A MIMO-BICM Scheme Using a Convolutional Interleaver for Delay-Sensitive Applications

In this paper, we propose the use of a convolutional interleaver employing a variety of block delay parameters as the bit interleaver in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) bit-interleaved coded-modulation (BICM) scheme. The associated iterative decoding-detection algorithm is proposed, and the design criteria for the outer convolutional code are derived. The cases for both the perfect channel-state information (CSI) and the estimated CSI are investigated. In the proposed MIMO-BICM scheme, the MIMO detector and the channel estimator utilize the soft information passed from the sliding-window convolutional decoder within the same iteration, and hence, the convergence speed can be increased. Compared with the conventional scheme using various interleaver designs, the proposed scheme not only achieves better error performance for the first iteration but also has lower decoding latency. Consequently, the proposed scheme is suitable for delay-sensitive applications.