EM-based joint data detection and channel estimation of DS-CDMA signals

We present two efficient iterative receiver structures of tractable complexity for joint multiuser detection and multichannel estimation (JDE) of direct-sequence code-division multiple-access signals. The schemes result from an application of the expectation-maximization (EM) and the space-alternating generalized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithms, respectively. The EM-JDE receiver updates the data bit sequences in parallel, while the SAGE-JDE receiver reestimates them successively. The channel parameters are updated in parallel in both schemes. The EM algorithm provides a set of free parameters, called weight coefficients, which can be selected to optimize its performance. Two optimality criteria are defined and analytical expressions for the corresponding optimized weight coefficients are given. Monte-Carlo simulations of a synchronous scenario show that the proposed JDE receivers have excellent multiuser efficiency and are robust against errors in the estimation of the channel parameters. Moreover, very short training sequences are required for the JDE schemes to converge. Simulation results further demonstrate that the SAGE-JDE receiver exhibits a better performance when the users´ bit sequences are updated in the order of increasing signal strength, i.e., the bit sequence of the user with the weakest signal strength is updated first at each stage.