A new framework for soft decision equalization in frequency selective MIMO channels

Abstract

We introduce a novel framework for soft-input, soft-output (SISO) equalization in frequency selective multipleinput multiple-output (MIMO) channels based on the well-known belief propagation (BP) algorithm. As in the BP equalizer, we model the multipath channels using factor graphs (FGs) where the transmitted and received signals are represented by the function and variable nodes respectively. The edges connecting the function and variable nodes illustrate the dependencies of the multipath channel and soft decisions are developed by exchanging information on these edges iteratively. We incorporate powerful techniques such as groupwise iterative multiuser detection (IMUD), probabilistic data association (PDA) and sphere decoding (SD) in order to reduce the computational complexity of BP equalizer with relatively small degradation in performance. The computational complexity of this new reduced-complexity BP (RCBP) equalizer grows linearly with block size and memory length of the channel. The proposed framework has a flexible structure that allows for parallel as well as serial detection. We will illustrate through simulations that the RCBP equalizer can even handle overloaded scenarios where the channel matrix is rank deficient, and it can achieve excellent performance by applying iterative equalization using the low-density parity check codes (LDPC).