A cross layer multi hop network architecture for wireless Ad Hoc networks

In this paper, a novel decentralized cross-layer multi-hop cooperative network architecture is presented. Our architecture involves the design of a simple yet efficient cooperative flooding scheme,two decentralized opportunistic cooperative forwarding mechanisms as well as the design of Routing Enabled Cooperative Medium Access Control (RECOMAC) protocol that spans and incorporates the physical, medium access control (MAC) and routing layers for improving the performance of multihop communication. The proposed architecture exploits randomized coding at the physical layer to realize cooperative diversity. Randomized coding alleviates relay selection and actuation mechanisms,and therefore reduces the coordination among the relays. The coded packets are forwarded via opportunistically formed cooperative sets within a region, without communication among the relays and without establishing a prior route. In our architecture, routing layer functionality is submerged into the MAC layer to provide seamless cooperative communication while the messaging overhead to set up routes, select and actuate relays is minimized. RECOMAC is shown to provide dramatic performance improvements, such as eight times higher throughput and ten times lower end-to-end delay as well as reduced overhead, as compared to networks based on well-known IEEE 802.11 and Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV) protocols

Optimal Timer Based Selection Schemes

Timer-based mechanisms are often used to help a given (sink) node select the best helper node among many available nodes. Specifically, a node transmits a packet when its timer expires, and the timer value is a monotone non-increasing function of its local suitability metric. The best node is selected successfully if no other node's timer expires within a 'vulnerability' window after its timer expiry, and so long as the sink can hear the available nodes. In this paper, we show that the optimal metric-to-timer mapping that (i) maximizes the probability of success or (ii) minimizes the average selection time subject to a minimum constraint on the probability of success, maps the metric into a set of discrete timer values. We specify, in closed-form, the optimal scheme as a function of the maximum selection duration, the vulnerability window, and the number of nodes. An asymptotic characterization of the optimal scheme turns out to be elegant and insightful. For any probability distribution function of the metric, the optimal scheme is scalable, distributed, and performs much better than the popular inverse metric timer mapping. It even compares favorably with splitting-based selection, when the latter's feedback overhead is accounted for.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, submitted to IEEE Transactions on Communications, uses stackrel.st

Double-Directional Information Azimuth Spectrum and Relay Network Tomography for a Decentralized Wireless Relay Network

A novel channel representation for a two-hop decentralized wireless relay network (DWRN) is proposed, where the relays operate in a completely distributive fashion. The modeling paradigm applies an analogous approach to the description method for a double-directional multipath propagation channel, and takes into account the finite system spatial resolution and the extended relay listening/transmitting time. Specifically, the double-directional information azimuth spectrum (IAS) is formulated to provide a compact representation of information flows in a DWRN. The proposed channel representation is then analyzed from a geometrically-based statistical modeling perspective. Finally, we look into the problem of relay network tomography (RNT), which solves an inverse problem to infer the internal structure of a DWRN by using the instantaneous doubledirectional IAS recorded at multiple measuring nodes exterior to the relay region

RECOMAC: a cross-layer cooperative network protocol for wireless ad hoc networks

A novel decentralized cross-layer multi-hop cooperative protocol, namely, Routing Enabled Cooperative Medium Access Control (RECOMAC) is proposed for wireless ad hoc networks. The protocol architecture makes use of cooperative forwarding methods, in which coded packets are forwarded via opportunistically formed cooperative sets within a region, as RECOMAC spans the physical, medium access control (MAC) and routing layers. Randomized coding is exploited at the physical layer to realize cooperative transmissions, and cooperative forwarding is implemented for routing functionality, which is submerged into the MAC layer, while the overhead for MAC and route set up is minimized. RECOMAC is shown to provide dramatic performance improvements of eight times higher throughput and one tenth of end-to-end delay than that of the conventional architecture in practical wireless mesh networks

Outage Performance of Two-Hop OFDM Systems with Spatially Random Decode-and-Forward Relays

In this paper, we analyze the outage performance of different multicarrier relay selection schemes for two-hop orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems in a Poisson field of relays. In particular, special emphasis is placed on decode-and-forward (DF) relay systems, equipped with bulk and per-subcarrier selection schemes, respectively. The exact expressions for outage probability are derived in integrals for general cases. In addition, asymptotic expressions for outage probability in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) region in the finite circle relay distribution region are determined in closed forms for both relay selection schemes. Also, the outage probabilities for free space in the infinite relay distribution region are derived in closed forms. Meanwhile, a series of important properties related to cooperative systems in random networks are investigated, including diversity, outage probability ratio of two selection schemes and optimization of the number of subcarriers in terms of system throughput. All analysis is numerically verified by simulations. Finally, a framework for analyzing the outage performance of OFDM systems with spatially random relays is constructed, which can be easily modified to analyze other similar cases with different forwarding protocols, location distributions and/or channel conditions

Splitting Algorithms for Fast Relay Selection: Generalizations, Analysis, and a Unified View

Relay selection for cooperative communications promises significant performance improvements, and is, therefore, attracting considerable attention. While several criteria have been proposed for selecting one or more relays, distributed mechanisms that perform the selection have received relatively less attention. In this paper, we develop a novel, yet simple, asymptotic analysis of a splitting-based multiple access selection algorithm to find the single best relay. The analysis leads to simpler and alternate expressions for the average number of slots required to find the best user. By introducing a new `contention load' parameter, the analysis shows that the parameter settings used in the existing literature can be improved upon. New and simple bounds are also derived. Furthermore, we propose a new algorithm that addresses the general problem of selecting the best $Q \ge 1$ relays, and analyze and optimize it. Even for a large number of relays, the algorithm selects the best two relays within 4.406 slots and the best three within 6.491 slots, on average. We also propose a new and simple scheme for the practically relevant case of discrete metrics. Altogether, our results develop a unifying perspective about the general problem of distributed selection in cooperative systems and several other multi-node systems.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication

Decentralized Dynamic Hop Selection and Power Control in Cognitive Multi-hop Relay Systems

In this paper, we consider a cognitive multi-hop relay secondary user (SU) system sharing the spectrum with some primary users (PU). The transmit power as well as the hop selection of the cognitive relays can be dynamically adapted according to the local (and causal) knowledge of the instantaneous channel state information (CSI) in the multi-hop SU system. We shall determine a low complexity, decentralized algorithm to maximize the average end-to-end throughput of the SU system with dynamic spatial reuse. The problem is challenging due to the decentralized requirement as well as the causality constraint on the knowledge of CSI. Furthermore, the problem belongs to the class of stochastic Network Utility Maximization (NUM) problems which is quite challenging. We exploit the time-scale difference between the PU activity and the CSI fluctuations and decompose the problem into a master problem and subproblems. We derive an asymptotically optimal low complexity solution using divide-and-conquer and illustrate that significant performance gain can be obtained through dynamic hop selection and power control. The worst case complexity and memory requirement of the proposed algorithm is O(M^2) and O(M^3) respectively, where $M$ is the number of SUs