Tutorials offered at VTC 2007 Fall

Sunday 30 September 2007 

 

Code	Tutorial Name	Presenters	Time	Room
T1	Vehicular Communications Networks	Maziar Nekovee, BT Research and Moh Lim Sim, Multimedia University	9.00-12.30	Federal Hill
T2	MIMO-OFDM from the ground up; A case study (DVBT/H and Mobile Wi-Max 802.16e)	Ahmed M. Eltawil, University of California, Irvine and Raghu Mysore Rao, Xilinx Inc.	9.00-12.30	Guilford
T3	The Four MIMOs, Their Multi-Functional Hybrids and Multi-User OFDM	Lajos Hanzo, University of Southampton	9.00-17.30	Gibson
T5	Advances in Multiuser MIMO Systems	Li-Chun Wang, National Chiao Tung University and Tomoaki Ohtsuki, Keio University	14.00-17.30	Federal Hill

 

 

T1: Vehicular Communications Networks
Presenter: Maziar Nekovee, BT Research and Moh Lim Sim, Multimedia University
Time: 9.00-12.30
Room: Federal Hill

 

Abstract
Vehicular communications networks (VCNs) are created by vehicles equipped with short and medium range wireless communication technology. They include vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANET), vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. VCNs enable a plethora of important applications and services, ranging from in-motion broadband wireless access, to Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Appropriately, there is a growing interest in these networks from governments, industry and the research community. Automobile manufacturers are currently prototyping vehicles equipped with Wi-Fi and governments have recently allocated spectrum for vehicular communications.

In this tutorial we explore the unique features and challenges that characterise these highly dynamic networks and explore their role in ITS and the provisioning of broadband wireless access to users on the road. We review state-of-the-art R&D in the development of system architectures, MAC protocols, routing and mobility management, modelling and performance analysis. We conclude by exploring future research directions. Where possible we will make use of demonstrations and case studies to illustrate the concepts and technologies presented.

Tutorial Objectives
This tutorial aims to provide participants with a combination of introductory and in-depth material, including demonstrations and case studies, which introduce the unique features and characteristics of high-speed wireless communications in vehicular setting. It explores key application areas and surveys the research challenges that they present across all communication layers. Subsequently, we aim to review state-of-the-art R&D (both our own and others) that attempts to address these challenges and explore open research questions and relevant emerging technologies, including dynamic spectrum access and cognitive radio.

Tutorial Outline

1. Introduction

2. Fundamentals
2.1 System Architectures
2.2 Deployment and timelines

3. Future application areas and requirements
3.1 High-mobility broadband wireless access
3.2 Intelligent Transport Systems
3.3 Sensor networks on the road

4.Characteristics of VCNs
Signal propagation charcteristics
4.2 Vehicular traffic and movement patterns
4.3 Dynamic network topology
4.4 Wireless networking at speeds

5. Networking and wireless communication: challenges and proposed solutions
5.1 MAC protocols for VANET
5.2 Mobile handoff at speeds
5.3 Routing and information dissemination in intermittently connected VANET
5.5 Security and cyber-attacks
5.6 Performance modelling and simulations (including advanced vehicular mobility models)
5.7 Pricing models

6. Emerging technologies for VCNs
6.1 Dynamic spectrum access and cognitive radios
6.2 Mobile WiMax
6.3 Smart antenna technologies

7. Conclusions and future research directions

Primary Audience
This tutorial is for anyone who wishes to gain an understanding of the underlying principles, future applications and research directions in vehicular communications networks. The first part of the tutorial is suitable as an introductory crash-course for those looking for an initial exposure to the field. The second part will critically examine state-of-the-art in research and development for those looking for an in-depth understanding of vehicular communications networks.

Novelty
The field of vehicular communications networks has been gaining considerable momentum in the last few years. This tutorial provides a comprehensive study of this fast moving field and its novel applications. The unique requirements of inter-vehicular applications and the unique features of the vehicular networks mean that new networking solutions are required for VCNs across all layers of communications, putting this area at the cutting-edge of wireless communication technology.

