Cramer-Rao bound based mean-squared error and throughput analysis of superimposed pilots for semi-blind multiple-input multiple-output wireless channel estimation

This work presents a study of the mean-squared error (MSE) and throughput performance of superimposed pilots (SP) for the estimation of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless channel. The Cramer–Rao bound (CRB) is derived for SP based estimation of the MIMO channel matrix. Employing the CRB analysis, it is proved that the asymptotic MSE bound is potentially 3 dB lower than the MSE performance of the existing SP mean based estimation (SPME) schemes. Motivated by this observation, a novel SP semi-blind scheme is presented for MIMO channel estimation. This scheme asymptotically achieves the CRB and hence has a lower MSE of estimation when compared with SPME schemes. We also derive closed form expressions for the optimal source-pilot power allocation in SP by maximizing the post-processing signal-to-noise power ratio at the receiver. In the final part, a new result is presented for the worst-case capacity of a communication channel with correlated information symbols and noise. This framework is employed to quantify the throughput performance of SP and also to demonstrate the bandwidth efficiency of SP compared with that of a conventional pilot based system. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.