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Showing papers in "Eurasip Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking in 2005"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The need for cognitive radios is exemplified by a comparison of present and advanced spectrum management strategies and the usage of transmission mode parameters in the construction of software-defined radios is described.
Abstract: We provide a brief overview over the development of software-defined or reconfigurable radio systems. The need for software-defined radios is underlined and the most important notions used for such reconfigurable transceivers are thoroughly defined. The role of standards in radio development is emphasized and the usage of transmission mode parameters in the construction of software-defined radios is described. The software communications architecture is introduced as an example for a framework that allows an object-oriented development of software-defined radios. Cognitive radios are introduced as the next step in radio systems' evolution. The need for cognitive radios is exemplified by a comparison of present and advanced spectrum management strategies.

564 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A framework in which a middleware distributes the application processing to a WSN so that the application lifetime is maximized is recommended, and an approach providing a complete distributed environment for applications is absent.
Abstract: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are deployed to an area of interest to sense phenomena, process sensed data, and take actions accordingly. Due to the limited WSN node resources, distributed processing is required for completing application tasks. Proposals implementing distribution services for WSNs are evolving on different levels of generality. In this paper, these solutions are reviewed in order to determine the current status. According to the review, existing distribution technologies for computer networks are not applicable for WSNs. Operating systems (OSs) and middleware architectures for WSNs implement separate services for distribution within the existing constraints but an approach providing a complete distributed environment for applications is absent. In order to implement an efficient and adaptive environment, a middleware should be tightly integrated in the underlying OS. We recommend a framework in which a middleware distributes the application processing to a WSN so that the application lifetime is maximized. OS implements services for application tasks and information gathering as well as control interfaces for the middleware.

244 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a decision fusion rule that uses the total number of detections reported by local sensors as a statistic for hypothesis testing is proposed for WSNs with a random number of sensors.
Abstract: For a wireless sensor network (WSN) with a random number of sensors, we propose a decision fusion rule that uses the total number of detections reported by local sensors as a statistic for hypothesis testing. We assume that the signal power attenuates as a function of the distance from the target, the number of sensors follows a Poisson distribution, and the locations of sensors follow a uniform distribution within the region of interest (ROI). Both analytical and simulation results for system-level detection performance are provided. This fusion rule can achieve a very good system-level detection performance even at very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), as long as the average number of sensors is sufficiently large. For all the different system parameters we have explored, the proposed fusion rule is equivalent to the optimal fusion rule, which requires much more prior information. The problem of designing an optimum local sensor-level threshold is investigated. For various system parameters, the optimal thresholds are found numerically by maximizing the deflection coefficient. Guidelines on selecting the optimal local sensor-level threshold are also provided.

167 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper proposes a differentiated coverage algorithm which can provide different coverage degrees for different areas, which is energy efficient since it only keeps minimum number of sensors to work and performs much better than any other differentiated coverage algorithms.
Abstract: Most existing research considers homogeneous sensor networks, which suffer from performance bottleneck and poor scalability. In this paper, we adopt a heterogeneous sensor network model to overcome these problems. Sensing coverage is a fundamental problem in sensor networks and has been well studied over the past years. However, most coverage algorithms only consider the uniform coverage problem, that is, all the areas have the same coverage degree requirement. In many scenarios, some key areas need high coverage degree while other areas only need low coverage degree. We propose a differentiated coverage algorithm which can provide different coverage degrees for different areas. The algorithm is energy efficient since it only keeps minimum number of sensors to work. The performance of the differentiated coverage algorithm is evaluated through extensive simulation experiments. Our results show that the algorithm performs much better than any other differentiated coverage algorithm.

123 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The aim of this massive simulation campaign was to provide an answer to two questions: how to select the downtilt angle of a macrocellular base station antenna and what is the impact of antenna downtilt on system capacity and network coverage.
