Showing papers on "Interference (wave propagation) published in 2010"

Coherent perfect absorbers: Time-reversed lasers

Abstract: An arbitrary body or aggregate can be made perfectly absorbing at discrete frequencies, if a precise amount of dissipation is added under specific conditions of coherent monochromatic illumination. This effect arises from the interaction of optical absorption and wave interference, and corresponds to moving a zero of the S-matrix onto the real wavevector axis. It is thus the time-reversed process of lasing at threshold. The effect may be demonstrated in a Si slab illuminated in the 500–900nm range. Coherent perfect absorbers form a novel class of linear optical elements—absorptive interferometers—which may be useful for controlled optical energy transfer.

On Feasibility of Interference Alignment in MIMO Interference Networks

Abstract: We explore the feasibility of interference alignment in signal vector space-based only on beamforming-for K-user MIMO interference channels. Our main contribution is to relate the feasibility issue to the problem of determining the solvability of a multivariate polynomial system which is considered extensively in algebraic geometry. It is well known, e.g., from Bezout's theorem, that generic polynomial systems are solvable if and only if the number of equations does not exceed the number of variables. Following this intuition, we classify signal space interference alignment problems as either proper or improper based on the number of equations and variables. Rigorous connections between feasible and proper systems are made through Bernshtein's theorem for the case where each transmitter uses only one beamforming vector. The multibeam case introduces dependencies among the coefficients of a polynomial system so that the system is no longer generic in the sense required by both theorems. In this case, we show that the connection between feasible and proper systems can be further strengthened (since the equivalency between feasible and proper systems does not always hold) by including standard information theoretic outer bounds in the feasibility analysis.

Cooperative Algorithms for MIMO Interference Channels

Abstract: Interference alignment is a transmission technique for exploiting all available degrees of freedom in the interference channel with an arbitrary number of users. Most prior work on interference alignment, however, neglects interference from other nodes in the network not participating in the alignment operation. This paper proposes three generalizations of interference alignment for the multiple-antenna interference channel with multiple users that account for colored noise, which models uncoordinated interference. First, a minimum interference-plus-noise leakage algorithm is presented, and shown to be equivalent to previous subspace methods when noise is spatially white or negligible. A joint minimum mean squared error design is then proposed that jointly optimizes the transmit precoders and receive spatial filters, whereas previous designs neglect the receive spatial filter. This algorithm is shown to be a generalization of previous joint MMSE designs for other system configurations such as the broadcast channel. Finally, a maximum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio algorithm is developed that is proven to converge, unlike previous maximum SINR algorithms. The latter two designs are shown to have increased complexity due to non-orthogonal precoders, more required iterations, or more channel state knowledge than the min INL or subspace methods. The sum throughput performance of these algorithms is simulated in the context of a network with uncoordinated co-channel interferers not participating in the alignment protocol. It is found that a network with cochannel interference can benefit from employing precoders designed to consider that interference, but in some cases, ignoring the co-channel interference is advantageous.

Enhancing cell-edge performance: a downlink dynamic interference avoidance scheme with inter-cell coordination

Abstract: Interference management has been a key concept for designing future high data-rate wireless systems that are required to employ dense reuse of spectrum. Static or semi-static interference coordination based schemes provide enhanced cell-edge performance but with severe penalty to the overall cell throughput. Furthermore, static resource planning makes these schemes unsuitable for applications in which frequency planning is difficult, such as femtocell networks. In this paper, we present a novel dynamic interference avoidance scheme that makes use of inter-cell coordination in order to prevent excessive inter-cell interference, especially for cell or sector edge users that are most affected by inter-cell interference, with minimal or no impact on the network throughput. The proposed scheme is comprised of a two-level algorithm - one at the base station level and the other at a central controller to which a group of neighboring base stations are connected. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the reference schemes, in which either coordination is not employed (reuse of 1) or employed in a static manner (reuse of 3 and fractional frequency reuse), in terms of cell edge throughput with a minimal impact on the network throughput and with some increase in complexity.

