system combines multiple antenna elements with a signal-processing capability to optimize its radiation and/or reception pattern automatically in response to the signal environment.
  • Spatial division multiple access (SDMA) Among the most sophisticated utilizations of smart antenna technology is SDMA, which employs advanced processing techniques to, in effect, locate and track fixed or mobile terminals, adaptively steering transmission signals toward users and away from interferers.

• SearchMobileComputing.com http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid40_gci1026138,00.html
  • A smart antenna is a digital wireless communications antenna system that takes advantage of diversity effect at the source (transmitter), the destination (receiver), or both.
  • MIMO is an antenna technology for wireless communications in which multiple antennas are used at both the source (transmitter) and the destination (receiver).

• Smart Antennas Research Group, Stanford Univ. http://www.stanford.edu/group/sarg/
  • Our research goal is to advance the state-of-the-art in the applications of multiple antennas and space-time signal processing in mobile wireless networks, and to improve network performance and economics.

• CDG http://www.cdg.org/technology/cdma_technology/smart_antennas/index.asp, http://www.cdmatech.com/products/how_mimo_works.jsp
  • Smart antennas provide greater capacity and performance benefits than standard antennas because they can be used to customize and fine-tune antenna coverage patterns that match the traffic conditions in a wireless network or that are better suited for complex radio frequency (RF) environments.
  • MIMO employs multiple, spatially separated antennas (at both TX and RX) to take advantage of these "virtual wires" and transfer more data.

• Nortel http://www2.nortel.com/go/solution_content.jsp?segId=0&catId=0&parId=0&prod_id=61701
  • MIMO is an antenna technology that is used both in transmission and receiver equipment for wireless radio communication.
  • MIMO is the only advanced antenna technology that simultaneously offers high bandwidth, improved range, and high mobility at a lower cost.

• Visant Strategies http://www.visantstrategies.com/market_research/mimo_intelligent_antenna.html, http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c21454
  • Intelligent antennas are antenna systems that use some sort of computational or electronic resource to enhance system performance.
  • According to the amounts of intelligence employed, antenna diversity represents the simplest form in the progressive complexity chain, followed by basic beamforming, which is the process of narrowing radiated energy, which is then followed by the more complex space-time processing and finally by MIMO.

• VK5ZAI http://www.electric-web.org/tracking_antenna.htm
  • Following numerous requests for details of my home brewed satellite tracking system I have finally got around to writing an article on it, with a photograph or two, hoping it's of interest to others.

• Magnetic Sciences http://www.magneticsciences.com/SatelliteTrackingUnits.html
  • Satellite tracking systems and self-steering antennas are used aboard ships, vehicles, or aircraft to maintain contact with satellites.

See also

• http://www.wireless-world-research.org/fileadmin/sites/default/files/about_the_forum/WG/WG4/Briefings/WWRF-WG4_SmartAntennas_briefing.pdf

Intelligent antenna series

• Diversity antenna
• Smart antenna
• Multiple antenna
• MIMO antenna
• Cooperative antenna

Practical Implementation Techniques

• Spatial pre/post-coding includes spatial coding (SC) and spatial beamforming (SB).
  • Spatial coding (SC) includes single layer SC, multi-layer SC and multi-user SC.
  • Spatial beamforming (SB) is antenna processing which generates an artificially shpaed beam with respect to azimuth, ellibation, width, length and distribution of a beam.
• Wideband Space Division Multiple Access is a technique that employs a Smart antenna for 3G MIMO benefits.

References

• Dr. Erik Dahlman, LTE, 3G Long Term Evolution