This is a continuation of the fruitful collaboration between TKK, LU and NTNU established in the WILATI project. The research on MIMO WLAN is extended to modem improvements, cooperative multiuser MIMO and spectrum sensing as well as new application areas, like localization.
The clear trend in wireless communications is to further increase data rates, up to several hundred Mbit/s. A key technology to achieve this is multiple-antenna (MIMO) techniques. A standard for such systems in Wireless LANs is avail able as IEEE 802.11n and the future VHT extension. In order to properly design and deploy such systems, it is essential to understand the multiple-access and mutual interference capabilities of such systems, when operating in real-world propagation chann els.
The project proposes to investigate and improve the performance of MIMO systems in the areas of both high data rate short range communications as well as localization/navigation applications in the presence of multiple, interfering base stations and user terminals. The project will use a consistent, bottom-up investigation, covering measurement of propagation channels, channel estimation and design of algorithms for mitigating the effects of interference. The unique multi-link MIMO sounder system de veloped by TKK and LU, provide the project with propagation data sets on the joint behavior of the propagation channels that governs the performance of MIMO systems with multiple nodes. Based on measurements and developed channel models, we will develop n ew co-operative techniques, multiuser detection algorithms, channel tracking algorithms and improvements of the modem. We will also focus on spectrum sensing as well as algorithms for localization/navigation applications with MIMO antenna systems.
While the project is cutting-edge research that involves three of Scandinavia's leading communications research groups and will lead to completely new results in that field, it is also of highest importance for industry.