On the optimization of distributed compression in multirelay cooperative networks

In this paper, we consider multirelay cooperative networks for the Rayleigh fading channel, where each relay, upon receiving its own channel observation, independently compresses it and forwards the compressed information to the destination. Although the compression at each relay is distributed using Wyner-Ziv coding, there exists an opportunity for jointly optimizing compression at multiple relays to maximize the achievable rate. Considering Gaussian signaling, a primal optimization problem is formulated accordingly. We prove that the primal problem can be solved by resorting to its Lagrangian dual problem, and an iterative optimization algorithm is proposed. The analysis is further extended to a hybrid scheme, where the employed forwarding scheme depends on the decoding status of each relay. The relays that are capable of successful decoding perform a decode-and-forward (DF) scheme, and the rest conduct distributed compression. The hybrid scheme allows the cooperative network to adapt to the changes of the channel conditions and benefit from an enhanced level of flexibility. Numerical results from both spectrum and energy efficiency perspectives show that the joint optimization improves efficiency of compression and identify the scenarios where the proposed schemes outperform the conventional forwarding schemes. The findings provide important insights into the optimal deployment of relays in a realistic cellular network

H2-ARQ-relaying: spectrum and energy efficiency perspectives

In this paper, we propose novel Hybrid Automatic Repeat re-Quest (HARQ) strategies used in conjunction with hybrid relaying schemes, named as H2-ARQ-Relaying. The strategies allow the relay to dynamically switch between amplify-and-forward/compress-and-forward and decode-and-forward schemes according to its decoding status. The performance analysis is conducted from both the spectrum and energy efficiency perspectives. The spectrum efficiency of the proposed strategies, in terms of the maximum throughput, is significantly improved compared with their non-hybrid counterparts under the same constraints. The consumed energy per bit is optimized by manipulating the node activation time, the transmission energy and the power allocation between the source and the relay. The circuitry energy consumption of all involved nodes is taken into consideration. Numerical results shed light on how and when the energy efficiency can be improved in cooperative HARQ. For instance, cooperative HARQ is shown to be energy efficient in long distance transmission only. Furthermore, we consider the fact that the compress-and-forward scheme requires instantaneous signal to noise ratios of all three constituent links. However, this requirement can be impractical in some cases. In this regard, we introduce an improved strategy where only partial and affordable channel state information feedback is needed

Maximizing Expected Achievable Rates for Block-Fading Buffer-Aided Relay Channels

© 2002-2012 IEEE. In this paper, the long-term average achievable rate over block-fading buffer-aided relay channels is maximized using a hybrid scheme that combines three essential transmission strategies, which are decode-and-forward, compress-and-forward, and direct transmission. The proposed hybrid scheme is dynamically adapted based on the channel state information. The integration and optimization of these three strategies provide a more generic and fundamental solution and give better achievable rates than the known schemes in the literature. Despite the large number of optimization variables, the proposed hybrid scheme can be optimized using simple closed-form formulas that are easy to apply in practical relay systems. This includes adjusting the transmission rate and compression when compress-and-forward is the selected strategy based on the channel conditions. Furthermore, in this paper, the hybrid scheme is applied to three different models of the Gaussian block-fading buffer-aided relay channels, depending on whether the relay is half or full duplex and whether the source and the relay have orthogonal or non-orthogonal channel access. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the achievable rate results and compare them to the upper bounds of the ergodic capacity for each one of the three channel models under consideration

Dispensing with channel estimation: differentially modulated cooperative wireless communications

As a benefit of bypassing the potentially excessive complexity and yet inaccurate channel estimation, differentially encoded modulation in conjunction with low-complexity noncoherent detection constitutes a viable candidate for user-cooperative systems, where estimating all the links by the relays is unrealistic. In order to stimulate further research on differentially modulated cooperative systems, a number of fundamental challenges encountered in their practical implementations are addressed, including the time-variant-channel-induced performance erosion, flexible cooperative protocol designs, resource allocation as well as its high-spectral-efficiency transceiver design. Our investigations demonstrate the quantitative benefits of cooperative wireless networks both from a pure capacity perspective as well as from a practical system design perspective