Cooperative Interference Management With MISO Beamforming

Abstract: In this correspondence, we study the downlink transmission in a multi-cell system, where multiple base stations (BSs) each with multiple antennas cooperatively design their respective transmit beamforming vectors to optimize the overall system performance. For simplicity, it is assumed that all mobile stations (MSs) are equipped with a single antenna each, and there is one active MS in each cell at one time. Accordingly, the system of interests can be modeled by a multiple-input single-output (MISO) Gaussian interference channel (IC), termed as MISO-IC, with interference treated as noise. We propose a new method to characterize different rate-tuples for active MSs on the Pareto boundary of the achievable rate region for the MISO-IC, by exploring the relationship between the MISO-IC and the cognitive radio (CR) MISO channel. We show that each Pareto-boundary rate-tuple of the MISO-IC can be achieved in a decentralized manner when each of the BSs attains its own channel capacity subject to a certain set of interference-power constraints (also known as interference-temperature constraints in the CR system) at the other MS receivers. Furthermore, we show that this result leads to a new decentralized algorithm for implementing the multi-cell cooperative downlink beamforming.

Interference Alignment With Asymmetric Complex Signaling—Settling the Høst-Madsen–Nosratinia Conjecture

Abstract: It has been conjectured by Ho-Madsen and Nosratinia that complex Gaussian interference channels with constant channel coefficients have only one degree-of-freedom regardless of the number of users While several examples are known of constant channels that achieve more than 1 degree-of-freedom, these special cases only span a subset of measure zero In other words, for almost all channel coefficient values, it is not known if more than 1 degree-of-freedom is achievable In this paper, we settle the Host-Madsen-Nosratinia conjecture in the negative We show that at least 12 degrees-of-freedom are achievable for all values of complex channel coefficients except for a subset of measure zero For the class of linear beamforming and interference alignment schemes considered in this paper, it is also shown that 12 is the maximum number of degrees-of-freedom achievable on the complex Gaussian 3 user interference channel with constant channel coefficients, for almost all values of channel coefficients To establish the achievability of 12 degrees-of-freedom we use the novel idea of asymmetric complex signaling - ie, the inputs are chosen to be complex but not circularly symmetric It is shown that unlike Gaussian point-to-point, multiple-access and broadcast channels where circularly symmetric complex Gaussian inputs are optimal, for interference channels optimal inputs are in general asymmetric With asymmetric complex signaling, we also show that the 2 user complex Gaussian X channel with constant channel coefficients achieves the outer bound of 4/3 degrees-of-freedom, ie, the assumption of time-variations/frequency-selectivity used in prior work to establish the same result, is not needed

Modeling Interference in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract: The recent increasing interest in ad hoc networks has motivated the study and development of interference models capable of capturing the intrinsic characteristics of this kind of network, such as the lack of a central coordination and the consequent distributed nature of some of the network functions (e.g., medium access control and routing protocols). As a consequence, a myriad of interference models for ad hoc networks can be found in the literature, that describe the effects of interference at different layers and with different levels of detail. Some of these models describe interference as a random process whose statistics depend mainly on physical layer parameters, and are better suited for the analysis of issues related to the physical layer. Other models focus on the effects of interference at higher layers, and are more appropriate when the analysis of network-related issues is of interest. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of interference models for wireless ad hoc networks, emphasizing their domains of application, illustrated with examples. The interference models are presented in this survey from the perspective of the radio capture phenomenon, resulting in a unified view of interference models, which may be helpful when selecting the appropriate model for a given purpose.

Downlink Interference Alignment

Abstract: We develop an interference alignment (IA) technique for a downlink cellular system. In the uplink, IA schemes need channel-state-information exchange across base-stations of different cells, but our downlink IA technique requires feedback only within a cell. As a result, the proposed scheme can be implemented with a few changes to an existing cellular system where the feedback mechanism (within a cell) is already being considered for supporting multi-user MIMO. Not only is our proposed scheme implementable with little effort, it can in fact provide substantial gain especially when interference from a dominant interferer is significantly stronger than the remaining interference: it is shown that in the two-isolated cell layout, our scheme provides four-fold gain in throughput performance over a standard multi-user MIMO technique. We show through simulations that our technique provides respectable gain under a more realistic scenario: it gives approximately 20% gain for a 19 hexagonal wrap-around-cell layout. Furthermore, we show that our scheme has the potential to provide substantial gain for macro-pico cellular networks where pico-users can be significantly interfered with by the nearby macro-BS.

Ruling Out Multi-Order Interference in Quantum Mechanics

Abstract: Quantum mechanics and gravitation are two pillars of modern physics. Despite their success in describing the physical world around us, they seem to be incompatible theories. There are suggestions that one of these theories must be generalized to achieve unification. For example, Born's rule--one of the axioms of quantum mechanics--could be violated. Born's rule predicts that quantum interference, as shown by a double-slit diffraction experiment, occurs from pairs of paths. A generalized version of quantum mechanics might allow multipath (i.e., higher-order) interference, thus leading to a deviation from the theory. We performed a three-slit experiment with photons and bounded the magnitude of three-path interference to less than 10(-2) of the expected two-path interference, thus ruling out third- and higher-order interference and providing a bound on the accuracy of Born's rule. Our experiment is consistent with the postulate both in semiclassical and quantum regimes.

