The objective of this thesis is to investigate MC-CDMA MIMO systems where
the antenna array geometry is taken into consideration. In most MC-CDMA
systems, cyclic pre xes, which reduce the spectral e¢ ciency, are used. In order
to improve the spectral efficiency, this research study is focused on cyclic pre x-
free MC-CDMA MIMO architectures.
Initially, space-time wireless channel models are developed by considering the
spatio-temporal mechanisms of the radio channel, such as multipath propaga-
tion. The spatio-temporal channel models are based on the concept of the array
manifold vector, which enables the parametric modelling of the channel.
The array manifold vector is extended to the multi-carrier space-time array
(MC-STAR) manifold matrix which enables the use of spatio-temporal signal
processing techniques. Based on the modelling, a new cyclic pre x-free MC-
CDMA arrayed MIMO communication system is proposed and its performance
is compared with a representative existing system. Furthermore, a MUSIC-type
algorithm is then developed for the estimation of the channel parameters of the
received signal.
This proposed cyclic pre x-free MC-CDMA arrayed MIMO system is then
extended to consider the effects of spatial diffusion in the wireless channel. Spatial
diffusion is an important channel impairment which is often ignored and the
failure to consider such effects leads to less than satisfactory performance. A
subspace-based approach is proposed for the estimation of the channel parameters
and spatial spread and reception of the desired signal.
Finally, the problem of joint optimization of the transmit and receive beam-
forming weights in the downlink of a cyclic pre x-free MC-CDMA arrayed MIMO
communication system is investigated. A subcarrier-cooperative approach is used
for the transmit beamforming so that there is greater flexibility in the allocation
of channel symbols. The resulting optimization problem, with a per-antenna
transmit power constraint, is solved by the Lagrange multiplier method and an
iterative algorithm is proposed.