Hybrid beamforming for single-user MIMO with partially connected RF architecture

Abstract

Hybrid analog-digital beamforming has been recognized as a promising solution for a practical implementation of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems based on millimeter-wave technology. In this paper, three hybrid beamforming algorithms are proposed for single-user MIMO systems with partially connected radio frequency (RF) architecture, including a singular value decomposition (SVD) matching algorithm, an iterative orthogonalization algorithm, and a transmit-receive zero forcing (ZF) algorithm. The rate performance of the proposed algorithms is compared with fully digital and analog beamforming in a realistic geometry-based stochastic channel model. The simulation results show that the transmit-receive ZF is superior among hybrid methods, and it provides performance relatively close to that of the digital beamforming. In conclusion, carefully designed partially connected hybrid beamforming can obtain an excellent balance between hardware complexity and performance.