Channel quantization for block diagonalization with limited feedback in multiuser MIMO downlink channels

Block diagonalization (BD) has been proposed as a simple and effective technique in multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) broadcast channels. However, when channel state information (CSI) knowledge is limited at the transmitter, the performance of the BD may be degraded because inter-user interference cannot be completely eliminated. In this paper, we propose an efficient CSI quantization technique for BD preceded systems with limited feedback where users supported by a base station are selected by dynamic scheduling. First, we express the received signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) when multiple data streams are transmitted to the user, and derive a lower bound expression of the expected received SINR at each user. Then, based on this measure, each user determines its quantized CSI feedback information which maximizes the derived expected SINR, which comprises both the channel direction and the amplitude information. From simulations, we confirm that the proposed SINR-based channel quantization scheme achieves a significant sum rate gain over the conventional method in practical MU-MIMO systems.