Performance analysis of RCPC V-BLAST MIMO using equivalent convolutional codes

We propose a Vertical Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time (V-BLAST) MIMO complemented with Rate-Compatible Convolutional (RCPC) codes with Zero Forcing (ZF) and Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE)-based detection, as a way to attain high-capacity and highly reliable wireless system. The analytical BER of the system is presented and numerically analyzed. The system performance is analyzed in Nakagami-m fading channel, as it is adaptable to various signal statistics and covers a wide range of fading models. Equivalent convolutional code is used to mitigate the complexity arising in the calculations of the RCPC codes parameters. Results show that the use of high-rate code allows for bandwidth efficiency while keeping the performance degradation at a minimum level not exceeding 1 dB. It is also shown that the proposed system is able to yield good performance even at the minimum number of antennas.