Abstract: The impact of antenna downtilt on the performance of cellular WCDMA network has been studied by using a radio network planning tool. An optimum downtilt angle has been evaluated for numerous practical macrocellular site and antenna configurations for electrical and mechanical antenna downtilt concepts. The aim of this massive simulation campaign was expected to provide an answer to two questions: firstly, how to select the downtilt angle of a macrocellular base station antenna? Secondly, what is the impact of antenna downtilt on system capacity and network coverage? Optimum downtilt angles were observed to vary between 3.5°-10.5° depending on the network configuration. Moreover, the corresponding downlink capacity gains varied between 0-58%. Antenna vertical beamwidth affects clearly the required optimum downtilt angle the most. On the other hand, with wider antenna vertical beamwidth, the impact of downtilt on system performance is not such imposing. In addition, antenna height together with the size of the dominance area affect the required downtilt angle. Finally, the simulation results revealed how the importance of the antenna downtilt becomes more significant in dense networks, where the capacity requirements are typically also higher.

85 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A decentralized algorithm for organizing an ad hoc sensor network into clusters that operates without a centralized controller, it operates asynchronously, and does not require that the location of the sensors be known a priori.
Abstract: We propose a decentralized algorithm for organizing an ad hoc sensor network into clusters. Each sensor uses a random waiting timer and local criteria to determine whether to form a new cluster or to join a current cluster. The algorithm operates without a centralized controller, it operates asynchronously, and does not require that the location of the sensors be known a priori. Simplified models are used to estimate the number of clusters formed, and the energy requirements of the algorithm are investigated. The performance of the algorithm is described analytically and via simulation.

80 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The construction considers the problem of optimizing a family of rate-compatible degree distributions as well as the placement of bipartite graph edges and a hybrid approach that combines information shortening and parity puncturing is proposed.
Abstract: This paper proposes a method for constructing rate-compatible low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The construction considers the problem of optimizing a family of rate-compatible degree distributions as well as the placement of bipartite graph edges. A hybrid approach that combines information shortening and parity puncturing is proposed. Local graph conditioning techniques for the suppression of error floors are also included in the construction methodology.

79 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It turns out that although regular networks have an only slightly higher average link throughput than random networks for the same link distance, regular topologies have a significant benefit when the end-to-end throughput in multihop connections is considered.
Abstract: We present closed-form expressions of the average link throughput for sensor networks with a slotted ALOHA MAC protocol in Rayleigh fading channels. We compare networks with three regular topologies in terms of throughput, transmit efficiency, and transport capacity. In particular, for square lattice networks, we present a sensitivity analysis of the maximum throughput and the optimum transmit probability with respect to the signal-to-interference ratio threshold. For random networks with nodes distributed according to a two-dimensional Poisson point process, the average throughput is analytically characterized and numerically evaluated. It turns out that although regular networks have an only slightly higher average link throughput than random networks for the same link distance, regular topologies have a significant benefit when the end-to-end throughput in multihop connections is considered.

74 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors considered the problem of estimating an unknown parameter by a sensor network with a fusion center (FC), where each sensor is only able to transmit a finite number of bits to the FC, while the latter must combine the received bits to estimate the unknown parameter.
Abstract: Consider the problem of estimating an unknown parameter by a sensor network with a fusion center (FC). Sensor observations are corrupted by additive noises with an arbitrary spatial correlation. Due to bandwidth and energy limitation, each sensor is only able to transmit a finite number of bits to the FC, while the latter must combine the received bits to estimate the unknown parameter. We require the decentralized estimator to have a mean-squared error (MSE) that is within a constant factor to that of the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE). We minimize the total sensor transmitted energy by selecting sensor quantization levels using the knowledge of noise covariance matrix while meeting the target MSE requirement. Computer simulations show that our designs can achieve energy savings up to 70% when compared to the uniform quantization strategy whereby each sensor generates the same number of bits, irrespective of the quality of its observation and the condition of its channel to the FC.