Biography
Maziar Nekovee is a senior scientist at BT’s Mobility Research Centre in Ipswich, UK. His research interests include vehicular communications networks, theory and applications of complex networks and cognitive radio networks. Prior to joining BT he held research posts at Imperial College and Queen Mary College in London. He received his MSc. in Electrical Engineering (cum laude) from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and his PhD in theoretical and computational Physics from the University of Nijmegen, also in the Netherlands. Dr Nekovee is the author of over 50 papers in international journals and conferences. He is a guest co-editor of a special issue of ACM/Springer Journal on Mobile Networks and Applications (MONET) on Cognitive Radios, and a guest co-editor of a focus issue of the New Journal of Physics on complex networks. Dr Nekovee is the recipient of a Royal Society (UK’s Academy of Science) Industry Fellowship, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University College London.

Moh Lim Sim is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University, Malaysia He was with BT from Sept 2004 to Sept 2005 as Technical Group Leader. He has served as consultant to a number of companies and government agencies in Malaysia. Currently, he helps OCE Sdn Bhd to develop and design its own wireless mesh routers. His research interests include broadband wireless access, Wi-Fi mesh, and wireless sensor networks. Dr. Sim is the co-author of one book, one book-chapter, and more than 30 international journal/ conference articles.

 

 

T2: MIMO-OFDM from the ground up; A case study (DVBT/H and Mobile Wi-Max 802.16e)
Presenter: Ahmed M. Eltawil, University of California, Irvine and Raghu Mysore Rao, Xilinx Inc.
Time: 9.00-12.30
Room: Guilford

 

Abstract
High data rate applications are driving the need for high throughput and spectrally efficient broadband communication systems. Efficient modulation schemes and multiple antenna techniques are being explored for such applications. MIMO-OFDM is one such promising technology. OFDM modulation has been adopted by almost all the major broadband wireless standards such as, 802.11a/g, DVB-T/DVB-H, 802.16, UWB, etc. MIMO-OFDM is also finding its way into some of the newer standards such as 802.11n, 802.16 and 802.16e. The key aspects of all of these standards are reliability, high-throughput and mobility. This tutorial will provide a comprehensive review of the concept and benefits of using MIMO-OFDM as a modulation of choice. The tutorial will further discuss DVB-H and 802.16e as two case-studies of advanced wireless standards.

Tutorial Objectives
In this tutorial we will start off by discussing the wireless propagation environment and study the characteristics of the wireless environment in the presence of scattering and mobility. We will introduce the audience to the key concepts of OFDM and MIMO-OFDM systems. We will explain why state of the art standards are converging on OFDM and MIMO as choice technologies. DVB-H will be used as a showcase of OFDM technology while 802.16 will be used to exemplify MIMO-OFDM technology. We will discuss the physical layer of these standards as well as their key performance metrics. In addition we will discuss some architectural aspects of implementing wireless systems on FPGAs. FPGAs are a popular platform for developing communication systems at the basestation, given their configurability and time to market advantage. Newer generation FPGAs also have dedicated fabric for efficient implementation of DSP and communication systems. Newer, higher level design methodologies, further improve this time to market advantage of FPGAs. We will briefly discuss these methodologies and also introduce some of the DSP and communication centric features of popular FPGAs.

Tutorial Outline

1. Introduction to wireless propagation environment
1.1 Free space path loss, scattering, multipaths, etc.
1.2 Flat fading and frequency selective channels
1.3 Various forms of diversity; time, frequency and spatial diversity
1.4 Coherence bandwidth, Coherence time, delay spread, Doppler spread
1.5 MIMO channel characteristics.
1.6 Cover Link budget in details.

2. Introduction to OFDM
2.1 Principles of OFDM modulation
2.2 OFDM transmitter, Cyclic prefix and postfix
2.3 Interleaving and Bit Interleaved Coded Modulation
2.4 OFDM systems, continuous and packet mode systems
2.5 OFDM receiver principles
2.5.1 Packet detection
2.5.2 Block boundary detection(Timing acquisition)
2.5.3 Channel estimation and equalization
2.5.4 Carrier frequency offset estimation
2.5.5 Sampling frequency offset estimation

3. MIMO
3.2 Introduction to MIMO -OFDM
3.2 STBC, SM, Feedback MIMO systems
3.3 MIMO receivers, ZF, MMSE, SIC, etc

10 minute break

4. OFDM and MIMO-OFDM Wireless communication systems
4.1 DVB-T/DVB-H and variants such as ISDB-T (Japan) and T-DMB (Korea)
4.2 802.16/802.16e

5. Communications system design
5.1 Architecture selection for communication systems (FPGAs/ASICs)
5.2 Features of present day FPGAs for DSP and Comm. Systems design
5.3 Next generation design methodologies

6 Summary

Primary Audience
Wireless communication professionals and executives who are interested in understanding OFDM, MIMO-OFDM systems as well as those looking for an introduction to DVB-H and 802.16e.