On the Non-Orthogonal Layered Broadcast Codes in Cooperative Wireless Networks

A multi-fold increase in spectral efficiency and throughput are envisioned in the fifth generation of cellular networks to meet the requirements of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) IMT-2020 on massive connectivity and tremendous data traffic. This is achieved by evolution in three aspects of current networks. The first aspect is shrinking the cell sizes and deploying dense picocells and femtocells to boost the spectral reuse. The second is to allocate more spectrum resources including millimeter-wave bands. The third is deploying highly efficient communications and multiple access techniques. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a promising communication technique that complements the current commercial spectrum access approach to boost the spectral efficiency, where different data streams/users’ data share the same time, frequency and code resource blocks (sub-bands) via superimposition with each other. The receivers decode their own messages by deploying the successive interference cancellation (SIC) decoding rule. It is known that the NOMA coding is superior to conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) coding, where the resources are split among the users in either time or frequency domain. The NOMA based coding has been incorporated into other coding techniques including multi-input multi-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), cognitive radio and cooperative techniques. In cooperative NOMA codes, either dedicated relay stations or stronger users with better channel conditions, act as relay to leverage the spatial diversity and to boost the performance of the other users. The advantage of spatial diversity gain in relay-based NOMA codes, is deployed to extend the coverage area of the network, to mitigate the fading effect of multipath channel and to increase the system throughput, hence improving the system efficiency. In this dissertation we consider the multimedia content delivery and machine type communications over 5G networks, where scalable content and low complexity encoders is of interest. We propose cross-layer design for transmission of successive refinement (SR) source code interplayed with non-orthogonal layered broadcast code for deployment in several cooperative network architectures. Firstly, we consider a multi-relay coding scheme where a source node is assisted by a half-duplex multi-relay non-orthogonal amplify-forward (NAF) network to communicate with a destination node. Assuming the channel state information (CSI) is not available at the source node, the achievable layered diversity multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) curve is derived. Then, by taking distortion exponent (DE) as the figure of merit, several achievable lower bounds are proved, and the optimal expected distortion performance under high signal to noise ratio (SNR) approximation is explicitly obtained. It is shown that the proposed coding can achieve the multi-input single-output (MISO) upper bound under certain regions of bandwidth ratios, by which the optimal performance in these regions can be explicitly characterized. Further the non-orthogonal layered coding scheme is extended to a multi-hop MIMO decode-forward (DF) relay network where a set of DE lower bounds is derived. Secondly, we propose a layered cooperative multi-user scheme based on non-orthogonal amplify-forward (NAF) relaying and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) codes, aiming to achieve multi-user uplink transmissions with low complexity and low signaling overhead, particularly applicable to the machine type communications (MTC) and internet of things (IoT) systems. By assuming no CSI available at the transmitting nodes, the proposed layered codes make the transmission rate of each user adaptive to the channel realization. We derive the close-form analytical results on outage probability and the DMT curve of the proposed layered NAF codes in the asymptotic regime of high SNR, and optimize the end-to-end performance in terms of the exponential decay rate of expected distortion. Thirdly, we consider a single relay network and study the non-orthogonal layered scheme in the general SNR regime. A layered relaying scheme based on compress-forward (CF) is introduced, where optimization of end to end performance in terms of expected distortion is conducted to jointly determine network parameters. We further derive the explicit analytical optimal solution with two layers in the absence of channel knowledge. Finally, we consider the problem of multicast of multi-resolution layered messages over downlink of a cellular system with the assumption of CSI is not available at the base station (BS). Without loss generality, spatially random users are divided into two groups, where the near group users with better channel conditions decode for both layers, while the users in the second group decode for base layer only. Once the BS launches a multicast message, the first group users who successfully decoded the message, deploy a distributed cooperating scheme to assist the transmission to the other users. The cooperative scheme is naive but we will prove it can effectively enhance the network capacity. Closed form outage probability is explicitly derived for the two groups of users. Further it is shown that diversity order equal to the number of users in the near group is achievable, hence the coding gain of the proposed distributed scheme fully compensate the lack of CSI at the BS in terms of diversity order