63 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Computer simulations show that the designs can achieve energy savings up to when compared to the uniform quantization strategy whereby each sensor generates the same number of bits, irrespective of the quality of its observation and the condition of its channel to the FC.
Abstract: Consider the problem of estimating an unknown parameter by a sensor network with a fusion center (FC). Sensor observations are corrupted by additive noises with an arbitrary spatial correlation. Due to bandwidth and energy limitation, each sensor is only able to transmit a finite number of bits to the FC, while the latter must combine the received bits to estimate the unknown parameter. We require the decentralized estimator to have a mean-squared error (MSE) that is within a constant factor to that of the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE). We minimize the total sensor transmitted energy by selecting sensor quantization levels using the knowledge of noise covariance matrix while meeting the target MSE requirement. Computer simulations show that our designs can achieve energy savings up to 70% when compared to the uniform quantization strategy whereby each sensor generates the same number of bits, irrespective of the quality of its observation and the condition of its channel to the FC.

59 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that the combination of a lower maximum contention window size and a higher retry limit considerably improves performance and improves the services that the IEEE 802.11 protocol provides to various communication applications.
Abstract: The IEEE 802.11 protocol is emerging as a widely used standard and has become the most mature technology for wireless local area networks (WLANs). In this paper, we focus on the tuning of the IEEE 802.11 protocol parameters taking into consideration, in addition to throughput efficiency, performance metrics such as the average packet delay, the probability of a packet being discarded when it reaches the maximum retransmission limit, the average time to drop a packet, and the packet interarrival time. We present an analysis, which has been validated by simulation that is based on a Markov chain model commonly used in the literature. We further study the improvement on these performance metrics by employing suitable protocol parameters according to the specific communication needs of the IEEE 802.11 protocol for both basic access and RTS/CTS access schemes. We show that the use of a higher initial contention window size does not considerably degrade performance in small networks and performs significantly better in any other scenario. Moreover, we conclude that the combination of a lower maximum contention window size and a higher retry limit considerably improves performance. Results indicate that the appropriate adjustment of the protocol parameters enhances performance and improves the services that the IEEE 802.11 protocol provides to various communication applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Redundancy is introduced by allocating more than one share to each node in order to increase the probability of creating the certificate for a node in a highly mobile network.
Abstract: Security poses a major challenge in ad hoc networks today due to the lack of fixed or organizational infrastructure. This paper proposes a modification to the existing "fully distributed certificate authority" scheme for ad hoc networks. In the proposed modification, redundancy is introduced by allocating more than one share to each node in order to increase the probability of creating the certificate for a node in a highly mobile network. A probabilistic analysis is carried out to analyze the trade-offs between the ease of certificate creation and the security provided by the proposed scheme. The analysis carried out from the intruder's perspective suggests that in the worst-case scenario, the intruder is just "one node" away from a legitimate node in compromising the certificate. The analysis also outlines the parameter selection criteria for a legitimate node to maintain a margin of advantage over an intruder in creating the certificate.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an energy analysis technique applicable to medium access control (MAC) and multihop communications, which gives insight on using multi-hop forwarding instead of single-hop communications.
Abstract: We present an energy analysis technique applicable to medium access control (MAC) and multihop communications. Furthermore, the technique's application gives insight on using multihop forwarding instead of single-hop communications. Using the technique, we perform an energy analysis of carrier-sense-multiple-access (CSMA-) based MAC protocols with sleeping schemes. Power constraints set by battery operation raise energy efficiency as the prime factor for wireless sensor networks. A detailed energy expenditure analysis of the physical, the link, and the network layers together can provide a basis for developing new energy-efficient wireless sensor networks. The presented technique provides a set of analytical tools for accomplishing this. With those tools, the energy impact of radio, MAC, and topology parameters on the network can be investigated. From the analysis, we extract key parameters of selected MAC protocols and show that some traditional mechanisms, such as binary exponential backoff, have inherent problems.