Downlink Interference Alignment

Abstract: We develop an interference alignment (IA) technique for a downlink cellular system. In the uplink, IA schemes need channel-state-information exchange across base-stations of different cells, but our downlink IA technique requires feedback only within a cell. As a result, the proposed scheme can be implemented with minimal changes to an existing cellular system where the feedback mechanism (within a cell) is already being considered for supporting multi-user MIMO. Not only is our proposed scheme implementable with little effort, it can in fact provide substantial gain especially when interference from a dominant interferer is significantly stronger than the remaining interference: it is shown that in the two-isolated cell layout, our scheme provides four-fold gain in throughput performance over a standard multi-user MIMO technique. We show through simulations that our technique provides respectable gain under a more realistic scenario: it gives approximately 20% gain for a 19 hexagonal wrap-around-cell layout.

Statistics of Co-Channel Interference in a Field of Poisson and Poisson-Poisson Clustered Interferers

Abstract: With increasing spatial reuse of radio spectrum, co-channel interference is becoming a dominant noise source and may severely degrade the communication performance of wireless transceivers. In this paper, we consider the problem of statistical-physical modeling of co-channel interference from an annular field of Poisson or Poisson-Poisson cluster distributed interferers. Poisson and Poisson-Poisson cluster processes are commonly used to model interferer distributions in large wireless networks without and with interferer clustering, respectively. Further, by considering the interferers distributed over a parametric annular region, we derive interference statistics for finite- and infinite- area interference region with and without a guard zone around the receiver. Statistical modeling of interference is a useful tool to analyze outage probabilities in wireless networks and design interference-aware transceivers. Our contributions include: 1) developing a unified framework for deriving interference models for various wireless network environments; 2) demonstrating the applicability of the symmetric alpha stable and Gaussian mixture (with Middleton Class A as a particular form) distributions in modeling co-channel interference; and 3) deriving analytical conditions on the system model parameters for which these distributions accurately model the statistical properties of the interference. Applications include co-channel interference modeling for various wireless networks, including wireless ad hoc, cellular, local area, and femtocell networks.

Mitigation of Inter-Femtocell Interference with Adaptive Fractional Frequency Reuse

Abstract: In this paper, we consider the use of fractional frequency reuse (FFR) to mitigate inter-femtocell interference in multi-femtocell environments. The use of universal frequency reuse can be said optimum in terms of the ergodic system spectral efficiency. However, it may cause inter-femtocell interference near the cell edge, making it difficult to serve the whole cell coverage. To alleviate this problem, we adjust the frequency reuse factor with the aid of femtocell location information. The proposed scheme can provide reasonably high ergodic system spectral efficiency, while assuring a desired performance near the cell boundary. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is quite effective in indoor environments such as residential or office buildings.

Transmit Subaperturing for MIMO Radars With Co-Located Antennas

Abstract: We present a transmit subaperturing (TS) approach for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars with co-located antennas. The proposed scheme divides the transmit array elements into multiple groups, each group forms a directional beam and modulates a distinct waveform, and all beams are steerable and point to the same direction. The resulting system is referred to as a TS-MIMO radar. A TS-MIMO radar is a tunable system that offers a continuum of operating modes from the phased-array radar, which achieves the maximum directional gain but the least interference rejection ability, to the omnidirectional transmission based MIMO radar, which can handle the largest number of interference sources but offers no directional gain. Tuning of the TS-MIMO system can be easily made by changing the configuration of the transmit subapertures, which provides a direct tradeoff between the directional gain and interference rejection power of the system. The performance of the TS-MIMO radar is examined in terms of the output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of an adaptive beamformer in an interference and training limited environment, where we show analytically how the output SINR is affected by several key design parameters, including the size/number of the subapertures and the number of training signals. Our results are verified by computer simulation and comparisons are made among various operating modes of the proposed TS-MIMO system.

