Optimization Framework and Graph-Based Approach for Relay-Assisted Bidirectional OFDMA Cellular Networks

This paper considers a relay-assisted bidirectional cellular network where the base station (BS) communicates with each mobile station (MS) using OFDMA for both uplink and downlink. The goal is to improve the overall system performance by exploring the full potential of the network in various dimensions including user, subcarrier, relay, and bidirectional traffic. In this work, we first introduce a novel three-time-slot time-division duplexing (TDD) transmission protocol. This protocol unifies direct transmission, one-way relaying and network-coded two-way relaying between the BS and each MS. Using the proposed three-time-slot TDD protocol, we then propose an optimization framework for resource allocation to achieve the following gains: cooperative diversity (via relay selection), network coding gain (via bidirectional transmission mode selection), and multiuser diversity (via subcarrier assignment). We formulate the problem as a combinatorial optimization problem, which is NP-complete. To make it more tractable, we adopt a graph-based approach. We first establish the equivalence between the original problem and a maximum weighted clique problem in graph theory. A metaheuristic algorithm based on any colony optimization (ACO) is then employed to find the solution in polynomial time. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol together with the ACO algorithm significantly enhances the system total throughput.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, 2 table

Relay Selection with Network Coding in Two-Way Relay Channels

In this paper, we consider the design of joint network coding (NC)and relay selection (RS) in two-way relay channels. In the proposed schemes, two users first sequentially broadcast their respective information to all the relays. We propose two RS schemes, a single relay selection with NC and a dual relay selection with NC. For both schemes, the selected relay(s) perform NC on the received signals sent from the two users and forward them to both users. The proposed schemes are analyzed and the exact bit error rate (BER) expressions are derived and verified through Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that the dual relay selection with NC outperforms other considered relay selection schemes in two-way relay channels. The results also reveal that the proposed NC relay selection schemes provide a selection gain compared to a NC scheme with no relay selection, and a network coding gain relative to a conventional relay selection scheme with no NC.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

A Simple Cooperative Diversity Method Based on Network Path Selection

Cooperative diversity has been recently proposed as a way to form virtual antenna arrays that provide dramatic gains in slow fading wireless environments. However most of the proposed solutions require distributed space-time coding algorithms, the careful design of which is left for future investigation if there is more than one cooperative relay. We propose a novel scheme, that alleviates these problems and provides diversity gains on the order of the number of relays in the network. Our scheme first selects the best relay from a set of M available relays and then uses this best relay for cooperation between the source and the destination. We develop and analyze a distributed method to select the best relay that requires no topology information and is based on local measurements of the instantaneous channel conditions. This method also requires no explicit communication among the relays. The success (or failure) to select the best available path depends on the statistics of the wireless channel, and a methodology to evaluate performance for any kind of wireless channel statistics, is provided. Information theoretic analysis of outage probability shows that our scheme achieves the same diversity-multiplexing tradeoff as achieved by more complex protocols, where coordination and distributed space-time coding for M nodes is required, such as those proposed in [7]. The simplicity of the technique, allows for immediate implementation in existing radio hardware and its adoption could provide for improved flexibility, reliability and efficiency in future 4G wireless systems.Comment: To appear, IEEE JSAC, special issue on 4