MOBILE Technology

From SISO to MIMO – taking advantage of everything the offers (2)

Part 1 of this article in number 192 MIMO (multiple transmitting In MIMO, all of the basic concepts dis- and receiving antennas) cussed in Part I are combined in differ- discussed SISO, SIMO and MISO ent ways. Depending on the actual tech- MIMO systems have also made their nique, the result is either higher data systems (see box below) and how way into test specifications, and the day throughput or more robust transmission. when these multiple systems they are used in GSM, WCDMA and will actually see real-world implementa- Logically, it makes sense to exploit favor- tion is nearing. In MIMO, N transmitting able transmission conditions to increase WiMAX. The tests defined as part of antennas provide signals to M receiving the transmission rate by selecting the antennas (FIG 2). In general, the trans- corresponding technique. Under less the certification process were also mission channel in a MIMO system can favorable transmission conditions, how- be characterized using the following ever, this does not produce the desired

discussed along with how they can Nr × Nt channel matrix H(τ,t): result. In these cases, we need to choose a technique that increases the ¨ ht(,UU)(ht12,,,) ! ht1 N (,U ) · be implemented using instruments © 11, t ¸ transmission reliability. Increased trans- © ht21,,(,UU)(ht22 ,) ! h2, N (,U t) ¸ (,t) © t ¸ mission reliability also has a positive H U  © ¸ © "" " ¸¸ from ­Rohde & Schwarz. Part 2 will © ¸ effect on the data throughput since less © htNNrr,,12(,UU)(ht,) ! htNNrt, (,U )¸ ª ¹ is wasted to repeat

cover MIMO systems, i. e. the ­variants The elements of the main diagonal hi,i blocks with errors. characterize the direct transmission used in the different standards, the paths between the antennas, and the Since the properties of a transmission remaining elements characterize the channel can fluctuate very quickly, any relevant test scenarios and their mixing products. We thus obtain the change in the transmission technique received signal r(t) as follows: must be carried out quickly as well. This implementation. r(t) = H(τ,t) × s(t) + n(t), requires fast feedback of the channel where H (τ,t) channel matrix properties from the receiver to the trans- s(t) transmitted signal mitter, which means that the timing n(t) additive noise needs for such feedback must be prop- erly defined.

FIG 1 The different diversities at a glance. The terms input and output always refer to the transmission From SISO to MIMO – diversities at a glance channel. For the downlink (transmission channel from base station to mobile station), an input is a transmitting antenna SISO Single Input Single Output The classic and easiest way: one transmitting and one receiving of the base station and an output is a receiving antenna of the antenna. mobile station. SIMO Single Input Multiple Output One transmitting and several receiving antennas. Is also often SISO 1 × 1 1 referred to as receive diversity. With reference to the downlink, this means one transmitting antenna at 1 the base station and more than one receiving antenna at the mobile radiotelephone.

MISO Multiple Input Single Output Several transmitting antennas and one receiving antenna. MISO SIMO Is also referred to as transmit diversity. With reference to the downlink, this means more than one N × 1 1 × M t­ransmitting antenna at the base station and one receiving antenna at the mobile radiotelephone. Receiver with Receiver

Transmitter with MIMO one / several antennas N N × M one / several antennas M MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output Complete expansion: N transmitting antennas provide ­signals to M receiving antennas.