Role of interactions in an electronic Fabry–Perot interferometer operating in the quantum Hall effect regime

Abstract: Interference of edge channels is expected to be a prominent tool for studying statistics of charged quasiparticles in the quantum Hall effect (QHE). We present here a detailed study of an electronic Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) operating in the QHE regime [C. Chamon, et al. (1997) Phys Rev B 55:2331–2334], with the phase of the interfering quasiparticles controlled by the Aharonov–Bohm effect. Our main finding is that Coulomb interactions among the electrons dominate the interference, even in a relatively large area FPI, leading to a strong dependence of the area enclosed by the interference loop on the magnetic field. In particular, for a composite edge structure, with a few independent edge channels propagating along the edge, interference of the outmost edge channel (belonging to the lowest Landau level) was insensitive to magnetic field—suggesting a constant enclosed flux. However, when any of the inner edge channels interfered, the enclosed flux decreased when the magnetic field increased. By intentionally varying the enclosed area with a biased metallic gate and observing the periodicity of the interference pattern, charges e (for integer filling factors) and e/3 (for a fractional filling factor) were found to be expelled from the FPI. Moreover, these observations provided also a novel way of detecting the charge of the interfering quasiparticles.

Base station cooperation on the downlink: Large system analysis

Abstract: This paper considers maximizing the network-wide minimum supported rate in the downlink of a two-cell system, where each base station (BS) is endowed with multiple antennas. This is done for different levels of cell cooperation. At one extreme, we consider single cell processing where the BS is oblivious to the interference it is creating at the other cell. At the other extreme, we consider full cooperative macroscopic beamforming. In between, we consider coordinated beamforming, which takes account of inter-cell interference, but does not require full cooperation between the BSs. We combine elements of Lagrangian duality and large system analysis to obtain limiting SINRs and bit-rates, allowing comparison between the considered schemes. The main contributions of the paper are theorems which provide concise formulas for optimal transmit power, beamforming vectors, and achieved signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the considered schemes. The formulas obtained are valid for the limit in which the number of users per cell, K, and the number of antennas per base station, N, tend to infinity, with fixed ratio. These theorems also provide expressions for the effective bandwidths occupied by users, and the effective interference caused in the adjacent cell, which allow direct comparisons between the considered schemes.

A Study of the LCMV and MVDR Noise Reduction Filters

Abstract: In real-world environments, the signals captured by a set of microphones in a speech communication system are mixtures of the desired signal, interference, and ambient noise. A promising solution for proper speech acquisition (with reduced noise and interference) in this context consists in using the linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamformer to reject the interference, reduce the overall mixture energy, and preserve the target signal. The minimum variance distortionless response beamformer (MVDR) is also commonly known to reduce the interference-plus-noise energy without distorting the desired signal. In either case, it is of paramount importance to accurately quantify the achieved noise and interference reduction. Indeed, it is quite reasonable to ask, for instance, about the price that has to be paid in order to achieve total removal of the interference without distorting the target signal when using the LCMV. Besides, it is fundamental to understand the effect of the MVDR on both noise and interference. In this correspondence, we investigate the performance of the MVDR and LCMV beamformers when the interference and ambient noise coexist with the target source. We demonstrate a new relationship between both filters in which the MVDR is decomposed into the LCMV and a matched filter (MVDR solution in the absence of interference). Both components are properly weighted to achieve maximum interference-plus-noise reduction. We investigate the performance of the MVDR, LCMV, and matched filters and elaborate new closed-form expressions for their output signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We theoretically demonstrate the tradeoff that has to be made between noise reduction and interference rejection. In fact, the total removal of the interference may severely amplify the residual ambient noise. Conversely, totally focussing on noise reduction leads to increased level of residual interference. The proposed study is finally supported by several numerical examples.

Communication in a Poisson Field of Interferers--Part I: Interference Distribution and Error Probability

Abstract: We present a mathematical model for communication subject to both network interference and noise. We introduce a framework where the interferers are scattered according to a spatial Poisson process, and are operating asynchronously in a wireless environment subject to path loss, shadowing, and multipath fading. We consider both cases of slow and fast-varying interferer positions. The paper is comprised of two separate parts. In Part I, we determine the distribution of the aggregate network interference at the output of a linear receiver. We characterize the error performance of the link, in terms of average and outage probabilities. The proposed model is valid for any linear modulation scheme (e.g., M-ary phase shift keying or M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation), and captures all the essential physical parameters that affect network interference. Our work generalizes the conventional analysis of communication in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise and fast fading, allowing such results to account for the effect of network interference. In Part II of the paper, we derive the capacity of the link when subject to network interference and noise, and characterize the spectrum of the aggregate interference.