Novelty
MIMO and OFDM are two of the hottest topics in wireless communications today. There is significant interest in the industry towards an understanding of 802.16e and DVB-H systems.

Biography
Prof. Ahmed Eltawil is an assistant professor with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept. at the University of California, Irvine. He received his doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2003. From January 2001 till August 2003 he was director of ASIC Engineering at Innovics Wireless, a fabless semiconductor company, where he lead the development of the first reported diversity enabled third generation W-CDMA mobile station. Currently at UCI, his research interests are in advanced digital circuit and signal processing techniques for communication systems, including both circuit and system design. Dr Eltawil holds several awards in his field including the Henry Samueli faculty fellow of Engineering at the University of California.

Dr. Raghu Rao is a Senior Staff communications Systems Engineer in the Advanced Systems Technology Group at Xilinx Inc. He has a PhD in wireless communications from UCLA. Prior to joining Xilinx Raghu worked for Texas Instruments, Logic Modeling Corporation and was the Director of Engineering at Exemplar Logic. Most recently Raghu was the VP of engineering for a communications start-up developing MIMO-OFDM and DVB-H technologies. From 1999-2004 he was a fulltime PhD candidate researching algorithms for MIMO-OFDM wireless communication systems. From 1989-1992 he was at Texas Instruments (India) Pvt. Ltd. where he worked on placement and routing algorithms for ASICs and FPGAs. Between 1992 and 1994 he was involved in developing software for hardware modelers at Logic Modeling Corp. From 1994-1999 he was at Exemplar Logic Inc. where he worked on timing analysis and timing optimization algorithms for FPGA designs and later on was Director of Engineering where he was responsible for all of Exemplar Logic’s engineering activities. His interests are in digital communication algorithms, signal processing and efficient DSP and communication algorithms for FPGAs.

 

 

T3: The Four MIMOs, Their Multi-Functional Hybrids and Multi-User OFDM
Presenter: Lajos Hanzo, University of Southampton
Time: 9.00-17.30
Room: Gibson

 

Abstract
This light-hearted, but nonetheless research-oriented presentation is based on an amalgam of the Wiley/IEEE Press monographs and provides an overview of the four basic types of multiple antenna-aided wireless systems. We also argue that under realistic propagation conditions, when for example the signals associated with the MIMO elements become correlated owing to shadow fading, the predicted performance gains substantially erode. In this scenario only the combination of MIMOs with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) style adaptive modulation and coding is capable of maintaining an adequate target performance. Other challenging reception scenarios are encountered in the so-called rank-deficient situations, when the number of receivers is lower than the number of transmitters, which requires powerful non-linear sphere decoders or Genetic Algorithm (GA) aided detectors. This overview will conclude with the portrayal of a variety of avantgarde hybrid MIMO designs to set out promising future research directions.

Tutorial Objectives
It is common place to refer to a range of diverse smart antenna constructions as MIMOs. However, there is a large variety of them, which may be broadly divided into four classes, which will be detailed in the course with the objective of providing detailed design examples for them: 1. In beam-forming the antenna elements are typically half-the-wavelength apart for the sake of creating a spatially selective transmitter/receiver beam. Smart antennas using beamforming have been employed for mitigating the effects of co-channel interfering signals and for providing beamforming gain. 2. Spatial Diversity (STBC & STTC) and Space-Time Spreading (STS) In contrast to the lambda/2-spaced phased array elements, in spatial diversity schemes, such as space-time block or trellis codes the multiple antennas are positioned as far apart as possible, so that the transmitted signals of the different antennas experience independent fading, resulting in the maximum achievable diversity gain. 3. Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) exploits the unique, user-specific "spatial signature" of the individual users for differentiating amongst them. This allows the system to support multiple users within the same frequency band and/or time slot. 4. Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) based MIMO systems also employ multiple antennas, but in contrast to SDMA arrangements, not for the sake of supporting multiple users. Instead, they aim for increasing the throughput of a wireless system in terms of the number of bits per symbol that can be transmitted by a given user in a given bandwidth at a given integrity.

