Distributed Energy Efficient Cross-layer Optimization for Multihop MIMO Cognitive Radio Networks with Primary User Rate Protection

Due to the unique physical-layer characteristics associated with MIMO and cognitive radio (CR), the network performance is tightly coupled with mechanisms at the physical, link, network, and transport layers. In this paper, we consider an energy-efficient cross-layer optimization problem in multihop MIMO CR networks. The objective is to balance the weighted network utility and weighted power consumption of SU sessions, with a minimum PU transmission rate constraint and SU power consumption constraints. However, this problem is highly challenging due to the nonconvex PU rate constraint. We propose a solution that features linearization-based alternative optimization method and a heuristic primal recovery method. We further develop a distributed algorithm to jointly optimize covariance matrix at each transmitting SU node, bandwidth allocation at each SU link, rate control at each session source and multihop/multi-path routing. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed distributed algorithm is close to that of the centralized algorithm, and the proposed framework provides an efficient way to significantly save power consumption, while achieving the network utility very close to that achieved with full power consumption.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Vehicle Technolog

Coherent Communications in Self-Organizing Networks with Distributed Beamforming

Coherent communications aim to support higher data rates and extended connectivity at lower power consumption compared with traditional point-to-point transmissions. The typical setting of coherent communication schemes is based on a single data stream with multiple transmitters and a single receiver. This paper studies the case of multiple concurrent data streams, each with multiple transmitters and multiple receivers, in self-organizing wireless networks. A distributed optimization solution based on joint network formation and beamforming is developed for coherent group communications in a network of nodes that need to communicate over long distances. This solution significantly improves the power gain for a single data stream and the signal-to-interference-ratio for multiple data streams compared to point-to-point communications. These gains are in turn translated to improvements in communication range, power efficiency, reliability, and throughput. In this multi-layer network optimization solution, nodes coordinate with each other in a distributed manner to form transmitter and receiver groups, and communicate with each other coherently over long distances. The coherent beamforming protocol is optimized for given transmitter and receiver groups, whereas the network formation protocol is optimized to determine these groups. By using single-antenna communication nodes, the proposed optimization solution provides a major gain in network communications and outperforms other benchmark combinations of beamforming and network formation protocols