Optimal Cooperative MIMO Scheme in Wireless Sensor Networks

Cooperative Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) has been proposed as a transmission strategy to combat the fading problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) to reduce the retransmission probability and lower the transmission energy. Among the earliest work on cooperative MIMO in WSNs is the analysis of the Space-Time Block Coding (STBC) scheme to achieve lower Bit Error Rate (BER) and significant energy savings. The work is continued with the implementation of the Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for clustered-based architectures. The combination of STBC and the LEACH scheme resulted in a significant improvement in transmission energy efficiency compared to the Single-Input Single Output (SISO) scheme. Further study is conducted to compare the performance of STBC and various Spatial Multiplexing (SM) schemes such as Vertical Bell Labs Layered Space-Time (V-BLAST) and Diagonal BLAST. In this study, LEACH MAC was also utilized and lower transmission energy and latency were achieved against the SISO scheme. However, the centralized architecture leads to energy wastage and higher latency compared to a distributed architecture. On the other hand, the implementation of a distributed architecture needs to consider synchronisation issues. Thus a practical cooperative MIMO scheme for distributed asynchronous WSNs is needed. Moreover, a practical MAC that can suit cooperative transmission is required. A combination of a practical MAC protocol and an efficient MIMO scheme for asynchronous cooperative transmission leads to a more energy efficient and lower latency cooperative MIMO system. A combination of a MAC protocol and a cooperative SM scheme for cooperative MIMO transmission has been proposed in previous study where the combined scheme achieves significant energy efficiency and lower latency. Furthermore, a transmit Maximum Ratio Combiner (MRC) scheme is suggested to be more tolerant to the jitter difference than the Alamouti STC scheme in network with imperfect transmitting nodes synchronisation. In this chapter, we expand these studies to two other cooperative MIMO schemes, namely Beamforming (BF) and STBC for both network scenarios: perfect and imperfect transmitting nodes synchronisation. The optimal cooperative MIMO scheme combined with an appropriate MAC protocol should lead to the lowest energy consumption and lowest packet latency

Novel transmission schemes for application in two-way cooperative relay wireless communication networks

Recently, cooperative relay networks have emerged as an attractive communications technique that can generate a new form of spatial diversity which is known as cooperative diversity, that can enhance system reliability without sacrificing the scarce bandwidth resource or consuming more transmit power. To achieve cooperative diversity single-antenna terminals in a wireless relay network typically share their antennas to form a virtual antenna array on the basis of their distributed locations. As such, the same diversity gains as in multi-input multi-output systems can be achieved without requiring multiple-antenna terminals. However, there remain technical challenges to maximize the benefit of cooperative communications, e.g. data rate, asynchronous transmission, interference and outage. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is to exploit cooperative relay networks within two-way transmission schemes. Such schemes have the potential to double the data rate as compared to one-way transmission schemes. Firstly, a new approach to two-way cooperative communications via extended distributed orthogonal space-time block coding (E-DOSTBC) based on phase rotation feedback is proposed with four relay nodes. This scheme can achieve full cooperative diversity and full transmission rate in addition to array gain. Then, distributed orthogonal space-time block coding (DOSTBC) is applied within an asynchronous two-way cooperative wireless relay network using two relay nodes. A parallel interference cancelation (PIC) detection scheme with low structural and computational complexity is applied at the terminal nodes in order to overcome the effect of imperfect synchronization among the cooperative relay nodes. Next, a DOSTBC scheme based on cooperative orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) type transmission is proposed for flat fading channels which can overcome imperfect synchronization in the network. As such, this technique can effectively cope with the effects of fading and timing errors. Moreover, to increase the end-to-end data rate, a closed-loop EDOSTBC approach using through a three-time slot framework is proposed. A full interference cancelation scheme with OFDM and cyclic prefix type transmission is used in a two-hop cooperative four relay network with asynchronism in the both hops to achieve full data rate and completely cancel the timing error. The topic of outage probability analysis in the context of multi-relay selection for one-way cooperative amplify and forward networks is then considered. Local measurements of the instantaneous channel conditions are used to select the best single and best two relays from a number of available relays. Asymptotical conventional polices are provided to select the best single and two relays from a number of available relays. Finally, the outage probability of a two-way amplify and forward relay network with best and Mth relay selection is analyzed. The relay selection is performed either on the basis of a max-min strategy or one based on maximizing exact end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. MATLAB and Maple software based simulations are employed throughout the thesis to support the analytical results and assess the performance of new algorithms and methods

Distributed Linear Convolutional Space-Time Coding for Two-Relay Full-Duplex Asynchronous Cooperative Networks

In this paper, a two-relay full-duplex asynchronous cooperative network with the amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol is considered. We propose two distributed space-time coding schemes for the cases with and without cross-talks, respectively. In the first case, each relay can receive the signal sent by the other through the cross-talk link. We first study the feasibility of cross-talk cancellation in this network and show that the cross-talk interference cannot be removed well. For this reason, we design space-time codes by utilizing the cross-talk signals instead of removing them. In the other case, the self-coding is realized individually through the loop channel at each relay node and the signals from the two relay nodes form a space-time code. The achievable cooperative diversity of both cases is investigated and the conditions to achieve full cooperative diversity are presented. Simulation results verify the theoretical analysis.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted by IEEE transactions on wireless communication