4 News from Rohde&Schwarz Number 194 (2007/III) Transmit diversity with space time With GSM, for example, each mobile makes it impossible for the base sta- block coding station is assigned a frequency (ARFCN, tion to use its transmission lobe to track The same data stream is transmitted absolute radio frequency channel num- different mobile stations as they move using different antennas with differ- ber) for a certain number of timeslots so about. As a basic prerequisite, the prop- ent encoding (STTD – space time trans- that is possible. This is not erties of the transmission channel must mit diversity or space time block coding the case with WCDMA since a mobile be known at the transmitter for a base as described by Alamouti). This means station is identified only by its code station to be able to direct its antenna that the receiver receives multiple cop- within a frequency or time range which array toward a specific mobile station. ies of the same signal due to multipath it shares with other mobile stations. This propagation. This improves the signal- to-noise (S/N) ratio and makes the con- nection more stable. The less correlated the channels are, the greater the improvement. Note that it is not possi- h11 FIG 2 ble to continue improving the S/N ratio h 12 MIMO 2 × 2 with two by adding more and more antennas. The h21 ­transmitting and two system tends to become saturated. receiving antennas. h22 RX TX ant. 1 Example: zero forcing, Spatial division ant. 1 MMSE (minimum In this technique, the transmitting RX mean squared error), ant. 2 n1 MLD (maximum antennas simultaneously transmit mul- Matrix B TX likelihood detector) Space ant. 2 e tiple different data streams to one r d d 1 1 receiver. The receiver receives paral- 1 MIMO LO lel data streams on each of its antennas. RX e d2 r2 d 2 “All” the receiver has to do is separate these data streams. This is possible only n Time 2 under the assumption that channels with different fading are present on the different antennas (i. e. the lower the correlation, the better). This technique FIG 3 increases the data throughput, but it Test setup for makes sense only under favorable trans- WCDMA MIMO in mission conditions. Here, too, the possi- the downlink under multipath propa- AWGN ble gain is limited by the correlation of gation conditions Ior Îor I oc RX the transmission paths. with transmit and Fading antenna receive diversity. TX 1 Splitter Beamforming Fading In this case, signals are not transmit- ted omnidirectionally. Instead, antenna arrays produce an individual beam for Fading each mobile station. This means that the Device TX 2 Splitter under base station orients its test so that its transmission lobe tracks the Fading (DUT) movements of the mobile station. This, Base AWGN however, requires a signal that can be station emulator assigned by frequency and / or time to a mobile station. Otherwise stated: Each mobile station must have its own lobe. TX / RX antenna RX

5 News from Rohde&Schwarz Number 194 (2007/III) MOBILE RADIO Technology

Currently defined test scenarios no interferers are provided so far. FIG 4 MIMO 8 × 8 is currently under discus- shows the implementation of tests in sion in the WiMAX ® Forum. Since the GSM accordance with WCDMA WI-26 using principle is the same, we will not discuss After the test scenarios for a SIDO sys- the R&S ® TS8950W (FIG 4). With long these implementations in further detail tem (DARP phase 2), no additional steps term evolution (LTE) defined in release 8 here. The test scenarios for beamform- toward MIMO are currently planned for of the 3GPP specifications, WCDMA con- ing assume usage of up to four trans- GSM. tinues to progress. The specifications mitting antennas per transmitter in the for LTE are scheduled for completion in base station. WCDMA March 2008 and the associated tests With its diversity performance tests should be ready by December 2008. WiMAX makes a distinction between 9.2.2C, 9.2.3C and 9.4.2A from release 7, two MIMO modes: matrix A and matrix B. WCDMA is introducing MIMO in the Since LTE, like WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e), Matrix A is a transmit diversity mode downlink (FIG 3). These tests are also is based on OFDMA, test scenarios in the downlink using space time cod- part of work item 26 of the Global Cer- similar to those described below for ing in accordance with Alamouti which tification Forum (GCF). Transmit diver- WiMAX Wave 2 will probably be used. increases the stability of the connection sity is used to improve the reception under unfavorable conditions. Matrix B for a specific connection in the down- WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e) is a spatial multiple access technique link. From the network operator’s per- The tests defined in Wave 1 are based that includes single as well as multiple spective, transmit diversity has the ben- on SISO (one transmitting antenna and code word transmission (also known as efit that it does not require any changes one receiving antenna). According to the vertical and horizontal encoding) and in the transmission scheme used by the system profile for Wave 2, MIMO 2 × 2 increases the data rate under favor- base stations. will be used with two transmitting able transmission conditions. Switch- antennas and two receiving antennas ing between matrix A and matrix B Unlike the tests for DARP phase 2 in including beamforming. An enhance- depends on the properties of the trans- GSM, the fading channels are not cor- ment to MIMO 4 × 4 is already included mission channel. The base station deter- related. Apart from an AWGN signal, in the IEEE 802.16e standard, and mines how long to use each mode. For

FIG 4 An R&S ® CRTU-G /-W protocol tester and two R&S ® SMU200A generators (also used as faders) generate the two downlink signals. An extension is needed in the signal switching and conditioning unit (SSCU) in the R&S ® TS8950W test system to add up the two downlink RF signals and to provide a second DUT interface.

