{"title":"On Purely Data-Driven Massive MIMO Detectors","authors":"Hao Ye;Le Liang","doi":"10.1109/TSP.2025.3594197","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The development of learning-based detectors for massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems has been hindered by the inherent complexities arising from the problem’s high dimensionality. To enhance scalability, most previous studies have adopted model-driven methodologies that integrate deep neural networks (DNNs) within existing iterative detection frameworks. However, these methods often lack flexibility and involve substantial computational complexity. In this paper, we introduce ChannelNet, a purely data-driven learning-based massive MIMO detector that overcomes these limitations. ChannelNet exploits the inherent symmetry of MIMO systems by incorporating channel-embedded layers and antenna-wise shared feature processors. These modules maintain equivariance to antenna permutations and enable ChannelNet to scale efficiently to large numbers of antennas and high modulation orders with low computational complexity, specifically <inline-formula><tex-math>$\\mathcal{O}(N_{t}N_{r})$</tex-math></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula><tex-math>$N_{t}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math>$N_{r}$</tex-math></inline-formula> denote the numbers of transmit and receive antennas, respectively. Theoretically, ChannelNet can approximate any continuous permutation-symmetric function and the optimal maximum likelihood detection (ML) function with arbitrary precision under any continuous channel distribution. Empirical evaluations demonstrate that ChannelNet consistently outperforms or matches state-of-the-art detectors across different numbers of antennas, modulation schemes, and channel distributions, all while significantly reducing computational overhead. This study highlights the potential of purely data-driven designs in advancing efficient and scalable detectors for massive MIMO systems.","PeriodicalId":13330,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing","volume":"73 ","pages":"3079-3093"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11113418/","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The development of learning-based detectors for massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems has been hindered by the inherent complexities arising from the problem’s high dimensionality. To enhance scalability, most previous studies have adopted model-driven methodologies that integrate deep neural networks (DNNs) within existing iterative detection frameworks. However, these methods often lack flexibility and involve substantial computational complexity. In this paper, we introduce ChannelNet, a purely data-driven learning-based massive MIMO detector that overcomes these limitations. ChannelNet exploits the inherent symmetry of MIMO systems by incorporating channel-embedded layers and antenna-wise shared feature processors. These modules maintain equivariance to antenna permutations and enable ChannelNet to scale efficiently to large numbers of antennas and high modulation orders with low computational complexity, specifically $\mathcal{O}(N_{t}N_{r})$, where $N_{t}$ and $N_{r}$ denote the numbers of transmit and receive antennas, respectively. Theoretically, ChannelNet can approximate any continuous permutation-symmetric function and the optimal maximum likelihood detection (ML) function with arbitrary precision under any continuous channel distribution. Empirical evaluations demonstrate that ChannelNet consistently outperforms or matches state-of-the-art detectors across different numbers of antennas, modulation schemes, and channel distributions, all while significantly reducing computational overhead. This study highlights the potential of purely data-driven designs in advancing efficient and scalable detectors for massive MIMO systems.
期刊介绍:
The IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing covers novel theory, algorithms, performance analyses and applications of techniques for the processing, understanding, learning, retrieval, mining, and extraction of information from signals. The term “signal” includes, among others, audio, video, speech, image, communication, geophysical, sonar, radar, medical and musical signals. Examples of topics of interest include, but are not limited to, information processing and the theory and application of filtering, coding, transmitting, estimating, detecting, analyzing, recognizing, synthesizing, recording, and reproducing signals.