Journal Article
TL;DR: The need for cognitive radios is exemplified by a comparison of present and advanced spectrum management strategies and the usage of transmission mode parameters in the construction of software-defined radios is described.
Abstract: We provide a brief overview over the development of software-defined or reconfigurable radio systems. The need for software-defined radios is underlined and the most important notions used for such reconfigurable transceivers are thoroughly defined. The role of standards in radio development is emphasized and the usage of transmission mode parameters in the construction of software-defined radios is described. The software communications architecture is introduced as an example for a framework that allows an object-oriented development of software-defined radios. Cognitive radios are introduced as the next step in radio systems' evolution. The need for cognitive radios is exemplified by a comparison of present and advanced spectrum management strategies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: DAPPM yields advantages over PPM, DPPM, and DH-PIM in terms of bandwidth requirements, capacity, and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), and it is shown that the performance of DAPPM can be improved with MLSD, chip-rate DFE, and multichip- rate DFE.
Abstract: We propose a novel differential amplitude pulse-position modulation (DAPPM) for indoor optical wireless communications. DAPPM yields advantages over PPM, DPPM, and DH-PIMα in terms of bandwidth requirements, capacity, and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). The performance of a DAPPM system with an unequalized receiver is examined over nondispersive and dispersive channels. DAPPM can provide better bandwidth and/or power efficiency than PAM, PPM, DPPM, and DH-PIMα depending on the number of amplitude levels A and the maximum length L of a symbol. We also show that, given the same maximum length, DAPPM has better bandwidth efficiency but requires about 1 dB and 1.5 dB more power than PPM and DPPM, respectively, at high bit rates over a dispersive channel. Conversely, DAPPM requires less power than DH-PIM2. When the number of bits per symbol is the same, PAM requires more power, and DH-PIM2 less power, than DAPPM. Finally, it is shown that the performance of DAPPM can be improved with MLSD, chip-rate DFE, and multichip-rate DFE.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The impact of sampling and reconstruction with internal filtering on the analog front end architectures and capabilities of software defined radios is discussed.
Abstract: Bandpass sampling, reconstruction, and antialiasing filtering in analog front ends potentially provide the best performance of software defined radios. However, conventional techniques used for these procedures limit reconfigurability and adaptivity of the radios, complicate integrated circuit implementation, and preclude achieving potential performance. Novel sampling and reconstruction techniques with internal filtering eliminate these drawbacks and provide many additional advantages. Several ways to overcome the challenges of practical realization and implementation of these techniques are proposed and analyzed. The impact of sampling and reconstruction with internal filtering on the analog front end architectures and capabilities of software defined radios is discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The paper discusses the rationale behind the selection of MAC protocols for WSNs and provides a complete model characterization spanning from the network layer to the propagation channel.
Abstract: A new energy-efficient scheme for data transmission in a wireless sensor network (WSN) is proposed, having in mind a typical application including a sink, which periodically triggers the WSN, and nodes uniformly distributed over a specified area. Routing, multiple access control (MAC), physical, energy, and propagation aspects are jointly taken into account through simulation; however, the protocol design is based on some analytical considerations reported in the appendix. Information routing is based on a clustered self-organized structure; a carrier-sensing multiple access (CSMA) protocol is chosen at MAC layer. Two diffierent scenarios are examined, characterized by diffierent channel fading rates. Four versions of our protocol are presented, suitably oriented to the two diffierent scenarios; two of them implement a cross-layer (CL) approach, where MAC parameters influence both the network and physical layers. Performance is measured in terms of network lifetime (related to energy efficiency) and packet loss rate (related to network availability). The paper discusses the rationale behind the selection of MAC protocols for WSNs and provides a complete model characterization spanning from the network layer to the propagation channel. The advantages of the CL approach, with respect to an algorithm which belongs to the well-known class of low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) protocols, are shown.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The scheduler is evaluated in terms of the quantitative metrics such as packet delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay and the results are found to be encouraging.
