Interference-Aware Scheduling for Connectivity in MIMO Ad Hoc Multicast Networks

We consider a multicast scenario involving an ad hoc network of co-channel MIMO nodes in which a source node attempts to share a streaming message with all nodes in the network via some pre-defined multi-hop routing tree. The message is assumed to be broken down into packets, and the transmission is conducted over multiple frames. Each frame is divided into time slots, and each link in the routing tree is assigned one time slot in which to transmit its current packet. We present an algorithm for determining the number of time slots and the scheduling of the links in these time slots in order to optimize the connectivity of the network, which we define to be the probability that all links can achieve the required throughput. In addition to time multiplexing, the MIMO nodes also employ beamforming to manage interference when links are simultaneously active, and the beamformers are designed with the maximum connectivity metric in mind. The effects of outdated channel state information (CSI) are taken into account in both the scheduling and the beamforming designs. We also derive bounds on the network connectivity and sum transmit power in order to illustrate the impact of interference on network performance. Our simulation results demonstrate that the choice of the number of time slots is critical in optimizing network performance, and illustrate the significant advantage provided by multiple antennas in improving network connectivity.Comment: 34 pages, 12 figures, accepted by IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Dec. 201

Faster Information Propagation on Highways: a Virtual MIMO Approach

In vehicular communications, traffic-related information should be spread over the network as quickly as possible to maintain a safe and reliable transportation system. This motivates us to develop more efficient information propagation schemes. In this paper, we propose a novel cluster-based cooperative information forwarding scheme, in which the vehicles opportunistically form virtual antenna arrays to boost one-hop transmission range and therefore accelerate information propagation along the highway. Both closed-form results of the transmission range gain and the improved Information Propagation Speed (IPS) are derived and verified by simulations. It is observed that the proposed scheme demonstrates the most significant IPS gain in moderate traffic scenarios, whereas too dense or too sparse vehicle density results in less gain. Moreover, it is also shown that increased mobility offers more contact opportunities and thus facilitates information propagation.Comment: IEEE 2014 Global Telecommunications Conference (GLOBECOM 2014) - Communication Theory Symposiu

Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks

In this chapter, we present a literature survey of an emerging, cutting-edge, and multi-disciplinary field of research at the intersection of Robotics and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which we refer to as Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks (RWSN). We define a RWSN as an autonomous networked multi-robot system that aims to achieve certain sensing goals while meeting and maintaining certain communication performance requirements, through cooperative control, learning and adaptation. While both of the component areas, i.e., Robotics and WSN, are very well-known and well-explored, there exist a whole set of new opportunities and research directions at the intersection of these two fields which are relatively or even completely unexplored. One such example would be the use of a set of robotic routers to set up a temporary communication path between a sender and a receiver that uses the controlled mobility to the advantage of packet routing. We find that there exist only a limited number of articles to be directly categorized as RWSN related works whereas there exist a range of articles in the robotics and the WSN literature that are also relevant to this new field of research. To connect the dots, we first identify the core problems and research trends related to RWSN such as connectivity, localization, routing, and robust flow of information. Next, we classify the existing research on RWSN as well as the relevant state-of-the-arts from robotics and WSN community according to the problems and trends identified in the first step. Lastly, we analyze what is missing in the existing literature, and identify topics that require more research attention in the future

A Survey of Physical Layer Security Techniques for 5G Wireless Networks and Challenges Ahead

Physical layer security which safeguards data confidentiality based on the information-theoretic approaches has received significant research interest recently. The key idea behind physical layer security is to utilize the intrinsic randomness of the transmission channel to guarantee the security in physical layer. The evolution towards 5G wireless communications poses new challenges for physical layer security research. This paper provides a latest survey of the physical layer security research on various promising 5G technologies, including physical layer security coding, massive multiple-input multiple-output, millimeter wave communications, heterogeneous networks, non-orthogonal multiple access, full duplex technology, etc. Technical challenges which remain unresolved at the time of writing are summarized and the future trends of physical layer security in 5G and beyond are discussed.Comment: To appear in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communication

Non-linear echo cancellation - a Bayesian approach

Echo cancellation literature is reviewed, then a Bayesian model is introduced and it is shown how how it can be used to model and fit nonlinear channels. An algorithm for cancellation of echo over a nonlinear channel is developed and tested. It is shown that this nonlinear algorithm converges for both linear and nonlinear channels and is superior to linear echo cancellation for canceling an echo through a nonlinear echo-path channel