An efficient resource-allocation scheme for spatial multiuser access in MIMO/OFDM systems

Fast adaptive transmission has been recently identified as a key technology for exploiting potential system diversity and improving power-spectral efficiency in wireless communication systems. In this paper, an adaptive resource-allocation approach, which jointly adapts subcarrier allocation, power distribution, and bit distribution according to instantaneous channel conditions, is proposed for multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)/orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing systems. The resultant scheme is able to: 1) optimize the power efficiency; 2) guarantee each user's quality of service requirements, including bit-error rate and data rate; 3) ensure fairness to all the active users; and 4) be applied to systems with various types of multiuser-detection schemes at the receiver. For practical implementation, a reduced-complexity allocation algorithm is developed. This algorithm decouples the complex multiuser joint resource-allocation problem into simple single-user optimization problems by controlling the subcarrier sharing according to the users' spatial separability. Numerical results show that significant power and diversity gains are achievable, compared with nonadaptive si-stems. It is also demonstrated that the MIMO system is able to multiplex several users without sacrificing antenna diversity by using the proposed algorithm.