Resource Allocation in Wireless Networks with RF Energy Harvesting and Transfer

Radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting and transfer techniques have recently become alternative methods to power the next generation of wireless networks. As this emerging technology enables proactive replenishment of wireless devices, it is advantageous in supporting applications with quality-of-service (QoS) requirement. This article focuses on the resource allocation issues in wireless networks with RF energy harvesting capability, referred to as RF energy harvesting networks (RF-EHNs). First, we present an overview of the RF-EHNs, followed by a review of a variety of issues regarding resource allocation. Then, we present a case study of designing in the receiver operation policy, which is of paramount importance in the RF-EHNs. We focus on QoS support and service differentiation, which have not been addressed by previous literatures. Furthermore, we outline some open research directions.Comment: To appear in IEEE Networ

Interference-Assisted Wireless Energy Harvesting in Cognitive Relay Network with Multiple Primary Transceivers

We consider a spectrum sharing scenario, where a secondary network coexists with a primary network of multiple transceivers. The secondary network consists of an energy-constrained decode-and-forward secondary relay which assists the communication between a secondary transmitter and a destination in the presence of the interference from multiple primary transmitters. The secondary relay harvests energy from the received radio-frequency signals, which include the information signal from the secondary transmitter and the primary interference. The harvested energy is then used to decode the secondary information and forward it to the secondary destination. At the relay, we adopt a time switching policy due to its simplicity that switches between the energy harvesting and information decoding over time. Specifically, we derive a closed-form expression for the secondary outage probability under the primary outage constraint and the peak power constraint at both secondary transmitter and relay. In addition, we investigate the effect of the number of primary transceivers on the optimal energy harvesting duration that minimizes the secondary outage probability. By utilizing the primary interference as a useful energy source in the energy harvesting phase, the secondary network achieves a better outage performance.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, To be presented at IEEE GLOBECOM 201

Power Switching Protocol for Two-way Relaying Network under Hardware Impairments

In this paper, we analyze the impact of hardware impairments at relay node and source node (i.e. imperfect nodes) on network performance by evaluating outage probability based on the effective signal to noise and distortion ratio (SNDR). Especially, we propose energy harvesting protocol at the relay and source nodes, namely, power switching imperfect relay (PSIR) and power switching imperfect source (PSIS). Aiming to determine the performance of energy constrained network, we first derive closed-form expressions of the outage probability and then the throughput can be maximized in delay-limited transmission mode. The simulation results provide practical insights into the impacts of hardware impairments and power switching factors of the energy harvesting protocol on the performance of energy harvesting enabled two-way relaying network

Green Cellular Networks: A Survey, Some Research Issues and Challenges

Energy efficiency in cellular networks is a growing concern for cellular operators to not only maintain profitability, but also to reduce the overall environment effects. This emerging trend of achieving energy efficiency in cellular networks is motivating the standardization authorities and network operators to continuously explore future technologies in order to bring improvements in the entire network infrastructure. In this article, we present a brief survey of methods to improve the power efficiency of cellular networks, explore some research issues and challenges and suggest some techniques to enable an energy efficient or "green" cellular network. Since base stations consume a maximum portion of the total energy used in a cellular system, we will first provide a comprehensive survey on techniques to obtain energy savings in base stations. Next, we discuss how heterogeneous network deployment based on micro, pico and femto-cells can be used to achieve this goal. Since cognitive radio and cooperative relaying are undisputed future technologies in this regard, we propose a research vision to make these technologies more energy efficient. Lastly, we explore some broader perspectives in realizing a "green" cellular network technologyComment: 16 pages, 5 figures, 2 table