Tutorial Outline

The course is based on an amalgam of the following three books

(See http://www-mobile.ecs.soton.ac.uk and http://ecs.soton.ac.uk/people/lh for sample chapters)

L. Hanzo, M. Munster, B.J. Choi and T. Keller: OFDM and MC-CDMA for Broadband Multi-user Communications, WLANs and Broadcasting, John Wiley - IEEE Press, May 2003, 980 pages

L. Hanzo, L-L. Yang, E-L. Kuan and K. Yen: Single- and Multi-Carrier CDMA: Multi-User Detection, Space-Time Spreading, Synchronisation, Standards and Networking, IEEE Press - John Wiley, June 2003, 1060 pages

L. Hanzo, T. Keller: An OFDM Primer, John Wiley - IEEE Press, May 2006, 426 pages.

Detailed Outline:

1. Introduction and historical perspective

2. Type 2: STB versus STC aided OFDM
Coding and diversity gain versus complexity as well as delay-spread

3. Type 3 MIMOs: Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) aided multi-users OFDM for 3GPP LTE, WIFI and WIMAX
Multi-user detection (MUD) for SDMA-OFDM:
Minimum Mean-Squared Error (MMSE);
Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC);
Parallel Interference Cancellation (PIC);
Maximum Likelihood (ML) Detection

4. Type 3 MIMOs: Channel-Prediction Assisted, PIC-Aided Decision-Directed Channel Estimation for Multi-User SDMA OFDM
Channel Impulse Response (CIR)-tap prediction versus Frequency-Domain Channel Transfer Function (FDCHTF) prediction

5. Type 3 MIMOs: TCM, TTCM, BICM and BICM-ID Assisted MMSE Multi-User Detected SDMA-OFDM Using Walsh-Hadamard Spreading

6. Type 3 MIMOs: Genetic Algorithm Assisted Minimum Bit Error Rate Multiuser Detection in Multiuser SDMA OFDM

7. Type 2 MIMOs: Concatenated STBC and Turbo Coded Symbol-by-Symbol Adaptive OFDM and Multi-Carrier CDMA Systems

8. Type 4 MIMOs: Low Complexity Approximate Log-MAP Detection for SDM MIMO OFDM Systems

9. Type 1 MIMOs: Beamforming aided HSDPA-style adaptive modulation in FDD and TDD networks

Primary Audience
This overview was designed to appeal to a wide range of audience, requiring a modest background in signal processing and communications. Accordingly, research and development engineers, telecommunications managers, consultants, academic researchers and other technical personnel may find the wide coverage of the overview attractive.

Novelty
There is no taxonomy paper in the literature, which would jointly consider the above four types of MIMOs and their performance benefits

Biography
Lajos Hanzo (FREng, FIEEE, FIET, DSc)
http://www-mobile.ecs.soton.ac.uk; www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/people/lh
has held various research and academic posts in Hungary, Germany and the UK. Since 1986 he has been with the School of ECS, University of Southampton, UK, where holds the Chair in Telecommunications. He co-authored 15 IEEE Press - John Wiley books totalling 10 000 pages on mobile radio communications, published in excess of 700 research papers, was TPC Chair of several IEEE conferences.

He is the presenter of numerous keynote lectures and has been awarded a number of distinctions. He is an enthusiastic supporter of industrial-academic liaison and he offers a range of industrial courses. Lajos is also an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer of both the Communications as well as the Vehicular Technology Society and Governor of the IEEE VTS.

 

 

T5: Advances in Multiuser MIMO Systems
Presenter: Li-Chun Wang, National Chiao Tung University and Tomoaki Ohtsuki, Keio University
Time: 14.00-17.30
Room: Federal Hill

 

Abstract
Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna techniques have been the subject of great interest over the past decade and have been adopted in the emerging wireless systems. Recently, personalized broadcast becomes an interesting and important application for MIMO technologies, which aims to serve multiple users concurrently with personalized data for each individual user. Interestingly, the potential gains of MIMO antenna techniques in this point-to-multipoint environment can be even larger than for the point-to-point system. The goal of this tutorial is to provide attendees with an understanding of benefit and tradeoff of implementing MIMO personalized broadcast systems. The key enabling techniques for MIMO personalized broadcast systems, including dirty paper coding, scheduling, transmit beamforming, receive beamforming, and feedback mechanisms will be investigated from the system and network perspective in this tutorial