Multipath Interference Compensation in Time-of-Flight Camera Images

Abstract: Multipath interference is inherent to the working principle of a Time-of-flight camera and can influence the measurements by several centimeters. Especially in applications that demand for high accuracy, such as object localization for robotic manipulation or ego-motion estimation of mobile robots, multipath interference is not tolerable. In this paper we formulate a multipath model in order to estimate the interference and correct the measurements. The proposed approach comprises the measured scene structure. All distracting surfaces are assumed to be Lambertian radiators and the directional interference is simulated for correction purposes. The positive impact of these corrections is experimentally demonstrated.

Aiming Perfectly in the Dark - Blind Interference Alignment through Staggered Antenna Switching

Abstract: We propose a blind interference alignment scheme for the vector broadcast channel where the transmitter is equipped with M antennas and there are K receivers, each equipped with a reconfigurable antenna capable of switching among M preset modes. Without any knowledge of the channel coefficient values at the transmitters and with only mild assumptions on the channel coherence structure we show that MK/(M+K-1) degrees of freedom are achievable. The key to the blind interference alignment scheme is the ability of the receivers to switch between reconfigurable antenna modes to create short term channel fluctuation patterns that are exploited by the transmitter. The achievable scheme does not require cooperation between transmit antennas and is therefore applicable to the M×K X network as well. Only finite symbol extensions are used, and no channel knowledge at the receivers is required to null the interference.

Least Squares Approach to Joint Beam Design for Interference Alignment in Multiuser Multi-Input Multi-Output Interference Channels

Abstract: In this correspondence, the problem of interference alignment for K-user time-invariant multi-input multi-output interference channels is considered. The necessary and sufficient conditions for interference alignment are converted to a system of linear equations that have dummy variables. Based on this linear system, a new algorithm for beam design for interference alignment is proposed by minimizing the overall interference misalignment. The proposed algorithm consists of solving a least squares problem iteratively. The convergence of the proposed algorithm is established, and its complexity is analyzed. The performance of the proposed algorithm is also evaluated numerically. It is shown that the proposed algorithm has faster convergence and lower complexity than the previous method with a comparable sum rate performance in the most practical case of two receive antennas.

Performance Analysis of Dual-Hop Relaying Systems in the Presence of Co-Channel Interference

Abstract: -In this paper, we investigate the effect of co-channel interference on the performance of dual-hop communications with amplify-and-forward relaying. Based on the derivation of the effective signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) at the destination node of the system, taking into account co-channel interference, we obtain expressions for the error and outage probabilities. Moreover, we study the performance of the system in the high SINR regime. Monte-Carlo simulations are further provided and confirm the accuracy of the analytical results.

Continuous phase amplification with a Sagnac interferometer

Abstract: We describe a phase-amplification technique using a Sagnac interferometer. We monitor the relative phase between two paths of a precisely misaligned interferometer by measuring the average position of a split-Gaussian mode in the dark port. Although we monitor only the dark port, we show that the signal varies linearly with phase and that we can obtain similar sensitivity to balanced homodyne detection. We derive the source of the amplification using classical wave optics.

Method and apparatus for avoiding in-device coexistence interference

Abstract: A method, system and device are provided for avoiding in-device coexistence interference between different radio technologies deployed in adjacent bands on the same device by controlling and separating the LTE signaling and the non-LTE signaling using dedicated time intervals to separate LTE signaling from non-LTE signaling. In addition, coexistence mode handover procedures are provided which use threshold-based triggering events to avoid coexistence interference and to prevent ping-pong effects by establishing a "keeping time" parameter so that a non-interfering network node does not switch back to an interfering network node after handoff. Coexistence interference is also avoided by providing a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism which accounts for coexistence interference by providing a fixed or variable on-interval parameter and an activity parameter indicating whether non-LTE activity is present to maximize a time interval for non-LTE devices without interference from LTE activity on the same device.

Temperature Insensitive All-Fiber Compact Polarization-Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber Based Interferometer and Its Applications in Fiber Sensors

Abstract: A novel temperature insensitive all-fiber compact polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PMPCF) based interferometer was presented. The coupling between the PMPCF and single mode fiber (SMF) was investigated experimentally and analytically. With an all-fiber compact SMF-PMPCF-SMF structure, the cladding modes propagating in the PMPCF can be effectively excited by finely core-offsetting one splice between the PMPCF and SMF. With the increase of the core-offset, the interference depth of the interference pattern enlarges accordingly. Under a suitable core-offset, the PMPCF based interferometer with high interference depth can be obtained. Moreover, it is temperature insensitive due to its ultra-low thermal characteristics. We also demonstrated its applications in strain and refractive index measurement. The sensors have the advantages of small size, simple and compact all fiber structure, high sensitivity, and temperature insensitiveness.

