User Scheduling Algorithms for Downlink MU-MIMO System Based on the SCSI

In this paper, we investigate the user scheduling algorithms with statistical eigen-mode transmission (SET) for downlink multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) system by utilizing the statistical channel state information (SCSI). Given the objective of maximizing the ergodic achievable sum rate per group (EASRPG), our first proposal, the Munkres user assignment algorithm (MUAA), solves the optimal user grouping problem. Different from the conventional user grouping algorithm (e.g. max-min method), MUAA can efficiently solve the user assignment problem and acquire an optimal solution. However, some user groups of the optimal solution called "unfriendly" groups severely degrade the EASRPG by performing the multiuser SET (MU-SET) due to excessive inter-user interference. To overcome this obstacle, the MUAA with sequential iterative separation (MUAA-SIS) is proposed to find the "unfriendly" groups and switch from the MU-SET to the single-user SET. Finally, our numerical results show that MUAA-SIS offers a higher EASRPG.