Tutorial Objectives
MIMO personalized multicast systems aims to serve multiple users concurrently with personalized data for each individual user. However, to exploit the potential gains of MIMO antenna techniques in this point-to-multipoint environment, many proposed enabling techniques are needed to be investigated from a system and network aspect. This is also the major goal of this tutorial. In this tutorial, we will discuss several key enabling techniques for MIMO personalized broadcast systems. We will investigate dirty paper coding, scheduling, transmit beamforming, receive beamforming, and feedback mechanisms for MIMO personalized broadcast system from the system and network perspective. The participants are expected to learn the benefit and tradeoff of different enabling techniques to implemen MIMO personalized broadcast systems, including dirty paper coding, scheduling, transmit beamforming, receive beamforming, feedback mechanisms, fairness, and power allocation issues. We also will highlight the future promising multiuser MIMO systems, such as multi-user MIMO-OFDM and peer-to-peer MIMO ad hoc networks.

Tutorial Outline

1.Background on MIMO antenna techniques (0.25 hr)

2.Optimal Dirty Paper Coding (0.25)

3.Spatial Multiplexing in point-to-multipoint systems by transmit beamforming (0.5hr)
3.1 Opportunistic beamforming
3.2 Random beamforming
3.3 Zero-Forcing beamforming

4. Spatial Multiplexing in point-to-multipoint systems by receive beamforming and scheduling (0.5hr)
4.1 Proportional fair scheduling
4.2 Max/Max scheduling
4.3 Max/Min scheduling

5. Feedback mechanism, fairness, and power allocation issues (0.75 hr)

6. Mulituser MIMO-OFDM (0.5 hr)

7. Peer-to-peer MIMO ad hoc networks (0.25 hr)

8. Conclusion (0.25 hr)

Primary Audience
This course will be of interest to graduate students in a communications option of electrical engineering and who are interested in both the physical and higher layers. The course will also be of interest to engineers who are working with future standaard of wireless communications systems.

Novelty
In addition to discuss several key enabling techniques for MIMO personalized broadcast systems, we also introduce many new concepts and techniques in MIMO system. First, we will introduce the "soft coverage" concept in MIMO systems -- to utilize limited-feedback scheduling techniques to enhance the coverage of MIMO systems without increasing transmission power. Second, we will explain how scheduling can simplify the desing of MIMO transceiver. In particular, we will show the zero-forcing MIMO transceiver, which has noise enhancement issue originally, can indeed approach the performance of the optimal MIMO receiver with multiuser scheduling.

Biography
Dr. Li-Chun Wang received the B.S. degree from National Chiao Tung University , Taiwan, R. O. C. in 1986, the M.S. degree from National Taiwan University in 1988, and the Ms. Sci. and Ph. D. degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, in 1995, and 1996, respectively, all in electrical engineering. From 1990 to 1992, he was with the Telecommunications Laboratories of the Ministry of Transportations and Communications in Taiwan (currently the Telecom Labs of Chunghwa Telecom Co.). In 1995, he was affiliated with Bell Northern Research of Northern Telecom, Inc., Richardson, TX. From 1996 to 2000, he was with AT&T Laboratories, where he was a Senior Technical Staff Member in the Wireless Communications Research Department. Since August 2000, he has joined the Department of Communication Engineering of National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan as an Associate Professor and has been promoted to a full professor since August 2005. His current research interests are in the areas of cellular architectures, radio network resource management, cross-layer optimization, and cooperation wireless communications networks. Dr. Wang was a co-recipient (with Gordon L. Stuer and Chin-Tau Lea) of the 1997 IEEE Jack Neubauer Best Paper Award from the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society. He is an associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications and holding three US patents.

Dr. Tomoaki Ohtsuki received the B.E., M.E., and Ph. D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Keio University, Yokohama, Japan in 1990, 1992, and 1994, respectively. From 1994 to 1995 he was a Post Doctoral Fellow and a Visiting Researcher in Electrical Engineering at Keio University. From 1993 to 1995 he was a Special Researcher of Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Japanese Junior Scientists. From 1995 to 2005 he was with Tokyo University of Science. From 1998 to 1999 he was with the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences, University of California, Berkeley. He is now an Associate Professor at Keio University. He is engaged in research on wireless communications, optical communications, signal processing, and information theory. Dr. Ohtsuki is a recipient of the 1997 Inoue Research Award for Young Scientist, the 1997 Hiroshi Ando Memorial Young Engineering Award, Ericsson Young Scientist Award 2000, 2002 Funai Information and Science Award for Young Scientist, and IEEE the 1st Asia-Pacific Young Researcher Award 2001.

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