Abstract: Mobile ad hoc network is an autonomous system of mobile nodes characterized by wireless links. The major challenge in ad hoc networks lies in adapting multicast communication to environments, where mobility is unlimited and failures are frequent. Such problems increase the delays and decrease the throughput. To meet these challenges, to provide QoS, and hence to improve the performance, a scheduler can be used. In this paper we design a fuzzy-based priority scheduler to determine the priority of the packets. The performance of the scheduler is studied with the multicast routing protocols. The scheduler is evaluated in terms of the quantitative metrics such as packet delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay and the results are found to be encouraging.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An analytical formula is provided for the exact probability density function of the interference and noise term, which is used to discuss the impact of the Gaussian approximation in the presence of a soft-input soft-output channel decoder.
Abstract: The probabilistic data association (PDA) decoder is investigated for use in coded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems and its strengths and weaknesses are determined. The conventional PDA decoder includes two approximations. The received symbols are assumed to be statistically independent and a Gaussian approximation is applied for the interference and noise term. We provide an analytical formula for the exact probability density function (PDF) of the interference and noise term, which is used to discuss the impact of the Gaussian approximation in the presence of a soft-input soft-output channel decoder. The results obtained resemble those obtained for the well-known PDA multiuser detector in coded CDMA systems for which similar investigations have been done before.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper introduces a unique mechanism for estimation of route expiry time based on the probability of route validity, which is a function of time, number of hops, and mobility parameters.
Abstract: Wireless ad hoc sensor networks differ from wireless ad hoc networks from the following perspectives: low energy, lightweight routing protocols, and adaptive communication patterns. This paper proposes an energy-aware routing protocol (EARP) suitable for ad hoc wireless sensor networks and presents an analysis for its energy consumption in various phases of route discovery and maintenance. Based on the energy consumption associated with route request processing, EARP advocates the minimization of route requests by allocating dynamic route expiry times. This paper introduces a unique mechanism for estimation of route expiry time based on the probability of route validity, which is a function of time, number of hops, and mobility parameters. In contrast to AODV, EARP reduces the repeated flooding of route requests by maintaining valid routes for longer durations.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This approach attempts to optimally apply the appropriate channel coding rate given the constraints imposed by the effective transmission rate obtained from the proposed rate-control scheme, the allowable real-time video play-out delay, and the prevailing channel conditions.
Abstract: Assuming a wireless ad hoc network consisting of n homogeneous video users with each of them also serving as a possible relay node for other users, we propose a cross-layer rate-control scheme based on an analytical study of how the effective video transmission rate is affected by the prevailing operating parameters, such as the interference environment, the number of transmission hops to a destination, and the packet loss rate. Furthermore, in order to provide error-resilient video delivery over such wireless ad hoc networks, a cross-layer joint source-channel coding (JSCC) approach, to be used in conjunction with rate-control, is proposed and investigated. This approach attempts to optimally apply the appropriate channel coding rate given the constraints imposed by the effective transmission rate obtained from the proposed rate-control scheme, the allowable real-time video play-out delay, and the prevailing channel conditions. Simulation results are provided which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed cross-layer combined rate-control and JSCC approach.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A reconfigurable spiral antenna for use in adaptive MIMO systems capable of changing the sense of polarization of the radiated field is proposed by using an RF-MEMS technology compatible with microwave laminate substrates developed within the author's group.
Abstract: We present a reconfigurable spiral antenna for use in adaptive MIMO systems. The antenna is capable of changing the sense of polarization of the radiated field. It is fabricated by using an RF-MEMS technology compatible with microwave laminate substrates developed within the author's group. The proposed antenna structure is built on a number of rectangular-shaped bent metallic strips interconnected to each other with RF-MEMS actuators. Two senses of polarization, RHCP and LHCP, are achieved by configuring the physical structure of the antenna, that is, by changing the winding sense of the spiral, through judicious activation of MEM actuators. The fabrication process for the monolithic integration of MEM actuators with bent microstrip pixels on RO4003-FR4 microwave laminate substrate is described. The measured and calculated radiation and impedance characteristics of the antenna are given. The operating frequency of the presented antenna design can easily be adjusted to be compatible with popular IEEE networking standards such as 802.11a.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a review of flexible, frequency-selective, circuit components applicable to reconfigurable SDR front ends and discuss the suitability of these elements to the mobile wireless SDR environment.
