Novel semi-blind channel estimation schemes for Rician fading MIMO channel

Abstract

In this paper, we propose two novel semi-blind channel estimation techniques based on QR decomposition for Rician fading Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) channel. In the first technique, the MIMO channel matrix H can be decomposed as an upper triangular matrix R and unitary rotation matrix Q as H = RQ. The matrix R is estimated blindly from only received data by using the orthogonal matrix triangularization based Householder QR decomposition, while the optimum rotation matrix Q is estimated exclusively from the algorithm of Orthogonal Pilot Maximum Likelihood Estimator (OPML) based on pilot information. In the second technique, the joint semi-blind channel and data estimation is performed by using the Least Square (LS) algorithm based on QR decomposition. The simulation results obtained for 4-PSK data modulation scheme using two transmitters and six receiver antennas for different Rice factor (K) have shown that the BER performance increases with an increase in the Rice factor. Finally, we compare these two new techniques with the conventional semi-blind channel estimation technique based on Whitening Rotation (WR), and the results show that the first proposed technique outperforms and the second technique achieves a very nearby performance as compared to the technique based on whitening rotation.