OFDM based Distributed Space Time Coding for Asynchronous Relay Networks

Recently Li and Xia have proposed a transmission scheme for wireless relay networks based on the Alamouti space time code and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing to combat the effect of timing errors at the relay nodes. This transmission scheme is amazingly simple and achieves a diversity order of two for any number of relays. Motivated by its simplicity, this scheme is extended to a more general transmission scheme that can achieve full cooperative diversity for any number of relays. The conditions on the distributed space time block code (DSTBC) structure that admit its application in the proposed transmission scheme are identified and it is pointed out that the recently proposed full diversity four group decodable DSTBCs from precoded co-ordinate interleaved orthogonal designs and extended Clifford algebras satisfy these conditions. It is then shown how differential encoding at the source can be combined with the proposed transmission scheme to arrive at a new transmission scheme that can achieve full cooperative diversity in asynchronous wireless relay networks with no channel information and also no timing error knowledge at the destination node. Finally, four group decodable distributed differential space time block codes applicable in this new transmission scheme for power of two number of relays are also provided.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in IEEE International Conference on Communications, Beijing, China, May 19-23, 200

Diversity-Multiplexing Tradeoff of Asynchronous Cooperative Diversity in Wireless Networks

Synchronization of relay nodes is an important and critical issue in exploiting cooperative diversity in wireless networks. In this paper, two asynchronous cooperative diversity schemes are proposed, namely, distributed delay diversity and asynchronous space-time coded cooperative diversity schemes. In terms of the overall diversity-multiplexing (DM) tradeoff function, we show that the proposed independent coding based distributed delay diversity and asynchronous space-time coded cooperative diversity schemes achieve the same performance as the synchronous space-time coded approach which requires an accurate symbol-level timing synchronization to ensure signals arriving at the destination from different relay nodes are perfectly synchronized. This demonstrates diversity order is maintained even at the presence of asynchronism between relay node. Moreover, when all relay nodes succeed in decoding the source information, the asynchronous space-time coded approach is capable of achieving better DM-tradeoff than synchronous schemes and performs equivalently to transmitting information through a parallel fading channel as far as the DM-tradeoff is concerned. Our results suggest the benefits of fully exploiting the space-time degrees of freedom in multiple antenna systems by employing asynchronous space-time codes even in a frequency flat fading channel. In addition, it is shown asynchronous space-time coded systems are able to achieve higher mutual information than synchronous space-time coded systems for any finite signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) when properly selected baseband waveforms are employed

Cooperative differential space-time spreading for the asynchronous relay aided CDMA uplink using interference rejection spreading code

Abstract—This letter proposes a differential Space–Time Coding (STC) scheme designed for asynchronous cooperative networks, where neither channel estimation nor symbol-level synchroniza-tion is required at the cooperating nodes. More specifically, our system employs differential encoding during the broadcast phase and a Space–Time Spreading (STS)-based amplify-and-forward scheme during the cooperative phase in conjunction with inter-ference rejection direct sequence spreading codes, namely Loosely Synchronized (LS) codes. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed Cooperative Differential STS (CDSTS) scheme is ca-pable of combating the effects of asynchronous uplink transmis-sions without any channel state information. Index Terms—Asynchronous cooperation, cooperative diversity, differential space–time spreading, loosely synchronized codes. I

Coherent versus non-coherent decode-and-forward relaying aided cooperative space-time shift keying

Motivated by the recent concept of Space-Time Shift Keying (STSK), we propose a novel cooperative STSK family, which is capable of achieving a flexible rate-diversity tradeoff, in the context of cooperative space-time transmissions. More specifically, we first propose a Coherent cooperative STSK (CSTSK) scheme, where each Relay Node (RN) activates Decode-and-Forward (DF) transmissions, depending on the success or failure of Cyclic Redundancy Checking (CRC). We invoke a bitto- STSK mapping rule, where according to the input bits, one of the Q pre-assigned dispersion vectors is activated to implicitly convey log2(Q) bits, which are transmitted in combination with the classic log2(L)-bit modulated symbol. Additionally, we introduce a beneficial dispersion vector design, which enables us to dispense with symbol-level Inter-Relay Synchronization (IRS). Furthermore, the Destination Node (DN) is capable of jointly detecting the signals received from the source-destination and relay-destination links, using a low-complexity single-stream-based Maximum Likelihood (ML) detector, which is an explicit benefit of our Inter-Element Interference (IEI)-free system model. More importantly, as a benefit of its design flexibility, our cooperative CSTSK arrangement enables us to adapt the number of the RNs, the transmission rate as well as the achievable diversity order. Moreover, we also propose a Differentially-encoded cooperative STSK (DSTSK) arrangement, which dispenses with CSI estimation at any of the nodes, while retaining the fundamental benefits of the cooperative CSTSK scheme