An iterative algorithm for joint signal and interference alignment

Abstract: We consider the problem of signal design for transmission over an interference channel, along the lines of the recently proposed strategy of Interference Alignment. In the framework of interference alignment, each receiver maintains an interference subspace. The transmitters shape their transmissions such that all the interference seen at a particular receiver falls into its interference subspace, hence allowing the remaining receiver space to be used for reception of the useful signal. In contrast to previously proposed iterative interference alignment algorithms for the general interference channel, our proposed technique not only minimizes the interference power that is spilled outside the interference subspace, but also minimizes the signal power that is spilled over into the interference subspace. A weighted optimization technique is proposed to tradeoff between the relative importance associated with the leakage interference and the leakage signal powers. It is proven that the algorithm converges monotonically, and simulation results reveal that the proposed technique outperforms other known algorithms in terms of throughput. Further discussions on generalizing the algorithm are also presented.

Rate Region Frontiers for n-user Interference Channel with Interference as Noise

Abstract: This paper presents the achievable rate region frontiers for the n-user interference channel when there is no cooperation at the transmit nor at the receive side. The receiver is assumed to treat the interference as additive thermal noise and does not employ multiuser detection. In this case, the rate region frontier for the n-user interference channel is found to be the union of n hyper-surface frontiers of dimension n-1, where each is characterized by having one of the transmitters transmitting at full power. The paper also finds the conditions determining the convexity or concavity of the frontiers for the case of two-user interference channel, and discusses when a time sharing approach should be employed with specific results pertaining to the two-user symmetric channel.

Spatiotemporal amplitude-and-phase reconstruction by Fourier-transform of interference spectra of high-complex-beams

Abstract: We propose what we believe to be a novel method to reconstruct the spatiotemporal amplitude and phase of the electric field of ultrashort laser pulses using spatially resolved spectral interferometry. This method is based on a fiber-optic coupler interferometer that has certain advantages in comparison with standard interferometer systems, such as being alignment-free and selection of the reference beam at a single point. Our technique, which we refer to as the SpatioTemporal Amplitude-and-phase Reconstruction by Fourier-transform of Interference Spectra of High-complex-beams, offers compactness and simplicity. We report its application to the experimental characterization of chirped pulses and to spatiotemporal reconstructions of a convergent beam as well as plane-plane and spherical-plane waves interferences, which we check with our simulations.

Geometric Determination of the Interference-Free Constant-Orientation Workspace of Parallel Cable-Driven Mechanisms

Abstract: The increasing use of parallel cable-driven mechanisms calls for a better understanding of their behavior and highly efficient algorithms to attenuate their drawbacks at the design stage. One of these drawbacks is the high probability of mechanical interferences between the moving parts of the mechanism. In this paper, the phenomenon is described under the assumption that a cable is a line segment in space. When a mechanical contact occurs between two cables or between a cable and an edge of the end effector, these entities necessarily lie in the same plane, and then the three-dimensional problem becomes two-dimensional. This fact is used to simplify the equations, and leads to exhaustive descriptions of the associated interference loci in the constant-orientation workspace of a cable-driven mechanism. These results provide a fast method to graphically represent all interference regions in the manipulator workspace, given its geometry and the orientation of its end effector.

A General Algorithm for Interference Alignment and Cancellation in Wireless Networks

Abstract: Physical layer techniques have come a long way and can achieve very close to Shannon capacity for point-to-pint links. It is apparent that, to further improve network capacity significantly, we have to resort to concurrent transmissions. Many concurrent transmission techniques (e.g., zero forcing, interference alignment and distributed MIMO) are proposed in which multiple senders jointly encode signals to multiple receivers so that interference is aligned and each receiver is able to decode its desired information. In this paper, we investigate the constraints and challenges of using interference alignment. Our main contribution is conducting the first systematic investigation on the key issue of identifying opportunities for interference alignment. We identify diverse, novel scenarios for using interference alignment. We show that identifying opportunities for interference alignment in the general case is computational challenging. However, we also present a promising, distributed algorithm for identifying a wide range of opportunities for interference alignment using a unifying framework based on the degree of freedom. Our second contribution is evaluating key practical implementation issues.