Downlink beamforming for cellular mobile communications

Abstract

A new technique for downlink transmission beamformer design in cellular mobile communications systems using an antenna array at the base station is presented. The method is based on estimation of an underlying spatial distribution associated with each source's spatial downlink channel. The algorithm is "blind" in the sense that it depends only on uplink spatial channel statistics, requiring no mobile-to-base station feedback in the design procedure. The assumed underlying spatial distribution models are general enough to be used in a wide variety of mobile communications scenarios (e.g., rural, urban, sub-urban, indoor). Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the new approach.