Abstract: The required flexibility of the software-defined radio front end may currently be met with better overall performance by employing tunable narrowband circuits rather than pursuing a truly wideband approach. A key component of narrowband transceivers is appropriate filtering to reduce spurious spectral content in the transmitter and limit out-of-band interference in the receiver. In this paper, recent advances in flexible, frequency-selective, circuit components applicable to reconfigurable SDR front ends are reviewed. The paper contains discussion regarding the filtering requirements in the SDR context and the use of intelligent, adaptive control to provide environment-aware frequency discrimination. Wide tuning-range frequency-selective circuit elements are surveyed including bandpass and bandstop filters and narrowband tunable antennas. The suitability of these elements to the mobile wireless SDR environment is discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a transceiver design based on the utilization of two-dimensional arrays of infrared light-emitting devices and photodetectors, derived from considerations about link blockage and system compliance with the unique features of line-of-sight and diffuse methods of transmission.
Abstract: A number of attempts have been made in an effort to combine the advantages of line-of-sight and diffuse configurations for indoor optical wireless communications via sophisticated combinations of elements that are characteristic for these architectures. A different approach has been followed in the present investigation, namely, developing a transceiver capable of operating in both configurations. It is proposed that the transceiver design be based on the utilization of two-dimensional arrays of infrared light-emitting devices and photodetectors. Basic design parameters of transceiver optics are derived from considerations about link blockage and system compliance with the unique features of line-of-sight and diffuse methods of transmission.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The proposed algorithm can be applied to the case of spatial correlation, such as with multiple antennas in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, or spectral correlation between the random processes like in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems.
Abstract: Although generation of correlated Rayleigh fading envelopes has been intensively considered in the literature, all conventional methods have their own shortcomings, which seriously impede their applicability. A very general, straightforward algorithm for the generation of an arbitrary number of Rayleigh envelopes with any desired, equal or unequal power, in wireless channels either with or without Doppler frequency shifts, is proposed. The proposed algorithm can be applied to the case of spatial correlation, such as with multiple antennas in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, or spectral correlation between the random processes like in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. It can also be used for generating correlated Rayleigh fading envelopes in either discrete-time instants or a real-time scenario. Besides being more generalized, our proposed algorithm is more precise, while overcoming all shortcomings of the conventional methods.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined two signal decision schemes for use at the base station: collective decision and majority decision, and showed that increasing the number of sensors improves the bit error rate (BER).
Abstract: We analyze an optical wireless sensor network system that uses corner cube retroreflectors (CCRs). A CCR consists of three flat mirrors in a concave configuration. When a light beam enters the CCR, it bounces off each of the three mirrors, and is reflected back parallel to the direction it entered. A CCR can send information to the base station by modulating the reflected beam by vibrating the CCR or interrupting the light path; the most suitable transmission format is on-off keying (OOK). The CCR is attractive in many optical communication applications because it is small, easy to operate, and has low power consumption. This paper examines two signal decision schemes for use at the base station: collective decision and majority decision. In collective decision, all optical signals detected by the sensors are received by one photodetector (PD), and its output is subjected to hard decision. In majority decision, the outputs of the PDs associated with the sensors are subjected to hard detection, and the final data is decided by majority decision. We show that increasing the number of sensors improves the bit error rate (BER). We also show that when the transmitted optical power is sufficiently large, BER depends on sensor accuracy. We confirm that collective decision yields lower BERs than majority decision.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A MAC protocol for wireless communication that supports dynamic resource reservation and topology management for relatively small networks of cooperative units (10–20 units) and an adequate admission control guarantees the timing constraints of the team communication requirements, including when new nodes dynamically join or leave the team.
