3G MIMO

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.

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.

References

* [http://www.itu-apt.org/prez/ericsson_presentation.pdf Dr. Erik Dahlman, LTE, 3G Long Term Evolution]
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