A low-complexity MIMO subspace detection algorithm

A low-complexity multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) subspace detection algorithm is proposed. It is based on decomposing a MIMO channel into multiple subsets of decoupled streams that can be detected separately. The new scheme employs triangular decomposition followed by elementary matrix operations to transform the channel into a generalized elementary matrix whose structure matches the subsets of streams to be detected. The proposed approach avoids matrix inversion and allows subsets to overlap, thus achieving better diversity gain. An optimized detector architecture based on a 2-by-2 ML detector core is also presented. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm performs to within a few tenths of a dB from the optimum detection algorithm.