Abstract: Wireless communication technology is spreading quickly in almost all the information technology areas as a consequence of a gradual enhancement in quality and security of the communication, together with a decrease in the related costs. This facilitates the development of relatively low-cost teams of autonomous (robotic) mobile units that cooperate to achieve a common goal. Providing real-time communication among the team units is highly desirable for guaranteeing a predictable behavior in those applications in which the robots have to operate autonomously in unstructured environments. This paper proposes a MAC protocol for wireless communication that supports dynamic resource reservation and topology management for relatively small networks of cooperative units (10-20 units). The protocol uses a slotted time-triggered medium access transmission control that is collision-free, even in the presence of hidden nodes. The transmissions are scheduled according to the earliest deadline first scheduling policy. An adequate admission control guarantees the timing constraints of the team communication requirements, including when new nodes dynamically join or leave the team. The paper describes the protocol focusing on the consensus procedure that supports coherent changes in the global system. We also introduce a distributed connectivity tracking mechanism that is used to detect network partition and absent or crashed nodes. Finally, a set of simulation results are shown that illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent advances in flexible, frequency-selective, circuit components applicable to reconfigurable SDR front ends and the suitability of these elements to the mobile wireless SDR environment is discussed.
Abstract: The required flexibility of the software-defined radio front end may currently be met with better overall performance by employing tunable narrowband circuits rather than pursuing a truly wideband approach. A key component of narrowband transceivers is appropriate filtering to reduce spurious spectral content in the transmitter and limit out-of-band interference in the receiver. In this paper, recent advances in flexible, frequency-selective, circuit components applicable to reconfigurable SDR front ends are reviewed. The paper contains discussion regarding the filtering requirements in the SDR context and the use of intelligent, adaptive control to provide environment-aware frequency discrimination. Wide tuning-range frequency-selective circuit elements are surveyed including bandpass and bandstop filters and narrowband tunable antennas. The suitability of these elements to the mobile wireless SDR environment is discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A cross-layer route discovery framework (CRDF) is proposed to address problems of reactive routing protocols in MANETs efficiently and enables a new technique: routing strategy automation (RoSAuto).
Abstract: Most reactive routing protocols in MANETs employ a random delay between rebroadcasting route requests (RREQ) in order to avoid "broadcast storms." However this can lead to problems such as "next hop racing" and "rebroadcast redundancy." In addition to this, existing routing protocols for MANETs usually take a single routing strategy for all flows. This may lead to inefficient use of resources. In this paper we propose a cross-layer route discovery framework (CRDF) to address these problems by exploiting the cross-layer information. CRDF solves the above problems efficiently and enables a new technique: routing strategy automation (RoSAuto). RoSAuto refers to the technique that each source node automatically decides the routing strategy based on the application requirements and each intermediate node further adapts the routing strategy so that the network resource usage can be optimized. To demonstrate the effictiveness and the efficiency of CRDF, we design and evaluate a macrobian route discovery strategy under CRDF.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that reliable communication is possible at signal-to-noise ratios close to the theoretical limits set by the combination of Shannon and Slepian-Wolf theorems.
Abstract: We consider the case of two correlated sources, S1 and S2. The correlation between them has memory, and it is modelled by a hidden Markov chain. The paper studies the problem of reliable communication of the information sent by the source S1 over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel when the output of the other source S2 is available as side information at the receiver. We assume that the receiver has no a priori knowledge of the correlation statistics between the sources. In particular, we propose the use of a turbo code for joint source-channel coding of the source S1. The joint decoder uses an iterative scheme where the unknown parameters of the correlation model are estimated jointly within the decoding process. It is shown that reliable communication is possible at signal-to-noise ratios close to the theoretical limits set by the combination of Shannon and Slepian-Wolf theorems.