R&S®CRTU-W RF UL Combining the RF signals in the SSCU in of the R&S®TS8950W test system: I/Q RF DL (unused) SIG 1 DL 1 SIG 2 DL 2 mod out C C SIG 3 SIG 4 I/Q I/Q I/Q I/Q out in out in An SSCU extension is needed for DL2.

Baseband signals R&S®SMU200A R&S®SMU200A Fading RF Fading RF BB AWGN I/Q RF BB AWGN I/Q RF CH 1 SIG 1 CH 1 SIG 3 I/Q I/Q

Fading RF Fading RF BB AWGN I/Q RF BB AWGN I/Q RF CH 2 SIG 2 CH 2 SIG 4

BB: baseband unit C: combiner

6 News from Rohde&Schwarz Number 194 (2007/III) this purpose, it must know the transmit Summary sustained forward momentum. Many channel. Feedback of the reception qual- ideas await their implementation. One ity is included in the signaling from the More than half a year has elapsed since thing is clear, however: Rohde & Schwarz mobile station to the base station. Part I of this article was published. In is continuously developing its measuring the meantime, many tests have been instruments and approval test systems The approval tests that are specified ver- defined (and many have also been dis- so as to always provide the required test ify the performance gain achieved by carded). Clearly, however, there is capabilities plus future viability. MIMO, e. g. the sensitivity with different Josef Kiermaier modulation types, as well as the correct implementation of matrix A and matrix B and the switchover between them.

Beamforming Beamforming tests for base stations use an approach that involves combin- FIG 5 Setup with 2 × 2 channel model and correlated fading for testing a base station with the ing all antenna outputs of a transmit- R&S ® TS8970 test system. ter in the test system with different elec- R&S®TS8970 test system trical lengths. The base station needs AWGN to compensate for the different delays RF signal RF to DUT analysis so that all signals arrive at the mobile RF from DUT station emulator (MSE) with the same Base station RF to DUT Emulation of DL / UL (DUT) RF RF mobile station phase and add up there. In the ideal splitter 2 × 2 MIMO case, the MSE then “receives” a multi- MAC BB RF switching unit channel BB MAC MBS MMS DL / UL emulation RF RF ple of the power corresponding to the splitter number of antennas. Beamforming func- ABS AMS tionality is verified by assessing the gain ABS: antenna base station in sensitivity. AMS: antenna mobile station AWGN BB: baseband unit MAC: medium access control RF signal MBS: multicast broadcast service analysis MIMO 2 × 2 tests for WiMAX MMS: multimessage service The Wave 2 MIMO tests involve a 2 × 2 channel model using correlated fading (FIG 5). An R&S ® AMU200A equipped with two external I/Q inputs and the -K74 option (“fading split mode”) can FIG 6 An R&S ® AMU200A generator and two RF output stages simulate a 2 × 2 MIMO channel (the two R&S ® SMU200A generators can also be replaced by an R&S ® SMATE generator). perform a complete 2 × 2 MIMO chan- nel simulation in conjunction with two R&S®AMU200A RF output stages (FIG 6). The complex R&S®SMU200A correlation matrix can be programmed Fading Generator 1 + I/Q TX 1, CH 2a + TX 2, CH 2b as required. The WiMAX ® Forum has CH 1a 6 GHz R&S®SMATE defined three different matrices (low, TX 1 I/Q medium and high correlation). Fading I/Q AWGN RF CH 1a or I/Q AWGN RF R&S®SMU200A Fading Generator 2 + I/Q TX 1, CH 2a + TX 2, CH 2b CH 1a 6 GHz

TX 2 I/Q Fading CH 1a Channel model Cross-correlation

7 News from Rohde&Schwarz Number 194 (2007/III)